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 March 31,June 30, 2019
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 No. 0-11676
_____________________

BEL FUSE INC.
206 Van Vorst Street
Jersey City, NJ  07302
(201) 432-0463

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

NEW JERSEY 22-1463699
(State of incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.Yes [X]No [   ]
   
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files).Yes [X]No [   ]
   
Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated 
filer [    ]
Accelerated 
filer [X]
Non-accelerated 
filer [    ]
Smaller reporting 
company [X]
Emerging growth
company [    ]
  
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.[   ]
 
 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class 
 Trading Symbol
 Name of Exchange on Which Registered
Class A Common Stock ($0.10 par value)  BELFA Nasdaq Global Select Market
Class B Common Stock ($0.10 par value)  BELFB Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).Yes [   ] No [X]



Title of Each Class
 
Number of Shares of Common Stock Outstanding
 as of MayAugust 1, 2019
Class A Common Stock ($0.10 par value) 2,174,912
Class B Common Stock ($0.10 par value) 10,075,10210,141,602



BEL FUSE INC.
 
INDEX
    
   Page
Part I Financial Information 
    
 Item 1.2
    
   
  2
    
   
  3
    
   
  4
    
   
  5
    
   
  67
    
  78 - 1718
    
 Item 2. 
  1819 - 2325
    
 Item 3. 
  2325
    
 Item 4.2425
    
Part II Other Information 
    
 Item 1.2425
    
 Item 1A.2425
    
 Item 6.2526
    
  2627

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CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

The terms the “Company,” “Bel,” “we,” “us,” and “our” as used in this report refer to Bel Fuse Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise specified.

The Company’s consolidated operating results are affected by a wide variety of factors that could materially and adversely affect revenues and profitability, including the risk factors described in Item 1A of our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result of these and other factors, the Company may experience material fluctuations in future operating results on a quarterly or annual basis, which could materially and adversely affect its business, consolidated financial condition, operating results, and common stock prices.  Furthermore, this document and other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) contain certain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“Forward-Looking Statements”) with respect to the business of the Company.  Forward-Looking Statements are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Forward-Looking Statements can be identified by such words as “anticipates,” “believes,” “plan,” “assumes,” “could,” “should,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “potential,” “seek,” “predict,” “may,” “will” and similar references to future periods.  All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are Forward-Looking Statements.  These Forward-Looking Statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in Item 1A of our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these Forward-Looking Statements.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these Forward-Looking Statements which may be necessary to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  Any Forward-Looking Statement made by the Company is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made.


1

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PART I.  Financial Information

Item 1.  Financial Statements (Unaudited)
BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
(in thousands, except share and per share data) 
(unaudited) 
       
  June 30,  December 31, 
  2019  2018 
ASSETS      
Current Assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents $58,395  $53,911 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,694        
 and $1,638, respectively  84,248   91,939 
Inventories  118,209   120,068 
Unbilled receivables  11,470   15,799 
Other current assets  9,090   8,792 
    Total current assets  281,412   290,509 
         
Property, plant and equipment, net  42,344   43,932 
Right-of-use assets  17,885   - 
Intangible assets, net  59,476   62,689 
Goodwill  20,017   19,817 
Deferred income taxes  1,194   496 
Other assets  27,347   26,081 
    Total assets $449,675  $443,524 
         
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY        
Current Liabilities:        
Accounts payable $42,764  $56,171 
Accrued expenses  30,092   32,290 
Current portion of long-term debt  3,997   2,508 
Operating lease liability, current  6,238   - 
Other current liabilities  4,060   15,061 
    Total current liabilities  87,151   106,030 
         
Long-term Liabilities:        
Long-term debt  108,960   111,705 
Operating lease liability, long-term  12,121   - 
Liability for uncertain tax positions  28,379   27,553 
Minimum pension obligation and unfunded pension liability  19,126   18,683 
Deferred income taxes  1,061   1,161 
Other liabilities  12,601   1,922 
    Total liabilities  269,399   267,054 
         
Commitments and contingencies        
         
Stockholders' Equity:        
Preferred stock, no par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued  -   - 
Class A common stock, par value $.10 per share, 10,000,000 shares        
    authorized; 2,174,912 shares outstanding at each date (net of        
    1,072,769 treasury shares)  217   217 
Class B common stock, par value $.10 per share, 30,000,000 shares        
     authorized; shares outstanding: 10,141,602 in 2019 and 10,092,352        
     in 2018 (net of 3,218,307 treasury shares)  1,014   1,009 
Additional paid-in capital  32,983   31,387 
Retained earnings  171,583   168,695 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (25,521)  (24,838)
    Total stockholders' equity  180,276   176,470 
    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $449,675  $443,524 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
(in thousands, except share and per share data) 
(unaudited) 
       
   March 31,  December 31, 
  2019  2018 
ASSETS      
Current Assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents $43,191  $53,911 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,700        
  in 2019 and $1,638 in 2018  94,229   91,939 
Inventories  124,785   120,068 
Unbilled receivables  10,230   15,799 
Assets held for sale  1,518   - 
Other current assets  9,309   8,792 
    Total current assets  283,262   290,509 
         
Property, plant and equipment, net  41,864   43,932 
Right-of-use assets  19,022     
Intangible assets, net  61,267   62,689 
Goodwill  20,070   19,817 
Deferred income taxes  1,304   496 
Other assets  27,451   26,081 
    Total assets $454,240  $443,524 
         
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY        
Current Liabilities:        
Accounts payable $48,126  $56,171 
Accrued expenses  27,218   32,290 
Current portion of long-term debt  3,252   2,508 
Operating lease liability, current  6,243   - 
Other current liabilities  5,846   15,061 
    Total current liabilities  90,685   106,030 
         
Long-term Liabilities:        
Long-term debt  110,333   111,705 
Operating lease liability, long-term  13,044   - 
Liability for uncertain tax positions  28,272   27,553 
Minimum pension obligation and unfunded pension liability  18,907   18,683 
Deferred income taxes  1,201   1,161 
Other liabilities  13,645   1,922 
    Total liabilities  276,087   267,054 
         
Commitments and contingencies        
         
Stockholders' Equity:        
Preferred stock, no par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued  -   - 
Class A common stock, par value $.10 per share, 10,000,000 shares        
    authorized; 2,174,912 shares outstanding at each date (net of        
    1,072,769 treasury shares)  217   217 
Class B common stock, par value $.10 per share, 30,000,000 shares        
     authorized; shares outstanding: 10,085,102 in 2019 and 10,092,352        
     in 2018 (net of 3,218,307 treasury shares)  1,008   1,009 
Additional paid-in capital  32,201   31,387 
Retained earnings  169,451   168,695 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (24,724)  (24,838)
    Total stockholders' equity  178,153   176,470 
    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $454,240  $443,524 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 
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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESBEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
(in thousands, except per share data)(in thousands, except per share data) (in thousands, except per share data) 
(unaudited)(unaudited) (unaudited) 
                  
 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
                  
      
Net sales $125,389  $118,251  $127,416  $140,710  $252,805  $258,961 
Cost of sales  101,829   97,118   107,532   111,696   209,361   208,814 
Gross profit  23,560   21,133   19,884   29,014   43,444   50,147 
                        
Selling, general and administrative expense  19,798   20,692 
Selling, general and administrative expenses  18,764   18,306   38,564   38,998 
Gain on sale of property  (4,257)  -   (4,257)  - 
Restructuring charges  946   4   424   41   1,370   45 
Income from operations  2,816   437   4,953   10,667   7,767   11,104 
                        
Interest expense  (1,440)  (1,177)  (1,381)  (1,349)  (2,820)  (2,527)
Other income/expense, net  (206)  (238)
Earnings (loss) before provision for income taxes  1,170   (978)
Interest income and other, net  (184)  (285)  (389)  (521)
Earnings before provision for income taxes  3,388   9,033   4,558   8,056 
                        
Provision for income taxes  39   325   421   2,399   460   2,724 
Net earnings (loss) available to common stockholders $1,131  $(1,303)
Net earnings available to common stockholders $2,967  $6,634  $4,098  $5,332 
                        
                        
Net earnings (loss) per common share:        
Net earnings per common share:                
Class A common share - basic and diluted $0.08  $(0.11) $0.23  $0.52  $0.31  $0.41 
Class B common share - basic and diluted $0.09  $(0.11) $0.24  $0.56  $0.34  $0.45 
                        
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:                        
Class A common share - basic and diluted  2,175   2,175   2,175   2,175   2,175   2,175 
Class B common share - basic and diluted  10,089   9,856   10,112   9,844   10,100   9,850 
                        
        
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
 
(in thousands) 
(unaudited) 
       
   Three Months Ended 
   March 31, 
  2019  2018 
       
       
Net earnings (loss) available to common stockholders $1,131  $(1,303)
         
Other comprehensive income:        
Currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $17 in 2019 and $25 in 2018  540   4,017 
Unrealized holding gains on marketable securities arising during the period,        
net of taxes of $0 in 2019 and $20 in 2018  -   (31)
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($11) in 2019 and ($25) in 2018  37   86 
Other comprehensive income  577   4,072 
         
Comprehensive income $1,708  $2,769 
         
         
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 
BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
 
(dollars in thousands) 
(unaudited) 
             
   Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
  June 30,  June 30, 
  2019  2018  2019  2018 
             
Net earnings available to common stockholders $2,967  $6,634  $4,098  $5,332 
                 
Other comprehensive income (loss):                
Currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $16 in the three months                
   ended June 30, 2019, $37 in the three months ended June 30, 2018, ($1) in                
   the six months ended June 30, 2019 and $12 in the six months ended                
    June 30, 2018  (834)  (7,448)  (294)  (3,431)
Unrealized losses on marketable securities arising during the period,                
net of taxes of $0 in the three months ended June 30, 2019, $0 in the                
three months ended June 30, 2018, $0 in the six months ended June 30,                
2019 and ($20) in the six months ended June 30, 2018  -   -   -   (31)
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of $11 in the three months                
ended June 30, 2019, $25 in the three months ended June 30, 2018, $22 in                
the six months ended June 30, 2019 and $51 in the six months ended                
 June 30, 2018  37   85   74   171 
Other comprehensive loss  (797)  (7,363)  (220)  (3,291)
                 
Comprehensive income (loss) $2,170  $(729) $3,878  $2,041 
                 
                 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESBEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
(in thousands)(in thousands) (in thousands) 
(unaudited)(unaudited)  (unaudited) 
                                    
       Accumulated                            
       Other  Class A  Class B  Additional        Accumulated          
    Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In        Other  Class A  Class B  Additional 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
                      Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In 
Balance at December 31, 2018 $176,470  $168,695  $(24,838) $217  $1,009  $31,387 
Three Months Ended June 30, 2019 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
                  
Balance at March 31, 2019 $178,153  $169,451  $(24,724) $217  $1,008  $32,201 
Net earnings  1,131   1,131   -   -   -   -   2,967   2,967   -   -   -   - 
Dividends declared:                                                
Class A Common Stock, $0.06/share  (130)  (130)  -   -   -   -   (131)  (131)  -   -   -   - 
Class B Common Stock, $0.07/share  (708)  (708)  -   -   -   -   (704)  (704)  -   -   -   - 
Issuance of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   7   (7)
Forfeiture of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   (1)  1
  -   -   -   -   (1)  1 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $17  540   -   540   -   -   - 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $16  (834)  -   (834)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation expense  813   -   -   -   -   813   788   -   -   -   -   788 
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($11)  37   -   37   -   -   -   37   -   37   -   -   - 
Effect of adoption of ASU 2018-02 (Topic 220)  -   463   (463)  -   -   - 
                                                
Balance at March 31, 2019  178,153   169,451   (24,724)  217   1,008   32,201 
Balance at June 30, 2019  180,276   171,583   (25,521)  217   1,014   32,983 
                                                
                                                
         Accumulated                      Accumulated             
         Other  Class A  Class B  Additional          Other  Class A  Class B  Additional 
     Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In      Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
Three Months Ended June 30, 2018 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
                                                
                                                
Balance at December 31, 2017 $157,960  $147,807  $(19,625) $217  $986  $28,575 
Balance at March 31, 2018 $164,175  $149,171  $(15,553) $217  $985  $29,355 
Net loss  (1,303)  (1,303)  -   -   -   -   6,634   6,634   -   -   -   - 
Dividends declared:                                                
Class A Common Stock, $0.06/share  (130)  (130)  -   -   -   -   (131)  (131)  -   -   -   - 
Class B Common Stock, $0.07/share  (700)  (700)  -   -   -   -   (689)  (689)  -   -   -   - 
Forfeiture of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   (1)  1   -   -   -   -   (1)  1 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $25  4,017   -   4,017   -   -   - 
Unrealized holding losses on marketable securities                        
arising during the year, net of taxes of $20  (31)  -   (31)  -   -   - 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $37  (7,448)  -   (7,448)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation expense  779   -   -   -   -   779   671   -   -   -   -   671 
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($25)  86   -   86   -   -   -   85   -   85   -   -   - 
Effect of adoption of ASU 2014-09 (Topic 606)  3,497   3,497   -   -   -   - 
                                                
Balance at March 31, 2018 $164,175  $149,171  $(15,553) $217  $985  $29,355 
Balance at June 30, 2018 $163,297  $154,985  $(22,916) $217  $984  $30,027 
                                                
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
(in thousands) 
(unaudited) 
   Three Months Ended 
   March 31, 
  2019  2018 
       
Cash flows from operating activities:      
Net earnings (loss) $1,131  $(1,303)
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to net        
 cash (used in) provided by operating activities:        
Depreciation and amortization  4,110   4,776 
Stock-based compensation  813   779 
Amortization of deferred financing costs  115   120 
Deferred income taxes  (756)  (505)
Net unrealized losses on foreign currency revaluation  573   1,002 
Other, net  950   518 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable  (2,285)  2,528 
Unbilled receivables  5,569   893 
Inventories  (4,239)  (4,734)
Account payable  (8,493)  (777)
Accrued expenses  (5,044)  (3,616)
Other operating assets/liabilities, net  1,299   645 
      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities  (6,257)  326 
         
Cash flows from investing activities:        
Purchases of property, plant and equipment  (2,437)  (2,216)
Proceeds from disposal/sale of property, plant and equipment  2   48 
       Net cash used in investing activities  (2,435)  (2,168)
         
Cash flows from financing activities:        
Dividends paid to common stockholders  (800)  (791)
Borrowings under revolving credit line  10,000   - 
Repayments of revolving credit line  (10,000)  - 
Repayments of long-term debt  (744)  (781)
       Net cash used in financing activities  (1,544)  (1,572)
         
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  (484)  912 
         
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents  (10,720)  (2,502)
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period  53,911   69,354 
Cash and cash equivalents - end of period $43,191  $66,852 
         
         
Supplementary information:        
Cash paid during the period for:        
    Income taxes, net of refunds received $926  $1,040 
    Interest payment $1,216  $1,079 
         
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 
BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 
(in thousands) 
(unaudited) 
                   
        Accumulated          
        Other  Class A  Class B  Additional 
     Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In 
Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
                   
Balance at December 31, 2018 $176,470  $168,695  $(24,838) $217  $1,009  $31,387 
Net earnings  4,098   4,098   -   -   -   - 
Dividends declared:                        
Class A Common Stock, $0.12/share  (261)  (261)  -   -   -   - 
Class B Common Stock, $0.14/share  (1,412)  (1,412)  -   -   -   - 
Issuance of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   7   (7)
Forfeiture of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   (2)  2 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of ($1)  (294)  -   (294)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation expense  1,601   -   -   -   -   1,601 
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($22)  74   -   74   -   -   - 
Effect of adoption of ASU 2018-02 (Topic 220)  -   463   (463)  -   -   - 
                         
Balance at June 30, 2019  180,276   171,583   (25,521)  217   1,014   32,983 
                         
                         
          Accumulated             
          Other  Class A  Class B  Additional 
      Retained  Comprehensive  Common  Common  Paid-In 
Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 Total  Earnings  (Loss) Income  Stock  Stock  Capital 
                         
                         
Balance at December 31, 2017 $157,960  $147,807  $(19,625) $217  $986  $28,575 
Net earnings  5,332   5,332   -   -   -   - 
Dividends declared:                        
Class A Common Stock, $0.12/share  (261)  (261)  -   -   -   - 
Class B Common Stock, $0.14/share  (1,390)  (1,390)  -   -   -   - 
Forfeiture of restricted common stock  -   -   -   -   (2)  2 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of $12  (3,431)  -   (3,431)  -   -   - 
Unrealized holding losses on marketable securities                        
  arising during the year, net of taxes of $20  (31)  -   (31)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation expense  1,450   -   -   -   -   1,450 
Change in unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($51)  171   -   171   -   -   - 
Effect of adoption of ASU 2014-09 (Topic 606)  3,497   3,497   -   -   -   - 
                         
Balance at June 30, 2018 $163,297  $154,985  $(22,916) $217  $984  $30,027 
                         
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 
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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
(dollars in thousands) 
(unaudited) 
   Six Months Ended 
  June 30, 
  2019  2018 
       
Cash flows from operating activities:      
Net earnings $4,098  $5,332 
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net        
 cash provided by operating activities:        
Depreciation and amortization  8,216   9,320 
Stock-based compensation  1,601   1,450 
Amortization of deferred financing costs  232   294 
Deferred income taxes  (1,002)  1,780 
Net unrealized losses on foreign currency revaluation  123   (871)
Gain on sale of property  (4,257)  - 
Other, net  1,316   613 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable, net  7,734   (10,541)
Unbilled receivables  4,329   (1,051)
Inventories  1,799   (10,629)
Account payable  (13,350)  12,082 
Accrued expenses  (2,052)  (1,251)
Other operating assets/liabilities, net  (1,032)  (5,286)
      Net cash provided by operating activities  7,755   1,242 
         
Cash flows from investing activities:        
Purchases of property, plant and equipment  (5,329)  (5,870)
Proceeds from disposal/sale of property, plant and equipment  5,784   53 
       Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities  455   (5,817)
         
Cash flows from financing activities:        
Dividends paid to common stockholders  (1,600)  (1,589)
Borrowings under revolving credit line  12,000   - 
Repayments of revolving credit line  (12,000)  - 
Repayments of long-term debt  (1,487)  (7,525)
       Net cash used in financing activities  (3,087)  (9,114)
         
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  (639)  65 
         
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents  4,484   (13,624)
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period  53,911   69,354 
Cash and cash equivalents - end of period $58,395  $55,730 
         
         
Supplementary information:        
Cash paid during the period for:        
    Income taxes, net of refunds received $2,805  $5,073 
    Interest payment $2,533  $2,260 
         
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

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BEL FUSE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1.BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The condensed consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations, comprehensive income stockholders'(loss), stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods presented herein have been prepared by the Company and are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for all periods presented have been made.  The results for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.  These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Bel Fuse Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Certain information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted from the following condensed consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations, including the interim reporting requirements, of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"(“SEC”).  The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and the disclosure of contingent amounts in our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.  There were no significant changes to these accounting policies during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, except as discussed in Note 12, Leases, related to the adoption of the new lease standard.“Recently Adopted Accounting Standards” below.

All amounts included in the tables to these notes to condensed consolidated financial statements, except per share amounts, are in thousands.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"(“FASB”) issued Accounting StandardStandards Update ("ASU"(“ASU”) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), to provide a new comprehensive model for lease accounting.  Under this guidance, lessees and lessors should apply a “right-of-use” model in accounting for all leases (including subleases) and eliminate the concept of operating leases and off-balance sheet leases.  Recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses will depend on classification as a finance or operating lease. Similar modifications have been made to lessor accounting in-line with revenue recognition guidance. This guidance was effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018.  The amendments also require certain quantitative and qualitative disclosures about leasing arrangements.
 
The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 as amended effective January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach.  In connection with the adoption, we elected to utilize the Comparatives Under 840 Option whereby the Company will continue to present prior period financial statements and disclosures under ASC 840.  In addition, we elected the transition package of three practical expedients permitted within the standard, which eliminates the requirements to reassess prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs.  Further, we elected a short-term lease exception policy, permitting us to not apply the recognition requirements of this standard to short-term leases (i.e. leases with terms of 12 months or less) and an accounting policy to account for lease and non-lease components as a single component for certain classes of assets.  We implemented a new lease system to facilitate the requirements of the new standard and completed the necessary changes to our accounting policies, processes, disclosures and internal control over financial reporting.

Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of right-of-use assets in the amount of $20.7 million and lease liabilities related to our operating leases in the amount of $21.0 million on our consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019.  The standard did not materially affect the Company’s consolidated net earnings or have any impact on cash flows.  See Note 12, Leases, for Topic 842 disclosures in connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-02.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.  This guidance allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted on December 22, 2017.  This guidance is effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years and should be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is recognized.  This guidance was adopted by the Company effective January 1, 2019.  In accordance with this guidance, the Company reclassified $0.5 million of stranded tax effects from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings within the equity section of the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019.  The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

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In May 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies the accounting for share-based payments granted to nonemployees for goods and services.  This guidance will better align the treatment of share-based payments to nonemployees with the requirements for such share-based payments granted to employees.  This guidance is effective for all public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that year.  This guidance was adopted by the Company effective January 1, 2019 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.


Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted


In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”).  The new guidance will broaden the information that an entity must consider in developing its expected credit loss estimates related to its financial instruments and adds to U.S. GAAP an impairment model that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses.  The amendment is currently effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted.  Management is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2016-13, will have on the Company, but it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017.  The Company is required to adopt ASU 2017-04 for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and the guidance is to be applied on a prospective basis.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.  The updated guidance improves the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements.  The updated guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019.  Early adoption is permitted for any removed or modified disclosures.  The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting the updated provisions.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Subtopic 715-20): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans (“ASU 2018-14”).  This guidance removes certain disclosures that are not considered cost beneficial, clarifies certain required disclosures and added additional disclosures.  The standard is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020.  The amendments in ASU 2018-14 would need to be applied on a retrospective basis.  We areThe Company is currently assessing the impact the new guidance will have on ourits disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Cost.  This guidance aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software.  This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted.  The Company is currently evaluating the impacts that adoption of this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements.

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2.REVENUE

The following table provides information about disaggregated revenue by product group and sales channel, and includes a reconciliation of the disaggregated revenue to our reportable segments:


  Three Months Ended June 30, 2019  Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 
  North           North          
  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated 
                         
By Product Group:                        
Connectivity solutions $31,297  $3,027  $8,212  $42,536  $63,418  $6,502  $16,977  $86,897 
Magnetic solutions  9,638   29,168   2,046   40,852   18,583   56,258   4,267   79,108 
Power solutions and protection  26,131   7,129   10,768   44,028   49,652   13,841   23,307   86,800 
  $67,066  $39,324  $21,026  $127,416  $131,653  $76,601  $44,551  $252,805 
                                 
By Sales Channel:                                
Direct to customer $45,442  $32,707  $13,293  $91,442  $89,323  $63,835  $29,506  $182,664 
Through distribution  21,624   6,617   7,733   35,974   42,330   12,766   15,045   70,141 
  $67,066  $39,324  $21,026  $127,416  $131,653  $76,601  $44,551  $252,805 
                                 
                                 
  Three Months Ended June 30, 2018  Six Months Ended June 30, 2018 
  North              North             
  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated 
                                 
By Product Group:                                
Connectivity solutions $34,834  $4,820  $9,274  $48,928  $65,878  $8,241  $17,727  $91,846 
Magnetic solutions  10,158   32,844   2,546   45,548   18,209   60,669   4,898   83,776 
Power solutions and protection  26,248   8,250   11,736   46,234   46,609   15,625   21,105   83,339 
  $71,240  $45,914  $23,556  $140,710  $130,696  $84,535  $43,730  $258,961 
                                 
By Sales Channel:                                
Direct to customer $44,055  $39,402  $15,990  $99,447  $81,951  $72,330  $30,183  $184,464 
Through distribution  27,185   6,512   7,566   41,263   48,745   12,205   13,547   74,497 
  $71,240  $45,914  $23,556  $140,710  $130,696  $84,535  $43,730  $258,961 
                                 

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  Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 
  North          
  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated 
             
By Product Group:            
Connectivity solutions $32,121  $3,475  $8,765  $44,361 
Magnetic solutions  8,945   27,090   2,221   38,256 
Power solutions and protection  23,521   6,712   12,539   42,772 
  $64,587  $37,277  $23,525  $125,389 
                 
By Sales Channel:                
Direct to customer $43,881  $31,128  $16,213  $91,222 
Through distribution  20,706   6,149   7,312   34,167 
  $64,587  $37,277  $23,525  $125,389 



  Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 
  North          
  America  Asia  Europe  Consolidated 
             
By Product Group:            
Connectivity solutions $31,046  $3,420  $8,453  $42,919 
Magnetic solutions  8,051   27,825   2,352   38,228 
Power solutions and protection  20,360   7,375   9,369   37,104 
  $59,457  $38,620  $20,174  $118,251 
                 
By Sales Channel:                
Direct to customer $37,897  $32,927  $14,193  $85,017 
Through distribution  21,560   5,693   5,981   33,234 
  $59,457  $38,620  $20,174  $118,251 



The balances of the Company’s contract assets and contract liabilities at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows:

 March 31,  December 31,  June 30,  December 31, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018 
            
Contract assets - current (unbilled receivable) $10,230  $15,799  $11,470  $15,799 
Contract liabilities - current (deferred revenue) $955  $1,036  $1,763  $1,036 


The change in balance of our unbilled receivables from December 31, 2018 to March 31,June 30, 2019 primarily relates to a timing difference between the Company’s performance (i.e. when our product is shipped to a customer-controlled hub) and the point at which the Company can invoice the customer per the terms of the customer contract (i.e. when the customer pulls our product from the customer-controlled hub).

The aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations that have not been satisfied as of March 31,June 30, 2019 related to contracts that exceed one year in duration amounted to $16.0$14.3 million, with expected contract expiration dates that range from 2020 - 2025. It is expected that 47%21% of this aggregate amount will be recognized in 2020, 48%54% will be recognized in 2021 and the remainder will be recognized in years beyond 2021.

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3.EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per common share under the two-class method for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018:

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   Three Months Ended 
   March 31, 
  2019  2018 
       
Numerator:      
Net earnings (loss) $1,131  $(1,303)
Less dividends declared:        
     Class A  130   130 
     Class B  708   700 
Undistributed earnings (loss) $293  $(2,133)
         
Undistributed earnings (loss) allocation - basic and diluted:        
     Class A undistributed earnings (loss) $50  $(370)
     Class B undistributed earnings (loss)  243   (1,763)
     Total undistributed earnings (loss) $293  $(2,133)
         
Net earnings (loss) allocation - basic and diluted:        
     Class A net earnings (loss) $180  $(240)
     Class B net earnings (loss)  951   (1,063)
     Net earnings (loss) $1,131  $(1,303)
         
Denominator:        
Weighted-average shares outstanding:        
     Class A - basic and diluted  2,175   2,175 
     Class B - basic and diluted  10,089   9,856 
         
Net earnings (loss) per share:        
     Class A - basic and diluted $0.08  $(0.11)
     Class B - basic and diluted $0.09  $(0.11)
   Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
  June 30,  June 30, 
  2019  2018  2019  2018 
             
Numerator:            
Net earnings $2,967  $6,634  $4,098  $5,332 
Less dividends declared:                
     Class A  131   131   261   261 
     Class B  704   689   1,412   1,390 
Undistributed earnings $2,132  $5,814  $2,425  $3,681 
                 
Undistributed earnings allocation - basic and diluted:                
     Class A undistributed earnings $363  $1,010  $412  $640 
     Class B undistributed earnings  1,769   4,804   2,013   3,041 
     Total undistributed earnings $2,132  $5,814  $2,425  $3,681 
                 
Net earnings allocation - basic and diluted:                
     Class A net earnings $494  $1,141  $673  $901 
     Class B net earnings  2,473   5,493   3,425   4,431 
     Net earnings $2,967  $6,634  $4,098  $5,332 
                 
Denominator:                
Weighted-average shares outstanding:                
     Class A - basic and diluted  2,175   2,175   2,175   2,175 
     Class B - basic and diluted  10,112   9,844   10,100   9,850 
                 
Net earnings per share:                
     Class A - basic and diluted $0.23  $0.52  $0.31  $0.41 
     Class B - basic and diluted $0.24  $0.56  $0.34  $0.45 



4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants based upon the best use of the asset or liability at the measurement date.  Entities are required to use a fair value hierarchy which maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.  There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 – Observable inputs such as quoted market prices in active markets;

Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs about which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

As of March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, our available-for-sale securities primarily consisted of investments held in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the Company’s Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) obligations.  These securities are measured at fair value using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) inputs and amounted to $1.3 million at March 31,June 30, 2019 and $1.4 million at December 31, 2018.  The Company does not have any financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis categorized as Level 3, and there were no transfers in or out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 or March 31,June 30, 2018.  There were no changes to the Company’s valuation techniques used to measure asset fair values on a recurring or nonrecurring basis during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 or March 31,June 30, 2018.

There were no financial assets accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis as of March 31,June 30, 2019 or December 31, 2018.

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The Company has other financial instruments, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses, and notes payable, which are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis but are recorded at amounts that approximate fair value due to their liquid or short-term nature.  The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt is estimated using a discounted cash flow method based on interest rates that are currently available for debt issuances with similar terms and maturities.  At March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the estimated fair value of total debt was $118.0$118.5 million and $117.9 million, respectively, compared to a carrying amount of $113.6$113.0 million and $114.2 million, respectively.  The Company did not have any other financial liabilities within the scope of the fair value disclosure requirements as of March 31,June 30, 2019.

Nonfinancial assets and liabilities, such as goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and long-lived assets, are accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.  These items are tested for impairment upon the occurrence of a triggering event or in the case of goodwill, on at least an annual basis. There were no triggering events that occurred during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 that would warrant interim impairment testing.


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5.  INVENTORIES

The components of inventories are as follows:

 March 31,  December 31,  June 30,  December 31, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018 
Raw materials $58,425  $63,348  $53,251  $63,348 
Work in progress  27,261   21,441   28,548   21,441 
Finished goods  39,099   35,279   36,410   35,279 
Inventories $124,785  $120,068  $118,209  $120,068 


6. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment consist of the following:

 March 31,  December 31,  June 30,  December 31, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018 
Land $1,430  $2,251  $1,433  $2,251 
Buildings and improvements  29,300   30,119   29,319   30,119 
Machinery and equipment  127,488   126,747   129,386   126,747 
Construction in progress  5,237   4,687   5,516   4,687 
  163,455   163,804   165,654   163,804 
Accumulated depreciation  (121,591)  (119,872)  (123,310)  (119,872)
Property, plant and equipment, net $41,864  $43,932  $42,344  $43,932 


Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 was $2.5 million and $3.2$2.9 million, respectively.  Depreciation expense for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 was $5.0 million and $6.1 million, respectively.  Depreciation expense related to our manufacturing facilities and equipment is included in cost of sales and depreciation expense associated with administrative facilities and office equipment is included in selling, general and administrative expense within the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Asset Held for Sale

During the first quarter of 2019, the Company finalized its plans to transition its manufacturing and warehousing operations from its Inwood, New York facility to Bel’s existing facilities in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania and the Dominican Republic.  In connection with this transition, the Company hashad classified $1.5 million of property, plant and equipment as held for sale on the accompanyingits condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2019.  The Company expects the transition to be complete by the endsale of the thirdInwood, New York property was completed during the second quarter of 2019, resulting in net proceeds of $5.8 million.  The resulting gain on sale of $4.3 million (pre-tax) was recorded in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019.

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7.ACCRUED EXPENSES

Accrued expenses consist of the following:

 March 31,  December 31,  June 30,  December 31, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018 
Sales commissions $2,600  $2,609  $2,628  $2,609 
Subcontracting labor  1,520   1,550   1,276   1,550 
Salaries, bonuses and related benefits  13,479   18,275   14,918   18,275 
Warranty accrual  1,116   1,078   1,329   1,078 
Other  8,503   8,778   9,941   8,778 
 $27,218  $32,290  $30,092  $32,290 

The change in warranty accrual during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 primarily related to repair costs incurred and adjustments to pre-existing warranties.  There were no new material warranty charges incurred during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019.

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Restructuring Activities

Included within other accrued expenses in the table above are costs accrued related to the Company’s restructuring activities.  Activity and liability balances related to restructuring costs for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 are as follows:


     Three Months Ended    
     March 31, 2019    
  Liability at     Cash Payments  Liability at 
  December 31,  New  and Other  March 31, 
  2018  Charges  Settlements  2019 
Severance costs $-  $207  $(63) $144 
Other restructuring costs  -   740   -   740 
     Total $-  $947  $(63) $884 
     Six Months Ended    
     June 30, 2019    
  Liability at     Cash Payments  Liability at 
  December 31,  New  and Other  June 30, 
  2018  Charges  Settlements  2019 
Severance costs $-  $311  $(244) $67 
Other restructuring costs  -   809   (107)  702 
     Total $-  $1,120  $(351) $769 

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company’s restructuring charges included $0.8$0.9 million of costs associated with the Company’s decision to transition manufacturing and warehousing operations from our Inwood, New York facility to other existing Bel facilities.  The balance of the restructuring charges related to the realignment of our R&D resources dedicated to our Power Solutions and Protection group.

group and other restructuring activities in Asia.

8. DEBT

The Company has a Credit and Security Agreement with KeyBank National Association (as amended, the “CSA”).  The CSA consists of (i) a term loan, with outstanding borrowings of $115.2$114.5 million and $116.0 million at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively and (ii) a $75 million revolving credit facility (“Revolver”), with no outstanding borrowings at March 31,June 30, 2019 or December 31, 2018.  The CSA has a maturity date of December 11, 2022.  At March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the carrying value of the debt on the condensed consolidated balance sheet is reflected net of $1.7$1.5 million and $1.8 million, respectively, of deferred financing costs. During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company borrowed $10.0$12.0 million from its revolver, all of which was repaid by March 31,June 30, 2019.
The weighted-average interest rate in effect was 4.25%4.19% at March 31,June 30, 2019 and 4.31% at December 31, 2018 and consisted of LIBOR plus the Company’s credit spread, as determined per the terms of the CSA.  The Company incurred $1.4 million and $1.2$1.3 million of interest expense during the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and March 31,June 30, 2018, respectively, and $2.8 million and $2.5 million of interest expense during the six months ended June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2018, respectively.
The CSA contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default and financial covenants that measure (i) the ratio of the Company's total funded indebtedness, on a consolidated basis, to the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA, as defined, (“Leverage Ratio”) and (ii) the ratio of the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA to the Company’s consolidated fixed charges. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the CSA would be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.  At March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company was in compliance with its debt covenants, including its most restrictive covenant, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio.

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9. INCOME TAXES

The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions.  The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal examinations by tax authorities for years before 2015 and for state examinations before 2012.   Regarding foreign subsidiaries, the Company is no longer subject to examination by tax authorities for years before 2008 in Asia and generally 20102011 in Europe.  The Company is currently under examination by the taxing authorities in Slovakia for the tax year 2014.

As a result of the expiration of the statutes of limitations for specific jurisdictions, it is reasonably possible that the related unrecognized benefits for tax positions taken regarding previously filed tax returns may change materially from those recorded as liabilities for uncertain tax positions in the Company’s consolidated financial statements at March 31,June 30, 2019.  The Company’s liabilities for uncertain tax positions totaled $29.4$28.5 million and $28.9 million at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, of which $1.1$0.1 million and $1.4 million is included in other current liabilities at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.  These amounts, if recognized, would reduce the Company’s effective tax rate.  As of March 31,June 30, 2019, approximately $1.1$0.1 million of the Company’s liabilities for uncertain tax positions are expected to be resolved during 2019 by way of expiration of the related statute of limitations.

The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of the current provision for income taxes.  During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized $0.2$0.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively, in interest and penalties in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during each period.operations.  During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized a benefit of $0.3$0.7 million and zero,a benefit of $0.4 million, respectively, for the reversal of such interest and penalties, relating to the settlement of the liability for uncertain tax positions.  The Company has approximately $4.8$4.5 million and $3.8 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, which is included in both income taxes payable and liability for uncertain tax positions in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

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The Company continues to monitor the impacts of the U.S. tax reform and supplementary guidance as it becomes available.  At December 31, 2018, the remaining balance of the deemed repatriation tax was included in other current liabilities on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet.  At March 31,June 30, 2019, the majority of the deemed repatriation tax is included in other long-term liabilities on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheet due to clarification of an Internal Revenue Service notice received in December 2018.

10. RETIREMENT FUND AND PROFIT SHARING PLAN

The Company maintains the Bel Fuse Inc. Employees’ Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan that is intended to meet the applicable requirements for tax-qualification under sections 401(a) and (k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 amounted to $0.3 million in both periods. The expense for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 amounted to $0.6 million in both periods. The Company’s matching contribution is made in the form of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A common stock. As of March 31,June 30, 2019, the plan owned 121,261133,280 and 122,056107,962 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company's subsidiaries in Asia have a retirement fund covering substantially all of their Hong Kong based full-time employees.  The expense for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 amounted to approximately $0.1 million in both periods. The expense for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 amounted to $0.2 million in both periods.  As of March 31,June 30, 2019, the plan owned 3,323 and 17,342 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company maintains a SERP, which is designed to provide a limited group of key management and other key employees of the Company with supplemental retirement and death benefits.  As discussed in Note 3 above, the Company has investments in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the obligations of the SERP.

The components of SERP expense are as follows:

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
Service cost $144  $183  $144  $183  $288  $366 
Interest cost  185   166   185   166   370   332 
Net amortization  48   111   48   111   96   222 
Net periodic benefit cost $377  $460  $377  $460  $754  $920 


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The service cost component of net benefit cost is presented within cost of sales or selling, general and administrative expense on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations, in accordance with where compensation cost for the related associate is reported.  All other components of net benefit cost, including interest cost and net amortization noted above, are presented within other income/expense, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The following amounts are recognized net of tax in accumulated other comprehensive loss:

 March 31,  December 31,  June 30,  December 31, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018 
Prior service cost $873  $918  $828
  $918 
Net loss  1,974   1,977   1,971   1,977 
 $2,847  $2,895  $2,799  $2,895 


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11. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are summarized below:

  March 31,  December 31, 
  2019  2018 
       
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of ($768) at      
  March 31, 2019 and ($751) at December 31, 2018 $(22,095) $(22,635)
Unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities, net of taxes of        
  $0 at March 31, 2019 and $0 at December 31, 2018  12   12 
Unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($206) at March 31, 2019        
  and ($680) at December 31, 2018  (2,641)  (2,215)
         
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $(24,724) $(24,838)
  June 30,  December 31, 
  2019  2018 
       
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes of ($752) at      
  June 30, 2019 and ($751) at December 31, 2018 $(22,929) $(22,635)
Unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities, net of taxes of        
  $0 at June 30, 2019 and $0 at December 31, 2018  12   12 
Unfunded SERP liability, net of taxes of ($195) at June 30, 2019        
  and ($680) at December 31, 2018  (2,604)  (2,215)
         
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $(25,521) $(24,838)


Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component during the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 are as follows.  All amounts are net of tax.

    Unrealized Holding            Unrealized Holding        
 Foreign Currency  Gains on         Foreign Currency  Gains on        
 Translation  Available-for-  Unfunded      Translation  Available-for-  Unfunded     
 Adjustment  Sale Securities  SERP Liability   Total  Adjustment  Sale Securities  SERP Liability   Total 
                          
Balance at January 1, 2019 $(22,635) $12  $(2,215)  $(24,838) $(22,635) $12  $(2,215)  $(24,838)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications  540   -   6    546   (294)  -   11    (283)
Amount reclassified from accumulated other                                  
comprehensive loss  -   -   31

 (a)  31
 
  -   -   63  (a)  63 
Net current period other comprehensive income  540   -   37
 
   577
 
  (294)  -   74    (220)
                                  
Effect of adoption of ASU 2018-02 (Topic 220)
  -
   -
   (463
)
   (463
)
  -   -   (463)   (463)
Balance at March 31, 2019 $(22,095) $12  $(2,641)  $(24,724)
Balance at June 30, 2019 $(22,929) $12  $(2,604)  $(25,521)
                                  
(a) This reclassification relates to the amortization of prior service costs and gains/losses associated with the Company's SERP plan. 
This expense is allocated between cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expense based upon the employment classification of the plan participants.
 
(a) This reclassification relates to the amortization of prior service costs and gains/losses associated with the Company's SERP Plan.(a) This reclassification relates to the amortization of prior service costs and gains/losses associated with the Company's SERP Plan.          
This expense is allocated between cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expense based upon the employmentThis expense is allocated between cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expense based upon the employment          
classification of the plan participants.                 


12.   LEASES

The Company has operating leases for its facilities used for manufacturing, research and development, sales and administration.  There are also operating and finance leases related to manufacturing equipment, office equipment and vehicles.  These leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 1 year to 8 years.  Certain of the leases contain options to extend the term of the lease and certain of the leases contain options to terminate the lease within a specified period of time.  These options to extend or terminate a lease are included in the lease term only when it is reasonably likely that the Company will elect that option.  The Company is not a party to any material sublease arrangements.

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The components of lease expense, which are included in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expense, based on the underlying use of the ROU asset, were as follows:
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 
Amortization of ROU Assets - Finance Leases $34 
Interest on Lease Liabilities - Finance Leases  13 
Operating Lease Cost (Cost resulting from lease payments)  1,980 
Short-term Lease Cost  68 
Variable Lease Cost (Cost excluded from lease payments)  59 
Sublease Income  - 
    Total Lease Cost $2,154 


  Three Months Ended June 30, 2019  Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 
Amortization of ROU Assets - Finance Leases $33  $67 
Interest on Lease Liabilities - Finance Leases  12   25 
Operating Lease Cost (Cost resulting from lease payments)  1,978   3,969 
Short-term Lease Cost  31   100 
Variable Lease Cost (Cost excluded from lease payments)  61   121 
Sublease Income  -   - 
    Total Lease Cost $2,115  $4,282 
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Supplemental cash flow information related to leases are as follows:

 Three Months Ended March 31, 2019  Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measruement of lease liabilities:      
Operating cash flows from operating leases $2,024  $3,963 
Operating cash flows from finance leases  13   25 
Finance cash flows from finance leases  29   57 
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations:        
Operating leases  20,775   21,396 
Finance leases  -   - 


Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

 March 31, 2019  June 30, 2019 
Operating Leases:      
Operating lease right-of-use assets $19,022  $17,885 
Other current liabilities  6,243 
Operating lease liabilities  13,044 
Operating lease liability, current  6,238 
Operating lease liability, long-term  12,121 
Total operating lease liabilities  19,287   18,359 
        
Finance Leases:        
Property, plant and equipment, gross  $881
  $894 
Accumulated depreciation  (168
)
  (202)
Property, plant and equipment, net  713
   692 
Other current liabilities  118
   120 
Other long-term liabilities  654
   626 
Total finance lease liabilities  $772
  $746 


 March 31,June 30, 2019 
Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term:  
Operating leases3.53.65 years 
Finance leases5.75.82 years 
   
Weighted-Average Discount Rate:  
Operating leases  6.0%
Finance leases  6.5%

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Our discount rate is based on our incremental borrowing rate, as adjusted based on the geographic regions in which our leases assets are located.

Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows as of March 31,June 30, 2019:

Year Ending Operating  Finance  Operating  Finance 
March 31, Leases  Leases 
June 30, Leases  Leases 
2020 $7,170  $164  $7,204  $164 
2021  5,746   163   5,549   163 
2022  4,564   162   4,206   163 
2023  2,900   162   2,440   163 
2024  700   162   422   163 
Thereafter  329   108   305   67 
Total undiscounted cash flows  21,409   921   20,126   883 
Less imputed interest  (2,122)  (149)  (1,767)  (137)
Present value of lease liabilities $19,287  $772
  $18,359  $746 



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As of March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company did not have any additional operating or financing leases that have not yet commenced.


13. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Proceedings

The Company is party to a number of legal actions and claims, none of which individually or in the aggregate, in the opinion of management, are expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial position.

In connection with the acquisition of Power Solutions, there is an ongoing claim by the Arezzo Revenue Agency in Italy concerning certain tax matters related to what was then Power-One Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd. (now Bel Power Solutions Asia Pacific Electronics Shenzhen Co. Ltd, or “BPS China”) for the years 2004 to 2006.  In September 2012, the Tax Court of Arezzo ruled in favor of BPS China and cancelled the claim.  In February 2013, the Arezzo Revenue Agency filed an appeal of the Tax Court’s ruling. The hearing of the appeal was held on October 2, 2014.  On October 13, 2014, BPS China was informed of the Regional Tax Commission of Florence ruling which was in favor of the Arezzo Revenue Agency and against BPS China.  An appeal was filed on July 18, 2015 before the Regional Tax Commission of Florence and rejected.  On December 5, 2016, the Arezzo Revenue Agency filed an appeal with the Supreme Court and BPS China filed a counter-appeal on January 4, 2017.   The Supreme Court has yet to render its judgment.  The estimated liability related to this matter is approximately $12.0 million and has been included as a liability for uncertain tax positions on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.  As Bel is fully indemnified in this matter per the terms of the stock purchase agreement with ABB, a corresponding other asset for indemnification is also included in other assets on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets at March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

On June 1, 2018, the Company filed an action against Unipower, LLC in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for breach of contract.  Specifically, the Company alleges in its Complaint that Unipower has willfully violated the Master Services Agreement (“MSA”) entered into by the parties on January 23, 2015 by failing to make payment for the products it contracted for under the MSA.  The parties entered into a settlement agreement on December 17, 2018 resolving all outstanding claims and a Stipulation of Dismissal was filed and entered on January 10, 2019.

The Company is not a party to any other legal proceeding, the adverse outcome of which is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
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14. SEGMENTS

The Company operates in one industry with three reportable operating segments, which are geographic in nature.  The segments consist of North America, Asia and Europe.  The primary criteria by which financial performance is evaluated and resources are allocated are net sales and income (loss) from operations.  The following is a summary of key financial data:

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
Net Sales to External Customers:                  
North America $64,587  $59,457  $67,066  $71,240  $131,653  $130,696 
Asia  37,277   38,620   39,324   45,914   76,601   84,535 
Europe  23,525   20,174   21,026   23,556   44,551   43,730 
 $125,389  $118,251  $127,416  $140,710  $252,805  $258,961 
                        
Net Sales:                        
North America $67,474  $62,570  $69,450  $74,602  $136,923  $137,173 
Asia  62,309   56,139   63,062   70,005   125,372   126,144 
Europe  26,864   24,312   25,734   27,630   52,598   51,942 
Less intercompany net sales  (31,258)  (24,770)  (30,830)  (31,527)  (62,088)  (56,298)
 $125,389  $118,251  $127,416  $140,710  $252,805  $258,961 
                        
Income (Loss) from Operations:        
Income from Operations:                
North America $(493) $(302) $2,373  $2,963  $1,880  $2,661 
Asia  1,014   (85)  270   5,319   1,283   5,234 
Europe  2,295   824   2,310   2,385   4,604   3,209 
 $2,816  $437  $4,953  $10,667  $7,767  $11,104 

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Net Sales – Segment net sales are attributed to individual segments based on the geographic source of the billing for such customer sales.  Intercompany sales include finished products manufactured in foreign countries which are then transferred to the United States and Europe for sale; finished goods manufactured in the United States which are transferred to Europe and Asia for sale; and semi-finished components manufactured in the United States which are sold to Asia for further processing.

Income (loss) from operations represents net sales less operating costs and expenses and does not include any amounts related to intercompany transactions.


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Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The information in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes set forth in Item 1 of Part I of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, our MD&A set forth in Item 7 of Part II of our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our consolidated financial statements and related notes set forth in Item 8 of Part II of our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K. See Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” below and “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information,” above, and the information referenced therein, for a description of risks that we face and important factors that we believe could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. All amounts and percentages are approximate due to rounding and all dollars in the text are in millions, except per share amounts or where otherwise noted. When we cross-reference to a “Note,” we are referring to our “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements,” unless the context indicates otherwise.  All amounts noted within the tables are in thousands and amounts and percentages are approximate due to rounding.


Overview

Our Company

We design, manufacture and market a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits.  These products are primarily used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, military, aerospace, transportation and broadcasting industries.  Bel’s portfolio of products also finds application in the automotive, medical and consumer electronics markets.

We operate through three geographic segments:  North America, Asia and Europe.  In the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, 51%52% of the Company’s revenues were derived from North America, 30% from Asia and 19%18% from its Europe operating segment.  By product group, 35% of sales for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 related to the Company’s connectivity solutions products, 34% in power solutions and protection products and 31% in magnetic solutions products.

Our operating expenses are driven principally by the cost of labor where the factories that Bel uses are located, the cost of the materials that we use and our ability to effectively and efficiently manage overhead costs.  As labor and material costs vary by product line and region, any significant shift in product mix can have an associated impact on our costs of sales.  Costs are recorded as incurred for all products manufactured.  Such amounts are determined based upon the estimated stage of production and include labor cost and fringes and related allocations of factory overhead. Our products are manufactured at various facilities in the U.S., Mexico, Dominican Republic, England, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the PRC.People’s Republic of China (PRC).

We have little visibility into the ordering habits of our customers and we can be subjected to large and unpredictable variations in demand for our products.  Accordingly, we must continually recruit and train new workers to replace those lost to attrition and be able to address peaks in demand that may occur from time to time.  These recruiting and training efforts and related inefficiencies, and overtime required in order to meet any increase in demand, can add volatility to the labor costs incurred by us.

Key Factors Affecting our Business

The Company believes the key factors affecting Bel’s results for the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and/or future results include the following:

·
Revenues – The Company’s revenues increaseddecreased by $7.1$6.2 million (or 6.0%2.4%) in the first quarterhalf of 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018.  The majoritysales decline was seen across all of our major product groups and was largely due to an over-inventoried supply channel at our customers and distributors following the high volume of purchases in 2018 in advance of the sales growthtariffs that went into effect in the first quarter related to continued strength of our power products for datacenter applications.  We also saw increased demand for our connectivity products for use in commercial aerospace applications, particularly from our after-market customers.2019. 

·
Backlog – Our backlog of orders amounted to $166.8$150.9 million at March 31,June 30, 2019, a decline of $4.4$20.3 million, or 3%12%, from December 31, 2018.  Since year-end, we saw an 11%8% increase in the backlog for our Connectivity Solutions products, primarily driven by additional orders from our commercial aerospace and distributionmilitary customers.  The backlog of orders for our Power Solutions and Protection products declined by 7%17% and backlog for our Magnetic Solutions products was down 13%29% from year-end 2018 levels.  Order volumes were lower in the first quarterhalf of 2019 as a result of slowdowns in certain markets coupled with customers working down heighted inventory levels which had been built up in response to new product launches and the potential risetariffs that went into effect in tariffs.2018 and 2019.

·
Product Mix – Material and labor costs vary by product line and any significant shift in product mix between higher- and lower-margin product lines will have a corresponding impact on the Company’s gross margin percentage.  In general, our connectivity products have the highest contribution margins, our magnetic products are more labor intensive and are therefore less profitable than the connectivity products and our power products are on the lower end of our profit margin range, due to their high material content.  Fluctuations in sales volume among our product groups will have a corresponding impact on Bel’s profit margins.

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·
Pricing and Availability of Materials – While material cost and availability for certain components have started to ease, the higher raw material costs which were in place during 2018, particularly related to resistors, capacitors and mosfets, are still running through our statement of operationssupply chain as we ship the balance of our inventory on hand from 2018.  Lead times continue to be extended for certain mosfets and costs for those components remain elevated.  As a result, the Company’s material costs as a percentage of sales increased to 41.8%43.8% during the first quarterhalf of 2019 from 40.8%41.4% during the first quarterhalf of 2018.  

·
Labor Costs – Labor costs during the first quarter of 2019 increaseddecreased from 11.3%11.4% of sales during the first quarterhalf of 2018 to 11.5%11.0% of sales during the first quarterhalf of 2019, primarily dueas a more favorable exchange rate environment in 2019 related to the Chinese Renminbi offset the overall impact of minimum wage increases in Mexico which went into effect on January 1, 2019 as well as minimum wage increases in the PRC which went into effect in the first and third quarters of 2018.

·
Restructuring – The Company continues to implement restructuring programs to increase operational efficiencies and incurred $0.9$1.4 million in restructuring costs during the first quarterhalf of 2019.  Of these charges, approximately $0.8 million relatedDuring the second quarter, the Company completed the realignment of its R&D resources dedicated to our decision toits Power Solutions and Protection group and substantially completed the transition of manufacturing and warehousing operations from ourits Inwood, New York facility to other existing Bel facilities. The balance of the restructuring charges related to the realignment of our R&D resources dedicated to our Power Solutions and Protection group.  We expect these 2019Inwood initiatives combined are expected to result in annualized cost savings of $2.1 million beginning in the second halfthird quarter of 2019.  We further identified and have started to implement measures at certain facilities in Asia that are expected to result in annualized cost savings of $1.4 million beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019. Incremental cost reduction measures are expected to follow throughout the third and fourth quarters of 2019 as our remaining sites are reviewed. The preceding sentence represents asentences represent Forward-Looking Statement.Statements.  See “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.Information.

·
Impact of Foreign Currency – During the first quartersix months of 2019, the Company realized foreign exchange transactional losses of $0.6 million, offset byexperienced lower labor and overhead costs of $1.7$3.2 million related to favorable fluctuations in exchange rates versus 2018.2018, partially offset by foreign exchange transactional losses realized of $0.1 million. Since we are a U.S. domiciled company, we translate our foreign currency-denominated financial results into U.S. dollars.  Due to the changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, translating our financial results and the revaluation of certain intercompany as well as third-party transactions to and from foreign currencies to U.S. dollars may result in a favorable or unfavorable impact to our consolidated statements of operations and cash flows.  The Company was favorably impacted by transactional foreign exchange gains in the first quarterhalf of 2019 due to the depreciation of the Euro, Pound, and Renminbi against the U.S. dollar as compared to exchange rates in effect during 2018.  The Company has significant manufacturing operations located in the PRC where labor and overhead costs are paid in local currency.  As a result, the U.S. Dollar equivalent costs of these operations were $1.7$3.2 million lower in 2019.the first half of 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018.  The Company monitors changes in foreign currencies and may implement pricing actions to help mitigate the impact that changes in foreign currencies may have on its consolidated operating results.

·
Effective Tax Rate – The Company’s effective tax rate will fluctuate based on the geographic segment in which our pretax profits are earned.  Of the geographic segments in which we operate, the U.S. and Europe’s tax rates are generally equivalent; and Asia has the lowest tax rates of the Company’s three geographical segments. See Note 9, “Income Taxes”.

After record bookings throughout 2018, we’ve seenthe Company has experienced slower bookings during the first quarterhalf of 2019 as customers work through their inventory on hand. While this is expected to put some downwardThe Company experienced margin pressure on sales during the second quarter of 2019 wedue to lower sales volumes and high material costs from 2018 which continue to run through the Company’s statement of operations.  As a result of these ongoing factors, the Company expects the balance of 2019 to remain generally optimistic forchallenging from both a sales improvement in the second half of year.  We anticipate demand on existing programs to be restored once customers work down their current inventory levels.  Sales growth is also expected within the areas of commercial aerospace and key military platforms related to fighter jet, munition and encryption applications later in the year for our connectivity solutions products, and our power products are well positioned on several new HEV applications.  We have also recently releasedmargin perspective.    The preceding sentence represents a variety of products to support the upcoming 5G market, which is expected to provide further upside down the road.  The projections in this paragraph represent Forward-Looking Statements.Statement.  See “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.Information.

Summary by Operating Segment

Net sales to external customers by operating segment for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
North America $64,587   51% $59,457   50% $67,066   53% $71,240   50% $131,653   52% $130,696   50%
Asia  37,277   30%  38,620   33%  39,324   31%  45,914   33%  76,601   30%  84,535   33%
Europe  23,525   19%  20,174   17%  21,026   16%  23,556   17%  44,551   18%  43,730   17%
 $125,389   100% $118,251   100% $127,416   100% $140,710   100% $252,805   100% $258,961   100%


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Sales growthdeclines in our North America segment during the firstsecond quarter of 2019 was led by higherreflected lower sales into our distribution channel as our distribution partners continue to work down their level of inventory on hand.  Sales of our powerconnector products into U.S. datacentermilitary applications were also lower during the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, impacting our North America and increased demand for our connectivity products from our commercial aerospace customers.European segment sales.  Sales in our Asia segment in the firstsecond quarter of 2019 were down slightly versus 2018 as a result of customers related to our magnetic solutions business slowed shipments of products during the quarter in order to workworking down heighted inventory levels that theywhich had been built up during 2018 in advance of potentially higher tariff costs.  Our Europe segment benefited from additional sales of our power productsresponse to new product launches and the tariffs that went into European datacenter applications during the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the same quarter of 2018.effect in 2018 and 2019.

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Net sales and income (loss) from operations by operating segment for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 were as follows. Segment net sales are attributed to individual segments based on the geographic source of the billing for customer sales.

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
Total segment sales:                  
North America $67,474  $62,570  $69,450  $74,602  $136,923  $137,173 
Asia  62,309   56,139   63,062   70,005   125,372   126,144 
Europe  26,864   24,312   25,734   27,630   52,598   51,942 
Total segment sales  156,647   143,021   158,246   172,237   314,893   315,259 
Reconciling item:                        
Intersegment sales  (31,258)  (24,770)  (30,830)  (31,527)  (62,088)  (56,298)
Net sales $125,389  $118,251  $127,416  $140,710  $252,805  $258,961 
                        
Income (loss) from operations:        
Income from operations:                
North America $(493) $(302) $2,373  $2,963  $1,880  $2,661 
Asia  1,014   (85)  270   5,319   1,283   5,234 
Europe  2,295   824   2,310   2,385   4,604   3,209 
 $2,816  $437  $4,953  $10,667  $7,767  $11,104 


LossIncome from operations declined across all segments during the second quarter of 2019 as compared with the same quarter of 2018 primary due to lower sales volume.  Our Asia segment was also impacted by $0.4 million of restructuring charges during the second quarter of 2019.  During the first half of 2019, income from operations for our North America segment was unfavorably impacted during the first quarter of 2019 by $0.9 million of restructuring costs associated with the transition of manufacturing and warehouse operations from our Inwood, New York facility to other existing Bel facilities, and higher labor costs in Mexico due to an increase in minimum wage rates which went into effect on January 1, 2019.  The increase in income from operations for our Asia segment was in line with the year-over-year sales increase for that segment.  Our Europe segment’s income from operations benefited from higher sales volume and a more favorable exchange rate environment in the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the same quarter of 2018.

Net Sales

The Company’s net sales by major product line for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
Connectivity solutions $44,361   35% $42,919   36% $42,536   33% $48,928   35% $86,897   35% $91,846   35%
Magnetic solutions  38,256   31%  38,228   32%  40,852   32%  45,548   32%  79,108   31%  83,776   33%
Power solutions and protection  42,772   34%  37,104   32%  44,028   35%  46,234   33%  86,800   34%  83,339   32%
 $125,389   100% $118,251   100% $127,416   100% $140,710   100% $252,805   100% $258,961   100%

Connectivity Solutions:

The increase in salesSales of our connectivity solutions products during the second quarter of 2019 declined $6.4 million primarily due to lower demand from military customers during the quarter, and reduced volume of product flowing through our distribution channels as our distribution partners continue to work down inventory levels that had been built up in 2018 ahead of the tariffs.  These factors also impacted the six-month period ended June 30, 2019, which declined $4.9 million from the same period of 2018, partially offset by higher sales to aerospace customers during the first quarter of 2019 primarily related2019.

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Magnetic Solutions:

Sales of our magnetic products during the second quarter and first quarterhalf of 2019 were down $4.7 million from the same in the aggregate as compared to the same quarterperiods of 2018 as higher saleswhile inventory levels built up in advance of our Signal transformer products of $0.7 million were offset by lower demand for our MagJack® and discrete components.a new program launch during 2018 are worked through.

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Power Solutions and Protection:

Sales of our power solutions and protection products were $5.7$2.2 million or 15.3%, higherlower in the firstsecond quarter of 2019 compared to the same quarter of 2018.  Sales of our Bel Power Solutions products into datacenter applications increaseddecreased by $6.3$1.9 million and sales of our DC/DC powerCustom Module products were $0.5$0.8 million higherlower as compared to last year’s firstsecond quarter.  These increasesdecreases were partially offset by a $1.0$0.8 million reductionincrease in sales of our Custom ModuleDC/DC power products.Sales during the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 increased by $3.5 million from the same period of 2018, as stronger sales into datacenter applications during the first quarter of 2019 lessened the impact of the second quarter declines on the six-month period.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales for the three and six months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 consisted of the following:

 Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  Six Months Ended 
 March 31,  June 30,  June 30, 
 2019  2018  2019  2018  2019  2018 
Material costs  41.8%  40.8%  45.7%  41.9%  43.8%  41.4%
Labor costs  11.5%  11.3%  10.6%  11.5%  11.0%  11.4%
Research and development expenses  5.7%  6.2%  5.4%  5.2%  5.6%  5.7%
Other expenses  22.2%  23.8%  22.7%  20.8%  22.4%  22.1%
Total cost of sales  81.2%  82.1%  84.4%  79.4%  82.8%  80.6%


Material costs as a percentage of sales increasedcontinued to increase during the second quarter and first quarterhalf of 2019 compared to the same periodperiods of 2018 primarily due to the industry-wide supply constraints related to certain of our purchased components during 2018.  The finished goods shipped during the firstsecond quarter of 2019 still contained some of the higher-cost raw material components.

Labor costs as a percentage of sales also increaseddeclined during the second quarter and first quartersix months of 2019 compared to the same periodperiods of 2018 as a more favorable exchange rate environment related to the Chinese Renminbi offset the overall impact of minimum wage increases in the PRC and Mexico.  The PRC government increased the minimum wage in the regions where Bel’s factories are located in February and July of 2018.  As such, the majority of the increases in the PRC did not impact the first quarter of 2018 financial results.  Furthermore, the minimum wage rates in Mexico increased effective January 1, 2019 which also drove labor costs higher in the second quarter and first quarterhalf of 2019.  These factors were partially offset by a more favorable exchange rate environment related to the Chinese Renminbi and Mexican Peso during the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the same quarter of 2018.

Included in cost of sales is research and development (“R&D”) expense of $7.2$6.9 million and $7.4 million for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and $7.32018, respectively, and $14.0 million and $14.7 million for the threesix months ended March 31, 2018.June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  The lower R&D expenses in 2019 as compared to the respective 2018 periods is largely reflective of cost savings related to the realignment of our Power Solutions R&D resources earlier in 2019.

The other expenses noted in the table above include fixed cost items such as support labor and fringe, depreciation and amortization, and facility costs (rent, utilities, insurance).  In total, these other expenses decreased during the first quarter ofthree and six months ended June 30, 2019 by $0.3$0.2 million and $0.5 million, respectively, as compared to the same periodperiods of 2018, primarily due to lower depreciation and amortization expense duringin the first quarter of 2019.2019 periods.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense (“SG&A”)

SG&A expenses were $18.8 million, up $0.5 million from the second quarter of 2018. Included within SG&A expenses is a foreign exchange gain of $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2019 compared to a foreign exchange gain of $1.9 million in the second quarter of 2018.  Excluding the effects of foreign exchange gains, SG&A expense decreasedwas down $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018, led by reductions in ERP costs of $0.5 million and sales and marketing expenses of $0.3 million from last year’s second quarter.

SG&A expenses were $38.6 million, down from $39.0 million in the first half of 2018. Factors contributing to the lower SG&A expense in the 2019 period were lower legal and professional fees and a reduction in sales and marketing expenses from the 2018 period. These reductions were partially offset by a $1.0 million unfavorable swing in foreign exchange rates (a loss of $0.1 million in the first half of 2019 compared to a foreign exchange gain of $0.9 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared with the same periodfirst half of 2018.  The decrease in SG&A expenses during the 2019 period primarily related2018).

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Provision for Income Taxes

The Company’s effective tax rate will fluctuate based on the geographic segment in which the pretax profits are earned.  Of the geographic segments in which the Company operates, the U.S. and Europe’s tax rates are generally equivalent; and Asia has the lowest tax rates of the Company’s three geographical segments.  See Note 9, “Income Taxes”.

The provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018 was less than $0.1$0.4 million and $0.3$2.4 million, respectively.  The Company’s earnings (loss) before income taxes for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, were approximately $2.2$5.6 million higherlower than the same period in 2018, primarily attributable to an increaselower earnings in the income from theAsia and Europe and Asia segments, offset by greater losses in the U.S. segment.segments.  The Company’s effective tax rate was 3.3%12.4% and (33.2%)26.6% for the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  The change in the effective tax rate during the three months ended March 31,June 30, 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018, is primarily attributable to a decrease in U.S. taxes relatedrelating to uncertainincome from foreign subsidiaries taxed in the U.S. as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.  See Note 9, “Income Taxes.”

The provision for income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 was $0.5 million and $2.7 million, respectively.  The Company’s earnings before income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2019 were approximately $3.5 million lower than the same period in 2018, primarily attributable to lower earnings in the Asia and Europe segment.   The Company’s effective tax positionsrate was 10.1% and 33.8% for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  The change in the effective tax rate during the six months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018, is primarily attributable to a decrease in U.S. taxes relating to income from foreign subsidiaries taxed in the U.S. as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the impact of permanent differences on U.S. tax exempt activities.  See Note 9, “Income Taxes.”

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary sources of cash are the collection of trade receivables generated from the sales of our products and services to our customers and amounts available under our existing lines of credit, including our credit facility. Our primary uses of cash are payments for operating expenses, investments in working capital, capital expenditures, interest, taxes, dividends, debt obligations and other long-term liabilities. We believe that our current liquidity position and future cash flows from operations will enable us to fund our operations, including all of the items mentioned above in the next twelve months.

At March 31,June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, $37.9$37.6 million and $46.3 million, respectively (or 88%64% and 86%, respectively), of cash and cash equivalents was held by foreign subsidiaries of the Company.  During the first quarterhalf of 2019, the Company repatriated $10.0 million of funds from outside of the U.S., with minimal incremental tax liability.liability, and completed an intercompany loan from one of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries to its U.S. parent entity during the second quarter.  Management has current intentions to repatriate an additional $10$5.0 million of funds from outside of the U.S., with a minimal incremental tax liability, by the end of the third quarter of 2019 with the intent of reducing our outstanding debt balance.  The preceding sentence represents a Forward-Looking Statement.  See “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information." We continue to analyze our global working capital and cash requirements and the potential tax liabilities attributable to further repatriation, and we have yet to make any further determination regarding repatriation of funds from outside the U.S. to fund the Company’s U.S. operations in the future.  In the event these funds were needed for Bel’s U.S. operations, the Company would be required to accrue and pay U.S. state taxes and any applicable foreign withholding taxes to repatriate these funds.

Cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and accounts receivable comprised approximately 30.3%31.7% of the Company’s total assets at March 31,June 30, 2019 and 32.9% of total assets at December 31, 2018. The Company’s current ratio (i.e., the ratio of current assets to current liabilities) was 3.13.2 to 1 at March 31,June 30, 2019 and 2.7 to 1 at December 31, 2018.

In June 2014, the Company entered into a senior Credit and Security Agreement, which was subsequently amended in March 2016, and further amended and refinanced in December 2017.  The Credit and Security Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default and financial covenants that measure (i) the ratio of the Company's total funded indebtedness, on a consolidated basis, to the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA, as defined (“Leverage Ratio”), and (ii) the ratio of the amount of the Company’s consolidated EBITDA to the Company’s consolidated fixed charges (“Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio”). If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the Credit and Security Agreement would be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due thereunder and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.  At March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company was in compliance with its debt covenants, including its most restrictive covenant, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio.  The unused credit available under the credit facility at March 31,June 30, 2019 was $75.0 million, of which we had the ability to borrow $47.4$37.1 million without violating our Leverage Ratio covenant based on the Company’s existing consolidated EBITDA.

We are currently engaged in a multi-year process of conforming the majority of our operations onto one global Enterprise Resource Planning system (“ERP”).  The ERP is designed to improve the efficiency of our supply chain and financial transaction processes, accurately maintain our books and records, and provide information important to the operation of the business to our management team. The implementation of the ERP is being conducted by business units on a three-phase approach through 2020. We currently estimate total costs over the course of this system implementation to be approximately $6.7$6.9 million.  The preceding sentence represents a Forward-Looking Statement.  See “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.Information.”  Since inception of the project, we have incurred a cumulative amount of $6.1$6.5 million in connection with this implementation, of which $1.0$0.4 million and $1.4 million in implementation costs was incurred during the three and six months ended March 31, 2019.June 30, 2019, respectively.  These costs are included in SG&A on the condensed consolidated financial statements.  The first phase of the ERP implementation project was completed in the first quarter of 2019 with the Power Solutions business going live on the new system effective January 1, 2019.  In relation to this first phase completed, we anticipatestarted realizing annualized cost savings of approximately $1.3 million beginning in the second quarter of 2019. The preceding sentence represents a Forward-Looking Statement.  See “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.Information.

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Cash Flows

ThreeSix Months Ended March 31,June 30, 2019

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents decreasedincreased by $10.7$4.5 million.  This decreaseincrease was primarily due to the following:

·net cash used inprovided by operating activities of $6.3$7.8 million;
·purchases of property, plant and equipment of $2.4$5.3 million;
·dividend payments of $0.8$1.6 million; and
·repayments of long-term debt of $0.7$1.5 million

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2019, accounts receivable increaseddecreased by $2.3$7.7 million primarily due to a $2.4 million increase inlower sales during the monthsecond quarter of March 2019 as compared to the monthfourth quarter of December 2018.  Days sales outstanding (DSO) increased slightly to 6860 days at March 31,June 30, 2019 from 59 days at December 31, 2018.  Inventory increaseddecreased by $4.2$1.8 million at March 31,June 30, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018, primarily due to the recent slowdown in demand as customers work through their inventory levels on hand.2018.  Inventory turns were 3.33.6 at March 31,June 30, 2019 as compared to 3.7 at December 31, 2018.

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ThreeSix Months Ended March 31,June 30, 2018

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2018, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents decreased by $2.5$13.6 million.  This decrease was primarily due to the following:

·purchases of property, plant and equipment of $2.2$5.9 million;
·repayments of long-term debt of $0.8$7.5 million; and
·dividend payments of $0.8$1.6 million; partially offset by
·net cash provided by operations of $0.3$1.2 million.

During the threesix months ended March 31,June 30, 2018, accounts receivable decreasedincreased by $2.5$10.5 million primarily due to lowerhigher sales volume in the firstsecond quarter of 2018 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2017.  Days sales outstanding (DSO) declined to 58 days at March 31,June 30, 2018 from 60 days at December 31, 2017.  Inventory increased by $4.7 million at March 31,Effective January 1, 2018, compared to December 31, 2017, primarily due tothe Company implemented a change in the timing of revenue recognition (and related release of inventory from our books) in connection with the adoption of ASC 606.  ThisExcluding the adoption adjustment related to this accounting change, inventory increased by $10.6 million at June 30, 2018 compared to December 31, 2017, primarily in accountingraw materials.  The increased raw materials balance was also the main driverdriven by a higher volume of raw materials purchased to accommodate increased demand for our products, coupled with higher material costs in an increase2018 resulting from constraints in inventorycomponent availability.  Inventory turns increased from 3.6 at December 31, 2017 to 3.84.2 at March 31, 2018.June 30, 2018, primarily due to the change in revenue recognition accounting noted above.

Critical Accounting Policies

Management’s discussion and analysis of Bel’s financial condition and results of operations are based upon the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to product returns, bad debts, inventories, goodwill, intangible assets, investments, warranties, SERP expense, income taxes and contingencies and litigation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The discussion of new financial accounting standards applicable to the Company is incorporated herein by reference to Note 1 to the Company’s Financial Statements, “Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies,” included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

ItemItem 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Company is exposed to market risk primarily from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and changes in interest rates associated with its long-term debt.  During the first quarterhalf of 2019, the U.S. Dollar was stronger against most other currencies in which the Company pays its expenses.  In comparing average exchange rates during the first quarterhalf of 2019 versus those during the first quarterhalf of 2018, the Euro depreciated by 8%7%, the Pound depreciated by 7%6%, the Peso depreciated by 3%1% and the Renminbi depreciated by 6% against the U.S. Dollar.  The Company estimates that the depreciation in these foreign currencies led to lower to operating costs of $1.7$3.2 million, as the majority of our expenses in the PRC, Europe and Mexico are paid in local currency.  This offset the foreign exchange loss recognized in the first quarterhalf of 2019 of $0.6$0.1 million on translation of local currency balance sheet accounts to the U.S. Dollar in consolidation, resulting from foreign currency fluctuations since December 31, 2018.  Refer to Item 7A, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for further discussion of market risks.

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Item 4.   Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures:  As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company carried out an evaluation, with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Vice President of Finance, of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-15.  Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Vice President of Finance concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

Changes in internal controls over financial reporting:  There were no significant changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s last fiscal quarter to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

PART II.     Other Information

Item 1.   Legal Proceedings

The information called for by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to Note 13 of the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, under “Legal Proceedings”, as set forth in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We are also involved in various other legal actions incidental to our business. We believe, after consulting with counsel, that the disposition of these other legal proceedings and matters will not have a material effect on our condensed consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. Except as required by the federal securities law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any risk factor, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Item 6.  Exhibits
 
  
(a) Exhibits:
 
  
  
31.1*
  
31.2*
  
 32.1**
  
 32.2**
  
101.INS*XBRL Instance Document
  
101.SCH*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
  
101.CAL*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
  
101.DEF*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
  
101.LAB*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
  
101.PRE*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
  

*   Filed herewith.
**       ** Submitted herewith.
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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.



 BEL FUSE INC.
May 9,August 6, 2019 
By:/s/ Daniel Bernstein
 Daniel Bernstein
 President and Chief Executive Officer
  
By:/s/ Craig Brosious
 Craig Brosious
 Vice President of Finance and Secretary
 (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

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