Operating revenue increased $551,665, or 92.1%, for the three months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. Operating revenue increased $1,555,657, or 100.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2008, due to the acquisition of HTC. Without the addition of HTC, operating revenues would have decreased 1.8%. This decrease in the Phonery segment’s revenues was primarily due to revenue decreases in the resale of long distance toll and CPE sales.
Operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, increased $272,680 or 100.1% for the three months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2007. Operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, increased $998,092 or 134.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, primarily due to the acquisition of HTC. Without the addition of HTC, the operating expenses would have decreased 8.9%. This segment strives for cost efficiencies, while continuing to endeavor to reach the customer service goal of 100% customer satisfaction. This segment continues to seek new technologies to better serve customer needs and to operate efficiently.
Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $35,707 or 118.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2007. Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $136,971 or 236.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 compared with the nine months ended September 30, 2008, primarily due to the acquisition of HTC. The 2008 increase is indicative of the continued investment in this segment’s assets.
Operating income increased by $243,278 or 82.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2007. Operating income increased by $420,594 or 56.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2007. These increases are primarily due to the addition of HTC.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Capital Structure
The total long-term capital structure (long-term debt plus shareholders’ equity) for the Company was $109,219,067 at September 30, 2008, reflecting 52.5% equity and 47.5% debt. This compares to a capital structure of $53,373,566 at December 31, 2007, reflecting 99.8% equity and 0.2% debt. The significant increase in debt results from the borrowings used to acquire HTC. Management believes adequate internal and external resources are available to finance ongoing operating requirements, including capital expenditures, business development, debt service and the payment of declared dividends for at least the next 12 months.
Cash Flows
Cash provided by operations was $9,453,840 for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2008 compared to cash used by operations of $19,746,143 for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007. The cash flows provided by operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 were primarily the result of net income and non-cash expenses for depreciation and amortization, offset by the gain on the sale of MWH. The cash flows used by operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 were primarily due to the payment of income taxes, partially offset by net income and non-cash expenses for depreciation and amortization.
Cash flows used in investing activities were $65,136,765 for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 compared to $44,184 provided by investing activities for the same period in 2007, primarily as a result of the acquisition of HTC in January 2008, offset in part by the receipt of $5,123,797 in proceeds from the final payment from escrow related to the sale of MWH and $1,454,231 from the sale of marketable securities. Capital expenditures relating to on-going businesses were $1,988,987 during the first nine months of 2008 as compared to $2,506,006 for the same period in 2007. The Company operates in a capital-intensive business. The Company is continuing to upgrade its local networks for changes in technology to provide the most advanced services to its customers. The Company expects total plant additions of approximately $4,000,000 in 2008. The Company will finance these upgrades from working capital.
Cash flows provided by financing activities were $50,272,283 for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 primarily from borrowings of $59,700,000 and principal payments of $7,893,087 compared to cash flows used by financing activities of $1,551,436 for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. Included in cash flows provided and used in financing activities were debt repayments, issuance of long-term debt, and dividend payments.
Dividends
The Company paid dividends of $1,534,630 during the first nine months of 2008 and $1,534,630 during the first nine months of 2007. This represented quarterly dividends of $.10 per share. The Company continues to reinvest in its infrastructure while maintaining dividends to shareholders. The Board of Directors reviews dividend declarations based on anticipated earnings, capital requirements and the operating and financial condition of the Company. The Company does not expect the payment of regular dividends at the existing level to negatively affect its liquidity.
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The Company’s loan agreements have put restrictions on the ability of the Company to pay cash dividends to its shareholders. However, the Company is allowed to pay dividends (a) (i) in an amount up to $2,050,000 in any year and (ii) in any amount if New Ulm’s “Total Leverage Ratio,” that is, the ratio of its “Indebtedness” to “EBITDA” (in each case as defined in the loan documents) is equal to or less than 3:50 to 1:00, and (b) in either case if New Ulm is not in default or potential default under the loan agreements.
Sale of MWH
See Financial Statements Note 11 of this Form 10-Q.
Working Capital
The Company had working capital of $4,090,877 as of September 30, 2008, compared to working capital of $9,289,613 as of December 31, 2007. The ratio of current assets to current liabilities was 1.8:1.0 as of September 30, 2008 and 4.9:1.0 as of December 31, 2007.
Long-Term Debt
See Financial Statements Note 4 of this Form 10-Q.
Other
The Company has not conducted a public equity offering. It operates with original equity capital, retained earnings and indebtedness.
By utilizing cash flow from operations and current cash balances, the Company feels it has adequate resources to meet its anticipated operating, capital expenditures, and debt service requirements.
Recent Accounting Developments
In September 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 133-1 and FIN 45-4, “Disclosures about Credit Derivatives and Certain Guarantees: An Amendment of FASB Statement No. 133 and FASB Interpretation No. 45; and Clarification of the Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 161.” FSP No. FAS 133-1 and FIN 45-4 are intended to improve disclosures about credit derivatives by requiring more information about the potential adverse effects of changes in credit risk on the financial position, financial performance, and cash flows of the sellers of credit derivatives. The provisions of this FSP that amend Statement 133 and Interpretation 45 shall be effective for reporting periods (annual and interim) ending after November 15, 2008. The Company does not anticipate this standard will have a material impact on its financial statements.
In May 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 162 “The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles,” which has been established by the FASB as a framework for entities to identify the sources of accounting principles and the framework for selecting the principles to be used in the preparation of financial statements of nongovernmental entities that are presented in conformity with US GAAP. SFAS No. 162 is not expected to result in a change in current practices. SFAS No. 162 is effective 60 days following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) approval of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (“PCAOB”) amendments to AU Section 411, “The Meaning of Present Fairly in Conformity With Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.” The Company intends to adopt SFAS No. 162 within the required period.
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In March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133.” SFAS No. 161 requires enhanced disclosures about an entity’s derivative and hedging activities and is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008. The Company will be assessing the impact of SFAS No. 161 on its disclosures.
On January 1, 2008, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 157,Fair Value Measurements, for its financial assets and liabilities. The Company’s adoption of SFAS No. 157 did not impact its financial position, results of operations, liquidity or disclosures, as there were no financial assets or liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of January 1, 2008. In accordance with FASB Staff Position (FSP) No. 157-2,Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 157, the Company elected to defer until January 1, 2009, the adoption of SFAS No. 157 for all non-financial assets and liabilities that are not recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis. This includes goodwill and non-financial long-lived assets that are measured at fair value in impairment testing. The Company cannot predict the impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or liquidity due to the adoption of SFAS No. 157 for those non-financial assets and liabilities within the scope of FSP 157-2.
SFAS 157 defines fair value as the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. SFAS 157 also describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
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| • | Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. |
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| • | Level 2 – observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. |
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| • | Level 3 – unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data available, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions. |
The fair value of the Company’s interest-rate swap agreements discussed in Financial Statements Note 5, were determined based on Level 2 inputs.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The Company does not have operations subject to risks of foreign currency fluctuations. The Company does, however, use derivative financial instruments to manage exposure to interest rate fluctuations. The Company’s objectives for holding derivatives are to minimize interest rate risks using the most effective methods to eliminate or reduce the impact of these exposures. Variable rate debt instruments are subject to interest rate risk. On March 19, 2008, the Company executed interest-rate swap agreements, effectively locking in the interest rate on $6,000,000 of variable-rate debt through March of 2011 and $33,000,000 of variable-rate debt through March 2013. On June 23, 2008, the Company executed interest-rate swap agreements, effectively locking in the interest rate on $3,000,000 of variable-rate debt through June of 2011 and $3,000,000 of variable-rate debt through June 2013. A summary of these agreements is contained in Note 5.
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The cumulative gain or loss on current derivative instruments is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity and is recognized in earnings when the term of the protection agreement is concluded. Our earnings are affected by changes in interest rates as a portion of our long-term debt has variable interest rates based on LIBOR. If interest rates for the portion of our long-term debt based on variable rates had averaged 10% more for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, our interest expense would have increased $255,000.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The management of the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, regarding the effectiveness, as of September 30, 2008, of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b). Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer have concluded that its disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act are recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in applicable rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, in a manner that allows timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2008 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Other than the additional risk factors described below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007.
The changing economic climate may result in changes in our customers’ purchasing habits and result in declines in our operating income.
Recent events in the American economy, including higher unemployment and a general business slowdown, may affect our results of operation. As a result of real or perceived economic factors, some of our residential or business customers may decide to lower the levels of products and services they purchase from us. Although we have not experienced any significant effect from the economic slowdown in our results through September 30, 2008, a continuing economic slowdown may adversely affect our future revenues.
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
Sale of MWH
See Financial Statements Note 11 of this Form 10-Q.
SWAP Agreements
See Financial Statements Note 5 of this Form 10-Q.
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
See “Index to Exhibits” on page 38 of this Form 10-Q.
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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.
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| NEW ULM TELECOM, INC. |
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Dated: November 7, 2008 | By | /s/ Bill Otis |
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| | Bill Otis, President and Chief Executive Officer |
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Dated: November 7, 2008 | By | /s/ Nancy Blankenhagen |
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| | Nancy Blankenhagen, Chief Financial Officer |
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
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Exhibit Number | | Description | |
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31.1 | | Chief Executive Officer Certification Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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31.2 | | Chief Financial Officer Certification Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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32.1 | | Chief Executive Officer Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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32.2 | | Chief Financial Officer Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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