SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2003
Commission File Number 1-11750
AEROSONIC CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 74-1668471 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
1212 North Hercules Avenue
Clearwater, Florida 33765
(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (727) 461-3000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class |
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | |
| Common Stock, $.40 par value | American Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None.
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 x
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K ¨.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of July 31, 2003, the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $24,845,179. The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $62,553,984 as of July 31, 2002.
As of October 1, 2003, the issuer had 3,921,019 shares of Common Stock outstanding, net of treasury shares.
Documents Incorporated by Reference: None.
PART I
THIS REPORT CONTAINS CERTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 27A OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 21E OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED, WHICH ARE INTENDED TO BE COVERED BY THE SAFE HARBORS CREATED THEREUNDER. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS MAY, WILL, SHOULD, EXPECT, ANTICIPATE, ESTIMATE, CONTINUE, PLANS, INTENDS AND WORDS OF SIMILAR IMPORT. ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY BELIEVES THAT THE ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE REASONABLE, ANY OF THE ASSUMPTIONS COULD BE INACCURATE. THEREFORE, THE COMPANYS ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THE RESULTS ANTICIPATED IN THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. ADDITIONALLY, ACTUAL RESULTS MIGHT BE AFFECTED BY CERTAIN FACTORS SET FORTH HEREIN IN MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS. THE COMPANY UNDERTAKES NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE PUBLICLY ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHETHER AS A RESULT OF NEW INFORMATION, FUTURE EVENTS OR OTHERWISE.
Significant Events. On March 17, 2003, Aerosonic Corporation (the Company) issued a press release stating that it had initiated an investigation into financial and accounting irregularities involving revenue and inventory reported during prior periods. On May 19, 2003, J. Mervyn Nabors resigned as the Companys Chairman and ceased all day-to-day involvement in management activity. Prior to this event, David A. Baldini was appointed President of the Company (on November 14, 2002) to replace Mr. Nabors in that capacity, and Gary E. Colbert was appointed Chief Financial Officer (on January 14, 2003), to replace Eric J. McCracken in that capacity, who had resigned in October 2002. Item 3 and Item 7 of this report include discussions of both an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the above referenced accounting issues and the September 25, 2003 halt of trading in the Companys Common Stock imposed by the American Stock Exchange. Such investigation and trading halt also are discussed in several other portions of this report.
As a result of the restatements set forth herein and in the attached financial statements and the underlying contributing factors discussed herein, the financial information previously reported by the Company and included in reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q previously filed by the Company for the fiscal years ended January 31, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, the quarters in such fiscal years, and the first three quarters of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003 should not be relied upon and are superseded by the information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
However, as a result of the unavailability of certain accounting records for periods predating 2001, the Company is unable to determine the full extent of adjustments that would be necessary to a fair presentation of the restated financial information included herein for 1999 and 2000See Item 7, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Results of Internal Review and Restatement.
Item l. Business.
The Company is a Delaware corporation formerly known as Instrument Technology Corporation (ITC). ITC, which was incorporated in 1968, was the surviving corporation of a merger, in 1970, with Aerosonic Corp., a Florida corporation (Aerosonic Florida). Aerosonic Florida, which was incorporated in 1957, ceased to exist as a separate corporation as a result of the merger. Following the merger, ITC changed its name to Aerosonic Corporation.
In January 1993, the Company acquired Avionics Specialties, Inc., a Virginia corporation (Avionics), from Teledyne Industries, Inc. (Teledyne). Prior to the acquisition, Avionics had been a division of Teledyne. Since the acquisition, Avionics has been maintained as an operating and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
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As used herein, unless the context requires otherwise, references to Aerosonic, the Company, we or our include Aerosonic Corporation and its operating subsidiary, Avionics.
The Company is principally engaged in one business segment: The manufacture of aircraft instruments. The Company consists of four operating divisions in three locations. The divisions are: the Clearwater, Florida Instrument Division (Clearwater Instruments), the Aerosonic Wichita, Kansas Division (Kansas Instruments), Avionics, and the Precision Component Division (Precision Components).
Clearwater Instruments primarily manufactures altimeters, airspeed indicators, rate of climb indicators, microprocessor controlled air data test sets, and a variety of other flight instrumentation. Kansas Instruments is the source inspection location for our Wichita customers and is the primary location for Clearwater Instruments repair business. Avionics maintains three major product lines in the aircraft instrument segment: (1) angle of attack stall warning systems; (2) integrated multifunction probes, which are integrated air data sensors; and (3) other aircraft sensors and monitoring systems. In August 1998, the Company formed a new division called Precision Components, to perform high volume precision machining of mechanical components, which was not significant to operations in the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003, 2002 or 2001.
The Company has a January 31 fiscal year end. Accordingly, all references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to a fiscal year mean the fiscal year ended on January 31 of the referenced year; for example, references to fiscal year 2003 mean the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003.
Industry
The current market niche for Aerosonic has been and will continue to be the design, development and supply of primary flight control systems components and instruments. These include altimeters, airspeed indicators, angle of attack, stall prevention systems, and air data measurement systems. All of these aircraft products are critical to aircraft operations, performance and safety.
With the cost of both commercial and military aircraft rising, the number of new aircraft programs continues to decrease in both the number of programs and quantity of aircraft being built. Increasing value to the customer has become extremely important to sustaining Aerosonics market position as well as the Companys market share.
The military original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), such as BAE Systems LTD, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Korea Aerospace Industries, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, The Boeing Company, and others, have increased their reliance on their subcontractors to carry a greater share of the aircraft responsibility, including system requirements, hardware design, and physical and electrical interfaces. This increased
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responsibility has allowed Aerosonic to develop a greater technical capability for serving its customer base. The evolution of this role has taken Aerosonic to a dominant position in its business segment within the military aircraft market.
This increased technical capability has also positioned the Company to push further into the commercial aircraft market with our new technologies. New programs with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Learjet Inc., and Raytheon Aircraft Company will allow us to increase and protect our market share.
The Company continues as an industry leader in the manufacturing of mechanical instruments. These products are used for both primary flight data as well as standby redundant instruments in cockpits that use electronic displays for primary flight data. As cockpit panel space becomes more valuable in the new age of glass displays, the Company has maintained a strong position with OEMs as a premier supplier of quality mechanical instruments in both the military and commercial aircraft marketplace.
Strategy
The Companys goal is to continue to reposition its products for profitable growth and maintain dominance within niche markets. The Company intends to focus on the development of profitable long-term contracts. New aircraft cockpits increasingly are being developed through strategic alliances with market leaders. The Company is well positioned to take advantage of these strategic alliances. An increase in sales volume will depend upon new product introduction and further penetration of existing markets. The Company continues to hold a competitive advantage derived from its philosophy of vertical integration. The Company is substantially vertically integrated in its manufacturing and distributing activities.
Products and Distribution
The Companys products are sold to manufacturers of commercial and private aircraft, both domestic and foreign, and the U.S. military services. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003, approximately 60% of the Companys total sales were to the private sector and 40% to military services. Domestic sales of the Companys products are made to many different commercial (non-government) customers, and there is an increasing movement toward development contracts for future applications. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003, sales related to development programs accounted for approximately 16% of net sales, or $4.1 million, an increase of $2.2 million from the fiscal year ended January 31, 2002, where such sales represented 7% of net sales. During fiscal year 2003, there were two commercial customers, Lockheed and Boeing, who each represented over 10% of total revenues. A substantial amount of the business related to these customers is related to contracts each customer has with the U.S. Government. If the Company lost either of these customers, such a loss would have a material adverse effect on the Companys results of operations.
In addition, the Company sells its products to customers outside of the U.S. The aggregate percentage of international sales to overall sales was 17%, 21%, and 29% for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively.
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Most of the Companys instrument sales are made directly through Company employees to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or to the military, with the Companys remaining sales being made through other customers (who resell to aircraft operators).
The Company produces a full line of both three-inch and two-inch mechanical and electro-mechanical cockpit instruments. These instruments require no backup power, as they transfer valuable flight data to the pilot using only air pressure (from aircraft probes) as a power source. The Company also manufactures a state of the art air data test set used by aircraft OEMs, repair centers and the U.S. military.
The Company also produces an integrated multifunction probe (IMFP), which is a combination of existing technologies, including the angle of attack/air data sensing probe and pressure sensing electronics. This integrated approach to providing aircraft air data reduces the customers system complexity with respect to aircraft troubleshooting and logistics support, increases reliability, and decreases system costs.
The Company has completed a redesign of the basic components of the angle of attack (AOA)/stall warning product line. The combined stall warning transmitter merges existing technologies of AOA and stall warning into a single technical standard order C54 stall warning transmitter. This combined instrument has dramatically reduced the system weight and increased the system reliability.
Precision Components operates as a high-precision machining operation. Precision Components products include a variety of mechanical parts primarily related to the optics industry. Some of the products include the mechanical components for rifle scopes, printing presses, microscopes and tank gun sights. The majority of the products produced by the division are under long-term agreements.
Customers
The Company primarily markets its products to OEMs, particularly manufacturers of corporate and private jets, and to contractors of military jets. Customers include, among others, the U.S. Government and a majority of the OEMs throughout the world. The Company also markets its products to private aircraft owners through its network of authorized resellers.
Contracts
The Companys contracts are normally for production or development. The Companys production contracts are typically fixed-price over a two to five year period, and the trend for such contracts is moving away from five year contracts and toward two year contracts. The Company also secures purchase orders from customers for product sales in the normal course of business that are binding contracts upon acceptance of the terms of orders by the Company.
Fixed-price contracts provide for a firm fixed price on a variety of products and quantities of those products. These contracts allow the Company to negotiate better overall prices that fit into
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customers production programs. These long-term commitments also allow the Company to capitalize on quantity based price reduction for raw materials. Under the firm fixed-price contracts, the Company agrees to perform for an agreed-upon price. Accordingly, the Company derives benefits from cost savings, but bears the risk of cost overruns.
Development contracts provide resources for technology advancement necessary for development of various products. The Company negotiates for and generally receives payments from customers based upon milestones that correlate with the costs incurred. Early in our fiscal year ending January 31, 2003, we were notified that a variation of the IMFP had been selected for use on the Joint Strike Fighter.
In accordance with normal practice, our contracts with the U.S. Government and its agencies and departments are subject to partial or complete termination at any time at the governments convenience. Our government contracts generally contain provisions providing that in the event of a termination for convenience by the government, the Company shall have the right to recover allowable costs incurred to the date of termination as well as a proportionate share of the profit on the work completed, consistent with U.S. Government contract regulations and procedures.
Sales and Marketing
The Company has generally focused sales efforts on government and military entities, OEMs and resellers. The Company intends to increase sales efforts with respect to retrofit, modifications and repair programs.
Due to the system impact of its components, the Company is involved at a very early stage with the aircraft manufacturers engineers to integrate the components into the aircraft design. All of the Companys component instruments are integrated into the aircraft in order to help maintain the safe operation of the airplane.
At January 31, 2003, the Companys backlog of firm orders was $35,274,000, an increase of $16,962,000 when compared to backlog as of January 31, 2002. The amount of backlog that is deliverable within twelve months is $24,935,000 at January 31, 2003, an increase of $13,689,000 when compared to January 31, 2002. The foregoing backlog amounts represent firm orders only and do not include current contract options. Such orders, however, may be subject to rescheduling and/or cancellation.
In January 2001, the Company moved its repair operations to the Kansas facility. The Company believes this improves its ability to provide prompt and effective repair and upgrade service.
Government Regulation
The manufacture and installation of the Companys products in aircraft owned and operated in the U.S. are governed by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. The regulations that have the most significant impact on the Company are the Technical Standard Order (TSO) and Type Certificate (TC) or Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) certifications. TSO outlines the minimum standards that a certain type of equipment has to
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satisfy to be TSO certified. Many OEMs and retrofitters prefer TSO-certified aviation equipment because it acts as an industry-wide stamp of approval. The Company also sells its products to European and other non-U.S. OEMs, which typically require approval from the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA).
The Company has received TSO approval on over 400 different instruments, as well as 70 STCs. Most new instruments qualify for approval based on similarity. This provides a significant advantage to the Company and its customers by reducing the time required to obtain TSO approval on new instruments. The Company also has many instruments with JAA approval.
Quality Assurance
Product quality is critical in the aviation industry. The Company strives to maintain the highest standards within each of its divisions.
The Company is ISO 9001 certified. ISO 9001 standards are an international consensus on effective management practices for ensuring that a company can consistently deliver its products and related services in a manner that meets or exceeds customer quality requirements. ISO 9001 standards outline the minimum requirements a quality system must meet to achieve this certification.
As an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer, the Company can represent to its customers that it maintains high quality industry standards in the education of employees and the design and manufacture of its products. In addition, the Companys products undergo extensive quality control testing prior to being delivered to customers. As part of the Companys quality assurance procedures, the Company maintains detailed records of test results and quality control processes.
Patents and Licenses
The Company has patents on certain commercial and military products such as air data probes. The Company also has certain registered trademarks. The patents and intellectual property portfolio, in the aggregate, is valuable to operations, however the Company does not believe the business, as a whole, is materially dependent on any single patent, trademark or copyright.
Research and Development
The Company expended approximately $745,000, $1,083,000 and $780,000 in research and development costs for potential new products and enhancements during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Approximately 25 engineers working at the Company, on a full-time or part-time basis, are involved in these activities.
Research and development during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003 was focused on the completion of the design and qualification of the integrated multi-function probe (IMFP) and the initial work on the design for the IMFP derivative on the Lockheed Martin Corporation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Flight testing of the IMFP by the Korean T-50 Golden Eagle programs was successfully started and will continue into the first half of fiscal year 2004. Production deliveries are expected to follow during fiscal year 2005.
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The U.S. Government and certain foreign partners are engaged in a multi-year development program for the F-35 fighter jet, which will be the next generation fighter jet aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and its foreign partners. Aerosonic is currently working on a $14 million development contract for the aircrafts air data system. This program rapidly progressed from concept drawings to prototype models, and, during fiscal year 2003, into preliminary wind tunnel testing. The Companys development work under the contract is scheduled for completion in 2006, with continuing support through 2012. The Company expects to negotiate a production contract to manufacture and supply its air data system for all future program production requirements.
The stall warning and angle of attack transmitter (SWTx) was delivered to British Aerospace for the Nimrod upgrade program flight test late in fiscal year 2003. Program requirements continue to be met and the development phase will continue in the upcoming year. Delays on the Sino Swearingen SJ-30 Business Jet program have resulted in the rescheduling of flight testing of the SWTx for that aircraft. When conducted, these tests will result in the determination of the final parameters necessary to complete software development for that program in 2004.
The development of a new digital output angle of attack transmitter for initial use by the Gulfstream Aerospace GIV-XP program progressed through the year and will begin qualification and flight testing during the second half of fiscal 2004.
During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003, the Company had several engineering developmental programs not related to traditional products. The Company contracted with Lockheed Martin Palmdale to update production drawings for, produce, and deliver pilot static measurement probes for the Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. This program utilizes the engineering and manufacturing resources and experience within the Company to improve the manufacturability of this previously difficult-to-produce part. We expect the one year development program to result in production contracts for this item in the future. A modification contract with Boeing also was accepted to produce and deliver a wind tunnel to the U.S. Navy for testing and repair of the Boeing F-18 Hornet angle of attack system components. The customer inspection and acceptance of the completed wind tunnel occurred in February 2003, with final installation for the Navy scheduled in the latter part of fiscal year 2004 in San Diego.
A program to update the Navys ability to repair and test the APCS throttle control system on the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Intruder aircraft began during fiscal 2003. The initial delivery of re-manufactured throttle control systems and test procedures is complete. Verification of the process, including flight testing of the initial systems, is currently underway by the U.S. Navy. Developmental programs similar to the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Intruder program will be undertaken as they become available in the future.
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Competition
The markets for the Companys products are highly competitive and characterized by several industry niches in which a number of manufacturers specialize. The Company manufactures a larger variety of aircraft instruments than its competitors who, in most instances, compete with the Company on no more than a few types of aircraft instruments.
The Company believes that the principal competitive factors are price, development cycle time, responsiveness to customer preferences, product quality, technology, reliability and variety of products. Management believes that the Companys significant and long-standing customer relationships reflect its ability to compete favorably with respect to these factors.
Manufacturing, Assembly and Material Acquisition
The Companys manufacturing processes (except for certain electronic products) includes the manufacture of all principal components and subassemblies for the instruments, the assembly of those components, and the testing of products at various stages in the manufacture and assembly process.
The Company manufactures, or has the capability to manufacture, principally all components and subassemblies for its instruments. Raw materials, such as glass lenses, raw metals and castings, generally are available from a number of sources and in sufficient quantities to meet current requirements, subject to normal lead times. The Company believes that retaining the ability to completely manufacture the instruments allows the Company the flexibility to respond to customers quickly and control the quality of its products.
When appropriate, less critical component parts are purchased under short and long term supply agreements. These purchased parts are normally standard parts that can be easily obtained from a variety of suppliers. This allows the company to lower overhead expenses and maintain control required to meet the exacting tolerances demanded in the industry.
Employees
As of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2003, the Company employed approximately 269 employees in its business operations. This consisted of 127 Clearwater Instrument employees, 15 Kansas Instrument employees, 113 Avionics employees and 14 Precision Component employees. The Companys future success depends on the ability to attract, train and retain quality personnel. The Companys employees are not represented by labor unions and management considers its relations with its employees to be good.
Available Information
The Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports are available on the Companys Internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are filed with or furnished
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to the SEC. Such reports are also available from the SEC, and can be obtained by accessing the SEC website at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or writing to the following address:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
450 5th Street N.W.
Washington D.C. 20222
The Companys Internet website address is www.aerosonic.com. No charge is assessed for any access, viewing, printing or downloading reports from the Internet website. Alternatively, if a paper copy of any such report (without exhibits) is desired, please write to Mark Perkins, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Aerosonic Corporation, 1212 North Hercules Avenue, Clearwater, Florida 33765, and a copy of such requested report will be provided, free of charge.
Item 2. Properties.
The following table sets forth the locations and general characteristics of the Companys principal properties:
| Location |
Approximate No. Square Feet of Factory and Office Area | |
| Clearwater, Florida |
90,000 | |
| Wichita, Kansas |
7,500 | |
| Charlottesville, Virginia |
53,000 |
All of the Companys properties are well maintained, fully occupied by the Company and suitable for the Companys present level of production and usage. All locations operate one shift, five days a week. The Clearwater, Florida property, which is used by both Clearwater Instruments and Precision Components, is mortgaged in accordance with an Industrial Revenue Bond executed in 1987 (See Note 8, Financial Statements).
The Charlottesville, Virginia property was purchased from Teledyne Industries in April 1994, and is mortgaged by a long-term note with the Companys bank. The property consists of a 53,000 square foot manufacturing facility on approximately 12 acres of land (See Note 8, Financial Statements).
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
SEC Formal Investigation
The Company is the subject of a Formal Order of Investigation issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on May 13, 2003 with respect to potential violations of the federal securities laws in connection with the accounting misstatements and contributing causes disclosed by the Company in press releases dated March 17 and May 22, 2003 and further discussed in this annual report, which the Company brought to the attention of the SEC in conjunction with managements internal investigation, and other potential issues. The Company is cooperating fully with the SEC.
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Matters Relating to the American Stock Exchange
In April 2003, the Company contacted the American Stock Exchange (the Amex) to begin a dialogue regarding the anticipated late filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the financial misstatements and contributing causes disclosed by the Company in its March and May 2003 press releases and further discussed in this annual report, the SECs investigation and related matters. Since that time, the Company has had frequent contact with the Amex staff to keep them apprised of the results of the Companys internal review of such misstatements, the Companys progress in preparing this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Companys Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the first and second quarters of fiscal year 2004, and related matters.
On July 30, 2003, the Company received a deficiency letter from the Amex informing the Company that it was not in compliance with the Amex continued listing standards. The deficiency letter cited, among other things, the Companys May 22, 2003 disclosure regarding underlying causes of the financial misstatements and the late filing of this Form 10-K and the Companys Form 10-Q for the first quarter of fiscal year 2004. On August 20, 2003, the Company provided a response, which included a plan to achieve compliance with applicable Amex rules. Subsequently, the Company submitted an amended compliance plan to the Amex, which included an undertaking by the Company to file this Annual Report on Form 10-K no later than October 31, 2003 and to file its Forms 10-Q for the first and second quarters of fiscal year 2004 no later than November 15, 2003. The Amex has accepted the Companys compliance plan, as amended, and the Companys listing currently is being continued with the understanding that the Company will implement its compliance plan within the timeframe set forth therein.
On September 25, 2003, the Amex halted trading in the Companys Common Stock due to the lack of current financial information concerning the Company. The Company anticipates that the Amex will allow trading in its Common Stock to resume after the markets have had sufficient time to absorb the information set forth in this Annual Report and after the Company files its Form 10K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended April 30 and July 31, 2003.
With the filing of this Form 10-K, the Company has implemented a major component of its compliance plan. Additionally, the Company expects that it will file the required April 30, 2003 and July 31, 2003 Forms 10-Q no later than November 15, 2003, and that its Common Stock will continue to be listed on the Amex. However, there is no assurance that the Company will satisfy the continued listing standards in the required time, or that the Companys Common Stock will continue to be listed on the Amex.
Additional Proceedings and Matters
During the third quarter of fiscal 2003, the Company concluded its litigation with its former President and Chief Executive Officer, David Goldman and his company, Mil-Spec Finishers, Inc. The Company received approximately $150,000 in settlement of the litigation.
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A claim has been asserted by Miriam Frank, on behalf of the estate of former President and Chairman Herbert J. Frank, for indemnification with respect to fines paid and legal expenses incurred by Mr. Frank in connection with litigation that the United States government brought against the Company and Mr. Frank and for which Mrs. Frank claims the Company was obligated to indemnify Mr. Frank. As of the date of this annual report, Ms. Frank has not notified the Company of the amount of her claim or provided the Company with information sufficient to determine the amount of the alleged loss. However, Ms. Frank gave the Company a copy of a November 1996 letter to the Company from counsel to the Estate of Herbert J. Frank requesting indemnification for the payment by Mr. Frank of a $250,000 fine together plus interest thereon and attorneys fees of approximately $100,000. Based upon the available information, the Company believes that any obligation to pay the claim is remote.
In addition to the foregoing, from time to time, the Company is involved in certain claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, at this time, there are no claims or legal actions that will have a material adverse effect on the Companys financial position, results of operations, or liquidity.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrants Common Stock and Related Security Holder Matters.
The Companys Common Stock is listed on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol AIM. As discussed above in Item 3. Legal Proceedings Matters Relating to the American Stock Exchange, on September 25, 2003, the Amex halted trading in the Companys Common Stock due to the lack of current financial information concerning the Company. The Company anticipates that the Amex will allow trading in its Common Stock to resume after the markets have had sufficient time to absorb the information set forth in this Annual Report and after the Company files its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended April 30 and July 31, 2003.
The range of high and low sales prices as reported by the Amex for each of the quarters of the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003 and January 31, 2002 is as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2003
| Quarter |
Price |
Price | ||||||
| 1 |
High | $28.00 | Low | $18.85 | ||||
| 2 |
High | $29.50 | Low | $22.50 | ||||
| 3 |
High | $24.75 | Low | $21.30 | ||||
| 4 |
High | $21.50 | Low | $13.51 |
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Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2002
| Quarter |
Price |
Price | ||||||
| 1 |
High | $16.75 | Low | $11.95 | ||||
| 2 |
High | $19.75 | Low | $16.25 | ||||
| 3 |
High | $20.50 | Low | $18.01 | ||||
| 4 |
High | $21.35 | Low | $18.40 |
During those same periods, no cash dividends were paid. The Company does not anticipate or intend on paying a dividend in the foreseeable future. Rather, the Company intends to retain its earnings to finance the development and expansion of its business. Additionally, covenants in our long-term debt documents impose significant restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, including a covenant related to the Companys Industrial Development Revenue Bond which prohibits the Company from paying any dividend in excess of 25% of the Companys increase in retained earnings for the calendar year. Any future payment of any dividends on the Companys Common Stock and the amount thereof will depend on the Companys earnings, financial requirements, compliance with the above described covenants, and other factors deemed relevant by the Companys Board of Directors.
As of October 1, 2003, the Companys outstanding shares of Common Stock were owned by approximately 1,453 shareholders of record.
The following table sets forth information with respect to the Companys equity compensation plans.
| Plan Category |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding those reflected in column (a)) | |||
| (a) | (b) | (c) | ||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
| N/A | | |||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders |
N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
| Total |
| N/A | | |||
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In 1993, the Companys Board of Directors and stockholders approved the Aerosonic Corporation 1993 Incentive Stock Option Plan, pursuant to which the Company was authorized to issue options for up to 300,000 shares of Common Stock to its employees (including officers), directors and consultants. Following the adoption of the plan by the Companys Board of Directors, options were granted to a limited number of employees, all of which have been exercised or have expired pursuant to their terms. As of March 2003, no additional options may be granted pursuant to the terms of the plan. The Company does not have any other equity compensation plans or arrangements.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
The following selected financial data as of January 31, 2003 and 2002 and for each of the three years in the period ended January 31, 2003 have been derived from the Companys audited Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein. The selected financial data as of January 31, 2001 and 2000 have been derived from audited financial information not separately presented herein. The selected financial data as of January 31, 1999 and for each of the two years in the period ended January 31, 2000 have been derived from unaudited financial information. As discussed in Note 2 below to the selected financial data, it should be noted that the Company is unable to determine the full extent of adjustments that would be necessary to a fair presentation of the selected financial data as of January 31, 1999 and for each of the two years in the period ended January 31, 2000.
| Years Ended January 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 |
2002 |
2001(1) |
2000(1)(2) |
1999(1)(2) |
||||||||||||||||
| as restated | as restated | as restated | as restated | |||||||||||||||||
| Revenue |
$ | 25,672,000 | $ | 26,686,000 | $ | 23,528,000 | $ | 23,271,000 | $ | 19,670,000 | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales |
(16,783,000 | ) | (17,441,000 | ) | (15,381,000 | ) | (18,812,000 | ) | (13,911,000 | ) | ||||||||||
| Gross margin |
8,889,000 | 9,245,000 | 8,147,000 | 4,459,000 | 5,759,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses |
(7,776,000 | ) | (8,082,000 | ) | (8,130,000 | ) | (7,538,000 | ) | (6,981,000 | ) | ||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) |
1,113,000 | 1,163,000 | 17,000 | (3,079,000 | ) | (1,222,000 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) |
(129,000 | ) | (431,000 | ) | (349,000 | ) | (418,000 | ) | (262,000 | ) | ||||||||||
| Income (loss) from before income taxes |
984,000 | 732,000 | (332,000 | ) | (3,497,000 | ) | (1,484,000 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) |
22,000 | (21,000 | ) | (10,000 | ) | 366,000 | 466,000 | |||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,006,000 | $ | 711,000 | $ | (342,000 | ) | $ | (3,131,000 | ) | $ | (1,018,000 | ) | |||||||
| Basic and diluted earnings per share |
$ | 0.26 | $ | 0.18 | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.80 | ) | $ | (0.26 | ) | |||||||
| Total assets |
$ | 17,269,000 | $ | 16,093,000 | $ | 15,522,000 | $ | 17,509,000 | $ | 19,176,000 | ||||||||||
| Long term debt(3) |
$ | 3,411,000 | $ | 4,374,000 | $ | 5,404,000 | $ | 4,293,000 | $ | 3,397,000 | ||||||||||
| (1) | See Note 2 to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the restatement. |
| (2) | As a result of the unavailability of certain accounting records for periods predating 2001, the Company was unable to determine the full extent of adjustments that would be necessary to a fair presentation of the restated financial information included herein for 1999 and 2000. The 2000 income statement information includes pre-tax charges against income of approximately $3.2 million relating to adjustments necessary to properly state inventory balances as of February 1, 2000. The $3.2 million charge is comprised of $1.6 million relating to an overstatement of inventory overhead allocations, $1.0 million relating to an overstatement of work-in-process inventory, $375 thousand relating to physical inventory shortfalls and $260 thousand relating to an overstatement of inventory costs. The 1999 income statement includes a pre-tax charge against income of approximately $1.5 million relating to a write-down of inventory costs to net realizable value. While such adjustments are appropriate for purposes of appropriately stating the inventory balances as of February 1, 2000, the absence of certain accounting records precludes the Company from reliably determining the years to which the adjustments relate for income statement purposes. In addition, based on the unavailability of certain other accounting records, the company is unable to reliably estimate the extent to which other adjustments, if any, would be necessary to fairly state the financial information for each of the two years in the period ended January 31, 2000. Such adjustments, if any, would likely relate to similar adjustments made to the restated financial statements for the years 2001 and 2002 relating the items discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements. |
| (3) | Long term debt is defined as all outstanding long term debt and capital leases, including current maturities. |
14
Item 7. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition (MD&A) is provided as a supplement to the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes to help provide an understanding of our business, financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of operations. The MD&A is organized as follows:
Overview. This section provides a discussion of recent events which we believe are important to understanding the Companys financial condition and the information set forth in the MD&A.
Results of Internal Review and Restatement. This section discusses the findings of the Companys previously announced internal review of misstatements in its previously reported financial information for the fiscal years ended January 31, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, and the resulting financial restatements. The financial statements for the years ended January 31, 1999 and 2000 are unaudited.
Results of Operations. This section provides an analysis of results of operations for the three fiscal years presented in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Liquidity and Capital Resources. This section provides an analysis of cash flows, a discussion of outstanding debt and commitments, both firm and contingent, that existed as of January 31, 2003, and trends, demands, commitments, events and uncertainties with respect to the Companys ability to finance its continuing operations.
Critical Accounting Policies. This section discusses the accounting policies (i) that require the Company to make estimates that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made, (ii) for which a different estimate which could have been made would have a material impact on the Companys financial statements, (iii) that are the most important and pervasive policies utilized, and (iv) that are the most sensitive to material change from external factors. In addition, our significant accounting policies, including the critical accounting policies, are summarized in Note 1 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Cautionary Statement and Additional Trends and Uncertainties. This section cautions on the basis of certain forward looking statements which are susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and discusses important trends and uncertainties that may impact the Companys financial condition and results of operations.