Research and development costs are charged to operations as incurred. These costs are for proprietary research and development activities that are expected to contribute to the Company’s future profitability.
Income taxes are provided for the tax effects of transactions reported in the financial statements and consist of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes. Deferred taxes relate primarily to differences between financial and income tax reporting for the basis of inventory, accounts receivable, property and equipment, and accrued liabilities. The deferred tax accounts represent future tax return consequences of those differences, which will either be deductible or taxable when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. Deferred taxes may also be recognized for operating losses that are available to offset future taxable income. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
Biotel considers all highly liquid short term investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Biotel has been implementing a strategy to expand its base of operations among medical companies who seek to outsource strategic items provided by various Biotel companies. From its operating subsidiaries, Biotel supplies an array of products and services to provide for the research, development, testing, and manufacturing needs of its customers.
Biotel subsidiaries, Braemar, Inc. and Agility Centralized Research Services, Inc., sell medical devices, technology and research services to medical companies. They design, manufacture, and test 24- and 48-hour Holter recorders, 30-day ECG event recorders, tissue extraction components and flow control devices; provide 24/7 clinical ECG research services and internet technologies; complete FDA, CE and other regulatory testing; and develop, test and manufacture other custom medical devices. These subsidiaries form a base of products and services which we believe are attractive to medical device and pharmaceutical companies, allowing accelerated and improved research, development, testing and manufacturing operations for our customers.
Biotel subsidiary, Braemar, Inc., through its Columbia, South Carolina facility which was formerly Advanced Biosensor, sells maintenance services, Holter recorders and event recorders manufactured by Braemar, diagnostic Holter software provided by others and Holter supplies to hospitals and clinics.
Biotel has released its Fusion product line for clinical use and is monitoring system performance under beta evaluation. Procedures performed using Fusion devices are eligible for reimbursement under MCT procedure codes. Recently, there have been published reports that CMS (Medicare) will expand MCT coverage nationwide effective January 1, 2011. Up until the present, CMS reimbursement has been available in a more limited way, substantially used by ECG scanning services operating within four Eastern states and the District of Columbia. Biotel believes that CMS nationwide coverage will increase the adoption of MCT procedure codes by private insurers, open markets for regional ECG scanning services and increase the potential for installation of MCT equipment in the nation’s hospitals and clinics. Biotel believes that some hospitals and clinics may prefer to purchase Fusion systems and arrange service support for MCT patients rather than outsource their MCT procedures.
Biotel’s net revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2010, were $3,124,000, 4.3% less than net revenues of $3,263,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2009. Biotel’s Braemar subsidiary has continued to make sales of its ER9W wireless event recorders but at a lower level than in the comparable quarter of fiscal year 2010. The initial stocking purchases of ER9W by a major customer have fluctuated from quarter to quarter as wireless products are rolled out to meet market demand. Such deliveries of ER9W are expected to continue through fiscal year 2011. Wireless devices may be expected to have a service life of three to five years before obsolescence. After initial stocking of wireless products, Biotel expects replacement sales levels from the customers for those products. Agility has been increasing its ECG clinical research services as a result of new contracts, partially offsetting the decline in revenues from ER9W products.
Table of Contents
Gross profit was $1,335,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, 2.9% favorable to gross profit of $1,297,000 for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. Gross profit increased as a result of product mix and cost control actions. Gross profit margin improved to 42.7% for the three months ended September 30, 2010 compared to 39.7% for the three months ended September 30, 2009, primarily as a result of a reduction in workforce necessitated by the decline in revenue as a result of CardioNet’s termination of a merger agreement (see Part I. Item 1. Note 9 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements). Cost of sales and service decreased to $1,789,000 (57.3% of sales) for the three months ended September 30, 2010, compared to $1,967,000 (60.3% of sales) for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. The decrease in cost of sales and service was a result of the lower sales volume and cost control efforts in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. Cost of sales and service as a percentage of revenue decreased, primarily due to product mix and cost control efforts.
Selling, general and administrative expenses of $703,000 (22.5% of sales) for the three months ended September 30, 2010 increased from $666,000 (20.4% of sales) for the three months ended September 30, 2009. Selling, general and administrative expenses were higher in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 primarily because of legal expense incurred as a result of activities surrounding the merger agreement between Biotel and CardioNet, Inc. signed on April 2, 2009, and subsequently terminated by CardioNet. Selling expenses include salaries, commissions, benefits, travel expenses and other selling expenses.
Research and development expenditures for the first quarter of fiscal year 2011 were $302,000, a decrease of 25.7% compared to $407,000 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. The decrease in research and development expenses resulted primarily because heavy development activities related to a new Holter product line and ER9 Wireless technology platform and product line were funded in previous fiscal years. Expenditures for MCT wireless product development activity benefited from the ER9 Wireless technology platform developed in previous fiscal years. MCT procedures allow patients to be remotely monitored with alarms for up to 30 days, carry higher reimbursement in the United States and are believed to provide a higher diagnostic yield than traditional telephone event monitoring approaches. Biotel expects research and development investment in fiscal 2010 to be comparable to prior year levels as the Company addresses developing markets in Holter, event recording and wireless arrhythmia management.
No interest expense was incurred in the three-month periods ended September 30, 2010 and September 30, 2009.
Net earnings of $221,000 were posted for the first quarter of fiscal year 2011, versus net income of $128,000 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. The increase in net income was primarily the result of the strong gross margin and the decrease in research and development expenditures during the first three months of fiscal 2011.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Biotel does not have any off-balance sheet financing arrangements.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working capital increased to $4,287,000 at September 30, 2010, compared to $4,034,000 at June 30, 2010. The increase in working capital is largely the result of Biotel’s strong cash position at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2011.
Cash and cash equivalents were $1,812,000 at September 30, 2010, compared to $1,577,000 at June 30, 2010. The ratio of current assets to current liabilities (“current ratio”) was 3.75 to one at September 30, 2010 and 3.58 to one at June 30, 2010.
14
Table of Contents
Accounts receivable decreased to $1,995,000 at September 30, 2010, versus $2,067,000 at June 30, 2010, as a result of lower revenues in the first three months of fiscal 2011. To the extent that credit terms are extended to customers, Biotel’s cash position is diminished and debt may be required to supplement cash flows. Accordingly, Biotel attempts to make timely collections from its customers in accordance with credit terms, extend credit only to credit worthy customers with a strong payment history, and to keep credit terms as short as is practicable.
During the first three months of fiscal year 2011, $76,000 was used for capital expenditures, compared with $60,000 in the first three months of fiscal year 2010. Biotel primarily invests in molds, tooling and fixtures for custom components used in its product lines. Levels of capital investment are expected to vary from year to year.
Inventory increased to $1,380,000 as of September 30, 2010, versus $1,312,000 as of June 30, 2010. The level of inventory increased in response to customer orders to be shipped in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Biotel’s subsidiaries manage inventories to provide safety stock and product flow for customers while controlling the amount of inventory.
Current liabilities decreased slightly to $1,561,000 at September 30, 2010, compared to $1,565,000 on June 30, 2010.
Biotel has long term liabilities consisting of deferred taxes payable totaling $343,000. Biotel has no long term debt.
As of September 30, 2010, stockholders’ equity had increased to $5,607,000 from $5,386,000 at June 30, 2010. The increase in stockholders’ equity was primarily due to the Company’s profitability in the first three months of fiscal 2011.
Management believes that present cash balances, internally generated funds and its credit line should provide sufficient working capital to meet present and projected needs for the coming 12 months. There is no assurance that Biotel will be successful in obtaining additional working capital if more is required.
Item 3: Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosure about Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item 4: Controls and Procedures
(a) As of September 30, 2010, an evaluation was performed by Biotel’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934). Based upon, and as of the date of, that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
(b)Changes in internal controls. There were no changes in the first three months of fiscal 2011 in Biotel’s internal controls over financial reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation. There were no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, and therefore there were no corrective actions taken.
Part II
Item 1. Legal Proceedings. Not applicable.
Item 1A. Risk Factors. Not applicable.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds. Not applicable.
15
Table of Contents
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities. Not applicable.
Item 4. Reserved.
Item 5. Other Information. Not applicable.
Item 6. Exhibits
| | |
| Listing of Exhibits: |
| | |
| 10.1 | Merger Agreement, dated as of November 5, 2010, among Biotel Inc., Garden Merger Sub, Inc. and CardioNet, Inc.* |
| 10.2 | Settlement Agreement, dated as of November 5, 2010, between Biotel Inc. and CardioNet, Inc.* |
| 31.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer. |
| 31.2 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer. |
| 32.1 | Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the |
| | Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | |
| | |
|
| * Incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 11, 2010. |
16
Table of Contents
Signatures
In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| | | |
| Biotel Inc. | |
| | | |
Date: November 15, 2010 | By: | /s/ B. Steven Springrose | |
| | Its: Chief Executive Officer and President | |
| | | |
| | | |
Date: November 15, 2010 | By: | /s/ Judy E. Naus | |
| | Its: Chief Financial Officer | |
17