The following MD&A is intended to help you understand our results of operations and financial condition. This MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our financial statements and the accompanying notes to them.
We are engaged in the purchase, sale and distribution of principally aluminum semi-finished products to a diverse customer base located throughout the United States and Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We sell our products through our own marketing and sales personnel and our independent sales agents who are located in North America and who receive commissions on sales. We purchase our products from suppliers located throughout the world. One supplier, Hulett Aluminium Ltd., furnished approximately 54% of our products in the first nine months of 2006. We do not typically purchase inventory for stock. Instead, we place orders with our suppliers based upon orders that we have received from our customers.
The industry in which we operate is the sale and distribution of semi-finished aluminum products. These products are manufactured worldwide by rolling and extrusion facilities, many of which are owned by large integrated companies and others by independent producers. The products we purchase are in turn sold to varied metal working industries including automotive, housing, packaging, as well as distributors.
Our condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Certain accounting policies have a significant impact on amounts reported in the financial statements. A summary of those significant accounting policies can be found in Note B to our financial statements included in our 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have not adopted any significant new accounting policies during the nine month period ended September 30, 2006.
We report accounts receivable, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts, to represent our estimate of the amount that ultimately will be realized in cash. We review the adequacy of our allowance for doubtful accounts on an ongoing basis, using historical collection trends, aging of receivables, as well as review of specific accounts, and we make adjustments in the allowance as we believe to be necessary. We maintain a credit insurance policy on the majority of our customers. This policy has a co-insurance provision and specific limits on each customer’s receivables. The co-pay may be increased in selected instances, and we sometimes elect to exceed these specific credit limits. Changes in economic conditions could have an impact on our collection of existing receivable balances or future allowance considerations.
Results of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006 (in thousands)
During the first nine months of 2006, net sales increased by $55,931 to $316,168, or a 21% increase, from $260,237 in the first nine months of 2005. Unit volume increased approximately 13%, with the balance of the increase due to upward trend in aluminum pricing. Gross profit increased by $3,167 to $23,912 for the period, or a 15% increase, from $20,745 in the first nine months of 2005. The dollar increase in gross profit was due to the increased sales volume, as the gross profit margin declined approximately 0.4% over the ninth month period.
We experienced an increase of approximately 21% in selling, general and administrative costs from that of the first nine months of 2005. These costs are primarily attributable to incremental costs of operating our subsidiaries, payroll costs, and legal expenses.
Interest expense grew during the first nine months of the year by $1,871 to $4,509 from $2,638 during the first nine months of 2005. This 71% increase in interest expense resulted from a continued upward trend in interest rates as well as an increase of $11,250 in borrowings from September 2005 as compared to September 2006. We have entered into interest rate swaps with a total notional amount of $50 million, terminating in 2010. These swaps have been designated as a cash flow hedge. The Company will pay a fixed rate of 4.99% plus a spread to the bank and in return the bank will pay us a floating LIBOR rate plus a spread. This floating rate will reset monthly.
During the first nine months of 2006, net income decreased from $7,134 to $7,061 or a 1% decrease as compared to the first nine months of 2005. The substantial rise in our interest expense offset the 12.5% increase in operating income.
Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2006 (in thousands)
Net sales increased $15,484 or 17% during the third quarter of 2006, from $90,777 in 2005 to $106,261 in 2006. Shipment volumes to our customers increased approximately 3% over the same period in 2005; increased pricing in aluminum accounted for the remainder of the sales growth. Gross profit increased in the current three month period by $139 to $7,422 from $7,283 as compared to the same period in 2005. Our gross profit margin was reduced as result of pricing compression, changes in product mix, and increased logistics costs.
Selling, general and administrative costs for the third quarter of 2006 as compared to the same period in 2005 increased by $470. These costs are primarily attributable to incremental costs of operating our subsidiaries, payroll costs, and legal expenses.
Interest expense increased during the three month period by $355 from $1,202 in September 2005 to $1,557 in September 2006. This 30% increase in interest expense is due to both the growth in loans and the continued upward trend in interest rates.
Net income decreased by $420 from $2,388 to $1,968 for the three months ended September 30, 2006, a decrease of 18%.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources (in thousands, except per share data)
Our cash flow used in operations during the first nine months of 2006 was $2,865 as compared to cash used in operations of $35,645 in the first nine months of 2005. Net cash used in operations was primarily the result of decreases in trade accounts payable of $5,379, accrued expenses and derivative liabilities of $8,358 and an increase in accounts receivable of $6,313. This was partially offset by decreases in restricted cash and inventories. During the first nine months of 2005, net cash used in operations consisted primarily of increased accounts receivable and increased inventory. During the first nine months of 2006 restricted cash decreased by $4,815 from $5,050 in December 2005 to $235 in September 2006. This represents reductions in margin deposits at our LME brokers that are related to our unrealized losses on derivative contracts.
Cash flows from financing activities during the first nine months of 2006 amounted to $3,910 made up primarily of increased borrowings under our line of credit, excess tax benefit from options exercised, less dividends paid during the period.
We currently operate under a $150 million revolving line of credit, including a commitment to issue letters of credit, with five commercial banks. Amounts borrowed bear interest of Eurodollar, money market or base rates, at our option, plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin is determined by our leverage ratios. Our borrowings under this line of credit are secured by substantially all of our assets. The credit agreement contains financial and other covenants including but not limited to, covenants requiring maintenance of minimum tangible net worth and compliance with leverage ratios, as well as an ownership minimum and limitations on other indebtedness, liens, and investments and dispositions of assets. This facility will expire on June 30, 2011.
The credit agreement provides that amounts under the facility may be borrowed and repaid, and re-borrowed, subject to a borrowing base test, until the maturity date of June 30, 2011. As of September 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005, the credit utilized amounted to, respectively, $109,720 and $87,677 (including approximately $18,470 and $3,177 of outstanding letters of credit).
On September 14, 2006, we announced that our Board of Directors had declared a cash dividend of $.05 per share. This dividend was $489 in the aggregate and was paid on October 13, 2006 to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 29, 2006. The Board of Directors will review its dividend policy on a quarterly basis, and a determination by the Board of Directors will be made subject to the profitability and free cash flow and the other requirements of our business.
Management believes that cash from operations, together with funds available under our credit facility, will be sufficient to fund the anticipated cash requirements relating to our existing operations through the expiration of our current credit facility. We may require additional debt financing in connection with the future expansion of our operations.
Commitments and Contingencies
We had outstanding letters of credit totaling $18,470,000 to certain of our suppliers and as of September 30, 2006, the credit utilized under our credit facility amounted to $109,720,000. Except as noted, there have been no material changes to our commitments and contingencies from that disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
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We hedge metal pricing and foreign currency as we deem appropriate for a portion of our purchase and sales contracts. There is a risk of a counterparty default in fulfilling the hedge contract. Should there be a counterparty default, we could be exposed to losses on the original hedged contract.
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Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
We use financial instruments designated as fair value hedges to manage our exposure to commodity price risk and foreign currency exchange risk inherent in our operations. It is our policy to hedge such risks, to the extent practicable. We enter into high-grade aluminum futures contracts to limit our gross margin exposure by hedging the metals content element of firmly committed purchase and sales commitments. We also enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge our exposure related to commitments to purchase or sell aluminum denominated in international currencies. We record “mark-to-market” adjustments on these futures and forward positions, and on the underlying firm purchase and sales commitments which they hedge, and reflect the net gains and losses currently in earnings.
Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 for more detailed disclosure about quantitative and qualitative disclosure of market risk. Quantitative and qualitative disclosure about market risk has not materially changed since December 31, 2005.
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Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
As required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), our management conducted an evaluation with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, regarding the effectiveness of our “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange), as of the end of the fiscal quarter covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. We intend to continue to review and document our disclosure controls and procedures, including our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting, and we may from time to time make changes to the disclosure controls and procedures to enhance their effectiveness and to ensure that our systems evolve with our business.
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II | OTHER INFORMATION |
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Item 1. | Legal Proceedings. |
We are a party from time to time to certain legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. We do not believe that the disposition of any claims that are pending or have been asserted would have a material adverse effect on our results of operation or financial position.
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Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds. |
None.
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Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities. |
None.
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Item 4. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. |
None.
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Item 5. | Other Information. |
None.
The following are included as exhibits to this report:
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934*
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934*
32.1 Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002**
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
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SIGNATURES
In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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| EMPIRE RESOURCES, INC. |
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Dated: November 15, 2006 | By: | /s/ Sandra Kahn |
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| | Sandra Kahn |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
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| (signing both on behalf of the registrant and in her capacity as Principal Financial and Principal Accounting Officer) |
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