| Our first quarter gross margin was $8.8 million, or 49%, as compared with $9 million, or 49% in the fourth quarter. While the gross margin was unchanged for the first quarter as compared to the fourth quarter, we did experience a slight increase in our fixed manufacturing costs as a percentage of net revenues, partially offset by a comparable reduction in our component material costs as a percentage of our net revenues. Our fixed manufacturing costs, which were essentially flat on an absolute dollar basis at $2.7 million for both Q1 2019 and Q4 2018, were less favorably absorbed in the first quarter due to the lower net revenues. As a result, these costs represented 15.2% of our net revenues in the first quarter as compared to 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Our consolidated component material costs decreased slightly from 33.7% in Q4 to 33.2% in Q1, reflecting lower component material costs in our Thermal segment. The decrease in component material costs in our Thermal segment, which declined from 33.7% in the fourth quarter to 32.9% in the first quarter, was due to a more favorable product and customer mix in the first quarter, as compared to the fourth quarter. This decline was partially offset by a slight increase in the component material costs of our EMS segment, which saw its component material costs grow from 33.5% in the fourth quarter to 33.7% in the first quarter, reflecting a less favorable product and customer mix. Selling expense was $2.4 million for the first quarter compared to $2.3 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of $68,000 or 3%. Increases in our Thermal segment’s salary & benefit costs and commission expense were almost fully offset by decreases in travel and warranty related expenses. Engineering and product development expense was $1.3 million for the first quarter compared to $1.2 million in the fourth quarter, an increase of $109,000 or 9% sequentially. The increase was driven by growth in consolidated salary & benefit costs and third-party development consultants, partially offset by reductions in IP legal costs in our Thermal Products segment. General and administrative expense was $3.7 million for the first quarter compared to $3.2 million for the fourth quarter, a sequential increase of $579,000 or 18%. Included in our first quarter G&A expense was $352,000 of acquisition related expense that Jim spoke about earlier in the call, as well as $100,000 of non-recurring expense related to the search for a new board director. When adjusted to remove these non-recurring costs, which totaled $452,000 or just under $0.04 per diluted share when tax effected, our first quarter G&A expense would have been $3.3 million, which would have only been an increase of $100,000 or 3% sequentially. Other income was $21,000 in the first quarter compared to other expense of $34,000 in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter other expense was driven by $50,000 in foreign exchange transaction losses, while the first quarter of 2019 other income reflected less than $1,000 in foreign exchange losses, as well as increased interest income. We accrued income tax expense of $324,000 for the first quarter, compared to $295,000 in the fourth quarter. Our effective tax rate was 22.2% in Q1 compared to a negative 59.4% in the fourth quarter. Our unusually high effective tax rate in the fourth quarter was the result of the impact of the contingent consideration liability adjustments of $2.8 million booked in that quarter not being tax deductible. In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2018, we accrued a tax benefit of $233,000 related to the foreign derived intangible income deduction allowable for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. When adjusted to remove the impact of the contingent consideration adjustment and the recording of the tax benefit related to the foreign derived intangible income deduction, our effective tax rate would have been 22.7% for the fourth quarter of 2018. At March 31, 2019, we had a deferred tax liability of $2.6 million, and we currently expect our effective tax rate for the balance of 2019 will be in the range of 21% to 23%. For the quarter ended March 31, 2019, we had net income of $1.1 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $792,000 or $0.08 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2018. Adjusted net earnings for the first quarter were $1.5 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared with fourth quarter adjusted net earnings of $2.3 million, or $0.23 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings is a non-GAAP measure, which is derived by adding acquired intangible amortization, adjusted for the related income tax expense to net earnings and removing any change in the fair value of our contingent consideration liability from net earnings. Adjusted net earnings per diluted share is derived by dividing adjusted net earnings by diluted weighted average shares outstanding. |