Discontinued Operations | 6 Months Ended |
Jun. 30, 2014 |
Discontinued Operations [Abstract] | ' |
Discontinued Operations Disclosure [Text Block] | ' |
8. Discontinued Operations |
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UBI |
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In September 2008, the Company completed the sale of assets of its Union Biometrica Division (“UBI”) including its German subsidiary, Union Biometrica GmbH, to UBIO Acquisition Company. During 2013, the Company received earn-out payments, including interest, from UBIO Acquisition Company, of $1.8 million related to the 2008 acquisition. The Company received its final payment under the earn-out obligation from UBIO Acquisition Company in October 2013. |
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HART |
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On November 1, 2013, the spin-off of Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology, Inc., or HART, from the Company was completed. Through the spin-off date, the historical operations of HART were reported as continuing operations in the consolidated statements of operations of the Company. Following the spin-off, the historical operations of HART have been reclassified and reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented. As a result of the spin-off and related separation, HART became an independent company that operates the regenerative medicine business previously owned by Harvard Bioscience. The spin-off was completed through the distribution to Harvard Bioscience's stockholders of record all of the shares of common stock of HART (the “Distribution”). In the Distribution, the Company distributed to its stockholders one share of HART common stock for every four shares of Harvard Bioscience common stock outstanding as of the close of business on October 21, 2013, the record date for the Distribution. Fractional shares of HART common stock were not included in the distribution. Instead, Registrar & Transfer Company aggregated fractional shares into whole shares, sold the whole shares in the open market and distributed the aggregate net cash proceeds of the sales pro rata to each holder who otherwise would have been entitled to receive a fractional share in the Distribution. |
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Effective with the spin-off, the Company contributed $15.0 million in cash to HART to fund its operations. In addition, the Company transferred approximately $0.9 million in assets, made up primarily of property, plant and equipment, to HART as part of the spin-off. |
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In connection with the spin-off of HART, certain required adjustments were made to the Company's outstanding equity compensation awards under its employee benefit plans. Each outstanding option to purchase Harvard Bioscience common stock was converted on the date of the Distribution into both an adjusted Harvard Bioscience option to purchase Harvard Bioscience common stock and an option to purchase HART common stock. Black-Scholes valuation modeling was used to determine the value that each Harvard Bioscience option had lost at the time of the Distribution and to ensure the holder maintained such lost value, 80% of such lost value was provided back to the holder by making appropriate adjustments to the share amount and exercise price of the existing Harvard Bioscience option and 20% of such lost value was provided back to the holder through the issuance of an option to purchase HART common stock. Similar to the adjustment of the existing Harvard Bioscience options, with respect to each unvested Harvard Bioscience restricted stock unit outstanding at the time of the Distribution, such Harvard Bioscience restricted stock unit was converted on the date of the Distribution into both an adjusted Harvard Bioscience restricted stock unit and a HART restricted stock unit. The market prices of Harvard Bioscience and HART common stock were used to determine the value that each Harvard Bioscience restricted stock unit lost at the time of the Distribution and then to ensure the holder maintained such lost value, 80% of such lost value was provided back to the holder by making the appropriate increases of the share amount of the existing Harvard Bioscience restricted stock unit and 20% of such lost value was provided back to the holder through the issuance of a HART restricted stock unit. The share amounts and exercise prices of the adjusted Harvard Bioscience options and HART options, as well as the share amounts of the adjusted Harvard Bioscience restricted stock units and HART restricted stock units, were each adjusted and set in a manner to ensure the intrinsic value held by the holder pertaining to the existing Harvard Bioscience award was maintained immediately following the Distribution and was determined such that tax was not triggered under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. As part of these required adjustments, the Company issued approximately 1.7 million options and approximately 0.1 million restricted stock units to holders of its outstanding equity compensation awards. |
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In connection with the spin-off, on October 31, 2013, the Company entered into various commercial agreements with HART which contain many of the key terms, conditions and arrangements related to the Distribution. A description of certain of these agreements can be found in Note 9. |
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Harvard Bioscience intends for the Distribution and related separation, taken together, to qualify as a reorganization pursuant to which no gain or loss is recognized by Harvard Bioscience or its stockholders for federal income tax purposes under Sections 355, 368(a)(1)(D) and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. On June 28, 2013, Harvard Bioscience received a Supplemental Ruling to the Private Letter Ruling dated March 22, 2013 from the IRS to the effect that, among other things, the spin-off will qualify as a transaction that is tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code continuing in effect. Harvard Bioscience has also received an opinion from its outside tax advisor to such effect. In connection with the ruling and the opinion, Harvard Bioscience made certain representations regarding it and its business. The Company has agreed that it will not take or fail to take any action which prevents or could reasonably be expected to prevent the tax-free status of the spin-off. HART has agreed to certain restrictions that are intended to preserve the tax-free status of the contribution and the Distribution. HART may take certain actions otherwise prohibited by these covenants if Harvard Bioscience receives a private letter ruling from the IRS or if HART obtains, and provides to Harvard Bioscience, an opinion from a U.S. tax counsel or accountant of recognized national standing, in either case, acceptable to Harvard Bioscience in its sole and absolute discretion to the effect that such action would not jeopardize the tax-free status of the contribution and the Distribution. These covenants include restrictions on HART's: |
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• issuance or sale of stock or other securities (including securities convertible into HART's stock but excluding certain compensatory arrangements); |
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• sales of assets outside the ordinary course of business; and |
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• entering into any other corporate transaction which would cause HART to undergo a 50% or greater change in HART's stock ownership. |
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In addition, current U.S. federal income tax law creates a presumption that the spin-off of HART would be taxable to the Company, but not its stockholders, if such spin-off is part of a “plan or series of related transactions” pursuant to which one or more persons acquire directly or indirectly stock representing a 50% or greater interest (by vote or value) in the Company or HART. Acquisitions that occur during the four-year period that begins two years before the date of the spin-off are presumed to occur pursuant to a plan or series of related transactions, unless it is established that the acquisition is not pursuant to a plan or series of transactions that includes the spin-off. U.S. Treasury regulations currently in effect generally provide that whether an acquisition and a spin-off are part of a plan is determined based on all of the facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, specific factors described in the U.S. Treasury regulations. In addition, the U.S. Treasury regulations provide several “safe harbors” for acquisitions that are not considered to be part of a plan. These rules will limit the Company's ability during the two-year period following the spin-off to enter into certain transactions that may be advantageous to the Company and its stockholders, particularly issuing equity securities to satisfy financing needs, repurchasing equity securities, disposing of certain assets, engaging in mergers and acquisitions, and, under certain circumstances, acquiring businesses or assets with equity securities or agreeing to be acquired. |
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The following table sets forth the impact of discontinued operations on the Company's consolidated statements of income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013. |
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| | Three Months Ended | | | Six Months Ended |
| | June 30, | | | June 30, |
| | 2014 | | | 2013 | | | 2014 | | | 2013 |
| | (in thousands) | | | (in thousands) |
Gain on disposal of discontinued operations, UBI | $ | - | | $ | 139 | | $ | - | | $ | 339 |
(Loss) from discontinued operations, HART | | - | | | -1,518 | | | - | | | -3,001 |
Income tax (benefit) | | - | | | -1,097 | | | - | | | -1,545 |
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax | $ | - | | $ | -282 | | $ | - | | $ | -1,117 |