Our stock repurchase program was approved by the Board of Directors in November 1999 and was expanded in June 2005. Under the stock repurchase program, we are authorized, at the discretion of management and the Board of Directors, to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,000 shares of our common stock on the open market. As of April 17, 2009, up to approximately 475 shares were still authorized for repurchase under the program. No cash dividends were paid during the first twenty-four weeks of the 2009 fiscal year. The Board of Directors suspended the quarterly cash dividend at its May 2004 meeting in recognition of lower profitability levels in recent periods.
Fluctuations in the discount rate used to value our the pension liability resulted in significant changes in net worth between comparative quarters and year end.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
During the last three years, various accounting standard-setting bodies have been active in soliciting comments and issuing statements, interpretations and exposure drafts. For information on new accounting pronouncements and the impact, if any, on our financial position or results of operations, see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended October 31, 2008.
In April 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) FAS 107-1/APB 28-1 (“FSP 107-1”), which is entitled “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.” This pronouncement amended SFAS No 107, Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments, to require disclosure of the carrying amount and the fair value of all financial instruments for interim reporting periods and annual financial statements of publicly traded companies (even if the financial instrument is not recognized in the balance sheet), including the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair values and any changes in such methods and assumptions. FSP 107-1 also amended APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require disclosures in summarized financial information at interim reporting periods. FSP 107-1 is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ended after March 15, 2009 if a company also elects to early adopt FSP FAS 157-4, Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Indentifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly, and FSP FAS 115-2/FAS 124-2, Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments.
In April 2009, the FASB also issued FSP FAS 157-4, which generally applies to all assets and liabilities within the scope of any accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements. This pronouncement, which does not change SFAS No. 157’s guidance regarding Level 1 inputs, requires the entity to (i) evaluate certain factors to determine whether there has been a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability when compared with normal market activity, (ii) consider whether the preceding indicates that transactions or quoted prices are not determinative of fair value and, if so, whether a significant adjustment thereof is necessary to estimate fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 157, and (iii) ignore the intent to hold the asset or liability when estimating fair value. FSP FAS 157-4 also provides guidance to consider in determining whether a transaction is orderly (or not orderly) when there has been a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability, based on the weight of available evidence. This pronouncement is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, and shall be applied prospectively. Early adoption of FSP FAS 157-4 also requires early adoption of the pronouncement described in the following paragraph. However, early adoption for periods ended before March 15, 2009 is not permitted.
In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 115-2 and 124-2 (hereinafter referred to as “FAS 115-2/124-2”), which amends the other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) recognition guidance in certain existing U.S. GAAP (including SFAS No. 115 and 130, FSP FAS 115-1/FAS 124-1, and EITF Issue 99-20) for debt securities classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity. FAS 115-2/124-2 requires the entity to consider (i) whether the entire amortized cost basis of the security will be recovered (based on the present value of expected cash flows), and (ii) its intent to sell the security. Based on the factors described in the preceding sentence, this pronouncement also explains the process for determining the OTTI to be recognized in “other comprehensive income” (generally, the impairment charge for other than a credit loss) and in earnings. FAS 115-2/124-2 does not change existing recognition or measurement guidance related to OTTI of equity securities. This pronouncement is effective as described in the preceding paragraph. Certain transition rules apply to debt securities held at the beginning of the interim period of adoption when an OTTI was previously recognized. If an entity early adopts either FSP 107-1 or FSP FAS 157-4, the entity is also required to early adopt this pronouncement. In addition, if an entity early adopts FAS 115-2/124-2, it is also required to early adopt FSP FAS 157-4.
The pronouncements described in the immediately preceding three paragraphs do not require any of the new disclosures for earlier periods (ended before initial adoption) that are presented for comparative purposes.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We are not engaged in any “off-balance sheet arrangements” within the meaning of Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Not applicable to smaller reporting company.
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Item 4T. Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation and under the supervision of our Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, the Chairman and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this report to provide reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Our management, including our Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and 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. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of 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 is also 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, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002:
In order to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act”), we have undertaken and continue a comprehensive effort, which includes the documentation and review of our internal controls. In order to comply with the Act, we have centralized most accounting and many administrative functions at our corporate headquarters in an effort to control the cost of maintaining our control systems. On July 11, 2006, The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”) issued guidance on how small companies should implement an effective internal control framework over financial reporting and other risks. This guidance is considered a key tool to help smaller public companies to confront the challenges of the Act. As a result, we may incur substantial additional expenses anddiversion of management’s time. During the course of these activities, we may identify certain internal control issues which management believes should be improved. These improvements, if necessary, will likely include further formalization of policies and procedures, improved segregation of duties, additional information technology system controls and additional monitoring controls. Although management does not believe that any of these matters will result in material weaknesses being identified in our internal controls as defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Auditing Standard No. 5, no assurances can be given regarding the outcome of these efforts. Additionally, control weaknesses may not be identified in a timely enough manner to allow remediation prior to the issuance of the auditor’s report on internal controls over financial reporting. Any failure to adequately comply could result in sanctions or investigations by regulatory authorities, which could harm our business or investors’ confidence in us.
The Securities and Exchange Commission, on December 15, 2006, adopted new measures to grant relief to smaller public companies by extending the date of compliance with Section 404 of the Act. Under these new measures, we will be required to comply with the Act in two phases. The first phase was completed by us for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008 and required us to issue a management report on internal control over financial reporting. The second phase will require us to provide an auditor’s attestation report on internal control over financial reporting beginning with the fiscal year ending October 30, 2010.
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Part II. Other Information
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risk factors listed in Part I “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008, should be considered with the information provided elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. There have been no material changes to the risk factors as previously disclosed in such Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
We have not sold any equity securities during the period covered by this report.
The following table provides information regarding repurchases by us of our common stock, for each of the three four-week periods included in the interim twelve-week period ended April 17, 2009.
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
| | | | | | | | | Maximum |
| | | | | | | Total Number of | | Number of |
| | | | | | | Shares | | Shares that May |
| | | | | | | Purchased as | | Yet Be |
| | Total Number of | | | | | Part of Publicly | | Purchased Under |
| | Shares | | Average Price | | Announced Plans | | the Plans or |
Period(1) | | Purchased | | Paid Per Share | | or Programs(2) | | Programs(2) |
January 24, 2009 – February 20, 2009 | | 124 | | $ | 4.08 | | 124 | | 476,938 |
|
February 21, 2009 – March 20, 2009 | | 250 | | $ | 3.92 | | 250 | | 476,688 |
|
March 21, 2009 – April 17, 2009 | | 1,612 | | $ | 4.19 | | 1,612 | | 475,076 |
|
Total | | 1,986 | | $ | 4.15 | | 1,986 | | |
| (1) | | The periods shown are the fiscal periods during the twelve-week quarter ended April 17, 2009. |
| |
| (2) | | Repurchases reflected in the foregoing table were made on the open market. Our stock repurchase program was approved by the Board of Directors in November 1999 (1,500,000 shares authorized, disclosed in a Form 10-K filed on January 26, 2000) and was expanded in June 2005 (500,000 additional shares authorized, disclosed in a press release and Form 8-K filed on June 17, 2005). Under the stock repurchase program, we are authorized, at the discretion of our management and the Board of Directors, to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of our common stock on the open market. Our Stock Purchase Plan (“Purchase Plan”) is administered by Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGM”) for purchase of shares of our common stock in compliance with the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act. Commencing on October 14, 2008 and continuing through and including October 13, 2009, CGM shall act as our exclusive agent to purchase shares of our common stock under the Purchase Plan. This Purchase Plan supplements any purchases of stock by us “outside” of the Purchase Plan, which may occur from time to time, in open market transactions pursuant to Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act or in privately-negotiated transactions. As of April 17, 2009, the total maximum number of shares that may be purchased under the Purchase Plan is 475,076 at a total maximum aggregate price (exclusive of commission) of $4,750,760. |
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
The Company held its annual meeting of shareholders on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at the offices of Bridgford Foods Corporation, 1308 North Patt Street, Anaheim, California at 10:00 am. Shareholders representing 9,002,547 or 95% of the 9,433,700 shares entitled to vote were present in person or by proxy. Proxies for the meeting were solicited pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
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The following persons were nominated and elected directors: |
| |
Allan L. Bridgford | William L. Bridgford | Bruce H. Bridgford | |
Todd C. Andrews | Richard A. Foster | Robert E. Schulze | |
D. Gregory Scott | Paul R. Zippwald | | |
The shareholder voting for board members is summarized as follows:
Director | Votes For | Votes Withheld | |
Allan L. Bridgford | 8,570,386 | 432,161 | |
William L. Bridgford | 8,565,294 | 437,253 | |
Bruce H. Bridgford | 8,564,934 | 437,613 | |
Todd C. Andrews | 8,860,607 | 141,940 | |
Richard A. Foster | 8,856,046 | 146,501 | |
Robert E. Schulze | 8,558,612 | 443,935 | |
D. Gregory Scott | 8,860,407 | 142,140 | |
Paul R. Zippwald | 8,857,846 | 144,701 | |
Votes cast for appointment of Squar, Milner, Peterson, Miranda & Williamson, LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year commencing November 1, 2008 were as follows:
| 8,858,749FOR |
| 17,397 AGAINST |
| 126,401 ABSTAIN or WITHHELD. |
Item 6.
Exhibits
| Exhibit No. | | Description |
| 31.1 | | Certification of Chairman (Principal Executive Officer), as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | |
| 31.2 | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | |
| 32.1 | | Certification of Chairman (Principal Executive Officer), as required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | |
| 32.2 | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), as required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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SIGNATURES
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.
| BRIDGFORD FOODS CORPORATION | |
| (Registrant) | |
| |
Dated: June 1, 2009 | By: | /s/ | Raymond F. Lancy | |
| | Raymond F. Lancy | |
| | Chief Financial Officer | |
| | (Duly Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer) |
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