Suttle’s gross margins increased 5% in the first quarter of 2008 to $3,487,000 compared to $3,329,000 in the same period of 2007. Gross margin percentage remained at 28% in 2008 from 28% in 2007. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $79,000 or 4% in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007 due to decreased sales and marketing programs. Suttle’s operating income was $1,814,000 in the first quarter of 2008 compared to operating income of $1,577,000 in 2007.
JDL Technologies reported 2008 first quarter sales of $3,160,000 compared to $1,398,000 in 2007. This revenue recognition of $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2008 related to work performed in 2007, based on E-Rate approval as discussed below. JDL’s revenues by customer group were as follows:
The Company currently does not recognize revenue on JDL’s VIDE contracts until the contacts have been approved by the E-Rate program administrator and the required services have been performed and accepted by the VIDE. (A further discussion of revenue recognition policies can be found in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements.) The Company’s 2008 first quarter revenue includes $1.3 million for services provided to the VIDE in 2007. The Company received E-Rate approval of the contracts for these services in March 2008.
JDL gross margins were $1,435,000 in the first quarter of 2008 compared to $111,000 in the same period in 2007. Gross margins in 2007 and 2008 were significantly impacted by the timing of the recognition of revenues from JDL’s VIDOE contracts. Costs of $1.4 million were recorded in 2007, when the services were provided, related to the $1.3 million revenue that was recognized in the first quarter of 2008 when the E-Rate funding was approved.. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased in 2008 to $229,000 compared to $946,000 in 2007 due to lower legal and professional fees, staff reductions and cuts in marketing and administrative costs. JDL reported an operating loss of $2,014,000 in the first quarter of 2008 compared to a $835,000 operating loss in the same period of 2007.
Transition Networks sales increased 12% to $13,049,000 in the first quarter of 2008 compared to $11,603,000 in 2007. Sales by customer regions in the 2008 and 2008 first quarters were:
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Sales in North America increased $1,731,000 or 22%. The increase was largely due to sales to government customers. International sales decreased $285,000, or 9% primarily due to lower sales to Slovenia.
The following table summarizes Transition Networks’ 2008 and 2007 first quarter sales by its major product groups:
| | Transition Networks Sales by Product Group | |
| | 2008 | | 2007 | |
Media converters | | $ | 11,337,000 | | $ | 10,730,000 | |
Ethernet switches | | | 1,275,000 | | | 761,000 | |
Ethernet adapters | | | 437,000 | | | — | |
Other products | | | — | | | 111,000 | |
| | $ | 13,049,000 | | $ | 11,603,000 | |
Gross margin on first quarter Transition Networks’ sales increased to $6,205,000 in 2008 from $5,058,000 in 2007. Gross margin as a percentage of sales was 48% in 2008, compared to 44% in the 2007 period, due to decreased manufacturing costs and better pricing on raw material purchases. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $4,784,000 in 2008 compared to $4,374,000 in 2007. Operating income increased to $1,421,000 in 2008 compared to $685,000 in 2007.
Austin Taylor’s revenues remained consistent with the first quarter of 2007. Gross margin decreased 6% to $323,000 in 2008 from $345,000 in 2007. Gross margin as a percentage of sales was 19% in 2008 compared to 21% in 2007. Operating income in 2008 was $41,000 compared to $27,000 in 2007.
Net investment income was $158,000 in 2008 compared to $206,000 in 2007 due to decreased cash and investment balances and lower rates earned on funds invested. Income before income taxes decreased to $356,000 in 2008 compared to $821,000 in 2007. The Company’s effective income tax rate was 48% in 2008 compared to 35% in 2007. In 2008 the Company reduced its estimate of its exposure to certain other state and foreign tax liabilities.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At March 31, 2008, the Company had approximately $25,452,000 of cash and cash equivalents compared to $29,428,000 of cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2007. The Company had current assets of approximately $81,700,000 and current liabilities of $11,190,000 at March 31, 2008 compared to current assets of $80,784,000 and current liabilities of $11,785,000 at December 31, 2007.
Net cash used in operating activities was $1,966,000 in the first three months of 2008 compared to $634,000 provided in the same period in 2007. The 2008 decrease was due primarily to increased accounts receivable at JDL as a result of invoicing in March 2008. This invoicing was completed after receiving funding approval for the costs incurred in the second half of 2007. Net income was positively impacted by $1.3 million revenue recognized and collected in cash in 2008 related to services that were provided in 2007. Significant working capital changes from December 31, 2007 to March 31, 2008 included increased accounts receivables of $2,482,000 due to increased sales and the timing of collections, an increase in other assets of $2,652,000 due to a prepayment for inventory at Transition and decreased amounts of accrued compensation of $1,251,000 due to payment of accrued bonuses.
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Net cash used in investing activities was $1,237,000 in the first three months in 2008 compared to cash used of $217,000 in the same period in 2007, primarily due to capital expenditures at the Company’s new building in Minnetonka, Minnesota. In July, 2007 the Company completed the acquisition of this new building to house its Twin Cities based operations. Cash investments in other plant and equipment totaled $48,000 compared to $14,000 in 2007. Spending on other capital additions in 2008 is expected to total $1,900,000.
Net cash used in financing activities was $801,000 and $300,000 in the first three months of 2008 and 2007, respectively. Cash dividends paid in the first three months of 2008 were $1,029,000 ($.12 per common share) compared to $873,000 ($.10 per common share) in the same period in 2007. The Company’s Board of Directors has authorized the purchase and retirement, from time to time, of shares of the Company’s stock on the open market, or in private transactions consistent with overall market and financial conditions. In the first three months of 2008, the Company purchased and retired 2,515 shares at a cost of $28,000. At March 31, 2008, 328,574 additional shares could be repurchased under outstanding Board authorizations. The Company has a $10,000,000 line of credit from U.S. Bank. Interest on borrowings on the credit line is at the LIBOR rate plus 1.5% (4.2% at March 31, 2008). There were no borrowings on the line of credit during the first three months of 2008 or 2007. The credit agreement expires September 30, 2008 and is secured by assets of the Company. As part of the acquisition of the new Minnetonka headquarters building in July 2007, the Company assumed an outstanding mortgage of $4,380,000. The mortgage is payable in monthly installments and carries an interest rate of 6.83%. The mortgage matures on March 1, 2016. Remaining mortgage payments on principal totaled $76,000 during the first quarter of 2008. The outstanding balance on the mortgage was $3,369,000 at March 31, 2008.
In the opinion of management, based on the Company’s current financial and operating position and projected future expenditures, sufficient funds are available to meet the Company’s anticipated operating and capital expenditure needs.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our critical accounting policies, including the assumptions and judgments underlying them, are discussed in our 2007 Form 10-K in Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies included in our Consolidated Financial Statements. There were no significant changes to our critical accounting policies during the three months ended March 31, 2008, except for the adoption of SFAS No. 157 as discussed below.
The Company’s accounting policies have been consistently applied in all material respects and disclose such matters as allowance for doubtful accounts, sales returns, inventory valuation, warranty expense, income taxes, revenue recognition, asset and goodwill impairment recognition and foreign currency translation. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the result of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Results may differ from these estimates due to actual outcomes being different from those on which we based our assumptions. Management on an ongoing basis reviews these estimates and judgments.
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Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, was issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in September 2007. SFAS No. 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. SFAS No. 157 applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements where fair value is the relevant measurement attribute. Accordingly, this statement does not require any new fair value measurements. Adoption of SFAS No. 157 will result in additional footnote disclosures related to the use of fair value measurements in the area of investments. The Company adopted SFAS No. 157 on January 1, 2008 and the required disclosures are included in this report on Form 10-Q.
In February 2007 the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115”. SFAS No. 159 permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. The amendment to SFAS No. 115 applies to all entities with investments in available-for-sale or trading securities. The statement is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. As of March 31, 2008 the Company had not opted, nor does it currently plan to opt, to apply fair value accounting to any financial instruments or other items that it is not currently required to account for at fair value.
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 141 (revised). SFAS No. 141 (revised) requires an acquirer to recognize and measure the assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any non-controlling interests in the acquiree at the acquisition date, measured at their fair values as of that date, with limited exception. In addition, SFAS No. 141 (revised) requires that acquisition-related costs will be generally expensed as incurred. SFAS No. 141 (revised) also expands the disclosure requirements for business combinations. SFAS No. 141 (revised) will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2009. The Company is evaluating the effects of the adoption of SFAS No. 141 (revised).
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160. SFAS No. 160 establishes accounting and reporting standards for the non-controlling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary. SFAS No. 160 will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2009. The Company is evaluating the effects of the adoption of SFAS No. 160.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
The Company has no freestanding or embedded derivatives. The Company’s policy is to not use freestanding derivatives and to not enter into contracts with terms that cannot be designated as normal purchases or sales.
The vast majority of our transactions are denominated in U.S. dollars; as such, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates have historically not been material to the Company. At March 31, 2008 our bank line of credit carried a variable interest rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) plus 1.5%. The Company’s investments are money market type of investments that earn interest at prevailing market rates and as such do not have material risk exposure.
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Based on the Company’s operations, in the opinion of management, no material future losses or exposure exist relative to market risk.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
The Company, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a – 15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the CEO and CFO concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to deficiencies in the controls over the financial close and reporting processes at the Company’s headquarters.
Operating Effectiveness of Accounting and Control Procedures. We concluded that, in the aggregate, a material weakness existed as of March 31, 2008 related to documentation and review of significant accounting judgments and estimates, balance sheet account reconciliations, financial closing processes and financial reporting processes at period ends. We had implemented control procedures in the last quarter of fiscal 2007 as described below, however these controls have not operated effectively for a sufficient period of time. Therefore, we have concluded that these control procedures were not effective. Once we have performed the procedures on a repeated basis, we will be able to reevaluate their effectiveness.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The following changes to our internal controls over financial reporting were substantially completed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 and had positively affected, or were reasonably likely to positively affect, our internal control over financial reporting:
| • | We have developed detailed methodologies for all items requiring management’s estimate and judgment and these methodologies formally document management’s thought processes used to determine the amounts in estimates and such analyses are shared with the audit committee; |
| • | We have developed formal processes to document completion and review and approval of balance sheet account reconciliations; |
| • | We have implemented processes to provide for supporting documentation and evidence of independent review and approval of journal entries, processes to require execution of sub-certifications of appropriate officers, processes to ensure that monthly close checklists are implemented and followed, processes to ensure formal review and approval of final subsidiary trial balances to reconcile agreement to consolidating schedule and processes to ensure review of posted journal entries; |
| • | We have developed templates and checklists for disclosure items and preparation of periodic reports. |
During the period covered by this Report there was no additional change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Not Applicable
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the risk factors disclosed elsewhere in this report or in the Company’s 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following risk factor should be considered when reviewing other information set forth in this report and previously filed reports.
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect, that disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all possible error or 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, within our 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 simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of persons, by collusion of two or more persons, 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, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.
Department of Justice Investigation
In April 2006, the Company’s JDL Technologies, Inc. subsidiary (along with other parties) was notified it was the subject of a civil investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) into whether false claims under the federal government’s E-RATE program were made in connection with work performed for the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE). In addition to voluntarily cooperating with DOJ investigators over the past 24 months, the Company has conducted its own internal investigation of its business dealings with VIDE and its compliance with the E-RATE program. While the DOJ has not indicated to the Company that it has discontinued its investigation, no legal action has been initiated against the Company by the DOJ or any other agency as of the date of this report. In addition, as a result of its own investigation, the Company believes it has acted ethically and legally in its business dealings with the VIDE and in its compliance with E-RATE program requirements and believes that the DOJ investigation will be resolved without material cost to the Company. Nevertheless, the possibility exists that the DOJ may assert claims against JDL that, if proved, could result in materially adverse financial consequences to the Company. In addition, the Company’s ability to receive E-RATE funds may be affected by actions taken by other individuals or companies involved with the VIDE and E-RATE programs. If the VIDE were to be sanctioned by the E-RATE program as a result of the DOJ investigation, JDL may be unable to collect for provided services even though JDL’s conduct is compliant with the E-RATE program.
Items 2 – 5. Not Applicable
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Item 6. Exhibits
(a) | The following exhibits are included herein: |
| 31.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Exchange Act). |
| 31.2 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Exchange Act). |
| 32. | Certifications pursuant Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C. §1350). |
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 thereto duly authorized.
| | Communications Systems, Inc. |
| | |
| | | By: | /s/ Jeffrey K. Berg
|
Date: May 15, 2008 | | | Jeffrey K. Berg President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | By: | /s/ David T. McGraw
|
Date: May 15, 2008 | | | David T. McGraw Chief Financial Officer |
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