UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark one)
☒ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017
OR
☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to .
Commission file number 001-36017
Control4 Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
| 42-1583209 |
|
|
|
11734 S. Election Road |
| 84020 |
(801) 523-3100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S‑T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 ☒ | Non‑accelerated filer ☐ | Smaller reporting company ☐ | Emerging growth company ☒ |
|
| (Do not check if a smaller reporting 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. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
On October 27, 2017, 25,266,497 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, were outstanding.
Control4 Corporation
Control4 Corporation
PART I — Financial Information
ITEM 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
CONTROL4 CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share data)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, |
| December 31, |
| ||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
|
| (unaudited) |
| ||||
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
| $ | 28,627 |
| $ | 34,813 |
|
Restricted cash |
|
| 271 |
|
| 247 |
|
Short-term investments |
|
| 41,467 |
|
| 22,970 |
|
Accounts receivable, net |
|
| 29,992 |
|
| 24,727 |
|
Inventories |
|
| 33,149 |
|
| 26,231 |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
| 3,418 |
|
| 3,662 |
|
Total current assets |
|
| 136,924 |
|
| 112,650 |
|
Property and equipment, net |
|
| 7,419 |
|
| 6,463 |
|
Long-term investments |
|
| 1,513 |
|
| 4,008 |
|
Intangible assets, net |
|
| 25,675 |
|
| 23,120 |
|
Goodwill |
|
| 21,855 |
|
| 16,809 |
|
Other assets |
|
| 3,121 |
|
| 2,008 |
|
Total assets |
| $ | 196,507 |
| $ | 165,058 |
|
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable |
| $ | 22,953 |
| $ | 17,010 |
|
Accrued liabilities |
|
| 9,397 |
|
| 8,912 |
|
Current portion of deferred revenue |
|
| 2,151 |
|
| 1,553 |
|
Total current liabilities |
|
| 34,501 |
|
| 27,475 |
|
Other long-term liabilities |
|
| 879 |
|
| 701 |
|
Total liabilities |
|
| 35,380 |
|
| 28,176 |
|
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10) |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
Stockholders’ equity: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 25,266,497 and 23,729,780 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively |
|
| 3 |
|
| 2 |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
| 234,640 |
|
| 220,370 |
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
| (73,038) |
|
| (82,626) |
|
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
|
| (478) |
|
| (864) |
|
Total stockholders’ equity |
|
| 161,127 |
|
| 136,882 |
|
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
| $ | 196,507 |
| $ | 165,058 |
|
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).
2
CONTROL4 CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
|
| (unaudited) |
| (unaudited) |
| ||||||||
Revenue |
| $ | 64,742 |
| $ | 55,185 |
| $ | 176,386 |
| $ | 151,435 |
|
Cost of revenue |
|
| 31,520 |
|
| 27,566 |
|
| 86,572 |
|
| 77,303 |
|
Gross margin |
|
| 33,222 |
|
| 27,619 |
|
| 89,814 |
|
| 74,132 |
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development |
|
| 10,347 |
|
| 9,190 |
|
| 30,246 |
|
| 26,708 |
|
Sales and marketing |
|
| 12,692 |
|
| 10,852 |
|
| 36,082 |
|
| 32,101 |
|
General and administrative |
|
| 5,109 |
|
| 5,407 |
|
| 16,413 |
|
| 15,279 |
|
Litigation settlement |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 400 |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
| 28,148 |
|
| 25,449 |
|
| 82,741 |
|
| 74,488 |
|
Income (loss) from operations |
|
| 5,074 |
|
| 2,170 |
|
| 7,073 |
|
| (356) |
|
Other income (expense), net: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest, net |
|
| 125 |
|
| 12 |
|
| 224 |
|
| 17 |
|
Other income (expense), net |
|
| 79 |
|
| (89) |
|
| 183 |
|
| (306) |
|
Total other income (expense), net |
|
| 204 |
|
| (77) |
|
| 407 |
|
| (289) |
|
Income (loss) before income taxes |
|
| 5,278 |
|
| 2,093 |
|
| 7,480 |
|
| (645) |
|
Income tax expense (benefit) |
|
| 93 |
|
| 316 |
|
| (2,441) |
|
| (9,585) |
|
Net income |
| $ | 5,185 |
| $ | 1,777 |
| $ | 9,921 |
| $ | 8,940 |
|
Net income per common share: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
| $ | 0.21 |
| $ | 0.08 |
| $ | 0.40 |
| $ | 0.38 |
|
Diluted |
| $ | 0.19 |
| $ | 0.07 |
| $ | 0.38 |
| $ | 0.37 |
|
Weighted-average number of shares: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
|
| 25,050 |
|
| 23,424 |
|
| 24,551 |
|
| 23,307 |
|
Diluted |
|
| 27,122 |
|
| 24,530 |
|
| 26,393 |
|
| 24,149 |
|
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).
3
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
|
| (unaudited) |
| (unaudited) |
| ||||||||
Net income |
| $ | 5,185 |
| $ | 1,777 |
| $ | 9,921 |
| $ | 8,940 |
|
Other comprehensive income (loss): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax |
|
| (155) |
|
| 172 |
|
| 383 |
|
| 197 |
|
Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments, net of tax |
|
| 6 |
|
| (10) |
|
| 3 |
|
| 60 |
|
Total other comprehensive income (loss) |
|
| (149) |
|
| 162 |
|
| 386 |
|
| 257 |
|
Comprehensive income |
| $ | 5,036 |
| $ | 1,939 |
| $ | 10,307 |
| $ | 9,197 |
|
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).
4
CONTROL4 CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
|
| (unaudited) |
| ||||
Operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income |
| $ | 9,921 |
| $ | 8,940 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation expense |
|
| 2,703 |
|
| 2,402 |
|
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
| 3,885 |
|
| 3,393 |
|
(Gain) loss on disposal of fixed assets |
|
| (1) |
|
| 13 |
|
Provision for doubtful accounts |
|
| 491 |
|
| 313 |
|
Investment discount and premium amortization |
|
| (57) |
|
| 293 |
|
Stock-based compensation |
|
| 9,191 |
|
| 5,933 |
|
Tax benefit from business acquisition |
|
| (2,415) |
|
| (9,402) |
|
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable, net |
|
| (4,890) |
|
| (3,469) |
|
Inventories |
|
| (5,347) |
|
| (6,776) |
|
Restricted cash |
|
| (3) |
|
| — |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
| 390 |
|
| 1,740 |
|
Other assets |
|
| (1,002) |
|
| (341) |
|
Accounts payable |
|
| 3,495 |
|
| 2,333 |
|
Accrued liabilities |
|
| (1,675) |
|
| 421 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
| 588 |
|
| 291 |
|
Other long-term liabilities |
|
| 172 |
|
| (451) |
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
|
| 15,446 |
|
| 5,633 |
|
Investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases of available-for-sale investments |
|
| (52,472) |
|
| (10,147) |
|
Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale investments |
|
| 1,950 |
|
| 900 |
|
Proceeds from maturities of available-for-sale investments |
|
| 34,580 |
|
| 33,858 |
|
Purchases of property and equipment |
|
| (3,003) |
|
| (1,780) |
|
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired |
|
| (7,881) |
|
| (32,891) |
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
| (26,826) |
|
| (10,060) |
|
Financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from exercise of options for common stock |
|
| 11,290 |
|
| 3,021 |
|
Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards |
|
| (4,591) |
|
| — |
|
Repurchase of common stock |
|
| (1,821) |
|
| (3,242) |
|
Repayment of notes payable |
|
| — |
|
| (581) |
|
Proceeds from revolving credit facility |
|
| — |
|
| 5,000 |
|
Repayment of revolving credit facility |
|
| — |
|
| (3,500) |
|
Payment of debt issuance costs |
|
| — |
|
| (89) |
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
| 4,878 |
|
| 609 |
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
|
| 316 |
|
| (41) |
|
Net change in cash and cash equivalents |
|
| (6,186) |
|
| (3,859) |
|
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
|
| 34,813 |
|
| 29,530 |
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
| $ | 28,627 |
| $ | 25,671 |
|
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for interest |
| $ | 65 |
| $ | 164 |
|
Cash paid for taxes |
|
| 1,120 |
|
| 858 |
|
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Business acquisitions holdback liability |
|
| 1,068 |
|
| — |
|
Purchases of property and equipment financed by accounts payable |
|
| 396 |
|
| — |
|
Net unrealized gains on available-for-sale investments |
|
| 3 |
|
| 60 |
|
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).
5
Control4 Corporation
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Control4 Corporation (‘‘Control4’’ or the ‘‘Company’’) is a leading provider of smart home and business solutions that are designed to personalize and enhance how consumers engage with an ever-changing connected world. Our entertainment, smart lighting, comfort and convenience, safety and security, and networking solutions unlock the potential of connected devices, making entertainment systems easier to use and more accessible, homes and businesses more comfortable and energy efficient, and individuals more secure. The Company was incorporated in the state of Delaware on March 27, 2003.
Unaudited Interim Financial Statements
The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets, condensed consolidated statements of operations, condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income, and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows are unaudited. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (‘‘GAAP’’) on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017, or any other future interim or annual period.
These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 15, 2017. The December 31, 2016 condensed consolidated balance sheet included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date.
Basis of Presentation
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Segment Reporting
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision-maker, the Chief Executive Officer, in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. To date, the Company has viewed its operations and manages its business as one operating segment.
Concentrations of Risk
The Company’s accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from its worldwide network of independent dealers and distributors. The Company’s sales to dealers and distributors located outside the United States are generally denominated in U.S. dollars, except for sales to dealers and distributors located in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the European Union, which are generally denominated in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, and euros, respectively. There were no individual account balances greater than 10% of total accounts receivable as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.
No dealer or distributor accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016.
6
While the Company partners with many manufacturers, in many cases one manufacturer is our sole source for a particular product or product family. A significant disruption in the operations of one of these manufacturers would impact the production of the Company’s products for a substantial period of time, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Geographic Information
The Company’s revenue includes amounts earned through sales to dealers and distributors located outside of the United States. There was no single foreign country that accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. The following table sets forth revenue from U.S., Canadian and all other international dealers and distributors combined (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
Revenue-United States |
| $ | 44,839 |
| $ | 39,670 |
| $ | 122,993 |
| $ | 108,506 |
|
|
Revenue-Canada |
|
| 5,403 |
|
| 4,246 |
|
| 14,911 |
|
| 11,355 |
|
|
Revenue-all other international sources |
|
| 14,500 |
|
| 11,269 |
|
| 38,482 |
|
| 31,574 |
|
|
Total revenue |
| $ | 64,742 |
| $ | 55,185 |
| $ | 176,386 |
| $ | 151,435 |
|
|
International revenue (excluding Canada) as a percent of total revenue |
|
| 22 | % |
| 20 | % |
| 22 | % |
| 21 | % |
|
Use of Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, sales returns, provisions for doubtful accounts, product warranty, inventory obsolescence, litigation, determination of fair value of stock options, deferred tax asset valuation allowances and income taxes. Actual results may differ from those estimates.
Limited Product Warranties
The Company provides its customers a limited product warranty of two, three, or ten years depending on product type and brand. The limited product warranties require the Company, at its option, to repair or replace defective products during the warranty period at no cost to the customer or refund the purchase price. The Company estimates the costs that may be incurred to replace, repair or issue a refund for defective products and records a reserve at the time revenue is recognized. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include the cost of the products sold, the Company’s historical experience, and management’s judgment regarding anticipated rates of product warranty returns, net of refurbished products. The Company assesses the adequacy of its recorded warranty liability each period and makes adjustments to the liability as necessary. Warranty costs accrued include amounts accrued for products at the time of shipment, adjustments for changes in estimated costs for warranties on products shipped in the period, and changes in estimated costs for warranties on products shipped in prior periods. It is not practicable for the Company to determine the amounts applicable to each of these components.
The following table presents the changes in the product warranty liability for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Warranty Liability |
| |
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
| $ | 1,945 |
|
Warranty costs accrued |
|
| 2,854 |
|
Warranty claims |
|
| (2,509) |
|
Balance at September 30, 2017 |
| $ | 2,290 |
|
7
Net Income Per Share
Basic net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period that have a dilutive effect on net income per share. Potentially dilutive common shares result from the assumed exercise of outstanding stock options and settlement of restricted stock units.
The following table presents the reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
Numerator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income |
| $ | 5,185 |
| $ | 1,777 |
| $ | 9,921 |
| $ | 8,940 |
|
Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average common stock outstanding for basic net income per common share |
|
| 25,050 | �� |
| 23,424 |
|
| 24,551 |
|
| 23,307 |
|
Effect of dilutive securities—stock options and restricted stock units |
|
| 2,072 |
|
| 1,106 |
|
| 1,842 |
|
| 842 |
|
Weighted average common shares and dilutive securities outstanding |
|
| 27,122 |
|
| 24,530 |
|
| 26,393 |
|
| 24,149 |
|
Potentially dilutive securities, including common equivalent shares, in which the assumed proceeds exceed the average market price of common stock for the applicable period, were not included in the calculation of diluted net income per share as their impact would be anti-dilutive. The following weighted-average common stock equivalents were anti-dilutive and therefore were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
Options to purchase common stock |
| 23 |
| 2,221 |
| 881 |
| 2,490 |
|
Restricted stock units |
| — |
| — |
| 6 |
| 23 |
|
Total |
| 23 |
| 2,221 |
| 887 |
| 2,513 |
|
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”. The amendments in this update simplify how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. This update is effective for annual or interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing after January 1, 2017. The Company notes that this guidance applies to its reporting requirements and will implement the new guidance accordingly in performing goodwill impairment testing; however, the Company does not believe this update will have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business,” which narrows the definition of a business. This update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance will impact the Company’s acquisitions beginning January 1, 2018 and could cause fewer acquired sets of assets to be identified as a business.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash,” which provides amendments to current guidance to address the classifications and presentation of changes in restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after
8
December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Upon the adoption of this standard, the Company will combine restricted cash with unrestricted cash and cash and cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.” The amendments in this update will require recognition of current and deferred income taxes resulting from an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments,” which clarifies how companies present and classify certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. This standard is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted, and the guidance must be applied using a retrospective transition method. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)” which introduces new guidance for the accounting for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments. For trade receivables, the Company will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019, including interim periods within those years. Early application of the guidance is permitted for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including the interim periods within those fiscal years. Application of the amendments is through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on the consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” The amendments in this update simplify several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2017. The primary impact of adoption was the recognition of excess tax benefits in our provision for income taxes rather than paid-in capital. Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recognition of excess tax benefits in our provision for income taxes rather than paid-in capital of $9.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. However, as the Company has a full valuation allowance against its domestic net deferred tax asset, a corresponding adjustment was recorded to increase the valuation allowance by $9.6 million.
As of December 31, 2016, the Company had $20.6 million and $17.6 million of gross federal and state net operating losses (“NOLs”), respectively, attributable to excess windfall benefits from share-based compensation. As a result of the adoption of this new standard, on January 1, 2017, the Company increased its net deferred tax asset for NOL carryforwards, with an offsetting cumulative effect of adoption adjustment to accumulated deficit, in the amount of $7.7 million. A corresponding adjustment was recorded to increase the valuation allowance by $7.7 million with an offsetting adjustment to accumulated deficit, resulting in no net impact to the financial statements. In addition, the Company has elected to apply the presentation requirements for cash flows related to excess tax benefits retrospectively which had no impact on the statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Further, under the provisions of ASU 2016-09, the Company has elected to recognize forfeitures as they occur to determine the amount of compensation cost to be recognized in each period. This resulted in an increase of $0.3 million to accumulated deficit with a corresponding increase to additional paid-in capital on January 1, 2017. The amendment related to the accounting for minimum statutory withholding requirements had no impact on retained earnings as of January 1, 2017.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which supersedes the guidance in ASC 840, “Leases.” The purpose of the new standard is to improve transparency and comparability related to the accounting and reporting of leasing arrangements. The guidance will require balance sheet recognition for assets and liabilities associated with rights and obligations created by leases with terms greater than twelve months. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those years. Modified
9
retrospective application is required. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” which amends the guidance in ASC 605, “Revenue Recognition.” The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, deferring the effective date of this standard for one year, and it is now effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company does not plan to early adopt, and accordingly, will adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2018.
The guidance permits two methods of adoption: retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (modified retrospective method). The Company plans to adopt the standard using the full retrospective method to restate each prior reporting period presented. The Company’s ability to adopt using the full retrospective method is dependent on completion of the analysis of information necessary to restate prior period financial statements.
The Company has reached conclusions on key provisions of this standard as it relates to the sale of the Company’s products to dealers, retailers and distributors. The Company is in the process of finalizing revenue recognition policies under the new standard and will be calculating the expected impact during the final quarter of 2017.
The Company is making progress on its assessment of the impact of this new standard as it relates to other ancillary revenue streams such as software licenses, subscription services, and third-party products sold through an online dealer portal. As these revenue streams represented less than 5% of overall revenue in 2016, the results of this assessment are not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.
2. Balance Sheet Components
Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, |
| December 31, |
| ||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
Finished goods |
| $ | 29,667 |
| $ | 24,138 |
|
Component parts |
|
| 3,312 |
|
| 1,880 |
|
Work-in-process |
|
| 170 |
|
| 213 |
|
|
| $ | 33,149 |
| $ | 26,231 |
|
Property and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, |
| December 31, |
| ||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
Computer equipment and software |
| $ | 4,801 |
| $ | 3,855 |
|
Manufacturing tooling and test equipment |
|
| 4,962 |
|
| 4,216 |
|
Lab and warehouse equipment |
|
| 4,661 |
|
| 3,649 |
|
Leasehold improvements |
|
| 3,780 |
|
| 3,438 |
|
Furniture and fixtures |
|
| 3,671 |
|
| 3,254 |
|
Other |
|
| 1,215 |
|
| 753 |
|
|
|
| 23,090 |
|
| 19,165 |
|
Less: accumulated depreciation |
|
| (15,671) |
|
| (12,702) |
|
|
| $ | 7,419 |
| $ | 6,463 |
|
10
Accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, |
| December 31, |
| ||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
Sales returns and current portion of warranty accruals |
| $ | 2,917 |
| $ | 2,892 |
|
Compensation accruals |
|
| 4,533 |
|
| 4,445 |
|
Other accrued liabilities |
|
| 1,947 |
|
| 1,575 |
|
|
| $ | 9,397 |
| $ | 8,912 |
|
3. Financial Instruments
Fair Value Measurements
The Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of money market funds and available-for-sale investments. The following three levels of inputs are used to measure the fair value of financial instruments:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2: Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and
Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available.
The fair values for substantially all of the Company’s financial assets are based on quoted prices in active markets or observable inputs. For Level 2 securities, the Company uses a third-party pricing service which provides documentation on an ongoing basis that includes, among other things, pricing information with respect to reference data, methodology, inputs summarized by asset class, pricing application and corroborative information.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities
The Company determines realized gains or losses on the sale of marketable securities on a specific identification method. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not record significant realized gains or losses on the sales of available-for-sale investments.
The following tables show the Company’s cash and available-for-sale investments’ adjusted cost, gross unrealized gains, gross unrealized losses and fair value by significant investment category, recorded as cash and cash equivalents or short- or long-term investments as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):
11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, 2017 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cash and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| Adjusted |
| Unrealized |
| Unrealized |
|
|
|
| Cash |
| Short-term |
| Long-term |
| ||||||
|
| Cost |
| Gains |
| Losses |
| Fair Value |
| Equivalents |
| Investments |
| Investments |
| |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash |
| $ | 20,170 |
| $ | — |
| $ | — |
| $ | 20,170 |
| $ | 20,170 |
| $ | — |
| $ | — |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market funds |
|
| 5,061 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 5,061 |
|
| 5,061 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
U.S. government notes |
|
| 6,998 |
|
| — |
|
| (4) |
|
| 6,994 |
|
| 1,899 |
|
| 5,095 |
|
| — |
|
Subtotal |
|
| 12,059 |
|
| — |
|
| (4) |
|
| 12,055 |
|
| 6,960 |
|
| 5,095 |
|
| — |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 2: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asset-backed securities |
|
| 1,000 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 1,000 |
|
| — |
|
| 1,000 |
|
| — |
|
Corporate bonds |
|
| 18,367 |
|
| — |
|
| (8) |
|
| 18,359 |
|
| — |
|
| 16,846 |
|
| 1,513 |
|
Commercial paper |
|
| 20,023 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 20,023 |
|
| 1,497 |
|
| 18,526 |
|
| — |
|
Subtotal |
|
| 39,390 |
|
| — |
|
| (8) |
|
| 39,382 |
|
| 1,497 |
|
| 36,372 |
|
| 1,513 |
|
Total |
| $ | 71,619 |
| $ | — |
| $ | (12) |
| $ | 71,607 |
| $ | 28,627 |
| $ | 41,467 |
| $ | 1,513 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| December 31, 2016 |
| |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cash and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| Adjusted |
| Unrealized |
| Unrealized |
|
|
|
| Cash |
| Short-term |
| Long-term |
| ||||||
|
| Cost |
| Gains |
| Losses |
| Fair Value |
| Equivalents |
| Investments |
| Investments |
| |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash |
| $ | 24,708 |
| $ | — |
| $ | — |
| $ | 24,708 |
| $ | 24,708 |
| $ | — |
| $ | — |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market funds |
|
| 10,105 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 10,105 |
|
| 10,105 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
U.S. government notes |
|
| 2,001 |
|
| — |
|
| (1) |
|
| 2,000 |
|
| — |
|
| 2,000 |
|
| — |
|
Subtotal |
|
| 12,106 |
|
| — |
|
| (1) |
|
| 12,105 |
|
| 10,105 |
|
| 2,000 |
|
| — |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 2: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asset-backed securities |
|
| 4,008 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 4,008 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 4,008 |
|
Corporate bonds |
|
| 13,902 |
|
| — |
|
| (14) |
|
| 13,888 |
|
| — |
|
| 13,888 |
|
| — |
|
Commercial paper |
|
| 7,082 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| 7,082 |
|
| — |
|
| 7,082 |
|
| — |
|
Subtotal |
|
| 24,992 |
|
| — |
|
| (14) |
|
| 24,978 |
|
| — |
|
| 20,970 |
|
| 4,008 |
|
Total |
| $ | 61,806 |
| $ | — |
| $ | (15) |
| $ | 61,791 |
| $ | 34,813 |
| $ | 22,970 |
| $ | 4,008 |
|
As of September 30, 2017, the Company considers the declines in market value of its investment portfolio to be temporary in nature and does not consider any of its investments other-than-temporarily impaired. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not recognize any significant impairment charges. The Company invests in highly-rated securities, and its investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. Fair values were determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. The maturities of the Company’s long-term investments range from one to two years. When evaluating an investment for other-than-temporary impairment the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below its cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and any changes thereto, changes in market interest rates, and the Company’s intent to sell, as well as the fact it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment before recovery of the investment’s cost basis, which may be maturity.
Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate their fair value because of the short-term nature of the accounts.
12
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company has foreign currency exposure related to the operations in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the European Union, as well as other foreign locations. The Company has entered into forward contracts to help offset the exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates in relation to certain U.S. dollar denominated balance sheet accounts of its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Australia. The foreign currency derivatives are not designated as accounting hedges. The Company recognizes these derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. The Company records changes in the fair value (i.e. gains or losses) of these derivative instruments in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations as Other income (expense), net.
The Company settles its foreign exchange contracts on the last day of every month and enters into a new forward contract for the next month. As a result, there are no assets or liabilities recorded in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related to derivative instruments as of September 30, 2017. However, the notional principal of foreign exchange contracts for October 2017 was $12.8 million as of September 30, 2017.
The following table shows the pre-tax losses of the Company’s derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| Income Statement Location |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
Foreign exchange forward contracts |
| Other income (expense), net |
| $ | (501) |
| $ | (60) |
| $ | (1,433) |
| $ | (17) |
|
4. Acquisitions
Acquisition of Triad Holdings, Inc.
On February 27, 2017, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Triad Holdings, Inc., (“Triad Holdings”), along with its wholly owned subsidiary Triad Speakers, Inc. (“Triad Speakers” and together with Triad Holdings “Triad”) through the purchase of all the outstanding shares of common stock of Triad for a purchase price of $9.6 million (the “Triad Purchase Agreement”), which included cash acquired of $0.3 million. In accordance with the purchase agreement, $1.4 million of the purchase price will be held for up to 18 months from the acquisition date (the “Holdback”), to cover any of the sellers’ post-closing obligations, including without limitation any indemnification obligations that may arise. Due to customary net working capital adjustments, the purchase price of Triad was reduced to $9.2 million during the three months ended June 30, 2017, resulting in a reduction to the Holdback and goodwill. The Company has classified the remaining $1.1 million Holdback in other current liabilities.
Total consideration transferred for the Triad acquisition was allocated to tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their fair values at the acquisition date as set forth below. Management estimated the fair values of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance for business combinations. The preliminary amount of consideration transferred is subject to potential adjustments due to tax-related matters that could have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. Due to new information obtained related to net working capital and based on facts that existed at the acquisition date, the Company recorded measurement period adjustments to cash, goodwill, accounts payable and other liabilities. The Company expects the allocation of the consideration transferred to be final within the measurement period (up to one year from the acquisition date).
13
The following reflects the Company’s preliminary allocation of consideration transferred for the Triad acquisition (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Triad | |
|
|
| Acquisition | |
Cash |
|
| $ | 269 |
Accounts receivable |
|
|
| 516 |
Inventory |
|
|
| 1,078 |
Other assets acquired |
|
|
| 430 |
Intangible assets |
|
|
| 6,271 |
Goodwill |
|
|
| 4,785 |
Total assets acquired |
|
|
| 13,349 |
Accounts payable |
|
|
| 878 |
Deferred tax liability |
|
|
| 2,415 |
Warranty liability |
|
|
| 237 |
Other liabilities assumed |
|
|
| 601 |
Total net assets acquired |
|
| $ | 9,218 |
Identifiable Intangible Assets
The Company acquired intangible assets that consisted of customer relationships, trademarks/trade names, and developed technology, which had estimated fair values of $2.5 million, $2.4 million, and $1.4 million, respectively. The intangible assets were measured at fair value reflecting the highest and best use of nonfinancial assets in combination with other assets and liabilities. The customer relationships and trademarks/trade names were valued using an income approach that discounts expected future cash flows to present value. The estimated net cash flows were discounted using discount rates between 15% and 16%, based on the estimated internal rate of return for the acquisition and represent the rates that market participants might use to value the intangible assets based on the risk profile of the asset. The projected cash flows were determined using key assumptions such as: estimates of revenues and operating profits; capital expense investments; royalty rates; and tax savings. The acquired technology was valued using a cost savings approach that calculates the asset’s reproduction cost by estimating all the costs associated with creating the technology. The Company will amortize the intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of 10 years for the customer relationships, 12 years for the trademark/trade name, and 12 years for the developed technology. The amortization of these intangible assets is not deductible for income tax purposes.
Goodwill
Goodwill of $4.8 million represents the excess of consideration transferred over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and is attributable to Triad’s assembled workforce, synergies and the projected profits from new products and dealers. This goodwill is not deductible for income tax purposes.
The Company determined the Triad acquisition was not a significant acquisition under Rule 3-05 of Regulation S‑X.
Australia Expansion
On April 1, 2016, the Company began working directly with home automation integrators in Australia to better serve and support customers in that country. As part of the shift from its distribution model in Australia, Control4, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Control4 Australia Holdings Pty., Ltd, acquired customer lists and inventory from the Company’s Australian distributor for $0.7 million.
The Company determined this acquisition was not a significant acquisition under Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X.
14
Acquisition of Pakedge Device and Software Inc.
On January 29, 2016, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pakedge Device and Software Inc. (“Pakedge”) through the purchase of all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Pakedge for a price of $33.0 million, which included cash acquired of $0.8 million. In accordance with the purchase agreement, $5.0 million was deposited in escrow and held until August 2017 to cover the sellers’ post-closing obligations.
5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill
Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Amount |
| |
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
| $ | 16,809 |
|
Current period acquisitions |
|
| 4,785 |
|
Foreign currency translation adjustment |
|
| 261 |
|
Balance at September 30, 2017 |
| $ | 21,855 |
|
Goodwill represents the excess of consideration transferred over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed.
Amortizable Intangible Assets
The Company’s intangible assets and related accumulated amortization consisted of the following as of September 30, 2017, and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, 2017 |
| |||||||
|
|
| Gross Carrying |
|
| Accumulated |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Amount |
|
| Amortization |
|
| Net |
|
Developed technology |
| $ | 18,187 |
| $ | (8,122) |
| $ | 10,065 |
|
Customer relationships |
|
| 11,720 |
|
| (2,197) |
|
| 9,523 |
|
Trademark/trade name |
|
| 6,776 |
|
| (728) |
|
| 6,048 |
|
Non-competition agreements |
|
| 295 |
|
| (256) |
|
| 39 |
|
Total intangible assets |
| $ | 36,978 |
| $ | (11,303) |
| $ | 25,675 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| December 31, 2016 |
| |||||||
|
| Gross Carrying |
| Accumulated |
|
|
|
| ||
|
| Amount |
| Amortization |
| Net |
| |||
Developed technology |
| $ | 16,618 |
| $ | (5,738) |
| $ | 10,880 |
|
Customer relationships |
|
| 9,196 |
|
| (1,160) |
|
| 8,036 |
|
Trademark/trade name |
|
| 4,410 |
|
| (337) |
|
| 4,073 |
|
Non-competition agreements |
|
| 295 |
|
| (164) |
|
| 131 |
|
Total intangible assets |
| $ | 30,519 |
| $ | (7,399) |
| $ | 23,120 |
|
The weighted average amortization period for developed technology, customer relationships, trademarks/trade names, and non-competition agreements is 5.4 years, 8.3 years, 12.0 years, and 2.0 years, respectively; and 7.5 years for all amortizable intangible assets in total.
15
The Company recorded amortization expense during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 for these intangible assets as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
|
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
|
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
Cost of revenue |
| $ | 802 |
| $ | 800 |
|
| $ | 2,367 |
| $ | 2,266 |
|
Research and development |
|
| 50 |
|
| 50 |
|
|
| 145 |
|
| 140 |
|
Sales and marketing |
|
| 482 |
|
| 371 |
|
|
| 1,373 |
|
| 987 |
|
Total amortization of intangible assets |
| $ | 1,334 |
| $ | 1,221 |
|
| $ | 3,885 |
| $ | 3,393 |
|
Amortization of finite lived intangible assets as of September 30, 2017 for the next five years is as follows (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
| Amount | |
2017 |
| $ | 1,315 |
2018 |
|
| 5,075 |
2019 |
|
| 4,959 |
2020 |
|
| 4,053 |
2021 |
|
| 2,196 |
Thereafter |
|
| 8,077 |
|
| $ | 25,675 |
6. Long-Term Obligations
Loan and Security Agreement
On January 29, 2016, Control4 entered into the Second Loan Modification Agreement (the “2016 Loan Amendment”) with Silicon Valley Bank, a California corporation (“SVB”), which amended the Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated as of June 17, 2013, between Control4 and SVB (the “2013 Loan Agreement”).
In the 2016 Loan Amendment, Control4 established a revolving credit facility of $30.0 million under the terms of the 2013 Loan Agreement (the “New Credit Facility”). All borrowings under the New Credit Facility are collateralized by the general assets of the Company. Amounts borrowed under the New Credit Facility are due and payable in full on the maturity date, which is January 28, 2018. Advances made pursuant to the New Credit Facility are, at Control4’s option, either: (i) Prime Rate Advances, which bear interest at the Prime Rate plus a Prime Rate Margin of either 0% or 0.25%, depending on Control4’s leverage ratio for the subject quarter, or (ii) LIBOR Rate Advances, which bear interest at the LIBOR Rate plus a LIBOR Rate Margin of either 2.50% or 2.75%, depending on Control4’s leverage ratio for the subject quarter. Control4 is assessed an unused facility fee of 0.25% in any quarter where the advances are less than $15.0 million. As of September 30, 2017, Control4 had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility.
The 2016 Loan Amendment contains various restrictive and financial covenants, and the Company was in compliance with each of these covenants as of September 30, 2017.
7. Income Taxes
In order to determine the quarterly provision for income taxes, the Company considers the estimated annual effective tax rate, which is based on expected annual taxable income and statutory tax rates in the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Certain significant or unusual items are separately recognized in the quarter during which they occur and can be a source of variability in the effective tax rates from quarter to quarter.
Income tax expense was $0.1 million and $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, or approximately 2% and 15% of income (loss) before income taxes, respectively. Income tax benefit was $2.4 million and $9.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, or
16
approximately 33% and 1486% of income (loss) before income taxes, respectively. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 34% primarily due to the domestic valuation allowance offsetting most of the statutory rate, offset by the partial reversal of the Company’s valuation allowance due to the deferred tax liability that was recorded as part of the Triad acquisition, primarily due to the differences between the book and tax basis of the acquired intangible assets. The rate is further increased by foreign income taxes, state income taxes or taxes in states for which net operating loss carryforwards are not available, the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax and the impact of incentive stock options as well as other permanent differences. As of December 31, 2016, the Company’s NOL carryforward amounts for U.S. federal income and state tax purposes were $59.5 million and $61.0 million, respectively. The NOL carryforwards will expire between 2017 and 2034. In addition to the NOL carryforwards, as of December 31, 2016, the Company had U.S. federal and state research and development credit carryforwards of $7.1 million and $2.8 million, respectively, which will expire between 2017 and 2034.
Significant judgment is required in determining the Company’s provision for income taxes, recording valuation allowances against deferred tax assets and evaluating the Company’s uncertain tax positions. In evaluating the ability to recover its deferred tax assets, in full or in part, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including past operating results, forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Due to historical net losses incurred and the uncertainty of realizing the deferred tax assets, for all the periods presented, the Company has a full valuation allowance against domestic deferred tax assets. To the extent that the Company generates positive income and expects, with reasonable certainty, to continue to generate positive domestic income, the Company may release the valuation allowance in a future period. This release would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets, resulting in a decrease to income tax expense for the period such release is made. In addition, the effective tax rate in subsequent periods would increase, and more closely approximate the federal statutory rate of 34%, after giving consideration to state income taxes, foreign income taxes, tax credits, the effect of stock-based compensation windfalls or shortfalls, and exercising incentive stock options.
The Company files income tax returns in the United States, including various state and local jurisdictions. The Company’s subsidiaries file income tax returns in the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Germany, India and Serbia. We are subject to federal income tax as well as income tax of multiple state and foreign jurisdictions. We are no longer subject to income tax examinations for the following jurisdictions and years: federal, for years before 2014; state and local, for years before 2013; or foreign; for years before 2010. However, federal net operating loss and credit carryforwards from all years are subject to examination and adjustments for at least three years following the year in which the attributes are used.
8. Equity Compensation
Stock Options
In 2003, the Board of Directors adopted the 2003 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2003 Plan”), which provided for the granting of nonqualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock awards, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards. Under the 2003 Plan, the Company was able to grant nonqualified and incentive stock options to directors, employees and non-employees providing services to the Company. On June 11, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”), which was subsequently approved by the Company’s stockholders. The 2013 Plan became effective as of the closing of the Company’s initial public offering. To the extent that any awards outstanding under the 2003 Plan are forfeited or lapse unexercised after August 1, 2013, the shares of common stock subject to such awards will become available for issuance under the 2013 Plan. The 2013 Plan provides for annual increases in the number of reserved shares of 5% of the outstanding number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock as of the preceding December 31. On January 1, 2017, the number of reserved shares was increased by 1,186,489 in accordance with the provisions of the 2013 Plan.
17
A summary of stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is presented below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weighted |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Shares Subject |
| Weighted |
| Remaining |
| |
|
| to Options |
| Average |
| Contractual |
| |
|
| Outstanding |
| Exercise Price |
| Life (Years) |
| |
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
| 3,776,405 |
|
| 11.55 |
|
|
|
Exercised |
| (1,111,583) |
|
| 10.16 |
|
|
|
Expired |
| (59,552) |
|
| 17.50 |
|
|
|
Forfeited |
| (26,045) |
|
| 16.82 |
|
|
|
Balance at September 30, 2017 |
| 2,579,225 |
|
| 11.95 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercisable options at September 30, 2017 |
| 2,201,595 |
|
| 11.58 |
| 5.2 |
|
Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2017 |
| 2,579,225 |
|
| 11.95 |
| 5.5 |
|
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2017:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Options Outstanding |
| Options Exercisable |
| |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Weighted- |
|
|
| Weighted- |
|
|
|
|
|
| Weighted |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Average |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Average |
| Number of |
| Remaining |
| Number of |
| Remaining |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Exercise |
| Underlying |
| Contractual |
| Underlying |
| Contractual |
| |
Range of Exercise Prices |
| Price |
| Shares |
| Life (in years) |
| Shares |
| Life (in years) |
| ||||
$ | 3.59 | - | 6.14 |
|
| 5.98 |
| 875,988 |
| 3.7 |
| 875,988 |
| 3.7 |
|
$ | 6.34 | - | 9.93 |
|
| 8.42 |
| 359,858 |
| 5.8 |
| 287,269 |
| 5.1 |
|
$ | 11.28 | - | 16.97 |
|
| 13.79 |
| 783,732 |
| 6.7 |
| 542,383 |
| 6.6 |
|
$ | 17.66 | - | 22.92 |
|
| 20.99 |
| 559,647 |
| 6.3 |
| 495,955 |
| 6.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2,579,225 |
|
|
| 2,201,595 |
|
|
|
For the stock option awards vested during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the total fair value was $0.8 million and $3.0 million, respectively. The following table summarizes the aggregate intrinsic-value of options exercised, exercisable and vested and expected to vest (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| For the Nine Months Ended |
| ||||
|
| and as of September 30, |
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
Options Exercised |
| $ | 8,927 |
| $ | 2,978 |
|
Options Exercisable |
|
| 39,360 |
|
| 10,491 |
|
Options Vested and Expected to Vest |
|
| 45,152 |
|
| 11,065 |
|
The Company did not award stock options during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017. The fair value of each option awarded during the nine months ended September 30, 2016, was estimated using an expected volatility of 62%, no expected dividends, an expected term of 6.1 years, and a risk-free rate of 1.1%.
18
Restricted stock units
A summary of restricted stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is presented below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Number of |
| Weighted Average |
| |
|
| Shares |
| Grant Date Fair Value |
| |
Non-vested balance at December 31, 2016 |
| 1,396,387 |
|
| 7.60 |
|
Awarded |
| 782,310 |
|
| 11.26 |
|
Vested |
| (746,819) |
|
| 7.65 |
|
Forfeited |
| (57,917) |
|
| 8.66 |
|
Non-vested balance at September 30, 2017 |
| 1,373,961 |
|
| 9.61 |
|
During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, 746,819 restricted stock units vested of which 255,838 shares were withheld for tax purposes resulting in the issuance of 490,981 shares of common stock.
Company Matching Contribution to our 401(k) Plan
The Company offers a 401(k) Plan and in November 2016, our Board of Directors authorized a matching contribution by the Company starting in 2017. Matching contributions are as follows: the Company will match 100% of the first 1% of salary contributed by a participant, and 50% of the next 5% of salary contributed by a participant, for a maximum matching contribution of 3.5% of the salary of a participant up to the limit on contributions imposed by the IRS. Currently, the Company funds its match in contribution with shares of Control4’s common stock. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company contributed 53,159 shares of stock to employees under this plan and recorded $1.0 million of expenses associated with this contribution.
Stock-based compensation expense
Total stock-based compensation expense has been classified as follows in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
Cost of revenue |
| $ | 66 |
| $ | 38 |
| $ | 185 |
| $ | 128 |
|
Research and development |
|
| 1,031 |
|
| 789 |
|
| 3,210 |
|
| 2,493 |
|
Sales and marketing |
|
| 883 |
|
| 496 |
|
| 2,831 |
|
| 1,605 |
|
General and administrative |
|
| 1,048 |
|
| 660 |
|
| 2,965 |
|
| 1,707 |
|
Total stock-based compensation expense |
| $ | 3,028 |
| $ | 1,983 |
| $ | 9,191 |
| $ | 5,933 |
|
At September 30, 2017, there was $3.3 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock option awards that will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.1 years. At September 30, 2017, there was $10.2 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock units that will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.9 years.
9. Share Repurchases
In May 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20.0 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market. In February 2017, the Board of Directors authorized an extension to this repurchase program to May 31, 2018, unless terminated earlier. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company repurchased 119,007 shares for $1.8 million compared to 427,646 shares for $3.2 million in the same period in 2016. As of September 30, 2017, the Company has $5.9 million remaining to repurchase shares of common stock under this share repurchase program.
19
10. Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Leases
The Company leases office and warehouse space under operating leases that expire between 2017 and 2021. The terms of the leases include periods of free rent, options for the Company to extend the leases (three to five years) and increasing rental rates over time. The Company recognizes rental expense under these operating leases on a straight-line basis over the lives of the leases and has accrued for rental expense recorded but not paid.
Rental expense was approximately $0.7 million and $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $2.2 million and $1.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Future minimum rental payments required under non-cancelable operating leases with initial or remaining terms in excess of one year consist of the following as of September 30, 2017 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
2017 |
| $ | 916 |
|
2018 |
|
| 2,527 |
|
2019 |
|
| 901 |
|
2020 |
|
| 453 |
|
2021 |
|
| 31 |
|
|
| $ | 4,828 |
|
The Company vacated one of the Pakedge facilities during 2016, which resulted in a loss of $0.4 million recorded to general and administrative expenses. The Company subleased this facility during the three months ended September 30, 2017 for the remaining lease term. The terms of the sublease did not result in a significant change to the initial loss recorded during 2016.
Purchase Commitments
The Company had non-cancellable purchase commitments for the purchase of inventory, which extend through June 2018 totaling approximately $51.8 million at September 30, 2017.
Indemnification
The Company has agreed to indemnify its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is or was serving at the Company’s request in such capacity. The maximum amount of potential future indemnification is unlimited; however, the Company has a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy that provides corporate reimbursement coverage that limits its exposure and enables it to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. The Company has no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2017, as there were no outstanding claims.
Legal Matters
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings, that if determined adversely to us, we believe would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
20
ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis is intended to provide greater details of our results of operations and financial condition and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 15, 2017, and our condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this document, as well as other documents we file with the SEC from time to time. Certain statements in this Quarterly Report constitute forward-looking statements and as such, involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include any expectation of earnings, revenues or other financial items including without limitation statements about the accretive effect of any acquisitions; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations or growth; factors that may affect our operating results; statements related to adding employees; statements related to future capital expenditures; statements related to future economic conditions or performance; statements as to industry trends or market opportunities and other matters that do not relate strictly to historical facts or statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may” or “will,” and similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A of Part II of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the risks discussed in our other SEC filings.
We urge you to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and not give undue reliance to these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management based on information currently available to management. The forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report are made only as of the date of this Quarterly Report. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to our company or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. We do not undertake, and specifically disclaim, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements, except as required by law.
Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (the “MD&A”) is provided in addition to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and notes to assist readers in understanding our operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our MD&A is organized as follows:
· | Overview. Discussion of our business and overall analysis of financial and other highlights affecting our business in order to provide context for the remainder of MD&A. |
· | Factors and Trends Affecting our Performance. A summary of certain market factors and trends that we believe are important to our business that we must successfully address in order to continue to grow our business. |
· | Key Operating and Financial Metrics. Key operating and financial metrics that we use to evaluate and manage our business. |
· | Results of Operations. An analysis of our financial results comparing 2017 to 2016. |
· | Liquidity and Capital Resources. An analysis of changes in our balance sheets and cash flows, and discussion of our financial condition and potential sources of liquidity. |
· | Non-GAAP Financial Measures. A reconciliation of certain non-GAAP financial measures used by management to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget, and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. |
21
· | Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements. An overview of our contractual obligations, contingent liabilities, commitments and off-balance sheet arrangements outstanding as of September 30, 2017, including an expected payment schedule. |
· | Critical Accounting Estimates. Accounting estimates that we believe are most important to understanding the assumptions and judgments incorporated in our reported financial results and forecasts. |
Overview
Control4 is a leading provider of smart home and business solutions that are designed to personalize and enhance how consumers engage with an ever-changing connected world. Our entertainment, smart lighting, comfort and convenience, safety and security, and networking solutions unlock the potential of connected devices, making entertainment systems easier to use and more accessible, homes and businesses more comfortable and energy efficient, and individuals more secure. Our premium smart home and small business solutions provide consumers with the ability to integrate audio, video, lighting, temperature, security, communications, network management and other functionalities into a unified automation solution, customized to match their lifestyles and business needs. Our advanced software, delivered through our controller products, cloud services and user-interface products, power this customized experience, enabling cohesive interoperability with thousands of connected Control4 and third-party devices.
Consumers purchase our smart solutions from our worldwide network of certified independent dealers, regional and national retailers and distributors. These dealers, retailers and distributors design and install customized solutions to fit the specific needs of each consumer, whether it is a one-room home theater set-up or a whole-home automation system that features the integration of audio, video, lighting, temperature, security, network management and communications devices. Our products are installed in both new and existing residences, multi-dwelling units and small commercial facilities. We refer to revenue from sales of our products through these dealers, retailers and distributors as our Core revenue (“Core revenue”). In addition, a portion of our revenue is attributable to sales in the hospitality industry, primarily related to products installed in hotels, which is excluded from our calculation of Core revenue as well as certain specialty display products and associated installation sales in Australia. Our revenue from sales to hotels is generally project-based and has been significant in some periods and insignificant in other periods. In the future, we expect revenue from hospitality to continue to be project-based and uneven from period to period. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, over 4,100 active direct dealers were authorized to sell and install the full Control4 line of products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and 51 other countries, and 29 distributors were authorized to cover an additional 44 countries where we do not have direct dealer relationships. These distributors sell our solutions through dealers and provide warehousing, training, technical support, and billing for dealers in each of those countries. We have an additional 1,100 active dealers and 22 distributors that are currently authorized to sell only our Pakedge and Triad line of products.
We derive the majority of our revenue from the sale of products that contain our proprietary software, which functions as the operating system of the home. We also generate revenue from the sale of annual subscriptions to our 4Sight subscription service, which allows consumers to personalize their automation system through simple homeowner directed programming, referred to as “When >> Then” automation; remotely access, backup, and control their smart home solutions from their mobile devices; receive e-mail and “push notification” alerts regarding activities in their home; and enable Amazon Alexa voice services.
22
We were founded in 2003 and began shipping our products and generating revenue in 2005. Our revenue growth rates for the last five complete calendar years are shown in the following table (dollars in millions):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
| |||||||||||||
|
| 2016 |
| 2015 |
| 2014 |
| 2013 |
| 2012 |
|
| |||||
Core revenue |
| $ | 203.9 |
| $ | 160.7 |
| $ | 144.7 |
| $ | 126.4 |
| $ | 105.6 |
|
|
Core revenue growth over prior year |
|
| 27 | % |
| 11 | % |
| 14 | % |
| 20 | % |
| 20 | % |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other revenue |
| $ | 4.9 |
| $ | 2.5 |
| $ | 4.1 |
| $ | 2.1 |
| $ | 3.9 |
|
|
Other revenue changes over prior year |
|
| 96 | % |
| -39 | % |
| 95 | % |
| -46 | % |
| -24 | % |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenue |
| $ | 208.8 |
| $ | 163.2 |
| $ | 148.8 |
| $ | 128.5 |
| $ | 109.5 |
|
|
Total revenue growth over prior year |
|
| 28 | % |
| 10 | % |
| 16 | % |
| 17 | % |
| 17 | % |
|
Over the past five years, we have experienced double-digit annual growth in Core revenue. Our Core revenue growth during that period has been the result of a combination of the net addition of new independent dealers and distributors to our sales channels, an increase in revenue from our existing network of independent dealers and distributors, and the addition of new products developed internally and acquired through business combinations. We believe our ability to grow our core sales channel has been enhanced through product innovation, expansion of our product offerings and helping our independent dealers and distributors grow their business. Some recent developments that we believe may enhance our offerings and help drive growth include, but are not limited to, the following:
· | Launched an extensive line of Triad® high-resolution multi-room audio products featuring a single-zone streaming amplifier, a power amplifier, and two audio matrix switches, designed to deliver high-resolution audio in every corner of the home, from the source to the listener’s ears; |
· | Released OS 2.10, featuring expanded music service integrations with iHeartRadio, Sirius XM, and Spotify supported by our EA Controllers; |
· | Released an updated version of 4Sight which includes a new homeowner customization functionality called “When >> Then” automation; |
· | Launched the Pakedge® WR-1 wireless router with BakPak Lite, a high-performance integrated network router and wireless access point with built-in cloud-based network management. Designed for small homes and simpler smart home installations, this wireless router provides reliable, affordable wired and wireless networking; |
· | Launched the Pakedge Certified Network Administrator (PCNA) program. PCNA is a training experience that employs a unique blend of comprehensive online coursework with hands-on practical learning using Pakedge networking gear to provide dealers and technicians the networking knowledge they need to design, install, and manage wired and wireless IP networks; |
· | Launched the new Triad Garden Array outdoor speakers, a family of all-weather, landscape speakers that include a premium satellite speaker and subwoofer designed to be placed throughout flower beds or around the yard to blanket outdoor spaces with rich, beautiful audio; |
· | Launched the new Pakedge PowerPak family of power control devices that provide centralized power control and management with surge protection for all equipment in a connected home. Dealers can use the Bak-Pak enabled PowerPak power distribution units (“PDUs”) to monitor and manage their entire customer base in a single interface; and, |
· | Integrated the latest release of our BakPak management software on the Pakedge RK-1 Router enabling our independent dealer network to offer more homeowners the benefits of a monitored, intelligent home network. |
23
While our historical revenue growth has been primarily organic, we have completed several recent acquisitions that we believe enhance our product offerings and position us for continued growth in the future. Recent acquisitions of technology and distribution-related business are as follows:
· | In February 2017, we acquired Triad, a leader in advanced audio technology with best-in-class, customizable speaker solutions. Entertainment is integral to the connected home and the acquisition of Triad brings premium-acoustics experience and innovation to Control4, enhancing our entertainment offering and enabling the future development of new integrated-audio experiences; |
· | In April 2016, we transitioned from a two-tier distribution model to direct-to-dealer in Australia, and as part of this process, acquired customer lists and inventory of the former distributor; and |
· | In January 2016, we acquired Pakedge, a developer and manufacturer of networking products, power distribution and management solutions, as well as cloud network-managed services for both wireless and wired networking solutions in the connected home and business. The Pakedge acquisition contributed to the Company a deep networking expertise, innovative technologies, and a sophisticated suite of networking products and rich software capability. |
Adoption by the Control4 dealer network of Triad products continues to steadily expand with 1,645 dealers, or 32% of our active dealers, ordering Triad speakers year-to-date.
We continue to invest in and grow the Pakedge networking product category. A total of 2,904 dealers, or 56% of our active dealers, have purchased Pakedge networking products during 2017. As mentioned above, adding to our industry leading networking product lineup, we recently announced our new WR-1 wireless router with an MSRP of $300, which broadens the selling opportunity for our dealers. We’ve successfully integrated each of our recent acquisitions and our channel is actively selling these new products, which enhance our core solution categories and help sustain our target organic growth rate.
Historically, we have experienced seasonal variations in our revenue as a result of holiday-related factors that are common in our industry. Our revenue is generally highest in the fourth quarter due to consumers’ desires to complete their home installations prior to the holiday season. We generally see decreased sales in the first quarter due to seasonal purchase tendencies of consumers as well as the impact of winter weather on new construction and travel in certain geographies. In addition, our year-over-year revenue growth on a quarterly basis is not always linear for a variety of reasons including: the timing of new product releases, the use of marketing programs to accelerate intra-quarter sales of certain products or product families, the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and the impact of general regional economic conditions on consumer buying decisions and harsh weather that delayed or canceled building projects. We generally expect these seasonal and other trends to continue in the future, which may cause quarterly fluctuations in our results of operations and certain financial metrics.
Factors and Trends Affecting Our Performance
A number of industry trends have facilitated our growth over the past several years, including the proliferation of connected devices and the constant growth of network-enabled homes and businesses. From smartphones to smart watches to smart cars, technology is transforming nearly every aspect of our lives, streamlining daily routines and providing quick, easy access to the capabilities and content we want most. Not only are new technologies providing convenience on-the-go, but they are becoming increasingly accessible. Voice services are a recent example of an emerging technology in our connected world, and our integration with Amazon Alexa helps keep us at the forefront of our industry in our adoption of voice activated solutions. We remain committed to embracing emerging technologies through our open platform and broad ecosystem.
Our open platform makes it easy for a broad community of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to participate in our smart home ecosystem, which includes over 10,900 drivers and more than 2,900 Simple Device Discovery Protocol (“SDDP”) enabled products. For example, Samsung recently announced the incorporation of SDDP software into its new 4K television line-up and Blu-ray Player products to simplify integration of these Samsung products into Control4 installations. Our broad ecosystem, which includes audio, video, lighting, temperature, network, security and communication device categories, gives consumers flexibility to
24
integrate nearly any connectable device into their smart home. In addition, our partners are constantly contributing new device integrations. As such, our dynamic ecosystem remains current with the latest product innovations and allows our smart home platform to grow alongside emerging technologies to meet our consumers’ changing needs and preferences. We believe that our open platform and the resulting ecosystem is a key competitive advantage that will continue to facilitate our growth.
Our products leverage both wired and wireless technologies and are designed to be installed in both new construction and existing homes. We believe home automation is increasingly becoming a higher priority for home buyers, and this is one of the reasons for our investment in national and regional builder programs. In new home construction, we continue to engage builders to introduce entry- to mid-level Control4 systems as a standard feature in new home projects.
We believe that the growth of our business and our future success are dependent upon many factors, including the rates at which consumers adopt our products and services, our commitment to growing the awareness of our brands, our ability to optimize and expand our dealer and distributor network, our ability to expand internationally, our ability to meet competitive challenges, and our ability to respond to worldwide economic events. While each of these areas presents significant opportunities for us, they also pose important challenges that we must successfully address in order to sustain or expand the growth of our business and improve our results of operations. These challenges include:
· | Increasing Adoption Rates of Our Products and Services. We are focused on increasing adoption rates of our products and services through enhancements to our software platform and product offerings. We intend to accomplish these enhancements through both continued investments in research and development activities and acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies. |
· | Growing Our Leadership Position in the Industry. We are committed to growing awareness of the Control4, Pakedge, and Triad brands among our dealers, distributors and partners. We believe that our investments in creating brand awareness in the industry have contributed to dealer recruitment, product adoption, and revenue growth. We are proud of the many awards we received from various industry groups and dealer consortiums, formally recognizing our commitment to excellence. In September 2017, we received two “Best of Show” Awards from New Bay Media/Residential Systems at the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (“CEDIA”) 2017 tradeshow for Control4 “When >> Then” automation and the Pakedge WR-1 Wireless Router + BakPak Lite. We were also awarded an EXC!TE Award for our Triad Designer Series Speakers and our Pakedge PowerPak PDU at CEDIA 2017. Finally, we received a BEST Award from CE Pro, a leading trade magazine for technology professionals, at CEDIA 2017 for our Triad Designer Series Speakers. In June 2017, Control4 was named as the top Whole-Home Automation brand, and Pakedge was named the top networking brand, by the “2017 CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis” report. This is the third year in a row that Control4 was recognized as the top Whole-Home Automation brand, and the fifth year in a row that Pakedge has been named the top brand for home networking. In addition, Control4 solutions were recognized as the top brand in the categories of multiroom audio/video distribution systems, video distribution switchers/extenders, access control, and HVAC/thermostats control; and among the leading brands in the categories of lighting control, remotes/interfaces/smart devices, IR distribution systems, remote managed services, audio amplifiers, and communications (phones/intercoms). In addition, in June 2017, the ProSource Buying Group named Control4 the 2017 Custom Integration Vendor of the Year for the third consecutive year. |
· | Accelerating and Enhancing Consumer Lead Generation. We determined that there is an opportunity for us to play a more active role in generating and following up on leads received from our marketing efforts. Therefore, we are continuing to invest in inside sales representatives to qualify inbound inquiries and direct them to qualified independent dealers. Our enhanced lead generation strategies have increased consultations, bids and project installations. Through the continual optimization of our marketing efforts, coupled with our new inside resources to qualify inbound leads, we believe we can improve lead conversion rates and increase the amount of revenue per lead. |
· | Optimizing and Expanding Our North America Dealer Network. We intend to continue to optimize the performance of and expand our network of dealers in North America to ensure that we have |
25
geographic coverage and technical expertise to address our existing markets and new markets into which we plan to expand. We continue to work with all appropriately qualified dealers to explore home control, networking products, and speaker lines, and we continue to cross-train and cross-certify dealers in accordance with our existing standards of technical proficiency and business practices. |
· | Expanding our International Dealer and Distributor Network. We believe that our future growth will depend in part on our ability to expand our dealer and distributor network outside of North America, to adapt our products and services to foreign markets, and to increase awareness of our brands internationally. We continue to add field sales and service personnel to assist in the optimization of our international channels. We have transitioned to a direct-to-dealer model in specific international regions, namely in the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Australia, and we will continue to evaluate opportunities in other countries. Furthermore, we recently opened international training centers in Germany and Australia to help support the transition to a direct-to-dealer model. |
· | Managing Competition. The market for home automation is fragmented, highly competitive and continually evolving. In addition to competing with traditional players in the luxury segment of the home automation market, including Crestron, Elan, and Savant, a number of large technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung offer device control capabilities within some of their own products, applications and services, and are engaged in ongoing efforts to address the broader home automation market. In addition, managed service companies such as ADT, Alarm.com, Comcast, and Vivint, have broadened their service offerings to include control of devices such as door locks, lights, and cameras. Our ability to compete in the growing home automation market over the next several years will be a key factor in our ability to continue to grow our business and meet or exceed our future expectations. |
Key Operating and Financial Metrics
We use the following key operating and financial metrics to evaluate and manage our business.
North America Direct Dealers(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
|
Authorized dealers at the beginning of the period |
| 3,085 |
| 2,865 |
| 2,994 |
| 2,787 |
|
|
Additions |
| 69 |
| 92 |
| 233 |
| 275 |
|
|
Terminations |
| (15) |
| (38) |
| (88) |
| (143) |
|
|
Authorized dealers at the end of the period |
| 3,139 |
| 2,919 |
| 3,139 |
| 2,919 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of active dealers(2) |
| 3,019 |
| 2,867 |
| 3,019 |
| 2,867 |
|
|
Active dealers as a % of authorized dealers(2) |
| 96 | % | 98 | % | 96 | % | 98 | % |
|
International Direct Dealers(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
|
Authorized dealers at the beginning of the period |
| 1,242 |
| 1,031 |
| 1,147 |
| 901 |
|
|
Additions |
| 61 |
| 85 |
| 178 |
| 272 |
|
|
Terminations |
| (20) |
| (12) |
| (42) |
| (69) |
|
|
Authorized dealers at the end of the period |
| 1,283 |
| 1,104 |
| 1,283 |
| 1,104 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of active dealers(2) |
| 1,148 |
| 1,023 |
| 1,148 |
| 1,023 |
|
|
Active dealers as a % of authorized dealers(2) |
| 89 | % | 93 | % | 89 | % | 93 | % |
|
26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
|
Number of controllers sold |
| 26,814 |
| 26,240 |
| 74,297 |
| 74,893 |
|
|
Core revenue growth |
| 17 | % | 24 | % | 17 | % | 24 | % |
|
International core revenue as a percentage of total revenue |
| 22 | % | 19 | % | 21 | % | 20 | % |
|
(1) | These dealer figures only include dealers authorized to sell and install the full Control4 line of products and exclude the 1,100 dealers that are currently authorized to sell only the Pakedge and Triad line of products. |
(2) | An “active dealer” is an authorized dealer that has placed an order with us in the trailing 12-month period. |
Number of North America and Direct International Dealers
Because our dealers promote, sell, install and support our products, a broader dealer network allows us to reach more potential consumers across more geographic regions. We expect our dealer network to continue to grow, both in North America and internationally. While we have historically focused on dealers affiliated with CEDIA, we believe there is an opportunity to establish relationships with dealers outside of CEDIA, including non-traditional A/V dealers, electrical contractors, and security system installers.
Strengthening our worldwide dealer channel through business and installation tools, education programs, and new dealer recruitment remains an ongoing priority. Much of our focus in 2017 has been on the successful introduction of new products to our channel, including both the Triad and Pakedge brands. Our sales team will focus over the next few quarters on adding more new dealers, both traditional A/V dealers as well as dealers who historically have focused on IT, security, electrical, or HVAC offerings. Our goal is to continuously increase our dealers’ productivity and growth. Enabling our dealers to increase productivity will ultimately drive our revenue growth.
In conjunction with the broad availability of our newest generation products and software, we intend to more aggressively review each of our current dealers with regard to their ability to successfully market, sell and install our current solutions. Part of developing a productive, capable dealer network, requires us to regularly review individual dealer performance and as necessary, terminate dealer licenses where volume, technical training and performance requirements are not fulfilled. We view this as a healthy part of growing our dealer channel worldwide.
As a result of our traditional efforts to expand our channel, the number of active international dealers for our full Control4 line of products increased 12% from September 30, 2016 to September 30, 2017, and we saw an increase of 5% in the number of active North American direct dealers during the same period. Generally, the growth percentage internationally is higher because our presence in these markets is less mature and our base of dealers is much lower than the North American market. Much of this growth in our international dealer network is attributed to new dealer additions in China, Germany and Australia. We plan to continue to monitor markets that are currently served by a single distributor and, when business conditions are favorable, we may decide to establish direct relationships with selected dealers in these regions, which we expect would further increase our number of direct international dealers.
While we believe that we will continue to have significant international opportunities, it is difficult to anticipate the exact timing and amount of growth, particularly in new and emerging markets. Such challenges may cause our growth rate to be slower than anticipated, offsetting our efforts to expand into these emerging geographies. Examples of challenges we must address in order to continue our international expansion include divergent regional and local economic and political trends in Latin America, particularly relating to new home construction and strengthening of the U.S. dollar versus certain local currencies, and the June 2016 vote in the UK to exit the European Union. In response to a weakening Canadian dollar, starting in February 2016, we announced to our dealer network in Canada that we now offer the ability to order and pay for products in Canadian dollars versus U.S. dollars. We believe this offering will help to strengthen our long-term results in Canada while eliminating the
27
margin and quoting uncertainty associated with volatility in foreign exchange rates for our dealers. We experienced a recovery in Canada, which contributed to an increase in Canadian revenue of 27% and 31% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2016.
Number of Controllers Sold
Our controllers contain our proprietary software and provide consumers with the essential technology to enable home control, automation and personalization. The number of controllers we sell in a given period provides us with an indication of consumer adoption of our technology, though a variety of other factors may also impact controller sales variability from period to period. Our sales of controllers also create significant opportunity to sell our other products and services. Once a consumer has deployed our controller, we believe that the consumer is more likely to remain committed to our technology platform and purchase more of our products, applications and services in the future.
In January 2016, we introduced a new line of entertainment and automation controllers, the EA Series. With three separate models, our EA Series is designed and priced for projects ranging from a single-room to an entire home or estate. As a result of the launch, we saw a significant increase in controller sales. Although end customer adoption, sell-through, and overall revenue growth for the new controllers continues to be strong, the increase in the first half of 2016 was due in part to initial purchases by dealers for their showrooms.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, we sold 26,814 and 74,297 controllers, respectively, compared to 26,240 and 74,893 controllers sold in the same period in 2016, respectively, an increase of 2% and a decrease of 1%, respectively. We believe severe weather during this past quarter in Florida, Texas and portions of the Central U.S. delayed many projects, which in turn temporarily impacted controller order rates in those regions. Additionally, we launched our EA-Series Controllers in February of 2016, and the first few quarters of 2016 likely benefited from one-time, discounted dealer showroom demo sales typical of new product introductions, creating a difficult year-over-year comparison for unit sales in both the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2017.
Core Revenue Growth
The majority of our revenue comes from sales of our products through our distribution channels comprised of independent dealers in the United States and Canada, and independent dealers and distributors located throughout the rest of the world. We refer to revenue attributable to sales through dealers located in the United States and Canada as “North America Core revenue”, and revenue attributable to sales through dealers and distributors located throughout the rest of the world as “International Core revenue.” Core revenue does not include revenue from sales to hotels or certain specialty display products and associated installation sales in Australia.
International Revenue as a Percentage of Total Revenue
We believe that the international market represents a large and underpenetrated opportunity for us. We have established or acquired sales support offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, China, and India. We have formed relationships with independent international dealers and distributors, and we have expanded foreign language support for our solutions. We track international revenue as a percentage of total revenue as a key measure of our success in expanding our business internationally.
28
Results of Operations
Revenue
The following is a breakdown of our revenue between North America and International Core revenue and other revenue:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
|
| (in thousands) |
|
| ||||||||||
North America Core Revenue |
| $ | 48,729 |
| $ | 42,920 |
| $ | 135,345 |
| $ | 117,705 |
|
|
International Core Revenue |
|
| 14,004 |
|
| 10,534 |
|
| 37,380 |
|
| 30,004 |
|
|
Other Revenue |
|
| 2,009 |
|
| 1,731 |
|
| 3,661 |
|
| 3,726 |
|
|
Total Revenue |
| $ | 64,742 |
| $ | 55,185 |
| $ | 176,386 |
| $ | 151,435 |
|
|
North America Core Revenue as a % of Total Revenue |
|
| 75 | % |
| 78 | % |
| 77 | % |
| 78 | % |
|
International Core Revenue as a % of Total Revenue |
|
| 22 | % |
| 19 | % |
| 21 | % |
| 20 | % |
|
North America Core revenue increased $5.8 million, or 14%, and $17.6 million, or 15%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2016. International Core revenue increased $3.5 million, or 33%, and $7.4 million, or 25%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same period in 2016.
Revenue growth in both North America and International Core revenue is driven by a variety of factors including contributions from each of our product brands, channel expansion from acquired products (Pakedge and Triad) sold to existing dealers and distributors, and growth in the majority of our global sales territories. Revenue from Triad was $3.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and $8.3 million for the period from the February 28, 2017 acquisition date to September 30, 2017. Our total revenue without Triad was $60.9 million and $168.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, representing organic year-over-year growth of 10% and 11%, respectively.
Our international sales model includes both direct-to-dealer and distribution models. In targeted international regions and countries, we generally invest in some combination of local technical support, training personnel and facilities, warehousing and fulfillment, and sales support personnel. We have made these types of investments in the regions serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India and these are markets where we see our greatest opportunity for international growth and expansion.
The following table further breaks out our International Core revenue and illustrates the relative revenue growth we are experiencing in the regions serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India compared to other international regions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
|
| (in thousands) |
|
| ||||||||||
Targeted International Regions (1) |
| $ | 10,716 |
| $ | 8,504 |
| $ | 29,315 |
| $ | 23,461 |
|
|
Other International Regions |
|
| 3,288 |
|
| 2,030 |
|
| 8,065 |
|
| 6,543 |
|
|
Total International Core Revenue |
| $ | 14,004 |
| $ | 10,534 |
| $ | 37,380 |
| $ | 30,004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International Core revenue in the regions serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China and India grew 26% and 25% during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same period in 2016, while International Core revenue in the other international regions increased 62% and 23% during three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same period in 2016. Improvements in general economic conditions in many of our other international markets
29
has contributed to improvements in our growth rates compared to 2016, particularly given favorable revenue comparisons in 2016.
We continue to make investments internationally to improve our dealers’ ability to sell and install our products and believe that these investments will enable us to grow our key international markets. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we sell broadly throughout the world and we believe that regional, adverse international economic conditions may create challenges and slow growth in certain geographies.
Gross Margin
As a percentage of revenue, our gross margin has been, and will continue to be, affected by a variety of factors. Our gross margin is relatively consistent across our products. Our gross margin on third-party products that we sell through our online distribution platform is higher than our gross margin on our other product sales because we only recognize our net profit on these sales as revenue. While software licensing and subscription revenue is not material for all periods presented, our gross margin is higher on software licensing and subscription revenue than it is on product sales. Our gross margin is also higher on our sales made directly through dealers than it is on our sales made through distributors. Gross margin may be negatively affected by price competition in our target markets and associated promotional or volume incentive rebates offered to our independent dealers and distributors.
In addition, in conjunction with our acquisitions of Triad and Pakedge, we were required to record acquired inventory at fair value, as determined under ASC 805, Business Combinations, resulting in a step-up in the inventory value. Such step-up is recorded through cost of goods sold when the specific inventory is sold, resulting in a negative impact to our gross margin. Also, cost of goods sold includes ongoing, periodic amortization of the acquired technology.
Gross margin for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
Gross margin |
| $ | 33,222 |
| $ | 27,619 |
| $ | 89,814 |
| $ | 74,132 |
|
|
Percentage of revenue |
|
| 51.3 | % |
| 50.0 | % |
| 50.9 | % |
| 49.0 | % |
|
As a percentage of revenue, our gross margin was 51.3% and 50.9% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to 50.0% and 49.0% for the same periods in 2016. The increase in gross margin was due primarily to the amount of step-up in Pakedge inventory that was recorded in 2016 compared to 2017. Other factors include manufacturing rebates received in 2017 as well as reductions in volume incentive rebates.
The negative effect on gross margin percentage resulting from the step-up in purchased inventory carrying value impacted the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, as it relates to Pakedge and Triad, and 2016 as it relates to Pakedge.
The introduction of new products generally has a negative impact on gross margins as we offer discounted pricing to our dealers for demo units placed in their showrooms.
Our sales in Europe, Australia and Canada are generally priced in the pound sterling or the euro, the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar, respectively, while our cost of goods sold is denominated in the U.S. dollar. The changing value of the pound sterling, the euro, and the Australian and Canadian dollars relative to the U.S. dollar will continue to contribute to variability in our gross margin for sales in Europe, Australia and Canada.
The impact of distribution and other overhead expenses as a percentage of revenue on our gross margin percentage varies depending on total revenue and overhead spending in a given period.
30
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of compensation for our engineers and product managers, including non-cash stock compensation expense. Research and development expenses also include prototyping and field-testing expenses incurred in the development of our products. We also include fees paid to agencies to obtain regulatory certifications. Finally, research and development expenses include ongoing, periodic amortization of acquired intangible assets.
Research and development expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
Research and development |
| $ | 10,347 |
| $ | 9,190 |
| $ | 30,246 |
| $ | 26,708 |
|
|
Percentage of revenue |
|
| 16 | % |
| 17 | % |
| 17 | % |
| 18 | % |
|
Research and development expenses increased $1.2 million, or 13%, and $3.5 million, or 13%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same period in 2016. The increase in absolute dollars primarily relates to personnel costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense and increased headcount, which can be partially attributed to the employees added from the Triad acquisition.
Our research and development expenses both as a percentage of revenue and in absolute dollars fluctuate depending on our investments in the development of new solutions. For example, the timing of new hardware releases and the expense associated with prototyping, beta testing and compliance and regulatory fees can have an impact on total research and development expenses from period to period.
Sales and Marketing Expenses
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation and related travel expenses for our sales and marketing personnel, including non-cash stock compensation expense. Sales and marketing expenses also include expenses associated with trade shows, marketing events, advertising and other marketing-related programs. We also include the amortization of certain intangible assets such as those related to our dealer network as well as those related to trademarks/trade names.
Sales and marketing expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
Sales and marketing |
| $ | 12,692 |
| $ | 10,852 |
| $ | 36,082 |
| $ | 32,101 |
|
|
Percentage of revenue |
|
| 20 | % |
| 20 | % |
| 20 | % |
| 21 | % |
|
Sales and marketing expenses increased $1.8 million, or 17%, and $4.0 million, or 12%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2016. The increase in absolute dollars primarily relates to personnel costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense and increased headcount primarily associated with recent business acquisitions and increased year-over-year sales.
We intend to continue to supplement our more traditional marketing programs with lead generation programs, including social media and pay-per-click advertising. In addition, we expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars, but to decrease slightly as a percent of revenue in future periods.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for our employees in our executive administration, finance, information systems, human resource and legal departments, including non-cash stock-based compensation expense. Also included in general and administrative expenses are outside legal fees, audit fees,
31
facilities expenses and insurance costs. Finally, during a period with an acquisition, we also include acquisition-related costs in general and administrative expenses.
General and administrative expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
General and administrative |
| $ | 5,109 |
| $ | 5,407 |
| $ | 16,413 |
| $ | 15,279 |
|
|
Percentage of revenue |
|
| 8 | % |
| 10 | % |
| 9 | % |
| 10 | % |
|
General and administrative expenses decreased $0.3 million, or 6%, in the three months ended September 30, 2017, and increased $1.1 million, or 7%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the same periods in 2016. The decrease in absolute dollars for the three months ended September 30, 2017 primarily relates to a plan to restructure certain operations relating to the original Pakedge business, including costs associated with the closing of a facility during the three months ended September 30, 2016, which resulted in a loss of $0.4 million. The increase in absolute dollars for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 primarily relates to personnel costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense, as well as facilities costs associated with our leased office, training, and warehousing space.
We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars as a result of growth in the business, increasing facilities costs associated with our various offices throughout the world, incremental compliance costs incurred when we are no longer considered an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, in 2018, and increases in administrative expenses and fees that typically occur over time.
Stock-based Compensation Expenses
Stock-based compensation expenses increased to $3.0 million and $9.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to $2.0 million and $5.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively. This increase is the result of the achievement of certain performance metrics included in the terms of the new compensation structure approved by our Board of Directors that better aligns senior management and executive compensation with the performance of the company.
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)
Income tax expense (benefit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
| Nine Months Ended |
|
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
| September 30, |
|
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| ||||
Income tax expense (benefit) |
| $ | 93 |
| $ | 316 |
| $ | (2,441) |
| $ | (9,585) |
|
|
Percentage of revenue |
|
| 0 | % |
| 1 | % |
| 1 | % |
| 6 | % |
|
We recognized income tax expense of $0.1 million and income tax benefit of $2.4 million, or approximately 2% and 33% of income before income taxes, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, compared to income tax expense of $0.3 million and income tax benefit of $9.6 million, or approximately 15% and 1486% of income (loss) before income taxes, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively. The effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 34% primarily due to the domestic valuation allowance offsetting most of the statutory rate, partial reversal of the valuation allowance due to the deferred tax liabilities that were recorded as part of the Triad and Pakedge acquisitions in 2017 and 2016, respectively, state income taxes, foreign income taxes, U.S. federal alternative minimum tax and incentive stock options.
32
Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and evaluating our uncertain tax positions. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets, in full or in part, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including our past operating results, our forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Due to historical net losses incurred and the uncertainty of realizing the deferred tax assets, for all the periods presented, we have a full valuation allowance against our domestic deferred tax assets. To the extent that we generate positive domestic income and expect, with reasonable certainty, to continue to generate positive income, we may release our valuation allowance in a future period. This release would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets and a decrease to income tax expense for the period such release is made.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Primary Sources of Liquidity
As of September 30, 2017, we had $71.7 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and net marketable securities, an increase of $9.8 million from December 31, 2016. The overall increase in cash and cash equivalents and net marketable securities was impacted by the following:
· | We generated $15.4 million in cash flows from operations. |
· | We received $11.3 million in proceeds from the exercise of options for common stock. |
· | We acquired Triad for approximately $9.2 million in cash, less cash acquired of approximately $0.3 million and a Holdback of approximately $1.1 million, resulting in net cash paid of approximately $7.9 million. The remaining $1.1 million Holdback will be held for up to 18 months from the acquisition date to cover any of the sellers’ post-closing obligations, including without limitation any indemnification obligations that may arise. |
· | We made $4.6 million in payments for taxes related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units that lapsed during the period. |
· | We purchased capital equipment of $3.0 million. |
· | In May 2015, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we repurchased 119,007 shares for $1.8 million. |
We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy generally limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. Our investment policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. The maturities of our long-term investments range from one to two years, with the average maturity of our investment portfolio less than one year. Cash equivalents and marketable securities are comprised of money market and other funds, highly liquid debt instruments of the U.S. government and its agencies, debt instruments issued by municipalities in the U.S., corporate securities, and asset-backed securities.
33
The following table shows selected financial information as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| September 30, 2017 |
| December 31, 2016 |
| ||
Cash and cash equivalents |
| $ | 28,627 |
| $ | 34,813 |
|
Investments, net(1) |
|
| 43,064 |
|
| 27,128 |
|
Accounts receivable, net |
|
| 29,992 |
|
| 24,727 |
|
Inventories |
|
| 33,149 |
|
| 26,231 |
|
Working capital |
|
| 102,423 |
|
| 85,175 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Includes accrued investment balances not included in the investments line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. |
|
We closely monitor accounts receivable and inventory because of their significant impact on cash and working capital. Our accounts receivable balance at September 30, 2017 has increased by $5.3 million, or 21%, since December 31, 2016, which is primarily due to our increasing sales. Furthermore, inventory has increased by $6.9 million from December 31, 2016 to September 30, 2017. The increase in inventory was due primarily to the acquisition of Triad and normal inventory buildup associated with revenue growth and the introduction of new products.
We have an asset-based, revolving credit facility of $30.0 million and at September 30, 2017 we had no outstanding borrowings under the credit facility.
We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, as well as our borrowing capacity on our revolving credit facility, will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months. From time to time, we may explore additional financing sources to develop or enhance our product solutions, to fund expansion of our business, to respond to competitive pressures, or to acquire or invest in complementary products, businesses or technologies. We cannot give assurance that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock.
Cash Flow Analysis
A summary of our cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 is set forth below (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||
|
| September 30, |
| ||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period |
| $ | 34,813 |
| $ | 29,530 |
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
|
| 15,446 |
|
| 5,633 |
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
| (26,826) |
|
| (10,060) |
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
| 4,878 |
|
| 609 |
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
|
| 316 |
|
| (41) |
|
Net change in cash and cash equivalents |
|
| (6,186) |
|
| (3,859) |
|
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period |
| $ | 28,627 |
| $ | 25,671 |
|
Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities is net income adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in certain assets and liabilities.
The increase in cash provided by operating activities of $9.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016 is due to increased net income, adjusted for non-cash items including depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation and tax benefits from business
34
acquisitions, as well as the differences in working capital account changes such as accounts receivable, inventory, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities.
Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities primarily consist of purchases, maturities, and sales of marketable securities, business acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and purchases of property and equipment.
Cash used in investing activities increased to $26.8 million in 2017 from $10.1 million in 2016. The year-over-year increase is primarily due to the difference in available-for-sale investment activity offset by the difference in cash used for business acquisitions and capital purchases.
Financing Activities
Financing cash flows consist primarily of tax payments related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units, the repurchase of Control4 stock in the open market and proceeds from the exercise of options to acquire common stock.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, we received proceeds of $11.3 million and $3 million, respectively, from the exercise of options to purchase common stock.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we made tax payments of $4.6 million related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units that lapsed during the period.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we repurchased 119,007 shares of our stock in the open market for $1.8 million compared to 427,646 shares for $3.2 million in the same period in 2016.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to our GAAP operating results, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget, and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. These measures, which we refer to as our non-GAAP financial measures, are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP income from operations, and non-GAAP net income exclude non-cash expenses related to stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related costs, as well as expenses related to executive severance and litigation settlements.
Management believes that it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation expense because the amount of such expense in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations.
We have recently completed acquisitions which resulted in operating expenses that would not have otherwise been incurred. Management has provided supplementary non-GAAP financial measures, which exclude acquisition-related expense items, to allow more accurate comparisons of the financial results to historical operations, forward-looking guidance and the financial results of less acquisitive peer companies. Management considers these types of costs and adjustments to be largely unpredictable and dependent on a significant number of factors that are outside of our control. Furthermore, we do not consider these acquisition-related costs and adjustments to be related to the organic continuing operations of the acquired businesses and are generally not relevant to assessing or estimating the long-term performance of the acquired assets. In addition, the size, complexity and/or volume of past acquisitions, which often drives the magnitude of acquisition-related costs, may not be indicative of the size, complexity and/or volume of future acquisitions. By excluding acquisition-related costs and adjustments from our non-GAAP measures, management is better able to evaluate our ability to utilize its existing assets and estimate the long-term value that acquired assets will generate for us. We believe that providing a supplemental non-GAAP measure which excludes these items allows management and investors to consider the ongoing operations of the business both with, and without, such expenses.
35
These acquisition-related costs are included in the following categories: (i) professional service fees, recorded in operating expenses, which include third-party costs related to the acquisition, and legal and other professional service fees associated with diligence, entity formation and corporate structuring, disputes and regulatory matters related to acquired entities; (ii) transition and integration costs, recorded in operating expenses, which include retention payments, transitional employee costs, earn-out payments treated as compensation expense, as well as the costs of integration-related services provided by third parties; and (iii) acquisition-related adjustments, which include adjustments to acquisition-related items such as being required to record inventory at its fair value, resulting in a step-up in the inventory value, and having to reverse part of our valuation allowance in order to offset the deferred tax liability that was recorded based on differences between the book and tax basis of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The step-up in inventory is recorded through cost of goods sold when the inventory is sold, resulting in a negative impact to our gross margin. Although these expenses are not recurring with respect to past acquisitions, we will generally incur these types of expenses in connection with any future acquisitions.
We exclude the amortization of acquired intangible assets from non-GAAP measures. These amounts are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and size of acquisitions. Providing a supplemental measure that excludes these charges allows management and investors to evaluate results “as-if” the acquired intangible assets had been developed internally rather than acquired. Although we exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets from non-GAAP measures, we believe that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets contribute to revenue generation. Amortization of intangible assets that relate to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Future acquisitions may result in the amortization of additional intangible assets.
Furthermore, we believe it is useful to exclude expenses related to litigation settlements and executive severance because of the variable and unpredictable nature of these expenses which are not indicative of past or future operating performance. We believe that past and future periods are more comparable if we exclude these expenses.
We believe these adjustments provide useful comparative information to investors. Non-GAAP results are presented for supplemental informational purposes only for understanding our operating results. The non-GAAP results should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Our non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information that is directly comparable to that provided by other companies in our industry, as other companies in our industry may calculate non-GAAP financial results differently, particularly related to non-recurring, unusual items. We urge our investors to review the reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures included below, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
36
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Three Months Ended |
|
| Nine Months Ended |
| ||||||||
|
| September 30, |
|
| September 30, |
| ||||||||
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
|
| 2017 |
| 2016 |
| ||||
| (in thousands, except percentages and per share data) | |||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Gross Margin to Non-GAAP Gross Margin: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross margin |
| $ | 33,222 |
| $ | 27,619 |
|
| $ | 89,814 |
| $ | 74,132 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense in cost of revenue |
|
| 66 |
|
| 38 |
|
|
| 185 |
|
| 128 |
|
Amortization of intangible assets in cost of revenue |
|
| 802 |
|
| 800 |
|
|
| 2,367 |
|
| 2,266 |
|
Acquisition-related costs in cost of revenue |
|
| 37 |
|
| 533 |
|
|
| 165 |
|
| 2,173 |
|
Non-GAAP gross margin |
| $ | 34,127 |
| $ | 28,990 |
|
| $ | 92,531 |
| $ | 78,699 |
|
Revenue |
| $ | 64,742 |
| $ | 55,185 |
|
| $ | 176,386 |
| $ | 151,435 |
|
Gross margin percentage |
|
| 51.3 | % |
| 50.0 | % |
|
| 50.9 | % |
| 49.0 | % |
Non-GAAP gross margin percentage |
|
| 52.7 | % |
| 52.5 | % |
|
| 52.5 | % |
| 52.0 | % |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reconciliation of Income (Loss) from Operations to Non-GAAP Income (Loss) from Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income (loss) from operations |
| $ | 5,074 |
| $ | 2,170 |
|
| $ | 7,073 |
| $ | (356) |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
| 3,028 |
|
| 1,983 |
|
|
| 9,191 |
|
| 5,933 |
|
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
| 1,334 |
|
| 1,221 |
|
|
| 3,885 |
|
| 3,393 |
|
Acquisition-related costs |
|
| 17 |
|
| 1,140 |
|
|
| 446 |
|
| 3,460 |
|
Litigation settlements |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
| 400 |
|
Executive severance |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
| 157 |
|
Non-GAAP income (loss) from operations |
| $ | 9,453 |
| $ | 6,514 |
|
| $ | 20,595 |
| $ | 12,987 |
|
Revenue |
| $ | 64,742 |
| $ | 55,185 |
|
| $ | 176,386 |
| $ | 151,435 |
|
Operating margin percentage |
|
| 7.8 | % |
| 3.9 | % |
|
| 4.0 | % |
| (0.2) | % |
Non-GAAP operating margin percentage |
|
| 14.6 | % |
| 11.8 | % |
|
| 11.7 | % |
| 8.6 | % |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) |
| $ | 5,185 |
| $ | 1,777 |
|
| $ | 9,921 |
| $ | 8,940 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
| 3,028 |
|
| 1,983 |
|
|
| 9,191 |
|
| 5,933 |
|
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
| 1,334 |
|
| 1,221 |
|
|
| 3,885 |
|
| 3,393 |
|
Acquisition-related costs |
|
| 17 |
|
| 1,446 |
|
|
| (1,969) |
|
| (5,942) |
|
Litigation settlements |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
| 400 |
|
Executive severance |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
|
| — |
|
| 157 |
|
Non-GAAP net income (loss) (1) |
| $ | 9,564 |
| $ | 6,427 |
|
| $ | 21,028 |
| $ | 12,881 |
|
Non-GAAP net income (loss) (1) per common share: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
| $ | 0.38 |
| $ | 0.27 |
|
| $ | 0.86 |
| $ | 0.55 |
|
Diluted |
| $ | 0.35 |
| $ | 0.26 |
|
| $ | 0.80 |
| $ | 0.53 |
|
Weighted-average number of shares: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic |
|
| 25,050 |
|
| 23,424 |
|
|
| 24,551 |
|
| 23,307 |
|
Diluted |
|
| 27,122 |
|
| 24,530 |
|
|
| 26,393 |
|
| 24,149 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Excludes the calculated effect of non-GAAP adjustments on income tax expense of $0.4 million and $1.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017. |
| |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in SEC Regulation S-K- 303(a)(4)(ii).
Contractual Obligations
We enter into long-term contractual obligations in the normal course of business, primarily purchase commitments and non-cancellable operating leases.
Our contractual cash obligations as of September 30, 2017 are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Less than |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| Total |
| 1 year |
| 1 - 3 years |
| 3 - 5 years |
| ||||
|
| (in thousands) |
| ||||||||||
Operating lease obligations |
|
| 4,828 |
|
| 3,089 |
|
| 1,633 |
|
| 106 |
|
Purchase commitments |
|
| 51,820 |
|
| 51,820 |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
Total contractual obligations |
| $ | 56,648 |
| $ | 54,909 |
| $ | 1,633 |
| $ | 106 |
|
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. These estimates and assumptions are often based on judgments that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time made, but all such estimates and assumptions are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions, and it is possible that other professionals, applying their own judgment to the same facts and circumstances, could develop and support alternative estimates and assumptions that would result in material changes to our operating results and financial condition. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
Our critical accounting policies and estimates are detailed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2017. None of our critical accounting policies and estimates have changed significantly since that filing. The acquisition of Triad did not significantly impact our critical accounting policies and estimates because their accounting policies and procedures were aligned with ours.
Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
For information with respect to recent accounting pronouncements and the impact of these pronouncements on our condensed consolidated financial statements, see Note 1 “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in the notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).
ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Our market risk disclosures are detailed in Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2017. Other than our interest rate risk described below, our market risk has not changed significantly since that filing.
Interest Rate Risk
Changes in U.S. interest rates could affect the interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investments as well as the fair value of our investments. Our investment policy and strategy are focused on preservation of capital and supporting our liquidity requirements. A portion of our cash is managed by external managers within the guidelines of our investment policy.
38
Our exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio. We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy generally limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss.
We performed a sensitivity analysis on the value of our investment portfolio assuming a hypothetical change in rates of 100 basis points. Based on investment positions as of September 30, 2017, a hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates across all maturities would result in a $0.2 million incremental decline in the fair market value of the portfolio. Such losses would only be realized if we sold the investments prior to maturity.
ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a‑15(e) and 15d‑15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Inherent Limitations of Internal Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
39
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings, that if determined adversely to us, we believe would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
A description of certain risks and uncertainties associated with our business is set forth below. You should carefully consider such risks and uncertainties, together with the other information contained in this report, and in our other public filings. Factors that could cause our business, financial condition or operating results to differ materially from the plans, projections and other forward-looking statements included in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report and in our other public filings include, but are not limited to, the following risks and uncertainties, which could cause substantial harm to our business, financial condition or operating results and the market price of our stock to decline, perhaps significantly.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We have incurred operating losses in the past, may incur operating losses in the future, and may not achieve or maintain profitability.
We began our operations in 2003. For most of our history, we have experienced net losses and negative cash flows from operations. As of September 30, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $73.0 million. We expect our operating expenses to increase in the future as we expand our operations. If our revenue does not grow to offset any increased expenses, we will not be profitable. After achieving profitability in 2013 and 2014 of $3.5 million and $8.2 million respectively, we sustained a net loss of $1.7 million in 2015. Our net income for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $13.0 million, but we may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including without limitation the other risks and uncertainties described herein. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen operating or legal expenses, difficulties, complications, delays in manufacturing and selling our products and other unknown factors that may result in losses in future periods. If these losses exceed our expectations or our revenue growth expectations are not met in future periods, our profitability will be harmed.
The markets in which we participate are highly competitive and many companies, including large technology companies, retailers, broadband and security service providers, as well as other managed service providers, are actively targeting the home automation market. Our failure to differentiate ourselves and compete successfully against these companies would make it difficult for us to add and retain consumers, and our sales and profitability could be adversely affected.
The market for home automation is fragmented, highly competitive and continually evolving. A number of technology companies, including industry leaders such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Honeywell, Lutron and Samsung, offer device control capabilities in some of their products, applications and services and are engaged in ongoing development efforts to address even broader segments of the home automation market. These large technology companies already have broad consumer awareness and sell a variety of devices for the home, and consumers may choose their offerings instead of ours, even if we offer broader interoperability or superior products and services. Additionally, these and other companies may further expand into our industry by developing additional solutions or by acquiring other providers. Similarly, many managed service providers, such as cable TV, telephone and security companies, are offering services that provide device control capability within the home for an additional monthly service fee. For example, Comcast’s Xfinity service offers residential security, energy and automation services, and Vivint has made a significant effort to market its smart home services. These managed service providers have the advantage of leveraging their existing consumer base, network of installation and support technicians and name recognition to gain traction in the home automation market. In addition, consumers may prefer
40
the monthly service fee with little to no upfront cost offered by some of these managed service providers over a larger upfront cost with little to no monthly service fees.
We expect competition from these large technology companies, retailers and managed service providers to increase in the future. This increased competition could result in pricing pressure, reduced sales, lower margins or the failure of our solutions to achieve or maintain broad market acceptance. To remain competitive and to maintain our position as a leading provider of professionally installed automation and control solutions for the connected home, we will need to invest continuously in product development, marketing, dealer and distributor service and support, and product delivery infrastructure. We may not have sufficient resources to continue to make the investments in all of the areas needed to maintain our competitive position. In addition, most of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger consumer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than us, which may provide them with an advantage in developing, marketing or servicing new solutions. Increased competition could reduce our market share, revenue and operating margins, increase our operating costs, harm our competitive position or otherwise harm our business and results of operations.
Consumers may choose to adopt point products that provide control of discrete home functionality rather than adopt our unified home automation solution. If we are unable to increase market acceptance of the benefits of our unified solution, our revenue may not continue to grow, or it may decline.
Many vendors have emerged, and may continue to emerge, to provide point products with advanced functionality for use in the home, such as a thermostat, lighting or alarm system that can be controlled by an application on a smartphone. We expect more and more consumer electronic and consumer appliance products to be network-aware and connected—each very likely to have its own smart device (phone or tablet) application. Consumers may be attracted to the relatively low costs of these point products and the ability to expand their home control solution over time with minimal upfront costs, despite the disadvantages of this approach. While we have built our solution to be flexible and support many third-party point products, the adoption of these products may reduce the revenue we receive for each installation. It is therefore important that we provide attractive top-quality products in many areas, such as networking, lighting, audio, video, thermostats and security, and establish broad market awareness and acceptance of these solutions as well as the advantages of integrating them in a unified solution. If a significant number of consumers in our target market choose to rely solely on the functionality included in point products rather than acquiring our unified automation solution, then our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed, and we may not be able to achieve sustained growth or our business may decline.
Providers of luxury integrated installations with long operating histories, established markets, broad user bases and proven consumer acceptance, may be successful in expanding their offerings in the mainstream home automation market, or otherwise compete against our solutions, which may reduce our market share and harm our growth and future prospects.
Many companies with which we directly compete have been operating in this industry for many years, and as a result, have established significant name recognition in the home automation industry. For example, Crestron, a provider of luxury integrated installations, has been in business for over 40 years and has become an established presence in the home automation industry. Given the strong growth potential of the market, we expect there to be many new entrants in the future. To the extent these providers are able to develop more affordable or attractive products or otherwise compete with our solutions across any of our target demographics, our growth may be constrained and our business could suffer.
Since we rely on third-party dealers and distributors to sell and install our solutions, we do not have a direct sales pipeline, which makes it difficult for us to accurately forecast future sales and correctly predict manufacturing requirements.
We depend on our independent dealer and distributor network to sell and install our solution. As a result, we do not directly develop or control our sales pipeline, making it difficult for us to accurately predict future sales. In addition, because the production of certain of our products requires long lead times, we enter into agreements for the manufacture and purchase of certain of our products well in advance of the time in which those products will be
41
sold. These contracts are based on our best estimates of our near-term product needs. If we underestimate consumer demand, we may forego revenue opportunities, lose market share and damage our relationships. Conversely, if we overestimate consumer demand, we may purchase more inventory than we are able to sell at any given time, or at all. If we fail to accurately estimate demand for our products, we could have excess or obsolete inventory, resulting in a decline in the value of our inventory, which would increase our costs of revenues and reduce our liquidity. Our failure to accurately manage inventory relative to demand would adversely affect our results of operations.
We have relatively limited visibility regarding the consumers that ultimately purchase our products, and we often rely on information from third-party dealers and distributors to help us manage our business. If we are unable to obtain timely or accurate information, our ability to quickly react to market changes and effectively manage our business may be harmed.
We sell our solutions through independent dealers and distributors. These dealers and distributors work with consumers to design, install, update and maintain their home automation installations. While we are able to track orders from dealers and distributors and have access to certain information about the configurations of the Control4 systems they install that we receive through our controllers, we also rely on these dealers and distributors to provide us with information about consumer behavior, product and system feedback, consumer demographics, buying patterns and information about our competitors. We use this channel sell-through data, along with other metrics, to assess consumer demand for our solutions, develop new products, adjust pricing and make other strategic business decisions. Our channel sell-through data is subject to limitations due to collection methods and the third-party nature of the data and thus may not be complete or accurate. In addition, from time to time we collect information directly from consumers through surveys that we conduct and other methods, but the consumers who chose to participate self-select and vary by geographic region and from period to period, which may impact the usefulness of the results. If we do not receive consumer information on a timely or accurate basis, or if we do not properly interpret this information, our ability to quickly react to market changes and effectively manage our business may be harmed.
Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate. As a result, we may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of investors or securities analysts, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Our quarterly revenue and results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. In the past when our quarterly revenue or results of operations have fallen below the consensus expectations of securities analysts, the price of our common stock has declined. If our quarterly revenue or results of operations fall below the consensus expectations of investors or securities analysts in the future, the price of our common stock could decline again, perhaps substantially. Fluctuations in our results of operations may be due to a number of factors, including but not limited to:
· | Demand for and market acceptance of our solutions; |
· | Our ability to continue to develop and maintain relationships with productive independent dealers and distributors and incentivize them to continue to market, sell, install and support our solutions; |
· | The ability of our contract manufacturers to continue to manufacture high-quality products, and to supply sufficient products to meet our demands; |
· | The timing and success of acquisitions, new product introductions or upgrades by us or by our competitors; |
· | The strength of regional, national and global economies; |
· | The strength of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies and the impact this has on dealer and distributor margins and their ability to competitively sell our products to consumers; |
· | The impact of harsh seasonal weather, natural disasters or manmade problems such as terrorism; |
42
· | Changes in our business and pricing policies, or those of our competitors; |
· | Competition, including entry into the industry by new competitors and new offerings by existing competitors; |
· | The impact of seasonality on our business; |
· | A systemic impairment or failure of one or more of our products that erodes dealer and/or end user confidence; |
· | Political or regulatory changes in the markets in which we operate; |
· | The cost and availability of component parts used in our products; |
· | Aggressive business tactics by our competitors, including: selling at a discount, offering products on a bundled basis at no charge, extensive marketing efforts, and providing financing incentives; |
· | The amount and timing of expenditures, including those related to expanding our operations, increasing research and development, introducing new solutions or costs related to disputes and litigation; and |
· | Temporary discounts or permanent changes in the price or payment terms for our solutions. |
Due to the foregoing factors and the other risks discussed herein, you should not rely on quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our results of operations as an indication of our future performance, nor should you consider any revenue growth or results of operations in any quarter to be indicative of our future performance.
If we are unable to develop new solutions, sell our solutions into new markets, or further penetrate our existing markets, our revenue may not grow as expected or it may decline.
Our ability to increase sales will depend in large part on our ability to enhance and improve our solutions, to introduce new solutions in a timely manner, to sell into new markets, and to further penetrate our existing markets. The success of any enhancement or new product or solution depends on several factors, including the timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of enhanced or new solutions, the ability to attract, retain and effectively train product development, sales and marketing personnel (among others), the ability to develop relationships with independent dealers and distributors and the effectiveness of our marketing programs. Any new product or solution we develop or acquire may not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner, and may not achieve the broad market acceptance necessary to generate significant revenue. Any new markets into which we attempt to sell our solutions, including new vertical markets and new countries or regions, may not be receptive. Our ability to further penetrate our existing markets depends on the quality of our solutions and our ability to design our solutions to meet consumer demand. Moreover, we are frequently required to enhance and update our solutions as a result of changing standards and technological developments, which makes it difficult to recover the cost of development and forces us to continually qualify new solutions with our consumers. If we are unable to successfully develop or acquire new solutions, enhance our existing solutions to meet consumer requirements in a timely manner, sell solutions into new markets, or sell our solutions to additional consumers in our existing markets, our revenue may not grow as expected or it may decline.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and expand our global network of independent dealers and distributors.
As of September 30, 2017, we have over 5,200 active direct dealers and 51 distributors authorized to sell, install and support our solutions. We rely on our independent dealers and distributors to provide consumers with a successful Control4 home automation experience. In some cases, dealers may choose not to offer our solution and instead offer a product from one of our competitors or, in other cases, the dealer may simply discontinue its operations. In order to continue our growth and expand our business, it is important that we continue to add new dealers and distributors and ensure that most of our existing relationships remain productive. We must also work to
43
expand our network of dealers and distributors to ensure that we have sufficient geographic coverage and technical expertise to address new markets and technologies. While it is difficult to estimate the total number of available dealers in our markets, there are a finite number of dealers that are able to perform the types of technical installations required for home automation systems. In the event that we saturate the available dealer pool, or if market or other forces cause the available pool of dealers to decline, it may be increasingly difficult to grow our business. As consumers’ home automation options grow, it is important that we enhance our dealer footprint by broadening the expertise of our dealers, working with larger and more sophisticated dealers and distributors and expanding our line of mainstream consumer products that our dealers and distributors offer. If we are unable to expand our network of independent dealers and distributors, or maintain the relationships with our existing dealers and distributors, our business could be harmed.
We rely on our independent dealers and distributors to sell our solutions, and if our dealers and distributors fail to perform, our ability to sell and distribute our products and services will be limited, and our results of operations may be harmed.
Substantially all of our revenue is generated through the sales of our solutions by our authorized dealers and distributors. Our dealers and distributors are independent businesses that voluntarily sell our products as well as the products of other companies to consumers. We provide our dealers and distributors with specific training programs to assist them in selling, installing and servicing our products, and we also provide our dealer-network with leads to potential customers which we generate through our internal marketing efforts, but we cannot assure that these steps will be effective. We have observed, and expect to continue to observe, high volatility in the monthly, quarterly and annual sales performance of individual dealers and distributors. Although we can make estimated forecasts of cumulative sales of large numbers of dealers and distributors, we cannot assure their accuracy collectively or individually. Accordingly, we may not be able to reduce or slow our spending quickly enough if our actual sales fall short of our expectations. As a result, we expect that our revenues, results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our revenues, results of operations and cash flows may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.
Our independent dealers and distributors may be unsuccessful in marketing, selling, installing and supporting our products and services. If we are unable to provide high-quality products in a timely manner at competitive prices and to develop and maintain effective sales incentive programs for our dealers and distributors, we may not be able to incentivize them to sell our products to consumers. Our dealers and distributors may also market, sell and support products and services that are competitive with ours, and may devote more resources to the marketing, sales, and support of such competitive products. Our dealers and distributors may have incentives to promote our competitors’ products to the detriment of our own, or may cease selling our products altogether. Our agreements with our dealers and distributors may generally be terminated for any reason by either party with advance notice. We cannot assure that we will retain these dealers and distributors, or that we will be able to secure additional or replacement dealers and distributors. For example, in September 2017, we announced that we were transitioning from a direct-to-dealer to a single distributor sales model in India. This transition may create disruption in the established channels and our sales and results of operations may be impacted in connection with this or any similar change in our sales process in the future.
In addition, while we take certain steps to protect ourselves from liability for the actions of our dealers and distributors, such as including contractual provisions limiting our liability with both consumers and dealer/distributors, consumers may still seek to recover amounts from us for any damages caused by independent dealers in connection with system installations, or the failure of a system to perform properly due to an incorrect installation by a dealer, and, in the event of litigation with respect to these matters, we cannot guarantee that our contractual protections will be enforced. Furthermore, dealers and distributors may initiate claims against us related to any failure or perceived failure to operate our business in accordance with our contracts and the law. In addition, our independent dealers and distributors may use our name and our brand in ways we do not authorize, and any such improper use may harm our reputation or expose us to liability for their actions.
If we fail to effectively manage our existing sales channels then our results of operations may be harmed.
44
We have entered into several strategic arrangements and intend to pursue additional strategic opportunities in the future. If the intended benefits from our strategic relationships are not realized, our results of operations may be harmed.
We are in the process of growing our relationships with strategic partners in order to increase awareness of our solutions and to attempt to reach markets that we cannot currently address cost-effectively. If these relationships do not develop in the manner we intend, our future growth could be impacted. Any loss of a major partner or distribution channel or other channel disruption could harm our results of operations and make us more dependent on alternate channels, damage our reputation, increase pricing and promotional pressures from other partners and distribution channels, increase our marketing costs, or harm buying and inventory patterns, payment terms or other contractual terms.
If we do not maintain the compatibility of our solutions with third-party products and applications that our consumers use, demand for our solutions could decline.
Our solutions are designed to interoperate with a wide range of other third-party products, including products in the areas of audio, video, lighting, temperature, and security, and we benefit from our relationships with partners that allow our system to provide integrated and extensible control of over 10,900 third‑party devices and services. If we do not support the continued integration of our solutions with third-party products and applications, including new and additional products, demand for our solutions could decline and we could lose sales. In addition, companies that provide certain point solutions have eliminated or restricted, and may in the future, eliminate or restrict, our ability to integrate with, control and otherwise be compatible with these products. As a result, we may not be successful in making our solutions compatible with these third-party products and applications or lose functionality in existing systems to the extent that they depend on the ability to integrate with third-party products, which could reduce demand for our solutions. In addition, if prospective consumers require customized features or functions that we do not offer, then the market for our solutions may be harmed.
If we are unable to adapt to technological change and implement technological and aesthetic enhancements to our products, this could impair our ability to remain competitive.
The market for home automation and control solutions is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent introductions of new products and evolving industry standards. However, product development often requires significant lead-time and upfront investment and our ability to attract new consumers and increase revenue from existing consumers will depend in significant part on our ability to accurately anticipate changes in industry standards and to continue to enhance existing solutions or introduce new solutions in a timely basis to keep pace with technological developments. This is true of all of our products, but is particularly important with respect to our user interface and other products that our consumers interface with directly. Similarly, if any of our competitors implement new technologies before we are able to implement them, those competitors may be able to provide more effective products than ours, possibly at lower prices, which could impact sales and decrease our market share. Any delay or failure in the introduction of new or enhanced solutions could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We currently rely on contract manufacturers to manufacture our products and on component vendors to supply parts used in our products. The majority of our components are supplied by a single source. Any disruption in our supply chain, or our failure to successfully manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers or component vendors could harm our business.
Our reliance on contract manufacturers reduces our control over the assembly process, exposing us to risks, including reduced control over quality assurance, production costs and product supply. We rely on a limited number of contract manufacturers to manufacture substantially all of our products, and in many cases one of these manufacturers is our only source for a particular product or product family. We also do business with a number of component vendors, and the parts they supply may not perform as expected. For certain of our products and components, we rely on a sole-source manufacturer or supplier. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, three contract manufacturers, Sanmina, RCS and iLife, manufactured approximately 60% of our inventory purchases. Most of our contract manufacturers and component vendors are located outside of the United States, and all of them may be subject to political, economic, social and legal uncertainties that may harm our relationships with
45
them. If we fail to manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers, component vendors or shipping partners effectively, or if our contract manufacturers, component vendors or shipping partners experience delays, disruptions, capacity constraints or quality control problems in their operations, our ability to ship products may be impaired and our competitive position and reputation could be harmed. In addition, any adverse change in our contract manufacturers’, component vendors’ or shipping partners’ financial or business condition could disrupt our ability to supply quality products to our dealers and distributors. If we are required to change contract manufacturers, component vendors, or shipping partners we may lose revenue, incur increased costs or damage our relationships, or we might be unable to find a new contract manufacturer or component vendor on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, qualifying a new contract manufacturer or component vendor could be an expensive and lengthy process. If we experience increased demand that our contract manufacturers or component vendors are unable to fulfill, or if they are unable to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality products for any reason, we could experience a delay in our order fulfillment, and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed.
Changes in import/export regulatory regimes and duties could negatively impact our business.
The current presidential administration in the U.S. has made comments suggesting that it is not supportive of certain existing international trade agreements, and at this time, it remains unclear what this administration may or may not do with respect to these international trade agreements and U.S. tax provisions related to international commerce. Additional or increased import taxes or duties in the U.S. could negatively impact our cost structures. If the United States were to withdraw from or materially modify certain international trade agreements, change tax provisions related to the global manufacturing and sales of our products, or otherwise alter regulations impacting our existing business, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Growth of our business may depend on market awareness and a strong brand, and any failure to develop, broaden, protect and enhance market awareness of our products could hurt our ability to retain or attract consumers.
Because of the competitive nature of the mainstream home automation market, we believe that building and maintaining market awareness, brand recognition and goodwill may be material to our success. This will depend largely on our ability to continue to provide high-quality solutions, and we may not be able to do so effectively. We may choose to engage in a broader marketing campaigns to further promote our brand, but this effort may not be successful. Our efforts in developing our brand may be affected by the marketing efforts of our competitors, negative publicity and social media commentary, and our reliance on our independent dealers, distributors and strategic partners to install our products and promote our brand effectively. If we are unable to cost-effectively maintain and increase positive awareness of our brand, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.
We operate in the emerging and evolving home automation market, which may develop more slowly or differently than we expect. If the mainstream home automation market does not grow as we expect, or if we cannot expand our solutions to meet the demands of this market, our revenue may decline, fail to grow or fail to grow at an accelerated rate, and we may incur additional operating losses.
The market for home automation and control solutions is developing, and it is uncertain whether our solutions will achieve and sustain high levels of demand and market acceptance. Some consumers may be reluctant or unwilling to use our solutions for a number of reasons, including satisfaction with other solutions, concerns about cost, and lack of awareness of our solutions. Unified home automation solutions such as ours have traditionally been luxury purchases for the high end of the residential market, and while our solutions target the high end of the market, we also have solutions that target middle- and entry-level home owners, including our EA-1 controller which we released in January 2016 that is designed to control smaller, single room projects. Our ability to expand the sales of our solutions to a broader consumer base depends on several factors, including market awareness of our solutions, the timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of our solutions, the ability to attract, retain and effectively train sales and marketing personnel, the effectiveness of our marketing programs, the ability to develop effective relationships with independent dealers and distributors, the cost and functionality of our solutions and the success of our competitors. If we are unsuccessful in developing and marketing our home automation solutions to mainstream consumers, or if these consumers do not perceive or value the benefits of our solutions, the
46
market for our solutions might not continue to develop or might develop more slowly than we expect, either of which would harm our revenue and growth prospects.
Our consumers may experience service failures or interruptions due to defects in the software, infrastructure, third-party components or processes that comprise our solutions, or due to errors in product installation or servicing by our independent dealers, any of which could harm our business.
Our solutions may contain undetected defects in the software, infrastructure, third-party components or processes. If these defects lead to service failures, we could be subject to liability for such failures and we could experience harm to our branded reputation. Such defects could also result in a loss of, or delay in, market acceptance of our solutions, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition to failures due to product defects, because our solutions are installed by independent dealers, if they do not install or maintain our solutions correctly or if the underlying network or infrastructure in a home or business is not sufficiently robust, our solutions may not function properly. If the improper installation or maintenance of our solutions leads to service failures of a product or solution, we could experience harm to our branded reputation, claims by our consumers, dealers, distributors, strategic partners or developers and we may incur increased expense during the period required to address the cause of the problem, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Any defect in, or disruption to, our solutions could cause consumers to remove their products, not to purchase additional products from us, prevent other potential consumers from purchasing our solutions, or harm our reputation. The nature of the solutions we provide, including our interface with home security solutions, may expose us to greater risks of liability for system failure or even installation errors by our independent dealers than may be inherent in other businesses. Substantially all of our dealer agreements contain provisions limiting our liability to dealers and our consumers in an attempt to reduce this risk. However, in the event of litigation with respect to these matters, we cannot be sure that these limitations will be enforced, and defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management’s attention, affect our ability to obtain or maintain liability insurance on acceptable terms and could harm our business. In addition, there can be no assurance that we are adequately insured for these risks. Certain of our insurance policies and the laws of some states may limit or prohibit insurance coverage for punitive or certain other types of damages or liability arising from gross negligence. Although we currently maintain some warranty reserves, we cannot be sure that these warranty reserves will be sufficient to cover future liabilities. Furthermore, we may be required to indemnify our dealers, distributors and other partners against certain liabilities they may incur as a result of defects of our products.
Our networking solutions business may be harmed if users perceive our solution as the cause of a slow or unreliable network connection, or in the event of a high-profile network failure, even though certain technical problems experienced by users may not be caused by our products.
Our networking solutions have been deployed in many different locations and user environments and are capable of providing connectivity to many different types of Wi-Fi-enabled devices operating a variety of applications. The ability of our products to operate effectively can be negatively impacted by many different elements unrelated to our products. For example, a user’s experience may suffer from an incorrect setting in a Wi-Fi device. Although certain technical problems experienced by users may not be caused by our products, users often may perceive the underlying cause to be a result of poor performance of the wireless network. This perception, even if incorrect, could harm our business and reputation. Similarly, a high-profile network failure may be caused by improper operation of the network or failure of a network component that we did not supply, but users and other service providers may perceive that our products were implicated, which, even if incorrect, could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
47
Failure to maintain the security of our information and technology networks, including information relating to our dealers, distributors, partners, consumers and employees, could adversely affect our business. Furthermore, without limiting the preceding sentence, if security breaches in connection with the delivery of our products and services allow unauthorized third parties to obtain control of or otherwise access consumers’ networks or appliances, our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.
The legal, regulatory and contractual environment surrounding information security, privacy and fraud is constantly evolving and companies that collect and retain information are under increasing attack by cyber- criminals around the world. We are dependent on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information and, in the normal course of our business, we collect and retain certain information, including financial information, from and pertaining to our dealers, distributors, partners, consumers and employees. The protection of dealer, distributor, partner, consumer and employee data is important to us, and we devote significant resources to addressing security vulnerabilities in our products and information technology systems, including encrypting some data repositories and engaging security experts to conduct penetration testing to help us uncover vulnerabilities in our systems. However, the policies and security measures that we put in place cannot guarantee security, and our information technology infrastructure may be vulnerable to criminal cyber-attacks or data security incidents due to employee or dealer negligence, error, malfeasance, or other vulnerabilities. Cyber security attacks are increasingly sophisticated, change frequently, and often go undetected until after an attack has been launched. We may fail to identify these new and complex methods of attack, or fail to invest sufficient resources in security measures. We have and will continue to experience cyber-attacks, and we cannot be certain that advances in cyber-capabilities or other developments will not permit compromise or breach the technology protecting the networks that access our products and services and repositories where we store this information.
We have acquired a number of companies over the years and may continue to do so in the future. While we make significant efforts to address any information technology security issues with respect to our acquisitions, we may still inherit such risks when we integrate the acquired products and systems.
In addition, consumers can use our tools to access their automation systems remotely, and certain of our employees and independent dealers can monitor access and update certain of our products and services remotely. Security breaches by third parties or by, or originating from, one or more of our dealers, distributors or employees, that allow unauthorized third parties to obtain control of our consumers’ appliances through our products or to obtain, collect, use or disclose any personal data of consumers, could harm our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, although we do not recommend or approve of port forwarding for remote access to our solutions, certain of our dealers have in the past and may in the future enable port forwarding, which could create security vulnerabilities in their customers’ home networks. If a security breach occurs, our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed. In addition, even the perception that there is a security risk associated with home automation devices generally, or that we or our independent dealers and distributors or our employees have improperly used our technology or mishandled personal information, could have a negative effect on our business. This negative perception may be increased in the event of a security breach or cyber-attack impacting one of our competitors or their products and services.
Additionally, we design and sell solutions that allow our customers to wirelessly access sensitive data on their network and to remotely manage and operate devices and applications that contain, transmit and store a variety of information. We use data encryption and other procedural, physical and electronic security measures to protect our internal systems and data, and we include various security mechanisms in our products and services, but these security measures cannot provide absolute protection against breaches and attacks.
Data privacy and security, and information technology infrastructure and security are critical to supporting business objectives; failure of our systems to operate effectively could adversely affect our business and reputation.
It is difficult to determine what harm may directly result from any specific interruption or security breach. Any failure or perceived failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of systems or the
48
actual or potential theft, loss, fraudulent use or misuse of our products or associated confidential information, including personally identifiable data of a dealer, distributor, partner, consumer, and employee, could result in:
· | harm to our reputation or brand, which could lead some consumers to stop using certain of our products or services, reduce or delay future purchases of our products or services, use competing products or services, or materially and adversely affect the overall market perception of the security and reliability of our services and home automation products generally; |
· | individual and/or class action lawsuits, which could result in financial judgments against us and that would cause us to incur legal fees and costs; |
· | legal or regulatory enforcement action, which could result in fines and/or penalties and which would cause us to incur legal fees and costs; and/or |
· | additional costs associated with responding to the interruption or security breach, such as investigative and remediation costs, the costs of providing individuals and/or data owners with notice of the breach, legal fees, the costs of any additional fraud detection activities, or the costs of prolonged system disruptions or shutdowns. |
Any of these actions could materially adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Because we store, process, and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in investigations, claims, changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, and declines in user growth, retention, or engagement, any of which could seriously harm our business.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and other countries that involve matters central to our business, including user privacy, rights of publicity, data protection, content, intellectual property, distribution, electronic contracts and other communications, competition, protection of minors, consumer protection, taxation, and online-payment services. These laws can be particularly restrictive in countries outside the United States. Both in the United States and abroad, these laws and regulations constantly evolve and remain subject to significant change. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industry in which we operate. Because we store, process, and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. Continually implementing up-to-date data security tools and procedures and maintaining privacy standards that comply with ever-changing privacy regulations in multiple jurisdictions (including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, which will go into effect on May 25, 2018) is challenging.
In addition, on July 12, 2016 the European Commission formally adopted the new EU – U.S. Privacy Shield, which provides a safe harbor for the transfer of personal information, by U.S. companies doing business in Europe from the European Economic Area to the U.S. provided that such U.S. companies self-certify under this framework. Control4 has submitted its self-certification application pursuant to the Privacy Shield, and as part of this self-certification, we have committed to abide by the Privacy Shield principles with respect to any personal information transferred.
We publicly post our privacy policies and practices concerning our processing, use and disclosure of personal information. Our publication of our privacy policy and other statements we publish that provide promises and assurances about privacy and security could subject us to potential state, federal or other regulatory action or other liabilities if they are found to be deceptive or misrepresentative of our practices or if we fail to take adequate measures to ensure that we adhere to applicable regulations, or if our third-party data processors fail to adequately protect personal information that they process on our behalf.
49
We encounter seasonality in sales, which could harm the amount, timing and predictability of our revenue and cause our stock price to fluctuate.
We have little recurring revenue or backlog, and our revenue is generated from orders of our solutions from new and existing consumers, each of which may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate. In addition, we may experience seasonality in the sales of our solutions. Historically, our revenue is generally highest in the fourth quarter and lowest in the first quarter. Seasonal variations in our sales may lead to significant fluctuations in our cash flows and results of operations on a quarterly basis and this may cause our stock price to fluctuate.
We may not generate significant revenue as a result of our current research and development efforts.
We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in research and development and related product opportunities. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, we spent $30.2 million on research and development expenses. High levels of expenditures for research and development could harm our results of operations, especially if not offset by corresponding future revenue increases. We believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our research and development efforts to maintain our competitive position. However, it is difficult to estimate when, if ever, we will generate significant revenue as a result of these investments.
Our strategy includes pursuing acquisitions and our potential inability to successfully integrate newly-acquired technologies, assets, businesses, or personnel may harm our financial results.
We believe part of our growth will be driven by acquisitions of other companies or their technologies, assets and businesses. For example, we acquired Nexus in January 2015, Pakedge in January 2016 and Triad in February 2017. These acquisitions and any future acquisitions we complete will give rise to risks, including:
· | Incurring higher than anticipated capital expenditures and operating expenses; |
· | Failing to assimilate the operations and personnel, or failing to retain the key personnel of the acquired company or business; |
· | Failing to integrate the acquired technologies, or incurring significant expense to integrate acquired technologies into our solutions; |
· | Disrupting our ongoing business; |
· | Dissipating or diverting our management resources; |
· | Failing to maintain uniform standards, controls and policies; |
· | Incurring significant accounting charges; |
· | Impairing relationships with employees, dealers, distributors, partners or consumers; |
· | Finding that the acquired technology, assets or business does not further our business strategy, that we overpaid for the technology, assets or business, or that we may be required to write off acquired assets or investments partially or entirely; |
· | Failing to realize the expected synergies of the transaction; |
· | Being exposed to unforeseen liabilities and contingencies that were not identified during diligence conducted prior to acquiring the company, including but not limited to the risk that the products or services of the acquired company violate third-party intellectual property rights or regulatory standards or contain other vulnerabilities; and |
50
· | Being unable to generate sufficient revenue from acquisitions to offset the associated acquisition costs. |
Fully integrating acquired technology, asset, business, or personnel into our operations may take a significant amount of time and resources. We may not be successful in overcoming these risks or any other problems encountered with such acquisitions. To the extent we do not successfully avoid or overcome the risks or problems related to any such acquisitions, our results of operations and financial condition could be harmed. Acquisitions also could impact our financial position and capital needs, or could cause fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results of operations.
Acquisitions could include significant goodwill and intangible assets. The amortization of such intangible assets would reduce our profitability and there may be future impairment charges that would reduce our stated earnings. We may incur significant costs in our efforts to engage in strategic transactions and these expenditures may not result in successful acquisitions.
Future acquisitions of technologies, assets or businesses, that are paid for partially or entirely through the issuance of stock or stock rights, could dilute the ownership of our existing stockholders.
We expect that the consideration we might pay for any future acquisitions of technologies, assets or businesses could include stock, rights to purchase stock, cash or some combination of the foregoing. If we issue stock or rights to purchase stock in connection with such future acquisitions, net income (loss) per share and then-existing holders of our common stock may experience dilution.
We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, which may cause our business to suffer.
We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, including expanding our solutions into lines of business with which we have no experience, investing in new and unproven technologies, and expanding our existing sales channels or adding new sales channels, including through acquisitions such as our recent acquisition of Triad and its speaker lines. We can offer no assurance that any such new business opportunities will prove to be successful. Among other negative effects, our pursuit of such business opportunities could reduce operating margins and require more working capital, or materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our gross margins can vary significantly depending on multiple factors, which can result in fluctuations in our results of operations.
Our gross margins are likely to vary due to consumer demand, product mix, new product introductions, unit volumes, commodity and supply chain costs, product delivery costs, geographic sales mix, excess and obsolete inventory and the complexity and functionality of new product innovations. In particular, if we are not able to introduce new solutions in a timely manner at the cost we expect, or if consumer demand for our solutions is less than we anticipate, or if there are product pricing, marketing and other initiatives by our competitors to which we need to react that lower our margins, then our overall gross margin will be less than we project. The impact of these factors on gross margins can create unanticipated fluctuations in our results of operations, which may cause volatility in our stock price.
If we are unable to substantially utilize our net operating loss or tax credit carryforwards, our financial results will be harmed.
As of December 31, 2016, our net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward amounts for U.S. federal income and state tax purposes were $59.5 million and $61.0 million, respectively. In addition to the NOL carryforwards, as of December 31, 2016, we had U.S. federal and state tax credit carryforwards of $7.1 million and $2.8 million, respectively. While we have generated profits at times in the past, there is no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient taxable income to utilize our NOLs or tax credits before they expire.
51
If we are unable to manage our growth and diverse and complex operations, our reputation in the market and our ability to generate revenue from new or existing consumers may be harmed.
Because our operations are geographically diverse and complex, our personnel resources and infrastructure could become strained and our reputation in the market and our ability to successfully implement our business plan may be harmed. The growth in the size, complexity and diverse nature of our business and the expansion of our product lines and consumer base, including through acquisitions, have placed increased demands on our management and operations, and further growth, if any, may place additional strains on our resources in the future. Our ability to effectively compete and to manage our plan to continue to expand our headcount and operations may depend on, among other things:
· | Maintaining institutional knowledge by retaining and expanding the core competencies critical to our operations in our senior management and key personnel; |
· | Increasing the productivity of our existing employees and attracting new talent; |
· | Maintaining existing productive relationships and developing new productive relationships with independent contract manufacturers, dealers and distributors; |
· | Improving our operational, financial and management controls; and |
· | Improving our information reporting systems and procedures. |
If we do not manage the size, complexity and diverse nature of our business effectively, we could experience delayed product releases and longer response times by our dealers in assisting our consumers in implementing our solutions, and could lack adequate resources to support our consumers on an ongoing basis, any of which could harm our reputation in the market, our ability to successfully implement our business plan and our ability to generate revenue from new or existing consumers.
If we fail to retain our key employees and attract talented new personnel as needed, our business would be harmed and we might not be able to implement our business plan successfully.
Given the complex nature of the technology on which our business is based and the speed with which such technology advances, our future success is dependent, in large part, upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified executive, managerial, engineering, and sales and marketing personnel. Competition for talented personnel is intense, and we cannot be certain that we can retain our executive, managerial, engineering, and sales and marketing personnel, or that we can attract, assimilate or retain such personnel in the future. Our inability to attract and retain such personnel could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Downturns in general economic and market conditions, including but not limited to downturns in housing markets and reductions in consumer spending, may reduce demand for our solutions, which could harm our revenue, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our revenue, results of operations and cash flows depend on the overall demand for our solutions, which can be significantly reduced in economic environments characterized by market and interest rate volatility, decreased consumer confidence, high unemployment, declines in residential remodeling and housing starts, fluctuating exchange rates, and diminished growth expectations in the U.S. economy and abroad. During periods of weak or unstable economic and market conditions, providers of products and services that represent discretionary purchases, such as our home automation products, are disproportionately affected. In addition, during these periods, the number of independent dealers and distributors may decline as the prospects for home building and home renovation projects diminish, which may have a corresponding impact on our growth prospects. Furthermore, during challenging economic times consumers may face issues in gaining timely access to sufficient credit, which could impair their ability to make timely payments. There is also an increased risk during these periods that an increased percentage of our dealers will file for bankruptcy protection, which may harm our reputation, revenue, profitability and results of operations. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown, instability or recovery, generally or within any particular geography or industry. Any downturns in the general economic
52
conditions of the geographies and industries in which we operate, or any other factors negatively impacting housing markets or consumer spending, could materially and adversely impact our revenue, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could fall below expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include, or may in the future include, those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, product warranties, income taxes and stock-based compensation expense. Our results of operations may be harmed if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
Changes in existing financial accounting standards or practices, or taxation rules or practices, may harm our results of operations.
Changes in existing accounting or taxation rules or practices, new accounting pronouncements or taxation rules, or varying interpretations of current accounting pronouncements or taxation practice could harm our results of operations or the manner in which we conduct our business.
Mergers or other strategic transactions involving our competitors could weaken our competitive position, which could harm our results of operations.
Our industry is highly fragmented, and we believe it is likely that some of our existing competitors will consolidate or be acquired. In addition, some of our competitors may enter into new alliances with each other or may establish or strengthen cooperative relationships with systems integrators, third-party consulting firms or other parties. For example, Google Inc. acquired Nest Labs, a manufacturer of thermostats and smoke detectors; Nest Labs acquired Dropcam, a home-monitoring camera company; Apple Inc. introduced HomeKit, a framework for communicating with and controlling connected devices in a user’s home; and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. acquired connected technologies company, Harman International Industries. Transactions such as these, as well as any additional consolidations, acquisitions, alliances or cooperative relationships, or new product introductions by companies in our industry, could lead to pricing pressure, reduce our market share or result in a competitor with greater financial, technical, marketing, service and other resources than ours, all of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and any decision on our part to comply with certain reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding an annual non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and nonbinding stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If we choose not to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as we have in the past, our auditors will not be required to opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As a result, investors may be less comfortable with the effectiveness of our internal controls and the risk that material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our internal controls go undetected may increase. If we choose to provide
53
reduced disclosures in our periodic reports and proxy statements while we are an emerging growth company, as we have in the past, investors will have access to less information and analysis about our executive compensation, which may make it difficult for investors to evaluate our executive compensation practices. We cannot predict if investors find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions and provide reduced disclosure. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be harmed. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of: the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue (as inflation adjusted by the SEC from time to time); the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates determined as of the last business day of the previous second fiscal quarter; the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, December 31, 2018.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we have chosen to “opt out” of such extended transition period, and as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.
Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in our failure to accurately report our financial results. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our business and adversely impact investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our stock could drop significantly. We are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we continue to take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act. We expect that our auditors will be required to formally opine on the effectiveness of our internal controls no later than our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.
Our compliance with Section 404 may require us to continue to incur substantial expense and expend significant management efforts. We may not be able to remediate any future material weaknesses, or to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls when they are required to issue such opinion, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.
Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations, invest in new technologies and otherwise respond to business opportunities or unforeseen circumstances in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our results of operations.
While we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next 12 months, at some point we may need to raise additional funds, and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise additional equity
54
financing, our security holders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the value of shares of our common stock could decline. If we engage in debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, if at all, we may not be able to, among other things:
· | Develop and enhance our solutions; |
· | Continue to expand our research and development, sales and marketing organizations; |
· | Hire, train and retain employees; |
· | Respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements; or |
· | Pursue acquisition opportunities. |
Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our results of operations.
We may be subject to additional tax liabilities, which would harm our results of operations.
We are subject to income, sales, use, value added, tariffs and other taxes in the United States and other countries in which we conduct business, which laws and rates vary greatly by jurisdiction. Certain jurisdictions in which we do not collect sales, use, value added, tariffs or other taxes on our sales may assert that such taxes are applicable, which could result in tax assessments, penalties and interest, and we may be required to collect such taxes in the future. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and evaluating our uncertain tax positions. These determinations are highly complex and require detailed analysis of the available information and applicable statutes and regulatory materials. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits and any related litigation could be different from our historical tax practices, provisions and accruals. If we receive an adverse ruling as a result of an audit, or we unilaterally determine that we have misinterpreted provisions of the tax regulations to which we are subject, our tax provision, results of operations or cash flows could be harmed. In addition, liabilities associated with taxes are often subject to an extended or indefinite statute of limitations period. Therefore, we may be subject to additional tax liability (including penalties and interest) for any particular year for extended periods of time depending on the specific statute of limitations in the relevant jurisdiction.
Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fire, power outages, floods and other catastrophic events, and to interruption by man-made problems such as terrorism.
A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire or a flood, or a significant power outage could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Natural disasters could affect our manufacturing vendors’ or logistics providers’ ability to perform services such as manufacturing products or assisting with shipments on a timely basis. Our three largest contract manufacturers, which manufactured 60% of our inventory purchases for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, have manufacturing facilities located in China and Korea. In the event our manufacturing vendors’ information technology systems or manufacturing or logistics abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, shipments could be delayed or cancelled, resulting in missing financial targets, such as revenue and shipment targets, for a particular quarter. Further, if a natural disaster occurs in a region from which we derive a significant portion of our revenue, such as metropolitan areas in North America, consumers in those regions may delay or forego purchases of our solutions from dealers and distributors, which may harm our results of operations for a particular period. For example, the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida and the fires in northern California impacted ongoing projects in areas where Control4 has significant sales. In addition, acts of terrorism, including cyber terrorism or crime, could cause disruptions in our business or the business of our manufacturers, logistics providers, dealers, distributors, consumers or the economy as a whole. Given our typical concentration of sales at the end of each month and quarter, any disruption in the business of our manufacturers, logistics providers, dealers, distributors and consumers that impacts sales at the end of our quarter could have a
55
greater impact on our quarterly results. All of the aforementioned risks may be augmented if the disaster recovery plans for us and our suppliers prove to be inadequate. To the extent that any of the above results in delays or cancellations of orders, or delays in, or cancellations of the manufacture, deployment or shipment of our products, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.
Global or regional economic, political and social conditions could harm our business and results of operations.
External factors such as potential crime, terrorist attacks, acts of war, financial crises, trade friction or geopolitical and social turmoil in those parts of the world that serve as markets for our solutions, such as Europe, Asia or elsewhere, could harm our business and results of operations. These uncertainties may cause our consumers to reduce discretionary spending on their home and make it difficult for us to accurately plan future business activities. More generally, these geopolitical, social and economic conditions could result in increased volatility in worldwide financial markets and economies that could harm our sales. We are not insured for losses or interruptions caused by terrorist acts or acts of war. The occurrence of any of these events or circumstances could harm our business and results of operations.
Failure to comply with laws and regulations could harm our business.
Our business is subject to regulation by various federal, state, local and foreign governmental agencies, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing employment and labor laws, workplace safety, product safety, environmental laws, consumer privacy and protection laws, anti-bribery laws, import/export controls, federal securities laws and tax laws and regulations. As we continue to develop new products, acquire companies with new product lines and expand our geographical footprint to market and sell products directly in new jurisdictions, we may become subject to additional rules and regulations, and these regulatory requirements may be different from or more stringent than those in the United States and Europe. While we have obtained these certifications for many of our products currently sold in expanded jurisdictions, we continue to work towards full compliance for all of our products sold. Delays in meeting, or failure to meet, these certification standards may cause us to miss market opportunities and may hinder us from entering and selling our products in those markets. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to investigations, sanctions, enjoinders of future shipments, mandatory product recalls, seizures, enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, fines, damages, civil and criminal penalties or injunctions. If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could further harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Governmental regulations affecting the import or export of our products could harm our revenues.
The U.S. and various foreign governments have imposed controls, export license requirements and restrictions on the import or export of some technologies, especially encryption technology, and may impose additional or broader controls, export license requirements and restrictions on the import or export of some technologies in the future. In addition, from time to time, governmental agencies have proposed additional regulation of encryption technology, such as requiring the escrow and governmental recovery of private encryption keys. Although we do not believe that any of our products currently require an export license, if our products or components of our products become subject to governmental regulation of encryption technology or other governmental regulation of imports or exports, we may be required to obtain import or export approval for such products, which could increase our costs and harm our international and domestic sales and our revenue. In addition, failure to comply with such regulations could result in penalties, costs and restrictions on export privileges, which would harm our results of operations.
Regulations related to “conflict minerals” may force us to incur additional expenses, may result in damage to our business reputation and may adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.
Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), we are required to adhere to certain reporting and other requirements regarding the use of certain minerals and derivative metals (referred to as “conflict minerals,” regardless of their actual country of origin) in our products.
56
Some of these metals are commonly used in electronic equipment and devices, including our products. These requirements require that we investigate, disclose and report whether or not any such metals in our products originated from the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries. We do not directly source any of our own raw conflict minerals, rather we have an extremely complex supply chain, with numerous suppliers, many of whom may not be obligated to investigate their own supply chains, for the components and parts used in each of our products. As a result, we may incur significant costs to comply with the diligence and disclosure requirements, including costs related to determining the source of any of the relevant metals used in our products and other potential changes to products or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. Because these regulations are relatively new, we and the companies comprising our supply chain each have a limited history of investigating, disclosing and reporting use of these minerals, and there is a limited history of regulatory guidance regarding compliance with these requirements. In addition, because our supply chain is so complex, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origin of all relevant metals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we implement, which may harm our business reputation. We may incur reputational damage if we determine that any of our products contain minerals or derivative metals that are not conflict free or if we are unable to sufficiently verify the source for all conflict minerals used in our products through the procedures we may implement. Furthermore, key components and parts that can be shown to be “conflict free” may not be available to us in sufficient quantity, or at all, or may only be available at significantly higher cost to us. If we are not able to meet customer requirements, customers may choose to disqualify us as a supplier. Any of these outcomes could adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results.
Health care reform could increase our cost of labor
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) was signed into U.S. law. The ACA is comprehensive U.S. health care legislation that includes provisions that subject us to potential penalties unless we offer certain employees minimum essential health care coverage that is affordable and provides minimum value. Recent changes, especially the employer mandate and employer penalties that became effective January 1, 2015, may increase our labor costs significantly in future years. In order to comply with the employer mandate provision of the ACA, we offer health care coverage to all applicable employees eligible for coverage under the ACA. Designating employees as eligible is complex, and is subject to challenge by employees and the Internal Revenue Service. While we believe we have properly identified eligible employees, a later determination that we failed to offer the required health coverage to eligible employees could result in penalties that may harm our business or reputation. We cannot be certain that compliant insurance coverage will remain available to us on reasonable terms, and we could face additional risks arising from future changes to the ACA or other legislation or executive orders that repeal and replace in whole or in part the ACA.
We incur increased costs and demands upon management as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting public companies, which could harm our results of operations and our ability to attract and retain qualified executives and board members.
As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting and corporate governance requirements. These requirements include compliance with Section 404 and other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, and other applicable securities or exchange-related rules and regulations. In addition, our management team has also had to adapt to the requirements of being a public company. Complying with these rules and regulations substantially increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more difficult, time consuming or costly. These compliance requirements and costs will increase once we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, which will occur December 31, 2018 at the latest.
Government regulations of wireless networking in the United States or internationally may result in unanticipated costs and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could harm our business.
Our wireless communication and networking products operate through the transmission of radio signals and radio emissions are subject to regulation in the United States and in other countries in which we do business. In the United States, various federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), and various
57
state agencies have promulgated regulations that concern the use of radio/electromagnetic emissions standards. Member countries of the European Union have enacted similar standards concerning electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility and emissions. As these regulations and standards evolve, and if new regulations or standards are implemented, we will be required to modify our products or develop and support new versions of our products, and our compliance with these regulations and standards may become more burdensome. The failure of our products to comply, or delays in compliance, with the various existing and evolving industry regulations and standards could prevent or delay introduction of our products, which could harm our business. Our inability to alter our products to address these requirements and any regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, dealer and end user uncertainty regarding future policies may also affect demand for wireless networking products, including our products.
Risks Related to Our International Operations
In recent years, a significant amount of our revenue has come from sales outside of the United States, and we are therefore subject to a number of risks associated with international sales and operations.
We have a limited history of marketing, selling, and supporting our products and services internationally. However, international revenue (excluding Canada) accounted for 22% of our total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, and we expect that percentage to grow in the future. As a result, we must hire and train experienced personnel to staff and manage our foreign operations. To the extent that we experience difficulties in recruiting, training, managing, and retaining international dealers, distributors, and international staff, and specifically staff related to sales management and sales personnel, we may experience difficulties in productivity in foreign markets.
If we are not able to increase the sales of our solutions to consumers located outside of North America, our results of operations or revenue growth may be harmed. In addition, in connection with our expansion into foreign markets, we are a receiver of currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, changes in exchange rates, and in particular a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, will negatively affect our net sales as expressed in U.S. dollars. There is also a risk that we will have to adjust local currency product pricing due to competitive pressures when there has been significant volatility in foreign currency exchange rates.
Conducting and launching operations on an international scale requires close coordination of activities across multiple jurisdictions and time zones and consumes significant management resources. Our limited experience in operating our business in certain countries outside of the United States increases the risk that our current and any future international expansion efforts will not be successful. Conducting international operations subjects us to risks that, generally, we do not face in the United States, including:
· | Fluctuations in currency exchange rates; |
· | Unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements; |
· | Longer accounts receivable payment cycles and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable; |
· | Difficulties in managing and staffing international operations, including differences in labor laws, which may result in higher personnel-related liabilities and expenses; |
· | Potentially adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of foreign value added tax systems and restrictions on the repatriation of earnings; |
· | Localization of our solutions and other materials, including translation into foreign languages and associated expenses; |
· | Localization of applicable agreements under applicable foreign law and differing legal standards and risks; |
58
· | The burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and different legal standards, including laws and regulations related to import/export, privacy, the transfer of personal information across borders, and data security and limitations on liability; |
· | Increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities; |
· | Political, social and economic instability abroad, terrorist attacks and security concerns in general, including crime and cyber security; and |
· | Reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries. |
The impact of any one of these could harm our international business and, consequently, our results of operations generally. Additionally, operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required in establishing, acquiring or integrating operations and personnel in other countries will produce desired levels of revenue or profitability.
We conduct a significant amount of business in the European Union, including through our office located in England, and our operations may be affected by the results of the recent referendum vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.
On June 23, 2016, the citizens of the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“Brexit”), which led to significant political, economic and legal uncertainty. In addition, the Brexit vote triggered a devaluing of the pound sterling relative to the euro and the U.S. dollar, and in Europe we generally sell our products and incur expense in local currencies including the pound sterling and the euro, but incur exchange rate gains and losses for U.S. dollar denominated assets and liabilities including intercompany and third-party accounts receivables and payables. While we enter into forward contracts to help offset our exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates relative to some of these U.S. dollar denominated balances, there is no guarantee that we will correctly anticipate the optimal amounts of such offsets in the future.
On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom provided its official notice to the European Council that it intends to leave the European Union, triggering the two-year transitionary period. The long-term nature of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union after Brexit is completed is still unclear and there is considerable uncertainty when any relationship will be agreed and implemented. During this transitionary period, negotiations will take place to unravel all of the existing legal, political and financial frameworks and obligations, and put new structures in place. At this stage, it is uncertain what the final results of these negotiations will be and, given the lack of comparable precedent, it is unclear how Brexit will affect economic conditions in the United Kingdom, the European Union, or globally, and Control4 specifically. Because Control4 has sales throughout the European Union and offices in England and Germany, it is possible that Brexit may require us to restructure some or all of our operations, and depending on what is negotiated, could impair our ability to transact business in other countries in the European Union. In addition, the fluctuation in currencies and market conditions may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Due to the global nature of our business, we could be harmed by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act or similar anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions in which we operate, or various international trade and export laws.
The global nature of our business creates various domestic and local regulatory challenges. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 (the “U.K. Bribery Act”), and similar anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. In addition, U.S.-based companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. We operate in areas of the world that experience corruption by government officials to some degree and, in certain circumstances, compliance with anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Although we periodically train our employees and agents about these anti-corruption laws, we cannot assure that our training is effective in reducing the risks attendant to such anti-corruption
59
laws. Our global operations require us to import from and export to several countries, which geographically stretches our compliance obligations. In addition, changes in such laws could result in increased regulatory requirements and compliance costs, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our employees or other agents may engage in prohibited conduct and render us responsible under the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act or similar anti-corruption laws. If we are found to be in violation of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act or other anti-corruption laws (either due to acts or inadvertence of our employees, or due to the acts or inadvertence of other partners), we could suffer criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could harm our business.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we fail to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights adequately, our business could be harmed.
We believe that proprietary technology is essential to establishing and maintaining our leadership position. We seek to protect our intellectual property through trade secrets, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation and nondisclosure agreements, and by registering numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, and/or domain names in various justifications, as well as using other measures, some of which afford only limited protection. We also rely on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws to protect our intellectual property. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our technology or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Our means of protecting our proprietary rights may not be adequate or our competitors may independently develop similar or superior technology, or design around our intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as the laws of the United States. Intellectual property protections may also be unavailable, limited or difficult to obtain and enforce in some countries, which could make it easier for competitors to capture market share. Our failure or inability to adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
To prevent substantial unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, it may be necessary to prosecute actions for infringement and/or misappropriation of our proprietary rights against third parties. Any such action could result in significant costs and diversion of our resources and management’s attention, and we cannot assure that we will be successful in such action. Furthermore, many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights than we do. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property.
An assertion by a third party that we are infringing its intellectual property could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation and lead to expensive licenses or significant liabilities in the event of an adverse judgment.
The industries in which we compete are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, and by frequent litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have been subject to patent litigation in the past and we may be subject to similar litigation in the future. Given that our solution integrates with almost all network aware products, the risk that our solution may be subject to these allegations is exacerbated. As we seek to extend our solutions, we could be constrained by the intellectual property rights of others, including patent holding companies.
We are defendants in legal proceedings related to intellectual property rights from time to time (a summary of current litigation and outstanding claims that if determined adversely to us, we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, if any, is set forth in Item 1 of Part II, Legal Proceedings), and in the past, we have entered into settlement agreements relating to contractual claims and alleged patent infringements, which have included future royalty payments on certain products, the payment of a lump sum amount for alleged past damages, and/or the payment of a fixed amount in exchange for a covenant not to sue.
We might not prevail in any current or future intellectual property infringement litigation given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in such litigation. Defending such claims, regardless of their merit, could be time-consuming and distracting to management, result in costly litigation or settlement, cause
60
development delays or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. In addition, we currently have a limited portfolio of issued patents compared to our larger competitors, and therefore may not be able to effectively utilize our intellectual property portfolio to assert defenses or counterclaims, or negotiate cross-licenses in response to patent infringement claims or litigation brought against us by third parties. Further, litigation may involve patent holding companies or other adverse patent owners who have no relevant products or revenues and against which our potential patents provide no deterrence, and many other potential litigants have the capability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights and to defend claims that may be brought against them. If our solutions exceed the scope of in-bound licenses or violate any third-party proprietary rights, we could be required to withdraw those solutions from the market, re-develop those solutions or seek to obtain licenses from third parties, which might not be available on reasonable terms or at all. Any efforts to re-develop our solutions, obtain licenses from third parties on favorable terms or license a substitute technology might not be successful and, in any case, might substantially increase our costs and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we were compelled to withdraw any of our solutions from the market, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
We are generally obligated to indemnify our independent dealers, distributors and partners for certain expenses and liabilities resulting from intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products, which could force us to incur substantial costs.
We have agreed, and expect to continue to agree, to indemnify our independent dealers, distributors and other partners for certain intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products. As a result, in the case of infringement claims against these dealers, distributors and partners, we could be required to indemnify them for losses resulting from such claims or to refund amounts they have paid to us. We expect that some of our dealers, distributors and partners may seek indemnification from us in connection with infringement claims brought against them. We evaluate each such request on a case-by-case basis and we may not succeed in refuting any such claim we believe to be unjustified. If a dealer, distributor or partner elects to invest resources in enforcing a claim for indemnification against us, we could incur significant costs disputing it. If we do not succeed in disputing it, we could face substantial liability.
The use of open source software in our solutions may expose us to additional risks and harm our intellectual property.
Some of our solutions use or incorporate software that is subject to one or more open source licenses. Open source software is typically freely accessible, usable and modifiable. Certain open source software licenses require a user who intends to distribute the open source software as a component of the user’s software to disclose publicly part or all of the source code to the user’s software. In addition, certain open source software licenses require the user of such software to make any derivative works of the open source code available to others on potentially unfavorable terms or at no cost.
The terms of many open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and accordingly there is a risk that those licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our solutions. In that event, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our solutions, to re-develop our solutions, to discontinue sales of our solutions or to release our proprietary software code under the terms of an open source license, any of which could harm our business. Further, given the nature of open source software, it may be more likely that third parties might assert copyright and other intellectual property infringement claims against us based on our use of these open source software programs. Litigation could be costly for us to defend, have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition, or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our solutions.
We monitor the use of all open source software in our products, solutions, processes and technology, and seek to ensure that no open source software is used in such a way as to require us to disclose the source code to the related product or solution when we do not wish to do so. Despite these precautions, if a third-party software provider has incorporated certain types of open source software into software we license from such third-party provider for our solutions without our knowledge or if we have otherwise incorporated unfavorable open source software into our solutions, we could, under certain circumstances, be required to disclose the related source code to
61
our solutions. This could harm our intellectual property position and our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We rely on the availability of third-party licenses. If these licenses are available to us only on less favorable terms or not at all in the future, our business and results of operations may be harmed.
We have incorporated third-party licensed technology into our products. It may be necessary in the future to renew licenses relating to various aspects of these products or to seek additional licenses for existing or new products. The necessary licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain certain licenses or other rights, or to obtain those licenses or rights on favorable terms, or the need to engage in litigation regarding these matters, could result in our inability to include certain features in our products or delays in product releases until such time, if ever, as equivalent technology could be identified, licensed or developed and integrated into our products, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, the inclusion in our products of intellectual property licensed from third parties on a nonexclusive basis could limit our ability to protect our proprietary rights in our products.
Risks Related to Owning Our Common Stock
Our share price may be volatile, which may result in securities class action litigation against us.
The market price of our common stock has been and again could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section and other factors beyond our control, including but not limited to:
· | Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations; |
· | Overall conditions in our industry and market; |
· | Addition or loss of independent dealers, distributors or consumers; |
· | Changes in laws or regulations applicable to our solutions; |
· | Actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors; |
· | Announcements by us, our competitors or strategic buyers of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments; |
· | Additions or departures of key personnel; |
· | Competition from existing products or new products that may emerge; |
· | Issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts, activist investors and those who short our stock; |
· | Fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us; |
· | Disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our technologies; |
· | Actual or threatened litigation or adverse regulatory action against us; |
· | Trading of our common stock by us or our stockholders, or issuance of new shares; |
· | Share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; and |
· | General economic, geopolitical and market conditions. |
62
Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, geopolitical and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency and capital markets fluctuation, may harm the market price of our common stock. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could harm our business.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our business. We do not have any control over these analysts, activist investors, or those who short our stock. If one or more of the foregoing analysts who cover us, activist investors, or those who short our stock downgrade our shares, change their opinion of our shares, or publish negative or false reports for their own purposes, our share price will likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish research or reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
The concentration of ownership of our capital stock limits your ability to influence corporate matters.
As of September 30, 2017, our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own, in the aggregate, 30% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, may have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, control or significantly influence most matters related to the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership and managerial authority might harm the market price of our common stock by:
· | Delaying, deferring or preventing a change in corporate control; |
· | Impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us; or |
· | Discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us. |
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated include provisions that:
· | Authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 25,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock; |
· | Require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent; |
· | Specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President; |
63
· | Establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors; |
· | Provide that directors may be removed only for cause; |
· | Provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum; |
· | Establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes—Class I, Class II and Class III—with each class serving staggered terms; and |
· | Require a super-majority of votes to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions. |
These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control. These provisions may also frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.
As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation law, which prevents some stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of our outstanding common stock.
Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change of control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
ITEM 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
During the quarter ended September 30, 2017, we did not issue or sell any shares of our common stock or other equity securities pursuant to unregistered transactions in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.
64
The exhibits listed below are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit |
| Description of Exhibits |
| Incorporated by |
| Incorporated by |
| Date Filed |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
| 10-Q |
| 3.1 |
| August 30, 2013 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.2 |
|
| S-1 |
| 3.4 |
| July 1, 2013 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
| S-1/A |
| 4.1 |
| July 18, 2013 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.1 |
| Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.2 |
| Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.1* |
|
| Furnished herewith |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.INS |
| XBRL Instance Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.SCH |
| XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.CAL |
| XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.DEF |
| XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.LAB |
| XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.PRE |
| XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
| Filed herewith |
|
|
|
|
*The certifications furnished in Exhibit 32.1 hereto are deemed to accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10‑Q and will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.
65
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.
|
|
|
|
Date: November 3, 2017 |
|
| CONTROL4 CORPORATION |
|
|
|
|
|
| By: | /s/ Mark Novakovich |
|
|
| Mark Novakovich |
|
|
| Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
66