form10q.htm
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
xQUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION
13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
OR
o TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION
13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from____ to ____ .
Commission
file number:
0-28926
ePlus
inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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54-1817218
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(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
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13595
Dulles Technology Drive, Herndon, VA 20171-3413
(Address,
including zip code, of principal executive offices)
Registrant's
telephone number, including area code: (703)
984-8400
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
o
No
x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated
filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large
accelerated filer o
|
Accelerated
filer o
|
Non-accelerated
filer o (Do
not check if
a smaller reporting company)
|
Smaller
reporting company x
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule
12b-2
of
the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The
number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2008 was
8,231,741.
ePlus
inc. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
Part
I. Financial
Information:
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Cautionary
Language About Forward-Looking Statements
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain statements that are, or may
be
deemed to be, “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, and are made in reliance upon the protections
provided by such acts for forward-looking statements. Such statements
are not based on historical fact, but are based upon numerous assumptions about
future conditions that may not occur. Forward-looking statements are
generally identifiable by use of forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,”
“should,” “intend,” “estimate,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and
similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements made by us or on our
behalf. Any such statement speaks only as of the date the statement
was made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or
correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that
subsequently occur, or of which we hereafter become aware. Actual
events, transactions and results may materially differ from the anticipated
events, transactions or results described in such statements. Our
ability to consummate such transactions and achieve such events or results
is
subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Such risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the matters set forth
below.
Although
we have been offering IT financing since 1990 and direct marketing of IT
products since 1997, our comprehensive set of solutions—the bundling of our
direct IT sales, professional services and financing with our proprietary
software—has been available since 2002. Consequently, we may
encounter some of the challenges, risks, difficulties and uncertainties
frequently faced by companies providing new and/or bundled solutions in an
evolving market. Some of these challenges relate to our ability
to:
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·
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manage
a diverse product set of solutions in highly-competitive
markets;
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increase
the total number of customers utilizing bundled solutions by up-selling
within our customer base and gain new
customers;
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adapt
to meet changes in markets and competitive
developments;
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maintain
and increase advanced professional services by retaining highly-skilled
personnel and vendor
certifications;
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integrate
with external IT systems including those of our customers and vendors;
and
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continue
to update our software and technology to enhance the features and
functionality of our products.
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We
cannot
be certain that our business strategy will be successful or that we will
successfully address these and other challenges, risks and
uncertainties. For a further list and description of various risks,
relevant factors and uncertainties that could cause future results or
events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our
forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” and “Results of Operations”
sections contained elsewhere in this document, as well as our Annual Report
on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, any subsequent Reports
on
Form 10-Q and Form 8-K and other filings with the SEC.
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Item
1. Financial Statements
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ePlus
inc. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
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CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
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(UNAUDITED)
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As
of
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As
of
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September 30,
2007
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March 31,
2007
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ASSETS
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(in
thousands)
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Cash
and cash equivalents
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$ |
52,396 |
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$ |
39,680 |
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Accounts
receivable—net
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126,665 |
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110,662 |
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Notes
receivable
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1,563 |
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237 |
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Inventories
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9,048 |
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6,851 |
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Investment
in leases and leased equipment—net
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179,225 |
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217,170 |
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Property
and equipment—net
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5,110 |
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5,529 |
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Other
assets
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14,103 |
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11,876 |
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Goodwill
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26,125 |
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26,125 |
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TOTAL
ASSETS
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$ |
414,235 |
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$ |
418,130 |
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LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
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LIABILITIES
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Accounts
payable—equipment
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$ |
7,286 |
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$ |
6,547 |
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Accounts
payable—trade
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29,069 |
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21,779 |
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Accounts
payable—floor plan
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58,533 |
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55,470 |
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Salaries
and commissions payable
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4,496 |
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4,331 |
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Accrued
expenses and other liabilities
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28,655 |
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25,960 |
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Income
taxes payable
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2,361 |
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- |
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Recourse
notes payable
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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Non-recourse
notes payable
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117,007 |
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148,136 |
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Deferred
tax liability
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4,457 |
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4,708 |
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Total
Liabilities
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256,864 |
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271,931 |
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COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 6)
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STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY
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Preferred
stock, $.01 par value; 2,000,000 shares authorized; none
issued or
outstanding
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- |
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Common
stock, $.01 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized; 11,210,731
issued and 8,231,741 outstanding at September 30, 2007 and 11,210,731 issued and
8,231,741 outstanding at
March
31,
2007
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112 |
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112 |
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Additional
paid-in capital
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77,440 |
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75,909 |
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Treasury
stock, at cost, 2,978,990 and 2,978,990 shares,
respectively
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(32,884 |
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(32,884 |
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Retained
earnings
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112,127 |
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102,754 |
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Accumulated
other comprehensive income—foreign currency translation
adjustment
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576 |
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308 |
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Total
Stockholders' Equity
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157,371 |
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146,199 |
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TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
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$ |
414,235 |
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$ |
418,130 |
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See
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
ePlus
inc. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
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CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
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(UNAUDITED)
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Three
Months Ended September 30,
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Six
Months Ended September 30,
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2007
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2006
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2007
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2006
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(amounts
in thousands, except per share data)
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Sales
of product and services
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$ |
189,680 |
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$ |
180,313 |
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$ |
396,234 |
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$ |
355,646 |
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Sales
of leased equipment
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18,218 |
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1,819 |
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26,804 |
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1,819 |
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207,898 |
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182,132 |
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423,038 |
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357,465 |
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Lease
revenues
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12,470 |
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13,522 |
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31,616 |
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24,853 |
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Fee
and other income
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4,633 |
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3,094 |
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9,013 |
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5,940 |
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17,103 |
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16,616 |
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40,629 |
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30,793 |
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TOTAL
REVENUES
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225,001 |
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198,748 |
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463,667 |
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388,258 |
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COSTS
AND EXPENSES
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Cost
of sales, product and services
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166,193 |
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160,596 |
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351,400 |
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316,625 |
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Cost
of leased equipment
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17,429 |
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1,775 |
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25,611 |
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1,775 |
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183,622 |
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162,371 |
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377,011 |
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318,400 |
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Direct
lease costs
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5,870 |
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5,572 |
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11,893 |
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10,596 |
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Professional
and other fees
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3,504 |
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4,764 |
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7,171 |
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6,050 |
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Salaries
and benefits
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17,208 |
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17,723 |
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36,902 |
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34,965 |
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General
and administrative expenses
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3,892 |
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4,385 |
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8,375 |
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|
8,871 |
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Interest
and financing costs
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2,276 |
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|
2,665 |
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4,772 |
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4,653 |
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32,750 |
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35,109 |
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|
69,113 |
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65,135 |
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TOTAL
COSTS AND EXPENSES (1) (2)
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216,372 |
|
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|
197,480 |
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446,124 |
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383,535 |
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EARNINGS
BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES
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8,629 |
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1,268 |
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17,543 |
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|
4,723 |
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PROVISION
FOR INCOME TAXES
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3,775 |
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290 |
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7,679 |
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1,681 |
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NET
EARNINGS
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$ |
4,854 |
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$ |
978 |
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$ |
9,864 |
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$ |
3,042 |
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NET
EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE—BASIC
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$ |
0.59 |
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$ |
0.12 |
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$ |
1.20 |
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$ |
0.36 |
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NET
EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE—DILUTED
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$ |
0.59 |
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$ |
0.12 |
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$ |
1.18 |
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$ |
0.34 |
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WEIGHTED
AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING—BASIC
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8,231,741 |
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8,228,823 |
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8,231,741 |
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8,218,154 |
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WEIGHTED
AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING—DILUTED
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8,331,044 |
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8,424,903 |
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8,363,348 |
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|
8,586,866 |
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(1)
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Includes
amounts to related parties of $281 thousand and $238 thousand for
the
three
months ended September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2006,
respectively.
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(2)
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Includes
amounts to related parties of $524 thousand and $472 thousand for
the
six
months ended September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2006,
respectively.
|
See
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
ePlus
inc. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH
FLOWS
|
(UNAUDITED)
|
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|
Six
Months Ended September 30,
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2007
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2006
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(in
thousands)
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Cash
Flows From Operating Activities:
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Net
earnings
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$ |
9,864 |
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$ |
3,042 |
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Adjustments
to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
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Depreciation
and amortization
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11,969 |
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|
10,406 |
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Reserves
for credit losses and sales returns
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|
552 |
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|
638 |
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Provision
for inventory losses
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(52 |
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18 |
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Impact
of stock-based compensation
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1,532 |
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|
510 |
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Excess
tax benefit from exercise of stock options
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|
- |
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(95 |
) |
Tax
benefit of stock options exercised
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|
- |
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|
308 |
|
Deferred
taxes
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|
(251 |
) |
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|
- |
|
Payments
from lessees directly to lenders—operating
leases
|
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|
(7,636 |
) |
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(5,009 |
) |
Loss
on disposal of property and equipment
|
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4 |
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|
25 |
|
Loss
(gain) on disposal of operating lease equipment
|
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|
919 |
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|
(394 |
) |
Excess
increase in cash value of officers life insurance
|
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|
(31 |
) |
|
|
(36 |
) |
Changes
in:
|
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|
Accounts
receivable—net
|
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|
(18,123 |
) |
|
|
(36,617 |
) |
Notes
receivable
|
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|
(1,326 |
) |
|
|
37 |
|
Inventories
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|
(922 |
) |
|
|
(8,028 |
) |
Investment
in leases and leased equipment—net
|
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|
5,484 |
|
|
|
(28,227 |
) |
Other
assets
|
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|
(2,055 |
) |
|
|
(6,365 |
) |
Accounts
payable—equipment
|
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|
1,611 |
|
|
|
1,081 |
|
Accounts
payable—trade
|
|
|
7,329 |
|
|
|
6,188 |
|
Salaries
and commissions payable, accrued expenses and other
liabilities
|
|
|
4,729 |
|
|
|
6,050 |
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
|
|
13,597 |
|
|
|
(56,468 |
) |
|
|
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|
Cash
Flows From Investing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds
from sale of operating lease equipment
|
|
|
1,415 |
|
|
|
845 |
|
Purchases
of operating lease equipment
|
|
|
(6,102 |
) |
|
|
(15,104 |
) |
Proceeds
from sale of property and equipment
|
|
|
- |
|
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|
2 |
|
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
|
|
(812 |
) |
|
|
(942 |
) |
Premiums
paid on officers' life insurance
|
|
|
(159 |
) |
|
|
(137 |
) |
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(5,658 |
) |
|
|
(15,336 |
) |
ePlus
inc. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - continued
|
|
|
|
|
(UNAUDITED)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Borrowings:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-recourse
|
|
|
12,422 |
|
|
|
67,782 |
|
Repayments:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-recourse
|
|
|
(10,976 |
) |
|
|
(13,343 |
) |
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(2,900 |
) |
Proceeds
from issuance of capital stock, net of expenses
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,903 |
|
Excess
tax benefit from exercise of stock options
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
95 |
|
Net
borrowings on floor plan facility
|
|
|
3,063 |
|
|
|
10,466 |
|
Net
borrowings on recourse lines of credit
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
10,700 |
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
4,509 |
|
|
|
74,703 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect
of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash
|
|
|
268 |
|
|
|
85 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
12,716 |
|
|
|
2,984 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period
|
|
|
39,680 |
|
|
|
20,697 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, End of Period
|
|
$ |
52,396 |
|
|
$ |
23,681 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental
Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
paid for interest
|
|
$ |
727 |
|
|
$ |
1,222 |
|
Cash
paid for income taxes
|
|
$ |
4,874 |
|
|
$ |
294 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Schedule
of Non-cash Investing and Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of property and equipment included in accounts payable
|
|
$ |
39 |
|
|
$ |
123 |
|
Principal
payments from lessees directly to lenders
|
|
$ |
32,576 |
|
|
$ |
21,917 |
|
See
Notes To Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
ePlus inc.
AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
As
of and
for the three and six months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006
1.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of ePlus inc. and subsidiaries
and
Notes thereto included herein are unaudited and have been prepared by us,
pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) and reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management,
necessary for a fair statement of results for the interim
periods. All adjustments made were of a normal recurring
nature.
Certain
information and note disclosures normally included in the financial statements
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to SEC rules
and regulations.
These
interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated
Financial Statements and Notes thereto contained in our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended March 31, 2007. Operating results for the
interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for an entire
year.
PRINCIPLES
OF CONSOLIDATION — The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the
accounts of ePlus inc.
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated.
REVENUE
RECOGNITION — We adhere to guidelines and principles of sales recognition
described in Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, “Revenue Recognition,” issued
by the staff of the SEC. Under SAB No. 104, sales are recognized when
the title and risk of loss are passed to the customer, there is persuasive
evidence of an arrangement for sale, delivery has occurred and/or services
have
been rendered, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collectibility
is
reasonably assured. Using these tests, the vast majority of our sales
represent product sales recognized upon delivery.
From
time
to time, when selling product and services, we may enter into contracts that
contain multiple elements. Sales of services currently represent less
than 10% of our sales. For services that are performed in conjunction
with product sales and are completed in our facilities prior to shipment of
the
product, sales for both the product and services are recognized upon
shipment. Sales of services that are performed at customer locations
are recorded as sales of product and services when the services are
performed. If the service is performed at a customer location in
conjunction with a product sale or other service sale, we recognize the sale
in
accordance with SAB No. 104 and Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”)
00-21 “Accounting for Revenue
Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” Accordingly, in an arrangement
with multiple deliverables, we recognize sales for delivered items only when
all
of the following criteria are satisfied:
|
·
|
the
delivered item(s) has value to the client on a stand-alone
basis;
|
|
·
|
there
is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value of the undelivered
item(s); and
|
|
·
|
if
the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the
delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s)
is
considered probable and substantially in our
control.
|
We
sell
certain third-party service contracts and software assurance or subscription
products for which we evaluate whether the subsequent sales of such services
should be recorded as gross sales or net sales in accordance with the sales
recognition criteria outlined in SAB No. 104, EITF 99-19, “Reporting Revenue Gross
as a
Principal versus Net as an Agent” and Financial Accounting Standards
Board (“FASB”) Technical Bulletin 90-1, “Accounting for Separately
Priced
Extended Warranty and Product Contracts.” We must determine whether
we act as a principal in the transaction and assume the risks and rewards of
ownership or if we are simply acting as an agent or broker. Under
gross sales recognition, the entire selling price is recorded in sales of
product and services and our costs to the third-party service provider or vendor
is recorded in cost of sales, product and services on the accompanying Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations. Under net sales recognition,
the cost to the third-party service provider or vendor is recorded as a
reduction to sales resulting in net sales equal to the gross profit on the
transaction and there is no cost of sales.
In
accordance with EITF 00-10, “Accounting for Shipping
and Handling
Fees and Costs,” we record freight billed to our customers as sales of
product and services and the related freight costs as a cost of sales, product
and services.
We
receive payments and credits from vendors, including consideration pursuant
to
volume sales incentive programs, volume purchase incentive programs and shared
marketing expense programs. Vendor consideration received pursuant to
volume sales incentive programs is recognized as a reduction to costs of sales,
product and services in accordance with EITF Issue No. 02-16, “Accounting for Consideration
Received from a Vendor by a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s
Products).” Vendor consideration received pursuant to volume purchase
incentive programs is allocated to inventories based on the applicable
incentives from each vendor and is recorded in cost of sales, product and
services, as the inventory is sold. Vendor consideration received
pursuant to shared marketing expense programs is recorded as a reduction of
the
related selling and administrative expenses in the period the program takes
place only if the consideration represents a reimbursement of specific,
incremental, identifiable costs. Consideration that exceeds the
specific, incremental, identifiable costs is classified as a reduction of cost
of sales, product and services.
We
are
the lessor in a number of transactions and these transactions are accounted
for
in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 13,
“Accounting for
Leases.” Each lease is classified as either a direct financing lease,
sales-type lease, or operating lease, as appropriate. Under the
direct financing and sales-type lease methods, we record the net investment
in
leases, which consists of the sum of the minimum lease payments, initial direct
costs (direct financing leases only), and unguaranteed residual value (gross
investment) less the unearned income. The difference between the
gross investment and the cost of the leased equipment for direct finance leases
is recorded as unearned income at the inception of the lease. The
unearned income is amortized over the life of the lease using the interest
method. Under sales-type leases, the difference between the fair
value and cost of the leased property plus initial direct costs (net margins)
is
recorded as revenue at the inception of the lease. For operating
leases, rental amounts are accrued on a straight-line basis over the lease
term
and are recognized as lease revenue. SFAS No. 140, “Accounting for Transfers
and
Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities,”
establishes criteria for determining whether a transfer of financial
assets in
exchange for cash or other consideration should be accounted for as a sale
or as
a pledge of collateral in a secured borrowing. Certain assignments of
direct finance leases we make on a non-recourse basis meet the criteria for
surrender of control set forth by SFAS No. 140 and have therefore been treated
as sales for financial statement purposes. We assign all rights,
title, and interests in a number of our leases to third-party financial
institutions without recourse. These assignments are accounted for as
sales since we have completed our obligations as of the assignment date,
and we retain no ownership interest in the equipment under lease.
Sales
of
leased equipment represent revenue from the sales of equipment subject to a
lease in which we are the
lessor. If the rental stream on such lease has non-recourse debt
associated with it, sales revenue is recorded at the amount of consideration
received, net of the amount of debt assumed by the purchaser. If
there is no non-recourse debt associated with the rental stream, sales revenue
is recorded at the amount of gross consideration received, and costs of sales
is
recorded at the book value of the lease. Sales of leased equipment
represents revenue generated through the sale of equipment sold primarily
through our financing business unit.
Lease
revenues consist of rentals due under operating leases, amortization of unearned
income on direct financing and sales-type leases and sales of leased assets
to
lessees. Equipment under operating leases is recorded at cost and
depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lease term to estimated residual
value.
Revenue
from hosting arrangements is recognized in accordance with EITF 00-3, “Application of AICPA
Statement of Position
97-2 to Arrangements That Include the Right to Use Software Stored on Another
Entity’s Hardware.” Our hosting arrangements do not contain a contractual
right to take possession of the software. Therefore, our hosting
arrangements are not in the scope of Statement of Position 97-2 (“SOP 97-2”),
“Software Revenue
Recognition” and require that the portion of the fee allocated to
the hosting elements be recognized as the service is
provided. Currently, the majority of our software revenue is
generated through hosting agreements and is included in fee and other income
on
our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Revenue
from sales of our software is recognized in accordance with SOP 97-2, as amended
by SOP 98-4, “Deferral of the
Effective Date of a Provision of SOP 97-2,” and SOP 98-9, “Modification of SOP
97-2 With
Respect to Certain Transactions.” We recognize revenue when all the
following criteria exist: (1) there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement
exists; (2) delivery has occurred; (3) no significant obligations by us related
to services essential to the functionality of the software remain with regard
to
implementation; (4) the sales price is determinable; and (5) it is probable
that
collection will occur. Revenue from sales of our software is included
in fee and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
At
the
time of each sale transaction, we make an assessment of the collectibility
of
the amount due from the customer. Revenue is only recognized at that
time if management deems that collection is probable. In making this
assessment, we consider customer creditworthiness and assess whether fees are
fixed or determinable and free of contingencies or significant
uncertainties. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenue is
recognized only as payments become due from the customer, provided that all
other revenue recognition criteria are met. In assessing whether the
fee is fixed or determinable, we consider the payment terms of the transaction
and our collection experience in similar transactions without making
concessions, among other factors. Our software license agreements
generally do not include customer acceptance provisions. However, if
an arrangement includes an acceptance provision, we record revenue only upon
the
earlier of (1) receipt of written acceptance from the customer or (2) expiration
of the acceptance period.
Our
software agreements often include implementation and consulting services that
are sold separately under consulting engagement contracts or as part of the
software license arrangement. When we determine that such services
are not essential to the functionality of the licensed software and qualify
as
“service transactions” under SOP 97-2, we record revenue separately for the
license and service elements of these agreements. Generally, we
consider that a service is not essential to the functionality of the software
based on various factors, including if the services may be provided by
independent third parties experienced in providing such consulting and
implementation in coordination with dedicated customer personnel. If
an arrangement does not qualify for separate accounting of the license and
service elements, then license revenue is recognized together with the
consulting services using either the percentage-of-completion or
completed-contract method of contract accounting. Contract accounting
is also applied to any software agreements that include customer-specific
acceptance criteria or where the license payment is tied to the performance
of
consulting services. Under the percentage-of-completion method, we
may estimate the stage of completion of contracts with fixed or “not to exceed”
fees based on hours or costs incurred to date as compared with estimated total
project hours or costs at completion. If we do not have a sufficient
basis to measure progress towards completion, revenue is recognized upon
completion of the contract. When total cost estimates exceed
revenues, we accrue for the estimated losses immediately. The use of
the percentage-of-completion method of accounting requires significant judgment
relative to estimating total contract costs, including assumptions relative
to
the length of time to complete the project, the nature and complexity of the
work to be performed, and anticipated changes in salaries and other
costs. When adjustments in estimated contract costs are determined,
such revisions may have the effect of adjusting, in the current period, the
earnings applicable to performance in prior periods.
We
generally use the residual method to recognize revenues from agreements that
include one or more elements to be delivered at a future date when evidence
of
the fair value of all undelivered elements exists. Under the residual
method, the fair value of the undelivered elements (e.g., maintenance,
consulting and training services) based on vendor-specific objective evidence
(“VSOE”) is deferred and the remaining portion of the arrangement fee is
allocated to the delivered elements (i.e., software license). If
evidence of the fair value of one or more of the undelivered services does
not
exist, all revenues are deferred and recognized when delivery of all of those
services has occurred or when fair values can be established. We
determine VSOE of the fair value of services revenue based upon our recent
pricing for those services when sold separately. VSOE of the fair
value of maintenance services may also be determined based on a substantive
maintenance renewal clause, if any, within a customer contract. Our
current pricing practices are influenced primarily by product type, purchase
volume, maintenance term and customer location. We review services
revenue sold separately and maintenance renewal rates on a periodic basis and
update our VSOE of fair value for such services to ensure that it reflects
our
recent pricing experience, when appropriate.
Maintenance
services generally include rights to unspecified upgrades (when and if
available), telephone and Internet-based support, updates and bug
fixes. Maintenance revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the
maintenance contract (usually one year) on a straight-line basis and is included
in fee and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
When
consulting qualifies for separate accounting, consulting revenues under time
and
materials billing arrangements are recognized as the services are
performed. Consulting revenues under fixed-price contracts are
generally recognized using the percentage-of-completion method. If
there is a significant uncertainty about the project completion or receipt
of
payment for the consulting services, revenue is deferred until the uncertainty
is sufficiently resolved. Consulting revenues are classified as fee
and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
Training
services include on-site training, classroom training and computer-based
training and assessment. Training revenue is recognized as the
related training services are provided and is included in fee and other income
on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Amounts
charged for our Procure+ service are recognized
as
services are rendered. Amounts charged for the Manage+ service are recognized
on
a straight-line basis over the contractual period for which the services are
provided. In addition, other sources of revenue are derived from: (1)
income from events that occur after the initial sale of a financial asset;
(2)
remarketing fees; (3) brokerage fees earned for the placement of financing
transactions; (4) agent fees received from various manufacturers in the IT
reseller business unit; (5) settlement fees related to disputes or litigation;
and (6) interest and other miscellaneous income. These revenues are
included in fee and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
RESIDUALS
— Residual values, representing the estimated value of equipment at the
termination of a lease, are recorded in our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements at the inception of each sales-type or direct financing lease as
amounts estimated by management based upon its experience and
judgment. Unguaranteed residual values for sales-type and direct
financing leases are recorded at their net present value and the unearned income
is amortized over the life of the lease using the interest
method. The residual values for operating leases are included in the
leased equipment’s net book value.
We
evaluate residual values on an ongoing basis and record any downward adjustment,
if required. No upward revision of residual values is made subsequent
to lease inception.
RESERVES
FOR CREDIT LOSSES — The reserves for credit losses (the “reserve”) is maintained
at a level believed by management to be adequate to absorb potential losses
inherent in our lease and accounts receivable portfolio. Management’s
determination of the adequacy of the reserve is based on an evaluation of
historical credit loss experience, current economic conditions, volume, growth,
the composition of the lease portfolio, and other relevant
factors. The reserve is increased by provisions for potential credit
losses charged against income. Accounts are either written off or
written down when the loss is both probable and determinable, after giving
consideration to the customer’s financial condition, the value of the underlying
collateral and funding status (i.e., discounted on a non-recourse or recourse
basis).
CASH AND CASH
EQUIVALENTS — Cash and cash equivalents include funds in operating accounts as
well as money market funds.
INVENTORIES
— Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (weighted average basis) or
market.
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT — Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated
depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are
computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of
the
related assets, which range from three to ten years.
CAPITALIZATION
OF COSTS OF SOFTWARE FOR INTERNAL USE — We have capitalized certain costs for
the development of internal use software under the guidelines of SOP 98-1,
“Accounting for the Costs
of
Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use.” Software
capitalized for internal use was $510 thousand and $98 thousand during the
six
months ended September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2006, respectively, which
is included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as a
component of property and equipment—net. We had capitalized costs,
net of amortization, of approximately $1.0 million at September 30, 2007 and
$650 thousand at March 31, 2007.
CAPITALIZATION
OF COSTS OF SOFTWARE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO CUSTOMERS — In accordance with SFAS
No. 86, “Accounting for Costs
of Computer Software to be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed,” software
development costs are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility
has
been established. At such time such costs are capitalized until the
product is made available for release to customers. For the six
months ended September 30, 2007, there was no such costs capitalized, while
for
the six months ended September 30, 2006, $59 thousand were capitalized for
software to be made available to customers. We had $670 thousand and
$760 thousand of capitalized costs, net of amortization, at September 30, 2007
and March 31, 2007, respectively.
INTANGIBLE
ASSETS — In accordance with SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets,” we perform an impairment test for goodwill at September
30th of each year and follow the two-step process prescribed in SFAS No. 142
to
test our goodwill for impairment under the transitional goodwill impairment
test. The first step is to screen for potential impairment, while the
second step measures the amount of the impairment, if any.
IMPAIRMENT
OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS — We review long-lived assets, including property and
equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate
that the carrying amounts of the assets may not be fully
recoverable. If the total of the expected undiscounted future cash
flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, a loss is recognized for
the difference between the fair value and the carrying value of the
asset.
FAIR
VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS — The carrying value of our financial
instruments, which include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable,
accounts payable and accrued expenses and other liabilities, approximates fair
value due to their short maturities. The carrying amount of our
non-recourse and recourse notes payable approximates its fair
value. We determined the fair value of notes payable by applying the
average portfolio debt rate and applying such rate to future cash flows of
the
respective financial instruments. The estimated fair value of our
recourse and non-recourse notes payable at September 30, 2007 and March 31,
2007
was $121.5 million and $153.4 million, respectively, compared to a carrying
amount of $122.0 million and $153.1 million, respectively.
TREASURY
STOCK — We account for treasury stock under the cost method and include treasury
stock as a component of stockholders’ equity.
INCOME
TAXES — Deferred income taxes are accounted for in accordance with SFAS
No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes.”
Under this method,
deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined
based on the temporary differences between the financial statement reporting
and
tax bases of assets and liabilities, using tax rates currently in
effect. Future tax benefits, such as net operating loss
carryforwards, are recognized to the extent that realization of these benefits
is considered to be more likely than not. In addition, on April 1,
2007, we adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 48,
“Accounting for Uncertainty
in
Income Taxes—An Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 40.”)
Specifically, the pronouncement prescribes a recognition threshold and a
measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement
of
a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The
interpretation also provides guidance on the related derecognition,
classification, interest and penalties, accounting for interim periods,
disclosure and transition of uncertain tax positions. In accordance
with our accounting policy, we recognize accrued interest and penalties related
to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of tax expense. This
policy did not change as a result of the adoption of FIN 48. We
recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to reduce our fiscal 2008 balance
of beginning retained earnings by $491 thousand in our Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements.
ESTIMATES
— The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires
management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of
assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at
the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ
from those estimates.
COMPREHENSIVE
INCOME — Comprehensive income consists of net income and foreign currency
translation adjustments. For the six months ended September 30, 2007,
accumulated other comprehensive income was $268 thousand and net income was
$9.9
million. This resulted in total comprehensive income of $10.1 million
for the six months ended September 30, 2007. For the six months ended
September 30, 2006, accumulated other comprehensive income was $85.4 thousand
and net income was $3.0 million. This resulted in total comprehensive
income of $3.1 million for the six months ended September 30, 2006.
EARNINGS
PER SHARE — Earnings per share (“EPS”) have been calculated in accordance with
SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per
Share.” In accordance with SFAS No. 128, basic EPS amounts were
calculated based on weighted average shares outstanding of 8,231,741 for the
three and six months ended September 30, 2007 and 8,228,823 and 8,218,154,
for
the three and six months ended September 30, 2006,
respectively. Diluted EPS amounts were calculated based on weighted average
shares outstanding and potentially dilutive common stock equivalents of
8,331,044 and 8,363,348 for the three and six months ended September 30, 2007,
respectively, and 8,424,903 and 8,586,866 for the three and six months
ended September 30, 2006, respectively. Additional shares included in the
diluted EPS calculations are attributable to incremental shares issuable upon
the assumed exercise of stock options and other common stock
equivalents.
STOCK-BASED
COMPENSATION — On April 1, 2006, we adopted FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised
2004), “Share-Based
Payment,” or SFAS No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R replaces SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation,” and supersedes Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25,
“Accounting for Stock
Issued
to Employees” (“APB 25”), and subsequently issued stock option related
guidance. We elected the modified-prospective transition
method. Under the modified-prospective method, we must recognize
compensation expense for all awards subsequent to adopting the standard and
for
the unvested portion of previously granted awards outstanding upon
adoption. We have recognized compensation expense equal to the fair
values for the unvested portion of share-based awards at April 1, 2006 over
the
remaining period of service, as well as compensation expense for those
share-based awards granted or modified on or after April 1, 2006 over the
vesting period based on the grant-date fair values using the straight-line
method. For those awards granted prior to the date of adoption,
compensation expense is recognized on an accelerated basis based on the
grant-date fair value amount as calculated for pro forma purposes under SFAS
No.
123.
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS — In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No.
157, “Fair Value
Measurement” (“SFAS No. 157”). SFAS No. 157 defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with U.S. GAAP
and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157
emphasizes that fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific
measurement. Therefore, a fair value measurement should be determined based
on
the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability. The provisions of SFAS No. 157 are effective for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2007 and interim periods within those fiscal years.
In February 2008, the FASB issued Staff Position No. FAS 157-2, "Effective Dates of FASB
Statement
No. 157," which defers the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for all
nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities
until fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008. We are in the process
of
evaluating the impact, if any, SFAS No. 157 will have on our financial condition
and results of operations.
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"). SFAS No. 159 permits an entity, at specified
election dates, to choose to measure certain financial instruments and other
items at fair value. The objective of SFAS No. 159 is to provide entities with
the opportunity to mitigate volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring
related assets and liabilities differently, without having to apply complex
hedge accounting provisions. SFAS No. 159 is effective for accounting periods
beginning after November 15, 2007. We are in the process of evaluating the
impact, if any, SFAS No. 159 will have on our financial condition and results
of
operations.
2.
INVESTMENT IN LEASES AND LEASED EQUIPMENT—NET
Investment
in leases and leased equipment—net consists of the following:
|
|
As
of
|
|
|
|
September
30, 2007
|
|
|
March
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
Investment
in direct financing and sales-type leases—net
|
|
$ |
127,767 |
|
|
$ |
158,471 |
|
Investment
in operating lease equipment—net
|
|
|
51,458 |
|
|
|
58,699 |
|
|
|
$ |
179,225 |
|
|
$ |
217,170 |
|
INVESTMENT
IN DIRECT FINANCING AND SALES-TYPE LEASES—NET
Our
investment in direct financing and sales-type leases—net consists of the
following:
|
|
As
of
|
|
|
|
September
30, 2007
|
|
|
March
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
Minimum
lease payments
|
|
$ |
120,397 |
|
|
$ |
154,349 |
|
Estimated
unguaranteed residual value (1)
|
|
|
20,465 |
|
|
|
22,375 |
|
Initial
direct costs, net of amortization (2)
|
|
|
1,326 |
|
|
|
1,659 |
|
Less: Unearned
lease income
|
|
|
(12,936 |
) |
|
|
(18,271 |
) |
Reserve
for credit losses
|
|
|
(1,485 |
) |
|
|
(1,641 |
) |
Investment
in direct financing and sales-type leases—net
|
|
$ |
127,767 |
|
|
$ |
158,471 |
|
(1)
|
Includes
estimated unguaranteed residual values of $1,917 thousand and $1,191
thousand as of September 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007, respectively,
for
direct financing SFAS No. 140
leases.
|
(2)
|
Initial
direct costs are shown net of amortization of $1,442 thousand and
$1,409
thousand as of September 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007,
respectively.
|
Our
net
investment in direct financing and sales-type leases is collateral for
non-recourse and recourse equipment notes, if any.
INVESTMENT
IN OPERATING LEASE EQUIPMENT—NET
Investment
in operating lease equipment—net primarily represents leases that do not qualify
as direct financing leases or are leases that are short-term renewals on a
month-to-month basis. The components of the net investment in operating lease
equipment are as follows:
|
|
As
of
|
|
|
|
September
30, 2007
|
|
|
March
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
Cost
of equipment under operating leases
|
|
$ |
92,166 |
|
|
$ |
93,804 |
|
Less: Accumulated
depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
(40,708 |
) |
|
|
(35,105 |
) |
Investment
in operating lease equipment—net
|
|
$ |
51,458 |
|
|
$ |
58,699 |
|
3.
RESERVES FOR CREDIT LOSSES
As
of
March 31, 2007 and September 30, 2007, our activity in our reserves for credit
losses is as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Accounts
Receivable
|
|
|
Lease-Related
Assets
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Balance
April 1, 2006
|
|
$ |
2,060 |
|
|
$ |
2,913 |
|
|
$ |
4,973 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provision
for Bad Debts
|
|
|
460 |
|
|
|
(1,027 |
) |
|
|
(567 |
) |
Recoveries
|
|
|
23 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
23 |
|
Write-offs
and other
|
|
|
(483 |
) |
|
|
(245 |
) |
|
|
(728 |
) |
Balance
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
2,060 |
|
|
|
1,641 |
|
|
|
3,701 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provision
for Bad Debts
|
|
|
523 |
|
|
|
(121 |
) |
|
|
402 |
|
Recoveries
|
|
|
40 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
40 |
|
Write-offs
and other
|
|
|
(248 |
) |
|
|
(35 |
) |
|
|
(283 |
) |
Balance
September 30, 2007
|
|
$ |
2,375 |
|
|
$ |
1,485 |
|
|
$ |
3,860 |
|
4.
RECOURSE AND NON-RECOURSE NOTES PAYABLE
Recourse
and non-recourse obligations consist of the following:
|
|
As
of
|
|
|
|
September
30, 2007
|
|
|
March
31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
National
City Bank – Recourse credit facility of $35,000,000 expiring on July 21,
2009. At our option, the carrying interest rate is either LIBOR
rate plus 175–250 basis points, or the Alternate Base Rate of the higher
of prime, or federal funds rate plus 50 basis points, plus 0-25 basis
points of margin. The interest rate at September 30, 2007 is
6.6875%.
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
recourse obligations
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-recourse
equipment notes secured by related investments in leases with interest
rates ranging from 5.76% to 7.60% for the six months ended
September 30, 2007 and 3.05% to 9.25% for year ended March 31,
2007.
|
|
$ |
117,007 |
|
|
$ |
148,136 |
|
Principal
and interest payments on the recourse and non-recourse notes payable are
generally due monthly in amounts that are approximately equal to the total
payments due from the lessee under the leases that collateralize the notes
payable. Under recourse financing, in the event of a default by a lessee, the
lender has recourse against the lessee, the equipment serving as collateral,
and
us. Under non-recourse financing, in the event of a default by a lessee, the
lender generally only has recourse against the lessee, and the equipment serving
as collateral, but not against us.
There
are
two components of the GE Commercial Distribution Finance Corporation (“GECDF”)
credit facility: (1) a floor plan component and (2) an accounts receivable
component. As of September 30, 2007, the facility agreement had an aggregate
limit of the two components of $100 million, and the accounts receivable
component had a sub-limit of $30 million, which bears interest at prime less
0.5%, or 7.75%. Effective October 29, 2007, the facility with GECDF was amended
to increase the aggregate limit to $125 million with a sub-limit on the accounts
receivable component of $30 million. The temporary overline periods in the
previous agreement were eliminated. Availability under the GECDF facility
may be limited by the asset value of equipment we purchase and may be further
limited by certain covenants and terms and conditions of the
facility. These covenants include but are not limited to a minimum
total tangible net worth and subordinated debt, and maximum debt to tangible
net
worth ratio of ePlus
Technology, inc. We were in compliance with these covenants as
of September 30, 2007. Either party may terminate with 90 days’ advance
notice.
The
facility provided by GECDF requires a guaranty of up to $10.5 million by ePlus inc. The guaranty
requires ePlus inc. to
deliver its annual audited financial statements by certain dates. We are
currently in compliance with this covenant. The loss of the GECDF credit
facility could have a material adverse effect on our future results as we
currently rely on this facility and its components for daily working capital
and
liquidity for our technology sales business and as an operational function
of
our accounts payable process.
Borrowings
under our $35 million line of credit from National City Bank are subject to
and
in compliance with certain covenants regarding minimum consolidated tangible
net
worth, maximum recourse debt to net worth ratio, cash flow coverage, and minimum
interest expense coverage ratio. We are in compliance with or have received
amendments extending these covenants as of September 30, 2007. The
borrowings are secured by our assets such as leases, receivables, inventory,
and
equipment. Borrowings are limited to our collateral base, consisting of
equipment, lease receivables, and other current assets, up to a maximum of
$35
million. In addition, the credit agreement restricts, and under some
circumstances prohibits, the payment of dividends.
The
National City Bank facility requires the delivery of our audited and unaudited
financial statements, and pro-forma financial projections, by certain
dates. We have not delivered the following documents as required by Section
5.1 of the facility: quarterly Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Financial
Statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 included herein and for
the
quarter ended December 31, 2007. We entered into the following amendments
which have extended the delivery date requirements for these documents: a First
Amendment dated July 11, 2006, a Second Amendment dated July 28, 2006, a third
Amendment dated August 30, 2006, a Fourth Amendment dated September 27, 2006,
a
Fifth Amendment dated November 15, 2006, a Sixth Amendment dated January 11,
2007, a Seventh Amendment dated March 12, 2007, an Eighth Amendment dated June
27, 2007, a Ninth Amendment dated August 22, 2007, a Tenth Amendment dated
November 29, 2007 and an Eleventh Amendment dated February 29, 2008. As a
result of the amendments, the agents agreed, among other things, to extend
the
delivery date requirements of the documents above through June 30,
2008.
We
believe we will receive additional extensions from our lender, if needed,
regarding our requirement to provide financial statements as described above
through the date of delivery of the documents. However, we cannot guarantee
that we will receive additional extensions.
5.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
During
the three months ended September 30, 2007, we leased approximately 55,880 square
feet for use as our principal headquarters from Norton Building 1,
LLC. Norton Building 1, LLC is a limited liability company owned in
part by Mr. Norton’s spouse and in part in trust for his
children. As of May 31, 2007, Mr. Norton, our President and CEO,
has no managerial or executive role in Norton Building 1, LLC. The lease
was approved by the Board of Directors prior to its commencement, and viewed
by
the Board as being at or below comparable market rents, and ePlus has the right
to
terminate up to 40% of the leased premises for no penalty, with six months’
notice. During the three months ended September 30, 2007 and September 30,
2006,
we paid rent in the amount of $281 thousand and $238 thousand,
respectively. During the six months ended September 30, 2007 and September
30, 2006, we paid rent in the amount of $527 thousand and $472 thousand,
respectively.
6.
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation
We
have
been involved in several matters, which are described below, arising from four
separate installment sales to a customer named Cyberco Holdings, Inc.
(“Cyberco”), which was perpetrating a fraud related to installment sales that
were assigned to various lenders and were non-recourse to us.
In
one
lawsuit, which was filed on May 10, 2005, an underlying lender, Banc of America
Leasing and Capital, LLC (“BoA”) sought repayment from our subsidiary ePlus
Group of approximately $3.1 million plus $1.2 million in interest and attorneys’
fees. After a trial, a final judgment in favor of BoA was entered on
February 6, 2007, and we recorded our payment of the judgment, interest and
attorneys’ fees in our fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.
Another
lawsuit was filed on November 3, 2006 by BoA against ePlus inc., seeking
to
enforce a guaranty in which ePlus inc. guaranteed
ePlus
Group’s obligations to
BoA relating to the Cyberco transaction. ePlus Group has already
paid
to BoA the judgment in the suit against ePlus Group referenced
above. The suit against ePlus seeks attorneys’ fees
BoA incurred in ePlus
Group’s appeal of BoA’s suit against ePlus Group referenced
above,
expenses that BoA incurred in a bankruptcy adversary proceeding relating to
Cyberco, attorneys’ fees incurred by BoA in defending a pending suit by ePlus Group against
BoA, and
any other costs or fees relating to any of the described matters. The trial
has been stayed pending the resolution of litigation in California state court
in which ePlus is the
plaintiff in a suit against BoA. We are vigorously defending the
suit against us by BoA. We cannot predict the outcome of this
suit. We do not believe a loss is probable; therefore, we have not accrued
for this matter.
In
a
bankruptcy adversary proceeding, which was filed on December 7, 2006, Cyberco’s
bankruptcy trustee sought approximately $775 thousand as alleged preferential
transfers. In January 2008, we entered into a settlement agreement with the
trustee and agreed to pay to the trustee $95 thousand, which we recorded in
the
year ended March 31, 2007.
On
January 18, 2007, a stockholder derivative action related to stock option
practices was filed in the United States District Court for the District of
Columbia. The amended complaint names ePlus inc. as nominal
defendant, and personally names eight individual defendants who are directors
and/or executive officers of ePlus. The amended
complaint alleges violations of federal securities law, and various state law
claims such as breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets and unjust
enrichment. We have filed a Motion to Dismiss the plaintiff’s amended
complaint. The amended complaint seeks monetary damages from
individual defendants and that we take certain corrective actions relating
to
option grants and corporate governance, and attorneys’ fees. We
cannot predict the outcome of this suit. We do not believe a loss is
probable; therefore, we have not accrued for this matter.
We
are
also engaged in other ordinary and routine litigation incidental to our
business. While we cannot predict the outcome of these various legal
proceedings, management believes that a loss is not probable and no amount
has
been accrued for these matters.
Regulatory
and Other Legal
Matters
In
June
2006, the Audit Committee commenced an investigation of our stock option grants
since our initial public offering in 1996 (the "Audit Committee
Investigation"). In August 2006, the Audit Committee voluntarily
contacted and advised the staff of SEC of its investigation and the Audit
Committee’s preliminary conclusion that a restatement would be
required. This restatement was included in our Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2006 and was filed with the SEC on August 16,
2007. The SEC opened an informal inquiry and we have and will
continue to cooperate with the staff. No amount has been accrued for
this matter.
We
are
currently engaged in a dispute with the government of the District of Columbia
(“DC”) regarding personal property taxes on property we financed for our
customers. DC is seeking approximately $508 thousand plus interest
and penalties, relating to property we financed for our customers. We
believe the tax is owed by our customers, and are seeking resolution in DC’s
Office of Administrative Hearings. We cannot predict the outcome of
this matter. We do not believe a loss is probable; therefore, we have
not accrued for this matter.
7.
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Earnings
per share (“EPS”) have been calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share” ("SFAS
No. 128"). In accordance with SFAS No. 128, basic EPS amounts are
calculated based on three and six months weighted average shares outstanding
of 8,231,741 at September 30, 2007 and 8,228,823 and 8,218,154,
respectively, at September 30, 2006. Diluted EPS amounts are
calculated based on three and six months weighted average shares outstanding
and
potentially dilutive common stock equivalents of 8,331,044 and 8,363,348 at
September 30, 2007 and 8,424,903 and 8,586,866 at September 30,
2006. Additional shares included in the diluted EPS calculations are
attributable to incremental shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of stock
options and other common stock equivalents.
The
following table provides a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators
used to calculate basic and diluted net income per common share as disclosed
in
our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and six months
ended September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2007 (in thousands, except per share
data).
|
|
Three
months ended September 30,
|
|
|
Six
months ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income available to common shareholders—basic and diluted
|
|
$ |
4,854 |
|
|
$ |
978 |
|
|
$ |
9,864 |
|
|
$ |
3,042 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding—basic
|
|
|
8,232 |
|
|
|
8,229 |
|
|
|
8,232 |
|
|
|
8,218 |
|
In-the-money
options exercisable under stock compensation plans
|
|
|
99 |
|
|
|
196 |
|
|
|
131 |
|
|
|
369 |
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding—diluted
|
|
|
8,331 |
|
|
|
8,425 |
|
|
|
8,363 |
|
|
|
8,587 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
per common share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
$ |
0.59 |
|
|
$ |
0.12 |
|
|
$ |
1.20 |
|
|
$ |
0.36 |
|
Diluted
|
|
$ |
0.59 |
|
|
$ |
0.12 |
|
|
$ |
1.18 |
|
|
$ |
0.34 |
|
Unexercised
employee stock options to purchase 582,487 and 433,407 shares of our common
stock were not included in the computations of diluted EPS for the three and
six
months ended September 30, 2007, respectively, because the options’ exercise
prices were greater than the average market price of our common stock during
the
applicable periods.
8.
STOCK REPURCHASE
On
November 17, 2004, a stock purchase program was authorized by our
Board. This program authorized the repurchase of up to 3,000,000
shares of our outstanding common stock over a period of time ending no later
than November 17, 2005 and was limited to a cumulative purchase amount of $7.5
million. On March 2, 2005, our Board approved an increase, from $7.5
million to $12.5 million, for the maximum total cost of shares that could be
purchased, which expired November 17, 2005. On November 18, 2005, the
Board authorized a new stock repurchase program of up to 3,000,000 shares with
a cumulative purchase limit of $12.5 million, which expired on November 17,
2006.
During
the six months ended September 30, 2007, we did not repurchase any shares of
our
outstanding common stock. During the six months ended September 30,
2006, we repurchased 209,000 shares of our outstanding common stock for a
total purchase price of approximately $2.9 million. Since the
inception of our initial repurchase program on September 20, 2001, as of
September 30, 2007, we had repurchased 2,978,990 shares of our outstanding
common stock at an average cost of $11.04 per share for a total purchase price
of $32.9 million.
9.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Contributory
401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
We
provide our employees with a contributory 401(k) profit sharing
plan. To be eligible to participate in the plan, employees must be at
least 21 years of age and have completed a minimum service
requirement. Employer contribution percentages are determined by us
and are discretionary each year. The employer contributions vest over
a four-year period. For the three months ended September 30, 2007 and
2006, our expense for the plan was $70.9 thousand and $76.1 thousand,
respectively. Our expense for the plan for the six months ended
September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2006 were $162.9 thousand and $187.1
thousand, respectively.
Adoption
of SFAS No. 123R
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment,” or SFAS
No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R replaces SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation,” and supersedes APB 25, “Accounting for Stock
Issued to
Employees,” and subsequently issued stock option related
guidance. This statement focuses primarily on accounting for
transactions in which an entity obtains employee services in share-based payment
transactions. It also addresses transactions in which an entity
incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the
fair
value of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance
of those equity instruments. Entities are required to measure the
cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity
instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award (with limited
exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the period during
which an employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award
(usually the vesting period). The grant-date fair value of employee
share options and similar instruments will be estimated using option-pricing
models. If an equity award is modified after the grant date,
incremental compensation cost will be recognized in an amount equal to the
excess of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the
original award immediately before the modification.
On
April
1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R using the modified prospective transition
method. We have recognized compensation cost equal to the fair values
for the unvested portion of share-based awards at April 1, 2006 over the
remaining period of service, as well as compensation cost expense for those
share-based awards granted or modified on or after April 1, 2006 over the
vesting period based on the grant-date fair values using the straight-line
method. The fair values were estimated using the Black-Scholes option
pricing model.
Stock
Option Plans
We
issued
only incentive and non-qualified stock option awards and, except as noted below,
each grant was issued under one of the following five plans: (1) the 1996
Stock Incentive Plan (the “1996 SIP”), (2) Amendment and Restatement of the 1996
Stock Incentive Plan (the “Amended SIP”) (collectively the “1996 Plans”), (3)
the 1998 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “1998 LTIP”), (4) Amendment and
Restatement of the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (2001) (the “Amended LTIP (2001)”)
or (5) Amendment and Restatement of the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (2003) (the
“Amended LTIP (2003)”). Sections of note are detailed
below. All the stock option plans require the use of the previous
trading day's closing price when the grant date falls on a date the stock was
not traded.
In
addition, at the IPO, there were 245,000 options issued that were not part
of
any plan, but issued under various employment agreements.
1996
Stock Incentive Plan
The
allowable number of outstanding shares under this plan was
155,000. On September 1, 1996, the Board adopted this plan, and it
was effective on November 8, 1996 when the SEC declared our Registration
Statement on Form S-1 effective in connection with our IPO on November 20,
1996. The 1996 SIP is comprised of an Incentive Stock Option Plan, a
Nonqualified Stock Option Plan, and an Outside Director Stock Option
Plan. Each of the components of the 1996 Plans provided that options
would only be granted after execution of an Option Agreement. Except
for the number of options awarded to directors, the salient provisions of the
1996 SIP are identical to the Amended SIP, which is described
below.
With
regard to director options, the 1996 Outside Director Stock Option Plan provided
for 10,000 options to be granted to each non-employee director upon completion
of the IPO, and 5,000 options to be granted to each non-employee director on
the
anniversary of each full year of his or her service as a director of ePlus. As with the
other components of the 1996 Plans, the director options would be granted only
after execution of an Option Agreement.
Amendment
and Restatement of the 1996 Stock Incentive Plan
The
1996
SIP was amended via an Amendment and Restatement of the 1996 Stock Incentive
Plan. The primary purpose of the amendment was to increase the
aggregate number of shares allocated to the plan by making the shares available
a percentage (20%) of total shares outstanding rather than a fixed
number. The Amended SIP also modified the annual grants to directors
from 5,000 options to 10,000 options.
The
Amended SIP also provided for an employee stock purchase plan, and permitted
the
Board to establish other restricted stock and performance-based stock awards
and
programs. The Amended SIP was adopted by the Board and became
effective on May 14, 1997, subject to approval at the annual shareholders
meeting that fall. The Amended SIP was adopted by shareholders at the
annual meeting on September 30, 1997.
1998
Long-Term Incentive Plan
The
1998
LTIP was adopted by the Board on July 28, 1998, which is its effective date,
and
approved by the shareholders on September 16, 1998. The allowable
number of shares under the 1998 LTIP is 20% of the outstanding shares, less
shares previously granted and shares purchased through our employee stock
purchase program. The 1998 LTIP shares many characteristics of the
earlier plans. It continues to specify that options shall be priced
at not less than fair market value. The 1998 LTIP consolidated the
preexisting plans and made the Compensation Committee of the Board responsible
for its administration. In addition, the 1998 LTIP eliminated the
language of the 1996 Plans that “options shall be granted only after execution
of an Option Agreement.” Thus, while the 1998 LTIP does require that grants
be evidenced in writing, the writing is not a condition precedent to the grant
of the award.
Another
change to note is the modification of the LTIP as it relates to options awarded
to directors. Under the 1998 LTIP, instead of being awarded on the
anniversary of the director’s service, the options are to be automatically
awarded the day after the annual shareholders meeting to all directors in
service as of that day. No automatic annual grants may be awarded
under the LTIP after September 1, 2006. The LTIP also permits for
discretionary option awards to directors.
Amended
and Restated 1998 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Minor
amendments were made to the 1998 LTIP on April 1, April 17 and April 30,
2001. The amendments change the name of the plan from the 1998
Long-Term Incentive Plan to the Amended and Restated 1998 Long-Term Incentive
Plan. In addition, provisions were added “to allow the Compensation
Committee to delegate to a single board member the authority to make awards
to
non-Section 16 insiders, as a matter of convenience,” and to provide that “no
option granted under the Plan may be exercisable for more than ten years from
the date of its grant.”
The
Amended LTIP (2001) was amended on July 15, 2003 by the Board and approved
by
the stockholders on September 18, 2003. Primarily, the amendment
modified the aggregate number of shares available under the plan to a fixed
number (3,000,000). Although the language varies somewhat from
earlier plans, it permits the Board or Compensation Committee to delegate
authority to a committee of one or more directors who are also officers of
the
corporation to award options under certain conditions. The Amended
LTIP (2003) replaced all the prior plans, is our current plan, and covers option
grants for employees, executives and outside directors.
As
of
September 30, 2007, a total of 2,300,094 shares of common stock have been
reserved for issuance upon exercise of options granted under the Amended LTIP
(2003).
Stock-Based
Compensation Expense
Prior
to
the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we accounted for stock-based compensation expense
under APB 25 and related interpretations and disclosed certain pro forma net
income and EPS information as if we had applied the fair value recognition
provisions of SFAS No. 123 as amended by SFAS No. 148 “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation — Transition and Disclosure.” Accordingly, we measured
the compensation expense based upon intrinsic value on the measurement date,
calculated as the difference between the fair value of the common stock and
the
relevant exercise price.
In
accordance with SFAS No. 123R, we recognized $1.5 million of stock-based
compensation expense for the three and six months ended September 30,
2007. On May 11, 2007, 450,000 options were cancelled which
resulted in the immediate recognition of the remaining nonvested
share-based compensation expense of $1.5
million. Messrs. Norton, Bowen, Parkhurst and Mencarini entered
into separate stock option cancellation agreements pursuant to which options
to
purchase 300,000 options, 50,000 options, 50,000 options, and 50,000
options, respectively, were cancelled. We recognized $256 thousand
and $510 thousand of stock-based compensation expense during the three and
six
months ended September 30, 2006. As of September 30, 2007, there was
$119 thousand of unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested
options. This expense is expected to be fully recognized over the
next 1.5 years.
Stock
Option Activity
During
the three and six months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, there were no stock
options granted to employees.
Expected
life of the option is the period of time that we expect the options granted
to
be outstanding. Expected stock price volatility is based on
historical volatility of our stock. Expected dividend yield is zero
as we do not expect to pay any dividends, nor have we historically paid any
dividends. Risk-free interest rate is the five-year nominal constant
maturity Treasury rate on the date of the award.
A
summary
of stock option activity during the six months ended September 30, 2007 is
as
follows:
|
|
Number
of Shares
|
|
|
Exercise Price Range
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Contractual Life Remaining
|
|
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding,
April 1, 2007
|
|
|
1,788,613 |
|
|
$ |
6.23
- $17.38 |
|
|
$ |
10.20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options
granted
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options
exercised
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options
forfeited
|
|
|
(471,300 |
) |
|
$ |
10.84
- $13.25 |
|
|
$ |
11.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding,
September 30, 2007
|
|
|
1,317,313 |
|
|
$ |
6.23
- $17.38 |
|
|
$ |
9.89 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
$ |
960,640 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vested
or expected to vest at September 30, 2007
|
|
|
1,317,313 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
9.89 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
$ |
960,640 |
|
Exercisable,
September 30, 2007
|
|
|
1,297,313 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
9.81 |
|
|
|
3.0 |
|
|
$ |
960,640 |
|
Additional
information regarding stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2007 is
as
follows:
|
|
|
Options
Outstanding
|
|
|
Options
Exercisable
|
|
Range
of Exercise Prices
|
|
|
Options
Outstanding
|
|
|
Weighted
Avg. Exercise Price per Share
|
|
|
Weighted
Avg. Contractual Life Remaining
|
|
|
Options
Exercisable
|
|
|
Weighted
Avg. Exercise Price per Share
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
6.23
- $9.00 |
|
|
|
863,906 |
|
|
$ |
7.70 |
|
|
|
2.7 |
|
|
|
863,906 |
|
|
$ |
7.70 |
|
$ |
9.01
- $13.50 |
|
|
|
242,900 |
|
|
$ |
11.61 |
|
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
222,900 |
|
|
$ |
11.48 |
|
$ |
13.51
- $17.38 |
|
|
|
210,507 |
|
|
$ |
16.90 |
|
|
|
3.5 |
|
|
|
210,507 |
|
|
$ |
16.90 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
6.23
- $17.38 |
|
|
|
1,317,313 |
|
|
$ |
9.89 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
|
1,297,313 |
|
|
$ |
9.83 |
|
We
issue
shares from our authorized but unissued common stock to satisfy stock option
exercises.
A
summary
of nonvested option activity is presented below:
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Weighted-Average
Grant Date Fair Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonvested
at April 1, 2007
|
|
|
302,000 |
|
|
$ |
7.59 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Vested
|
|
|
(102,000 |
) |
|
|
7.57 |
|
Forfeited
|
|
|
(180,000 |
) |
|
|
7.76 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonvested
at September 30, 2007
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
$ |
6.13 |
|
10. INCOME
TAXES
On
April
1, 2007, we adopted FIN 48 and recognized liabilities for uncertain tax
positions based on the two-step approach prescribed in the
interpretation. The first step is to evaluate each uncertain tax
position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence
indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained
on
audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if
any. For tax positions that are more likely than not of being
sustained upon audit, the second step requires us to estimate and measure the
tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50 percent likely of being
realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and
subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires us to determine the
probability of various possible outcomes.
As
a
result of the implementation of FIN 48, we recorded a $735 thousand increase
in
the gross liability for unrecognized tax positions, comprised of $460 thousand
of unrecognized tax benefits and $275 thousand of interest and penalties,
partially offset by federal and state tax benefits of $244
thousand. The net effect of $491 thousand was recorded as a decrease
to the opening balance of retained earnings on April 1, 2007. As of
April 1, 2007, we had $712 thousand of total gross unrecognized tax
benefits. Included in the retained earnings balance at April 1, 2007,
were $460 thousand of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the
effective tax rate. As of April 1, 2007, we had accrued interest and
penalties of $306 thousand.
We
file
income tax returns, including returns for our subsidiaries, with federal, state,
local, and foreign jurisdictions. We are currently under audit by the
Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for fiscal years 2004, 2005 and
2006. We have recorded a liability associated with preliminary
results of the audit of $252 thousand in fiscal year 2007. We expect
the audit to close during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009. Tax
years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 are subject to examination by state taxing
authorities. In addition, various state and local income tax returns
are also under examination by taxing authorities. We do not believe
that the outcome of any examination will have a material impact on our financial
statements.
There
were no increases to gross unrecognized tax benefits during the six months
ended
September 30, 2007. We expect it is reasonably possible that the
amount of unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by approximately $250 thousand
in the next 12 months due to the payment of the current IRS audit
assessment.
In
accordance with our accounting policy, we recognize accrued interest and
penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of tax
expense. This policy did not change as a result of the adoption of
FIN 48. As of April 1, 2007, the Company had accrued interest and
penalties of $306 thousand. Our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations for the three and six months ended September 30, 2007 include
additional interest of $18 thousand and $31 thousand, respectively.
11.
SEGMENT REPORTING
We
manage
our business segments on the basis of the products and services
offered. Our reportable segments consist of our traditional
financing business unit and technology sales business unit. The
financing business unit offers lease-financing solutions to corporations and
governmental entities nationwide. The technology sales business unit
sells information technology equipment and software and related services
primarily to corporate customers on a nationwide basis. The
technology sales business unit also provides internet-based business-to-business
supply chain management solutions for information technology and other operating
resources. We evaluate segment performance on the basis of segment
net earnings.
Both
segments utilize our proprietary software and services throughout the
organization. Sales and services and related costs of e-procurement
software are included in the technology sales business unit. Income
related to services generated by our proprietary software and services are
included in the technology sales business unit.
The
accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note
1,
“Basis of Presentation.” Corporate overhead expenses are allocated on the basis
of employee headcount.
|
|
Three
months ended September 30, 2007
|
|
|
Three
months ended September 30, 2006
|
|
|
|
Financing
Business Unit
|
|
|
Technology
Sales Business Unit
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Financing
Business Unit
|
|
|
Technology
Sales Business Unit
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales
of product and services
|
|
$ |
828 |
|
|
$ |
188,852 |
|
|
$ |
189,680 |
|
|
$ |
932 |
|
|
$ |
179,381 |
|
|
$ |
180,313 |
|
Sales
of leased equipment
|
|
|
18,218 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
18,218 |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
Lease
revenues
|
|
|
12,470 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
12,470 |
|
|
|
13,522 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
13,522 |
|
Fee
and other income
|
|
|
766 |
|
|
|
3,867 |
|
|
|
4,633 |
|
|
|
354 |
|
|
|
2,740 |
|
|
|
3,094 |
|
Total
revenues
|
|
|
32,282 |
|
|
|
192,719 |
|
|
|
225,001 |
|
|
|
16,627 |
|
|
|
182,121 |
|
|
|
198,748 |
|
Cost
of sales
|
|
|
18,015 |
|
|
|
165,607 |
|
|
|
183,622 |
|
|
|
2,513 |
|
|
|
159,858 |
|
|
|
162,371 |
|
Direct
lease costs
|
|
|
5,870 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
5,870 |
|
|
|
5,572 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
5,572 |
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
3,611 |
|
|
|
20,993 |
|
|
|
24,604 |
|
|
|
5,411 |
|
|
|
21,461 |
|
|
|
26,872 |
|
Segment
earnings
|
|
|
4,786 |
|
|
|
6,119 |
|
|
|
10,905 |
|
|
|
3,131 |
|
|
|
802 |
|
|
|
3,933 |
|
Interest
and financing costs
|
|
|
2,228 |
|
|
|
48 |
|
|
|
2,276 |
|
|
|
2,573 |
|
|
|
92 |
|
|
|
2,665 |
|
Earnings
before income taxes
|
|
$ |
2,558 |
|
|
$ |
6,071 |
|
|
$ |
8,629 |
|
|
$ |
558 |
|
|
$ |
710 |
|
|
$ |
1,268 |
|
Assets
|
|
$ |
261,114 |
|
|
$ |
153,121 |
|
|
$ |
414,235 |
|
|
$ |
303,160 |
|
|
$ |
140,928 |
|
|
$ |
444,088 |
|
|
|
Six
months ended September 30, 2007
|
|
|
Six
months ended September 30, 2006
|
|
|
|
Financing
Business Unit
|
|
|
Technology
Sales Business Unit
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Financing
Business Unit
|
|
|
Technology
Sales Business Unit
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales
of product and services
|
|
$ |
1,767 |
|
|
$ |
394,467 |
|
|
$ |
396,234 |
|
|
$ |
1,852 |
|
|
$ |
353,794 |
|
|
$ |
355,646 |
|
Sales
of leased equipment
|
|
|
26,804 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
26,804 |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
1,819 |
|
Lease
revenues
|
|
|
31,616 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
31,616 |
|
|
|
24,853 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
24,853 |
|
Fee
and other income
|
|
|
1,018 |
|
|
|
7,995 |
|
|
|
9,013 |
|
|
|
563 |
|
|
|
5,377 |
|
|
|
5,940 |
|
Total
revenues
|
|
|
61,205 |
|
|
|
402,462 |
|
|
|
463,667 |
|
|
|
29,087 |
|
|
|
359,171 |
|
|
|
388,258 |
|
Cost
of sales
|
|
|
26,883 |
|
|
|
350,128 |
|
|
|
377,011 |
|
|
|
3,171 |
|
|
|
315,229 |
|
|
|
318,400 |
|
Direct
lease costs
|
|
|
11,893 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
11,893 |
|
|
|
10,596 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
10,596 |
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
7,715 |
|
|
|
44,733 |
|
|
|
52,448 |
|
|
|
9,986 |
|
|
|
39,900 |
|
|
|
49,886 |
|
Segment
earnings
|
|
|
14,714 |
|
|
|
7,601 |
|
|
|
22,315 |
|
|
|
5,334 |
|
|
|
4,042 |
|
|
|
9,376 |
|
Interest
and financing costs
|
|
|
4,681 |
|
|
|
91 |
|
|
|
4,772 |
|
|
|
4,534 |
|
|
|
119 |
|
|
|
4,653 |
|
Earnings
before income taxes
|
|
$ |
10,033 |
|
|
$ |
7,510 |
|
|
$ |
17,543 |
|
|
$ |
800 |
|
|
$ |
3,923 |
|
|
$ |
4,723 |
|
Assets
|
|
$ |
261,114 |
|
|
$ |
153,121 |
|
|
$ |
414,235 |
|
|
$ |
303,160 |
|
|
$ |
140,928 |
|
|
$ |
444,088 |
|
Included
in the financing business unit above are inter-segment accounts receivable
of
$42.4 million and $1.0 million for the six months ended September 30, 2007
and
2006, respectively. Included in the technology sales business unit
above are inter-segment accounts payable of $42.4 million and $1.0 million
for
the six months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
For
the three and six months ended September 30, 2007,
$0.4 million and $1.3 million was eliminated from the revenue in our Technology
Sales Business Unit, respectively.
12.
THE NASDAQ STOCK MARKET PROCEEDINGS
Effective
at the opening of business on July 20, 2007, our common stock was delisted
from
The Nasdaq Global Market due to non-compliance with financial statement
reporting requirements. Specifically, in determining to delist our
common stock, Nasdaq cited the delay of more than one year from the final due
date for the filing of our fiscal year 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K with
the
SEC. Although we filed our fiscal year 2006 Form 10-K with the SEC on
August 16, 2007, our fiscal year 2007 Form 10-K on February 8, 2008 and our
first quarter 2007 Form 10-Q on March 31, 2008, the following requisite periodic
reports must also be filed with the SEC in order for us to be eligible to be
relisted on Nasdaq: this Form 10-Q and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
December 31, 2007.
13.
SUBSEQUENT EVENT
Between
October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007, we sold portions of our lease
portfolio. The sales will be reflected in our Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements over the three-month period as sales of leased equipment
totaling approximately $12.7 million and cost of sales, leased equipment of
$12.3 million. There will also be a reduction of investment in leases
and leased equipment-net and non-recourse notes payable.
Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations
This
discussion is intended to further the reader’s understanding of the consolidated
financial condition and results of operations of our company. It
should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in this
quarterly report on Form 10-Q and our annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ended March 31, 2007 (the “2007 Annual Report”). These historical
financial statements may not be indicative of our future
performance. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations contains a number of forward-looking
statements, all of which are based on our current expectations and could be
affected by the uncertainties and risks described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk
Factors” in our 2007 Annual Report and in Part II, Item 1A of this
quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Discussion
and Analysis Overview
ePlus
and its consolidated
subsidiaries provide leading IT products and services, flexible leasing
solutions, and enterprise supply management to enable our customers to optimize
their IT infrastructure and supply chain processes. Our revenues are
composed of sales of product and services, sales of leased equipment, lease
revenues and fee and other income. Our operations are conducted
through two basic business segments: our technology sales business unit and
our
financing business unit.
Technology
Sales Business Unit
The
technology sales business unit sells information technology equipment and
software and related services primarily to corporate customers on a nationwide
basis. The technology sales business unit also provides
internet-based business-to-business supply chain management solutions for
information technology and other operating resources.
Our
technology sales business unit derives revenue from the sales of new
equipment and service engagements. These revenues are reflected in
our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations under sales of product
and
services and fee and other income. Many customers purchase
information technology equipment from us using Master Purchase Agreements
(“MPAs”) in which the terms and conditions of our relationship are
stipulated. Some MPAs contain pricing
arrangements. However, the MPAs do not contain purchase volume
commitments and most have 30-day termination for convenience
clauses. In addition, many of our customers place orders using
purchase orders without an MPA in place. A substantial portion of our
sales of product and services are from sales of Hewlett Packard and
CISCO products, which represent approximately 22.0% and 38.0% of sales,
respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2007.
Included
in the sales of product and services in our technology sales business unit
are
certain service revenues that are bundled with sales of equipment and are
integral to the successful delivery of such equipment. Our service
engagements are generally governed by Statements of Work and/or Master Service
Agreements. They are primarily fixed fee; however, some agreements
are time and materials or estimates. We endeavor to minimize the cost
of sales in our technology sales business unit through vendor consideration
programs provided by manufacturers. The programs are generally
governed by our reseller authorization level with the
manufacturer. The authorization level we achieve and maintain governs
the types of products we can resell as well as such items as pricing received,
funds provided for the marketing of these products and other special
promotions. These authorization levels are achieved by us through
sales volume, certifications held by sales executives or engineers and/or
contractual commitments by us. The authorizations are costly to
maintain and these programs continually change and there is no guarantee of
future reductions of costs provided by these vendor consideration
programs. We currently maintain the following authorization levels
with our major manufacturers:
Manufacturer
|
|
Manufacturer
Authorization
Level
|
|
|
|
|
|
HP
Platinum Major (National)
|
|
|
Cisco
Gold DVAR (National)
|
|
|
Microsoft
Gold (National)
|
Sun
Microsystems
|
|
Sun
SPA Executive Partner (National) |
|
|
Sun
National Strategic DataCenter Authorized
|
|
|
Premier
IBM Business Partner (National)
|
|
|
Lenovo
Premium (National)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Through
our technology sales business unit we also generate revenue through hosting
arrangements and sales of software. These revenues are reflected in
our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations under fee and other
income. In addition, fee and other income results from: (1) income
from events that occur after the initial sale of a financial asset; (2)
remarketing fees; (3) brokerage fees earned for the placement of financing
transactions; and (4) interest and other miscellaneous income.
Financing
Business Unit
The
financing business unit offers lease-financing solutions to corporations and
governmental entities nationwide. The financing business unit derives
revenue from leasing primarily information technology equipment and sales
of leased equipment. These revenues are reflected in our Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations under lease revenues and sales of leased
equipment.
Lease
revenues consist of rentals due under operating leases, amortization of unearned
income on direct financing and sales-type leases and sales of leased assets
to
lessees. These transactions are accounted for in accordance with SFAS
No. 13. Each lease is classified as either a direct financing lease,
sales-type lease, or operating lease, as appropriate. Under the
direct financing and sales-type lease methods, we record the net investment
in
leases, which consists of the sum of the minimum lease payments, initial direct
costs (direct financing leases only), and unguaranteed residual value (gross
investment) less the unearned income. The difference between the
gross investment and the cost of the leased equipment for direct finance leases
is recorded as unearned income at the inception of the lease. The
unearned income is amortized over the life of the lease using the interest
method. Under sales-type leases, the difference between the fair
value and cost of the leased property plus initial direct costs (net margins)
is
recorded as revenue at the inception of the lease. For operating
leases, rental amounts are accrued on a straight-line basis over the lease
term
and are recognized as lease revenue. SFAS No. 140 establishes
criteria for determining whether a transfer of financial assets in exchange
for
cash or other consideration should be accounted for as a sale or as a pledge
of
collateral in a secured borrowing. Certain assignments of direct
finance leases we make on a non-recourse basis meet the criteria for surrender
of control set forth by SFAS No. 140 and have, therefore, been treated as sales
for financial statement purposes.
Sales
of
leased equipment represent revenue from the sales of equipment subject to a
lease in which we are the
lessor. Such sales of equipment may have the effect of increasing
revenues and net income during the quarter in which the sale occurs, and
reducing revenues and net income otherwise expected in subsequent
quarters. If the rental stream on such lease has non-recourse debt
associated with it, sales revenue is recorded at the amount of consideration
received, net of the amount of debt assumed by the purchaser. If
there is no non-recourse debt associated with the rental stream, sales revenue
is recorded at the amount of gross consideration received, and costs of sales
is
recorded at the book value of the lease.
Fluctuations
in Revenues
Our
results of operations are susceptible to fluctuations for a number of reasons,
including, without limitation, customer demand for our products and services,
supplier costs, interest rate fluctuations and differences between estimated
residual values and actual amounts realized related to the equipment we
lease. Operating results could also fluctuate as a result of the sale
of equipment in our lease portfolio prior to the expiration of the lease term
to
the lessee or to a third party. Such sales of leased equipment prior
to the expiration of the lease term may have the effect of increasing revenues
and net earnings during the period in which the sale occurs, and reducing
revenues and net earnings otherwise expected in subsequent periods.
We
have
expanded our product and service offerings under our comprehensive set of
solutions which represents the continued evolution of our original
implementation of our e-commerce products entitled ePlusSuite. The
expansion to our bundled solution is a framework that combines our IT sales
and
professional services, leasing and financing services, asset management software
and services, procurement software, and electronic catalog content management
software and services.
We
expect
to expand or open new sales locations and hire additional staff for specific
targeted market areas in the near future whenever we can find both experienced
personnel and qualified geographic areas.
As
a
result of our acquisitions and expansion of sales locations, our historical
results of operations and financial position may not be indicative of our future
performance over time.
Critical
Accounting Policies
Our
discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations
are
based upon our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States. The preparation of these Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect
the
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an
ongoing basis, we reevaluate our estimates, including those related to
residuals, vendor consideration, lease classification, goodwill and intangibles,
reserves for credit losses and income taxes specifically relating to FIN
48. Estimates in the assumptions used in the valuation of our stock
option expense are updated periodically and reflect conditions that existed
at
the time of each new issuance of stock options. We base estimates on
historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be
reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for
making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are
not readily apparent from other sources. For all of these estimates,
we caution that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted, and
therefore, these estimates routinely require adjustment.
We
consider the following accounting policies important in understanding our
operating results and financial condition. For additional accounting
policies, see Note 1, “Basis of Presentation” to the Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report.
As
noted
in Note 1, “Basis of Presentation,” under the caption “Income Taxes,” we adopted
FIN 48 during the first quarter of fiscal 2008. We consider many
factors when evaluating and estimating our tax positions and tax benefits,
which
may require periodic adjustments and which may not accurately anticipate actual
outcomes. Other than the adoption of FIN 48, our critical accounting
policies and the methodologies and assumptions we apply under them have not
materially changed since the date of our 2007 Annual Report.
SALES
OF
PRODUCT AND SERVICES. We adhere to guidelines and principles of sales
recognition described in SAB No. 104 issued by the staff of the
SEC. Under SAB No. 104, sales are recognized when the title and risk
of loss are passed to the customer, there is persuasive evidence of an
arrangement for sale, delivery has occurred and/or services have been rendered,
the sales price is fixed or determinable and collectibility is reasonably
assured. Using these tests, the vast majority of our sales represent
product sales recognized upon delivery.
From
time
to time, in the sales of product and services, we may enter into contracts
that
contain multiple elements. Sales of services currently represent a
small percentage of our sales. For services that are performed in
conjunction with product sales and are completed in our facilities prior to
shipment of the product, sales for both the product and services are recognized
upon shipment. Sales of services that are performed at customer
locations are recorded as sales of product or services when the services are
performed. If the service is performed at a customer location in
conjunction with a product sale or other service sale, we recognize the sale
in
accordance with SAB No. 104 and EITF 00-21, “Accounting for Revenue Arrangements
with Multiple Deliverables.” Accordingly, in an arrangement with multiple
deliverables, we recognize sales for delivered items only when all of the
following criteria are satisfied:
|
·
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the
delivered item(s) has value to the client on a stand-alone
basis;
|
|
·
|
there
is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value of the undelivered
item(s); and
|
|
·
|
if
the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the
delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s)
is
considered probable and substantially in our
control.
|
We
sell certain third-party service contracts and software assurance or
subscription products for which we evaluate whether the subsequent sales of
such
services should be recorded as gross sales or net sales in accordance with
the
sales recognition criteria outlined in SAB No. 104, EITF 99-19, “Reporting Revenue Gross
as a
Principal versus Net as an Agent,” and FASB Technical Bulletin 90-1,
“Accounting for Separately
Priced Extended Warranty and Product Contracts.” We must determine
whether we act as a principal in the transaction and assume the risks and
rewards of ownership or if we are simply acting as an agent or
broker. Under gross sales recognition, the entire selling price is
recorded in sales of product and services and our costs to the third-party
service provider or vendor is recorded in cost of sales, product and
services. Under net sales recognition, the cost to the third-party
service provider or vendor is recorded as a reduction to sales resulting in
net
sales equal to the gross profit on the transaction and there are no cost of
sales.
VENDOR
CONSIDERATION. We receive payments and credits from vendors,
including consideration pursuant to volume sales incentive programs, volume
purchase incentive programs and shared marketing expense
programs. Vendor consideration received pursuant to volume sales
incentive programs is recognized as a reduction to costs of sales, product
and
services in accordance with EITF Issue No. 02-16, “Accounting for Consideration
Received from a Vendor by a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s
Products).” Vendor consideration received pursuant to volume purchase
incentive programs is allocated to inventories based on the applicable
incentives from each vendor and is recorded in cost of sales, product and
services, as the inventory is sold. Vendor consideration received
pursuant to shared marketing expense programs is recorded as a reduction of
the
related selling and administrative expenses in the period the program takes
place only if the consideration represents a reimbursement of specific,
incremental, identifiable costs. Consideration that exceeds the
specific, incremental, identifiable costs is classified as a reduction of cost
of sales, product and services.
SOFTWARE
SALES AND RELATED COSTS. Revenue from hosting arrangements is
recognized in accordance with EITF 00-3, “Application of AICPA Statement
of
Position 97-2 to Arrangements That Include the Right to Use Software Stored
on
Another Entity’s Hardware.” Our hosting arrangements do not contain
a contractual right to take possession of the software. Therefore,
our hosting arrangements are not in the scope of SOP 97-2, “Software Revenue
Recognition,” and require that allocation of the portion of the fee
allocated to the hosting elements be recognized as the service is
provided. Currently, the majority of our software revenue is
generated through hosting agreements and is included in fee and other income
on
our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Revenue
from sales of our software is recognized in accordance with SOP 97-2, as amended
by SOP 98-4, “Deferral of the
Effective Date of a Provision of SOP 97-2,” and SOP 98-9, “Modification of SOP
97-2 With
Respect to Certain Transactions.” We recognize revenue when all the
following criteria exist: (1) there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement
exists; (2) delivery has occurred; (3) no significant obligations by us related
to services essential to the functionality of the software remain with regard
to
implementation; (4) the sales price is determinable; and (5) it is probable
that
collection will occur. Revenue from sales of our software is included
in fee and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
At
the time of each sale
transaction, we make an assessment of the collectibility of the amount due
from
the customer. Revenue is only recognized at that time if management
deems that collection is probable. In making this assessment, we
consider customer creditworthiness and assess whether fees are fixed or
determinable and free of contingencies or significant
uncertainties. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenue is
recognized only as payments become due from the customer, provided that all
other revenue recognition criteria are met. In assessing whether the
fee is fixed or determinable, we consider the payment terms of the transaction
and our collection experience in similar transactions without making
concessions, among other factors. Our software license agreements
generally do not include customer acceptance provisions. However, if
an arrangement includes an acceptance provision, we record revenue only upon
the
earlier of: (1) receipt of written acceptance from the customer; or (2)
expiration of the acceptance period.
Our
software agreements often include implementation and consulting services that
are sold separately under consulting engagement contracts or as part of the
software license arrangement. When we determine that such services
are not essential to the functionality of the licensed software and qualify
as
“service transactions” under SOP 97-2, we record revenue separately for the
license and service elements of these agreements. Generally, we
consider that a service is not essential to the functionality of the software
based on various factors, including if the services may be provided by
independent third parties experienced in providing such consulting and
implementation in coordination with dedicated customer personnel. If
an arrangement does not qualify for separate accounting of the license and
service elements, then license revenue is recognized together with the
consulting services using either the percentage-of-completion or
completed-contract method of contract accounting. Contract accounting
is also applied to any software agreements that include customer-specific
acceptance criteria or where the license payment is tied to the performance
of
consulting services. Under the percentage-of-completion method, we
may estimate the stage of completion of contracts with fixed or “not to exceed”
fees based on hours or costs incurred to date as compared with estimated total
project hours or costs at completion. If we do not have a sufficient
basis to measure progress towards completion, revenue is recognized upon
completion of the contract. When total cost estimates exceed
revenues, we accrue for the estimated losses immediately. The use of
the percentage-of-completion method of accounting requires significant judgment
relative to estimating total contract costs, including assumptions relative
to
the length of time to complete the project, the nature and complexity of the
work to be performed, and anticipated changes in salaries and other
costs. When adjustments in estimated contract costs are determined,
such revisions may have the effect of adjusting, in the current period, the
earnings applicable to performance in prior periods.
We
generally use the residual method to recognize revenues from agreements that
include one or more elements to be delivered at a future date when evidence
of
the fair value of all undelivered elements exists. Under the residual
method, the fair value of the undelivered elements (e.g., maintenance,
consulting and training services) based on vendor-specific objective evidence
(“VSOE”) is deferred and the remaining portion of the arrangement fee is
allocated to the delivered elements (i.e., software license). If
evidence of the fair value of one or more of the undelivered services does
not
exist, all revenues are deferred and recognized when delivery of all of those
services has occurred or when fair values can be established. We
determine VSOE of the fair value of services revenue based upon our recent
pricing for those services when sold separately. VSOE of the fair
value of maintenance services may also be determined based on a substantive
maintenance renewal clause, if any, within a customer contract. Our
current pricing practices are influenced primarily by product type, purchase
volume, maintenance term and customer location. We review services
revenue sold separately and maintenance renewal rates on a periodic basis and
update our VSOE of fair value for such services to ensure that it reflects
our
recent pricing experience, when appropriate.
Maintenance
services generally include rights to unspecified upgrades (when and if
available), telephone and Internet-based support, updates and bug
fixes. Maintenance revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the
maintenance contract (usually one year) on a straight-line basis and is included
in fee and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
When
consulting qualifies for separate accounting, consulting revenues under time
and
materials billing arrangements are recognized as the services are
performed. Consulting revenues under fixed-price contracts are
generally recognized using the percentage-of-completion method. If
there is a significant uncertainty about the project completion or receipt
of
payment for the consulting services, revenue is deferred until the uncertainty
is sufficiently resolved. Consulting revenues are classified as fee
and other income on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations.
Training
services include on-site training, classroom training and computer-based
training and assessment. Training revenue is recognized as the
related training services are provided and is included in fee and other income
on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
LEASE
CLASSIFICATION. The manner in which lease finance transactions are
characterized and reported for accounting purposes has a major impact upon
reported revenue and net earnings. Lease accounting methods critical
to our business are discussed below.
We
classify our lease transactions in accordance with SFAS No. 13, "Accounting for Leases," as:
(1) direct financing; (2) sales-type; or (3) operating
leases. Revenues and expenses between accounting periods for each
lease term will vary depending upon the lease classification.
As
a
result of these three classifications of leases for accounting purposes, the
revenues resulting from the "mix" of lease classifications during an accounting
period will affect the profit margin percentage for such period and such profit
margin percentage generally increases as revenues from direct financing and
sales-type leases increase. Should a lease be financed, the interest
expense declines over the term of the financing as the principal is
reduced.
For
financial statement purposes, we present revenue from all three classifications
in lease revenues, and costs related to these leases in direct lease
costs.
DIRECT
FINANCING AND SALES-TYPE LEASES. Direct financing and sales-type
leases transfer substantially all benefits and risks of equipment ownership
to
the customer. A lease is a direct financing or sales-type lease if
the creditworthiness of the customer and the collectibility of lease payments
are reasonably certain, no important uncertainties surround the amount of
unreimbursable costs yet to be incurred, and it meets one of the following
criteria: (1) the lease transfers ownership of the equipment to the customer
by
the end of the lease term; (2) the lease contains a bargain purchase option;
(3)
the lease term at inception is at least 75% of the estimated economic life
of
the leased equipment; or (4) the present value of the minimum lease payments
is
at least 90% of the fair market value of the leased equipment at the inception
of the lease.
Direct
financing leases are recorded as investment in leases and leased equipment—net
upon acceptance of the equipment by the customer. At the commencement
of the lease, unearned lease income is recorded that represents the amount
by
which the gross lease payments receivable plus the estimated unguaranteed
residual value of the equipment exceeds the equipment cost. Unearned
lease income is recognized, using the interest method, as lease revenue over
the
lease term.
Sales-type
leases include a dealer profit or loss that is recorded by the lessor upon
acceptance of the equipment by the lessee. The dealer's profit or
loss represents the difference, at the inception of the lease, between the
present value of minimum lease payments computed at the interest rate implicit
in the lease and the cost or carrying amount of the equipment (less the present
value of the unguaranteed residual value) plus any initial direct
costs. Interest earned on the present value of the lease payments and
residual value is recognized over the lease term using the interest
method.
OPERATING
LEASES. All leases that do not meet the criteria to be classified as
direct financing or sales-type leases are accounted for as operating
leases. Rental amounts are accrued on a straight-line basis over the
lease term and are recognized as lease revenue. Our cost of the
leased equipment is recorded on the balance sheet as investment in leases and
leased equipment—net and is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lease
term to our estimate of residual value. Revenue, depreciation expense
and the resulting profit for operating leases are recorded on a straight-line
basis over the life of the lease.
Lease
revenues consist of rentals due under operating leases, amortization of unearned
income on direct financing and sales-type leases and sales of leased assets
to
lessees. Equipment under operating leases is recorded at cost on the
balance sheet as investment in leases and leased equipment—net and depreciated
on a straight-line basis over the lease term to our estimate of residual
value. For the periods subsequent to the lease term, where
collectibility is certain, revenue is recognized on an accrual
basis. Where collectibility is not reasonably assured, revenue is
recognized upon receipt of payment from the lessee.
RESIDUAL
VALUES. Residual values represent our estimated value of the
equipment at the end of the initial lease term. The residual values
for direct financing and sales-type leases are included as part of the
investment in direct financing and sales-type leases. The residual
values for operating leases are included in the leased equipment's net book
value and are reported in the investment in leases and leased
equipment—net. The estimated residual values will vary, both in
amount and as a percentage of the original equipment cost, and depend upon
several factors, including the equipment type, manufacturer's discount, market
conditions and the term of the lease.
We
evaluate residual values on a quarterly basis and record any required changes
in
accordance with SFAS No. 13, paragraph 17.d., in which impairments of residual
value, other than temporary, are recorded in the period in which the impairment
is determined. Residual values are affected by equipment supply and
demand and by new product announcements by manufacturers.
We
seek
to realize the estimated residual value at lease termination mainly through:
(1)
renewal or extension of the original lease; (2) the sale of the equipment either
to the lessee or on the secondary market; or (3) lease of the equipment to
a new
customer. The difference between the proceeds of a sale and the
remaining estimated residual value is recorded as a gain or loss in lease
revenues when title is transferred to the lessee, or if the equipment is sold
on
the secondary market, in sales of product and services and cost of
sales, product and services when title is transferred to the
buyer.
INITIAL
DIRECT COSTS. Initial direct costs related to the origination of
direct financing or operating leases are capitalized and recorded as part of
the
net investment in direct financing leases or net operating lease equipment,
and
are amortized over the lease term.
ASSUMPTIONS
RELATED TO GOODWILL. We account for our acquisitions using the
purchase method of accounting. This method requires estimates to
determine the fair values of assets and liabilities acquired, including
judgments to determine any acquired intangible assets such as customer-related
intangibles, as well as assessments of the fair value of existing assets such
as
property and equipment. Liabilities acquired can include balances for
litigation and other contingency reserves established prior to or at the time
of
acquisition, and require judgment in ascertaining a reasonable
value. Third party valuation firms may be used to assist in the
appraisal of certain assets and liabilities, but even those determinations
would
be based on significant estimates provided by us, such as forecasted revenues
or
profits on contract-related intangibles. Numerous factors are
typically considered in the purchase accounting assessments. Changes
in assumptions and estimates of the acquired assets and liabilities would result
in changes to the fair values, resulting in an offsetting change to the goodwill
balance associated with the business acquired.
As
goodwill is not amortized, goodwill balances are regularly assessed for
potential impairment. Such assessments require an analysis of future
cash flow projections as well as a determination of an appropriate discount
rate
to calculate present values. Cash flow projections are based on
management-approved estimates. Key factors used in estimating future
cash flows include assessments of labor and other direct costs on existing
contracts, estimates of overhead costs and other indirect costs, and assessments
of new business prospects and projected win rates. Significant
changes in the estimates and assumptions used in purchase accounting and
goodwill impairment testing can have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
RESERVES
FOR CREDIT LOSSES. The reserves for credit losses are maintained at a
level believed by management to be adequate to absorb potential losses inherent
in our lease and accounts receivable portfolio. Management's
determination of the adequacy of the reserve is based on an evaluation of
historical credit loss experience, current economic conditions, volume, growth,
the composition of the lease portfolio and other relevant
factors. These determinations require considerable judgment in
assessing the ultimate potential for collection of these receivables and include
giving consideration to the customer's financial condition, and the value of
the
underlying collateral and funding status (i.e., discounted on a non-recourse
or
recourse basis). Our allowance also includes consideration of
uncollectible vendor receivables which arise from vendor rebate programs and
other promotions.
CAPITALIZATION
OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COSTS. We capitalize certain costs incurred
to develop commercial software products and to develop or purchase internal-use
software. Significant estimates and assumptions include: determining
the appropriate period over which to amortize the capitalized costs based on
the
estimated useful lives, estimating the marketability of the commercial software
products and related future revenues, and assessing the unamortized cost
balances for impairment. For commercial software products,
determining the appropriate amortization period is based on estimates of future
revenues from sales of the products. We consider various factors to
project marketability and future revenues, including an assessment of
alternative solutions or products, current and historical demand for the
product, and anticipated changes in technology that may make the product
obsolete. For internal-use software, the appropriate amortization
period is based on estimates of our ability to utilize the software on an
ongoing basis. To assess the realizability or recoverability of
capitalized software costs, we must estimate future revenue, costs and cash
flows. Such estimates require assumptions about future cash inflows
and outflows, and are based on the experience and knowledge of professional
staff. A significant change in an estimate related to one or more
software products could result in a material change to our results of
operations.
SHARE-BASED
PAYMENT. On April 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123
(revised 2004), “Share-Based
Payment,” or SFAS No. 123R. SFAS No. 123R replaces
SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation,” and supersedes APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock
Issued to
Employees,” and subsequently issued stock option related
guidance. We elected the modified-prospective transition method.
Under the modified-prospective method, we must recognize compensation expense
for all awards subsequent to adopting the standard and for the unvested portion
of previously granted awards outstanding upon adoption. We have recognized
compensation expense equal to the fair values for the unvested portion of
share-based awards at April 1, 2006 over the remaining period of service, as
well as compensation expense for those share-based awards granted or modified
on
or after April 1, 2006 over the vesting period based on the grant-date fair
values using the straight-line method. For those awards granted prior to the
date of adoption, compensation expense is recognized on an accelerated basis
based on the grant-date fair value amount as calculated for pro forma purposes
under SFAS No. 123.
INCOME
TAXES. On April 1, 2007, we adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty
in Income
Taxes —An
Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”). As a result of
the implementation, we recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based
on the two-step approach prescribed in the interpretation. The first step
is to evaluate each uncertain tax position for recognition by determining if
the
weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that
the
position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals
or
litigation processes, if any. For tax positions that are more likely than
not to be sustained upon audit, the second step requires us to
estimate and measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than
50
percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. It is
inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires
us to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. We will
reevaluate these uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This
evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts
or circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues under audit,
and new audit activity. Changes in the recognition or measurement of
uncertain tax positions could result in material increases or decreases in
our
income tax expense in the period in which we make the change. We recorded a
cumulative effect adjustment of $491 thousand to our fiscal 2008 balance of
beginning retained earnings in our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Results
of Operations — Three and Six Months Ended September 30, 2007
Compared to Three and Six Months Ended September 30, 2006
Revenues.
We generated total
revenues during the three months ended September 30, 2007 of $225.0 million
compared to revenues of $198.7 million during the three months ended September
30, 2006, an increase of 13.2%. During the six months ended September 30, 2007,
revenues increased 19.4% to $463.7 million, from $388.3 million during the
same
period ended September 30, 2006. These increases are driven
by increases in sales of product and services and growth in sales of leased
equipment.
Sales
of
product and services increased 5.2% to $189.7 million during the three months
ended September 30, 2007 compared to $180.3 million generated during the three
months ended September 30, 2006 and represented 84.3% and 90.7% of total
revenue, respectively. During the six months ended September 30,
2007, sales of product and services increased 11.4% to $396.2 million compared
to $355.6 million during the six months ended September 30, 2006, and
represented 85.5% and 91.6% of total revenue, respectively. The
increases in sales of product and services for both periods were results of
higher sales in our technology sales business unit, driven by a higher demand
from our existing customer base and the addition of new customers. The
decreases in sales of product and services as a percentage of total revenue
resulted from a proportionately higher increase sales of leased
equipment.
We
realized a gross margin on sales of product and services of 12.4% and 11.3%
for the three and six months ended September 30, 2007, respectively, and 10.9%
and 11.0% for the three and six months ended September 30, 2006. Our
gross margin on sales of product and services was affected by the mix and volume
of products sold and increased incentives provided to us by
manufacturers.
Lease
revenues decreased 7.8% to $12.5 million for the three months ended September
30, 2007, from the three months ended September 30, 2006. This
decrease is primarily due to a decrease in our direct financing sales portfolio
compared to the prior period. For the six months ended September 30,
2007, lease revenues increased 27.2% to $31.6 million. This increase
is primarily driven by sales of leased assets to our lessees. From
time to time, our lessees purchase leased assets from us before and at the
end
of the lease term. During the six months ended September 30, 2007, there
was a 306.30% increase in the sale of leased assets to lessees compared to
the same period last year. In addition, there was an increase in medical
equipment leases in our operating lease portfolio. Our net investment
in
leased assets was $179.2 million as of September 30, 2007, a 19.7% decrease
from
$223.2 million as of September 30, 2006. This decrease was due to
a reduction in our direct financing lease portfolio resulting from a sale
of 134 lease schedules.
We
also
recognize revenue from the sale of leased equipment to non-lessee third
parties. During the three months ended September 30, 2007 and
September 30, 2006, we sold a portion of our lease portfolio and recognized
a
gross margin of 4.3% and 2.4%, respectively, on these sales. The revenue
recognized on the sale of leased equipment totaled approximately $18.2 million
and $1.8 million, and the cost of leased equipment totaled $17.4 million and
$1.8 million, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2007 and
2006. For the six months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, revenue
recognized from sales of leased equipment totaled $26.8 million and $1.8
million, and the cost of leased equipment totaled $25.6 million and $1.8
million, resulting in gross margin of 4.5% and 2.4%,
respectively. The revenue and gross margin recognized on sales of
leased equipment can vary significantly depending on the nature and timing
of
the sale, as well as the timing of any debt funding recognized in accordance
with SFAS No. 125, “Accounting
for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of
Liabilities,” as amended by SFAS No. 140, “Accounting for Transfers
and
Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of
Liabilities.”
For
the
three months ended September 30, 2007, fee and other income was $4.6 million,
an
increase of 49.7% over the $3.1 million during the three months ended September
30, 2006. For the six months ended September 30, 2007, fee and other
income was $9.0 million, an increase of 51.7% over $5.9 million during the
six
months ended September 30, 2006. These increases are driven by an
increase in agent fees from manufacturers and an increase in revenue from sales
of our software in our technology sales business unit. Fee and other
income may also include revenues from adjunct services and fees, including
broker and agent fees, support fees, warranty reimbursements, monetary
settlements arising from disputes and litigation and interest income. Our fee
and other income contains earnings from certain transactions that are in our
normal course of business, but there is no guarantee that future transactions
of
the same nature, size or profitability will occur. Our ability to consummate
such transactions, and the timing thereof, may depend largely upon factors
outside the direct control of management. The earnings from these types of
transactions in a particular period may not be indicative of the earnings that
can be expected in future periods.
Costs
and Expenses. During
the three months ended September 30, 2007, cost of sales, product and services
increased 3.5% to $166.2 million as compared to $160.6 million during the same
period ended September 30, 2006. During the six months ended
September 30, 2007, cost of sales, product and services increased 11.0% to
$351.4 million from $316.6 million during the same period ended September 30,
2006. These increases corresponds to the increase in sales of product
and services in our technology sales business unit.
Direct
lease costs increased 5.3% to $5.9 million during the three months ended
September 30, 2007, and 12.2% to $11.9 million during the six months ended
September 30, 2007 as compared to the same periods in the prior fiscal
year. The largest component of direct lease costs is depreciation
expense for operating lease equipment. Our investment in operating leases
decreased 8.8% to $51.6 million at September 30, 2007 as
compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Professional
and other fees decreased 26.5%, to $3.5 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2007, as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal
year. This decrease is due to higher expenses incurred in the three
months ended September 30, 2006 related to a lawsuit against SAP and the Audit
Committee Investigation, as previously disclosed in our Form 10-K for the year
ended March 31, 2007. Fees related to the matters described above
were less during the three months ended September 30, 2007. For the
six months ended September 30, 2007, professional and other fees increased
18.5%
to $7.2 million, primarily due to an increase in audit fees and consulting
fees.
Salaries
and benefits expense decreased slightly by 2.9% to $17.2 million during the
three months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period in the
previous fiscal year due to a reduction in the number of employees. We
employed 635 people at September 30, 2007, as compared to 671 people at
September 30, 2006. During the six months ended September 30, 2007,
salaries and benefit expense increased 5.5% to $36.9
million. Although we employ fewer employees, salaries and benefits
expense increased primarily due to share-based compensation expense of $1.5
million. On May 11, 2007, each of our named executive officers,
Messrs. Norton, Bowen, Parkhurst and Mencarini, entered into separate stock
option cancellation agreements pursuant to which options to purchase 300,000
options, 50,000 options, 50,000 options, and 50,000 options, respectively,
were
cancelled. The cancellation of these 450,000 options led to the
immediate recognition of $1.5 million share-based compensation expense during
the six months ended September 30, 2007. In addition, we had higher
sales commission expense due to the increase in sales of product and
services.
General
and administrative expenses decreased 11.2% to $3.9 million during the three
months ended September 30, 2007, and 5.6% to $8.4 million during the six months
ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal
year. These decreases were due to increased efficiency in spending
controls and efforts to enhance productivity.
Interest
and financing costs decreased 14.6% to $2.3 million during the three months
ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal
year primarily due to a decrease in non-recourse notes payable. For
the six months ended September 30, 2007, interest and financing cost increased
2.6% to $4.8 million, as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal
year. This increase is driven by increasing debt rates on new
financings, partially offset by a reduction in non-recourse notes
payable. Non-recourse notes payable decreased 21.0% to $117.0 million
as of September 30, 2007 as compared to March 31, 2007. This decrease is
due to the maturity of 110 leases in our debt portfolio during the six months
ended September 30, 2007, combined with a normal reduction in principal and
interest partially offset by new leases.
Provision
for Income
Taxes. Our provision for income taxes increased $3.5 million to $3.8
million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, and $6.0 million to
$7.7
million for the six months ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the same
periods in the prior fiscal year. These increases are primarily due
to an increase in net earnings as well as an increase in non-deductible
share-based compensation expense related to the cancellation of 450,000 options
during the three months ended June 30, 2007. Our effective income tax rates
for the three and six months ended September 30, 2007 was 43.7% and 43.8%,
respectively. Our effective income tax rate for the three and six
months ended September 30, 2006 was 47.5% and 42.2%, respectively.
Net
Earnings. The foregoing
resulted in net earnings of $4.9 million, an increase of 396.1% for the three
months ended September 30, 2007, as compared to $1.0 million during the same
period in the prior fiscal year. Net earnings for the six months
ended September 30, 2007 was $9.9 million, an increase of 224.3% as compared
to
$3.0 million during the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Both
basic and fully diluted earnings per common share were $0.59 for the three
months ended September 30, 2007 and $0.12 for the three months ended September
30, 2006. Basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for
the three months ended September 30, 2007 are 8,231,741 and 8,331,044,
respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2006, the basic and
diluted weighted average common shares outstanding are 8,228,823 and 8,424,903,
respectively.
Basic
and
fully diluted earnings per common share were $1.20 and $1.18 for the six months
ended September 30, 2007, respectively, as compared to $0.36 and $0.34 for the six months
ended
September 30, 2006, respectively. Basic and diluted weighted average common
shares outstanding for the six months ended September 30, 2007 are 8,231,741
and
8,363,348, respectively. For the six months ended September 30, 2006, the
basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding are 8,218,154
and
8,586,866, respectively.
Financial
Condition
Cash
Flows
During
the six months ended September 30, 2007, we generated cash flows from operations
of $13.8 million and used cash flows from investing activities of $5.8 million.
Cash flows provided by financing activities amounted to $4.5 million during
the
same period. The effect of exchange rate changes during the period generated
cash flows of $268 thousand. The net effect of these cash flows was a net
increase in cash and cash equivalents of $12.7 million during the six months
ended September 30, 2007. During the same period, our total assets
decreased $3.9 million, or 0.9%, primarily as the result of decreases in
investment in leases and lease equipment—net. Our cash balance
as
of September 30, 2007 was $52.4 million as compared to $39.7 million as of
March 31, 2007.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Debt
financing activities provide approximately 80% to 100% of the purchase price
of
the equipment we purchase for leases to our customers. Any balance of the
purchase price (our equity investment in the equipment) must generally be
financed by cash flows from our operations, the sale of the equipment leased
to
third parties, or other internal means. Although we expect that the credit
quality of our leases and our residual return history will continue to allow
it
to obtain such financing, no assurances can be given that such financing will
be
available on acceptable terms, or at all. The financing necessary to support
our
leasing activities has principally been provided by non-recourse and recourse
borrowings. Historically, we have obtained recourse and non-recourse borrowings
from banks and finance companies. Non-recourse financings are loans whose
repayment is the responsibility of a specific customer, although we may make
representations and warranties to the lender regarding the specific contract
or
have ongoing loan servicing obligations. Under a non-recourse loan, we borrow
from a lender an amount based on the present value of the contractually
committed lease payments under the lease at a fixed rate of interest, and the
lender secures a lien on the financed assets. When the lender is fully repaid
from the lease payment, the lien is released and all further rental or sale
proceeds are ours. We are not liable for the repayment of non-recourse loans
unless we breach our representations and warranties in the loan agreements.
The
lender assumes the credit risk of each lease, and its only recourse, upon
default by the lessee, is against the lessee and the specific equipment under
lease. At September 30, 2007, our lease-related non-recourse debt portfolio
decreased 21.0% to $117.0 million as compared to $148.1 million at March 31,
2007. This decrease is due to the maturity of 110 leases in our debt portfolio,
in the six months ended September 30, 2007, combined with a normal reduction
in
principal and interest partially offset by new leases.
Whenever
possible and desirable, we arrange for equity investment financing, which
includes selling assets, including the residual portions, to third parties
and
financing the equity investment on a non-recourse basis. We generally retain
customer control and operational services, and have minimal residual risk.
We
usually reserve the right to share in remarketing proceeds of the equipment
on a subordinated basis after the investor has received an agreed-to return
on
its investment.
Accounts
payable—equipment represents equipment costs that have been placed on a lease
schedule, but for which we have not yet paid. The balance of unpaid equipment
costs can vary depending on vendor terms and the timing of lease originations.
As of September 30, 2007, we had $7.3 million of unpaid equipment costs, as
compared to $6.5 million as of March 31, 2007.
Accounts
payable—trade increased 33.5% to $29.1 million as of September 30, 2007 from
$21.8 million as of March 31, 2007. The increase is primarily related to an
increase in sales of product and services and, consequently, an increase in
cost
of goods sold, product and services from our technology sales business
unit.
Accounts
Payable—floor plan increased 5.5% to $58.5 million as of September 30, 2007 from
$55.5 million as of March 31, 2007. This increase is primarily due to a rise
in
sales of product and services from our technology sales business unit that
we
transacted through our floor plan facility with GECDF.
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities includes deferred expenses, income tax accrual
and amounts collected and payable, such as sales taxes and lease rental payments
due to third parties. We had $28.7 million and $26.0 million of accrued expenses
and other liabilities as of September 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007, respectively,
an increase of 10.4%.
Based
on
past performance and current expectations, we believe that our cash and cash
equivalents, available borrowings based on continued compliance and/or waivers
or extensions under our credit facilities, and cash generated from operations
will satisfy our working capital needs, capital expenditures, stock repurchases,
commitments, acquisitions and other liquidity requirements associated with
our
existing operations through at least the next 12 months.
Credit
Facility — Technology
Business
Our
subsidiary, ePlus
Technology, inc., has a financing facility from GECDF to finance its working
capital requirements for inventories and accounts receivable. There are two
components of this facility: (1) a floor plan component; and (2) an accounts
receivable component. As of June 20, 2007, the facility had an aggregate
limit of the two components of $100.0 million. As of September 30, 2007,
the facility with GECDF was amended to temporarily increase the total credit
facility limit to $100 million during the period from June 19, 2007 through
August 15, 2007. On August 2, 2007, the period was extended from August 15,
2007 to September 30, 2007 and then extended again on October 1, 2007 through
October 31, 2007. Other than during the temporary increase periods
described above, the total credit facility limit was $85 million. The
accounts receivable component has a sub-limit of $30 million. Effective
October 29, 2007, the aggregate limit of the facility was increased to $125
million with an accounts receivable sub-limit of $30 million, and the temporary
overline period was eliminated. Availability under the GECDF facility may be
limited by the asset value of equipment we purchase and may be further limited
by certain covenants and terms and conditions of the facility. These
covenants include but are not limited to a minimum total tangible net worth
and
subordinated debt, and maximum debt to tangible net worth ratio of ePlus Technology,
inc. We were in compliance with these covenants as of September 30,
2007.
The
facility provided by GECDF requires a guaranty of up to $10.5 million by ePlus inc. The guaranty
requires ePlus inc. to
deliver its audited financial statements by certain dates. We
are currently in compliance with this covenant. The loss of the GECDF
credit facility could have a material adverse effect on our future results
as we
currently rely on this facility and its components for daily working capital
and
liquidity for our technology sales business and as an operational function
of
our accounts payable process.
Floor
Plan Component
The
traditional business of ePlus Technology,
inc. as a
seller of computer technology, related peripherals and software products is
financed through a floor plan component in which interest expense for the first
thirty- to forty-five days, in general, is not charged. The floor plan
liabilities are recorded as accounts payable—floor plan on our Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets, as they are normally repaid within the thirty-
to
forty-five day time frame and represent an assigned accounts payable originally
generated with the manufacturer/distributor. If the thirty- to forty-five day
obligation is not paid timely, interest is then assessed at stated contractual
rates.
The
respective floor plan component credit limits and actual outstanding balances
(in thousands) were as follows:
Maximum Credit
Limit at
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
Balance as of
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
Maximum Credit
Limit at
September 30,
2007
|
|
|
Balance as of
September 30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Receivable Component
Included
within the floor plan component, ePlus Technology,
inc. has an
accounts receivable component from GECDF, which has a revolving line of
credit. On the due date of the invoices financed by the floor plan
component, the invoices are paid by the accounts receivable component of the
credit facility. The balance of the accounts receivable component is then
reduced by payments from our customers into a lockbox and our available
cash. The outstanding balance under the accounts receivable component is
recorded as recourse notes payable on our Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets.
The
respective accounts receivable component credit limits and actual outstanding
balances (in thousands) were as follows:
Maximum
Credit Limit at
March
31, 2007
|
|
|
Balance
as of March 31, 2007
|
|
|
Maximum
Credit Limit at
September
30, 2007
|
|
|
Balance
as of September 30, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Credit
Facility — Leasing
Business
Working
capital for our leasing business is provided through a $35 million credit
facility which is currently contractually scheduled to expire on July 10,
2009. Participating in this facility are Branch Banking and Trust Company
($15 million) and National City Bank ($20 million), with National City Bank
acting as agent. The ability to borrow under this facility is limited
to the amount of eligible collateral at any given time. The credit
facility has full recourse to us and is secured by a blanket lien against all
of
our assets such as chattel paper (including leases), receivables, inventory
and
equipment and the common stock of all wholly-owned subsidiaries.
The
credit facility contains certain financial covenants and certain restrictions
on, among other things, our ability to make certain investments, and sell assets
or merge with another company. Borrowings under the credit facility bear
interest at London Interbank Offered Rates (“LIBOR”) plus an applicable margin
or, at our option, the Alternate Base Rate (“ABR”) plus an applicable
margin. The ABR is the higher of the agent bank’s prime rate or Federal
Funds rate plus 0.5%. The applicable margin is determined based on our
recourse funded debt ratio and can range from 1.75% to 2.50% for LIBOR loans
and
from 0.0% to 0.25% for ABR loans. As of September 30, 2007, we had an
outstanding balance of $5 million on the facility, as recorded in recourse
notes
payable on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
In
general, we use the National City Bank facility to pay the cost of equipment
to
be put on lease, and we repay borrowings from the proceeds of: (1) long-term,
non-recourse, fixed rate financing which we obtain from lenders after the
underlying lease transaction is finalized; or (2) sales of leases to third
parties. The loss of this credit facility could have a material adverse effect
on our future results as we may have to use this facility for daily working
capital and liquidity for our leasing business. The availability of the
credit facility is subject to a borrowing base formula that consists of
inventory, receivables, purchased assets and lease assets. Availability
under the credit facility may be limited by the asset value of the equipment
purchased by us or by terms and conditions in the credit facility agreement.
If
we are unable to sell the equipment or unable to finance the equipment on a
permanent basis within a certain time period, the availability of credit under
the facility could be diminished or eliminated. The credit facility
contains covenants relating to minimum tangible net worth, cash flow coverage
ratios, maximum debt to equity ratio, maximum guarantees of subsidiary
obligations, mergers and acquisitions and asset sales. Other than as
detailed below, we are in compliance with these covenants as of September 30,
2007.
The
National City Bank facility requires the delivery of our Audited and Unaudited
Financial Statements, and pro-forma financial projections, by certain
dates. We have not delivered the following documents as required by Section
5.1 of the facility: quarterly Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Financial
Statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 included herein and quarter
ended December 31, 2007. We entered into the following amendments which
have extended the delivery date requirements for these documents: a First
Amendment dated July 11, 2006, a Second Amendment dated July 28, 2006, a Third
Amendment dated August 30, 2006, a Fourth Amendment dated September 27, 2006,
a
Fifth Amendment dated November 15, 2006, a Sixth Amendment dated January 11,
2007, a Seventh Amendment dated March 12, 2007, an Eighth Amendment dated June
27, 2007, a Ninth Amendment dated August 22, 2007, a Tenth Amendment dated
November 29, 2007 and an Eleventh Amendment dated February 29, 2008. As a
result of the amendments, the agents agreed, among other things, to extend
the
delivery date requirements of the documents above through June 30,
2008.
We
believe we will receive additional extensions from our lender, if needed,
regarding our requirement to provide financial statements as described above
through the date of delivery of the documents. However, we cannot
guarantee that we will receive additional extensions.
Performance
Guarantees
In
the
normal course of business, we may provide certain customers with performance
guarantees, which are generally backed by surety bonds. In general, we
would only be liable for the amount of these guarantees in the event of default
in the performance of our obligations. We are in compliance with the
performance obligations under all service contracts for which there is a
performance guarantee, and we believe that any liability incurred in connection
with these guarantees would not have a material adverse effect on our Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Potential
Fluctuations in Quarterly Operating Results
Our
future quarterly operating results and the market price of our common stock
may
fluctuate. In the event our revenues or earnings for any quarter are less
than the level expected by securities analysts or the market in general, such
shortfall could have an immediate and significant adverse impact on the market
price of our common stock. Any such adverse impact could be greater if any
such
shortfall occurs near the time of any material decrease in any widely followed
stock index or in the market price of the stock of one or more public equipment
leasing and financing companies, IT resellers, software competitors, major
customers or vendors of ours.
Our
quarterly results of operations are susceptible to fluctuations for a number
of
reasons, including, but not limited to, reduction in IT spending, our entry
into
the e-commerce market, any reduction of expected residual values related to
the
equipment under our leases, the timing and mix of specific transactions, and
other factors. See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our 2007 Annual Report.
Quarterly operating results could also fluctuate as a result of our sale
of equipment in our lease portfolio, at the expiration of a lease term or prior
to such expiration, to a lessee or to a third party. Such sales of
equipment may have the effect of increasing revenues and net income during
the
quarter in which the sale occurs, and reducing revenues and net income otherwise
expected in subsequent quarters.
We
believe that comparisons of quarterly results of our operations are not
necessarily meaningful and that results for one quarter should not be relied
upon as an indication of future performance.
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk
Although
a substantial portion of our liabilities are non-recourse, fixed interest rate
instruments, we are reliant upon lines of credit and other financing facilities
which are subject to fluctuations in interest rates. These instruments,
which are denominated in U.S. Dollars, were entered into for other than trading
purposes with the exception of amounts drawn under the National City Bank
and GECDF facilities and bear interest at a fixed rate. Because the
interest rate on these instruments is fixed, changes in interest rates will
not
directly impact our cash flows. Borrowings under the National City and GECDF
facilities bear interest at a market-based variable rate. Due to the
relatively short nature of the interest rate periods, we do not expect our
operating results or cash flow to be materially affected by changes in market
interest rates. As of September 30, 2007, the aggregate fair value of our
recourse borrowings approximated their carrying value.
During
the year ended March 31, 2003, we began transacting business in Canada. As
a result, we have entered into lease contracts and non-recourse, fixed interest
rate financing denominated in Canadian Dollars. To date, Canadian operations
have been insignificant and we believe that potential fluctuations in currency
exchange rates will not have a material effect on our financial
position.
Item
4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
As
of the
end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under
the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our
Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and our Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), of
the
effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures, or “disclosure controls,” pursuant to Exchange Act Rule
13a-15(b). Disclosure controls are controls and procedures designed to
reasonably ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports
filed
under the Exchange Act, such as this quarterly report, is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls include, without
limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required
to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated
and
communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, or persons performing
similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure. Our disclosure controls include some, but not all, components of
our
internal control over financial reporting. Based upon that evaluation, our
CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not
effective due to an existing material weakness in our internal control over
financial reporting as discussed below.
Change
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During
the course of preparing our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for
the quarter ended December 31, 2006, we identified a material weakness related
to the cut-off and recognition of service sales and accrued liabilities. We
have begun remediation of this material weakness as described
below.
A
material weakness is a deficiency, or
a
combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting,
such
that there is a reasonable possibility that a material
misstatement of the company's annual or interim financial statements will not
be
prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Other
than as discussed above, there have not been any changes in our internal control
over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2007, that
have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal
control over financial reporting.
Plan
for Remediation
In
connection with the preparation of our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2007, we performed additional
procedures related to the cut-off and recognition matters noted above. In
addition, we are developing a plan to enhance our controls surrounding these
cut-off issues including, but not limited to, improvements to existing software
applications to track service engagements, standardization of sales contract
terms, and additional staff training. The actions that we plan to take are
subject to continued management review supported by confirmation and testing
as
well as Audit Committee oversight.
Cyberco
Related Matters
We
have
been involved in several matters which are described below, arising from four
separate installment sales to a customer named Cyberco Holdings, Inc.
(“Cyberco”). The Cyberco principals were perpetrating a scam, which
victimized several dozen leasing and lending institutions. Five Cyberco
principals have pled guilty to criminal conspiracy and/or related charges
including bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Cyberco, related
affiliates, and at least one principal are in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. No future
payments are expected from Cyberco.
Two
lenders who financed the Cyberco transactions filed claims against us seeking
to
recover their losses. In July 2006, we settled a claim by GMAC Commercial
Finance, LLC (“GMAC”) for $6 million, which we paid in July 2006. In
February 2007, a final judgment was entered in the Circuit Court for Fairfax
County, Virginia, against ePlus Group in a suit
filed
by Banc of America Leasing and Capital, LLC (“BoA”). We paid the total
judgment of $4.3 million in two payments, the second of which was made in
June 2007.
In
the
one remaining unresolved Cyberco-related matter in which we are a defendant,
BoA
filed a lawsuit against ePlus inc., in the
Circuit
Court for Fairfax County, Virginia, on November 3, 2006, seeking to enforce
a
guaranty in which ePlus
inc. guaranteed our subsidiary ePlus Group’s obligations to
BoA relating to the Cyberco transaction. ePlus Group has already
paid
to BoA the judgment in the Fairfax County lawsuit referenced
above. The suit against ePlus inc. seeks attorneys’
fees BoA incurred
in ePlus Group’s appeal of BoA’s
suit against ePlus
Group referenced above, expenses BoA incurred in Cyberco’s bankruptcy
proceedings, attorneys’ fees incurred by BoA in defending a pending suit by
ePlus Group against
BoA
in California, and all attorneys’ fees and costs BoA has incurred arising in any
way from the Cyberco matter. The trial in this suit has been stayed
pending the outcome of ePlus Group’s suit against
BoA in California. We are vigorously defending the suit against us by
BoA. We cannot predict the outcome of this suit.
We
also
have been pursuing several avenues to recover our losses relating to
Cyberco. First, we sought insurance coverage from our insurance carrier,
Travelers Property Casualty Company of America (“Travelers”). We filed a
Complaint seeking a declaratory judgment that our liability to GMAC and
BoA described above is covered by our insurance policy. The court
found that we did not have insurance coverage for those matters,
and granted summary judgment for Travelers. In March 2008, the United
States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the lower court’s
finding of no coverage. Two other matters are still pending. First, we
have filed claims in state court in California against BoA seeking relief on
matters not adjudicated between the parties in Virginia. Second,
in June 2007, ePlus Group, inc.
and two
other Cyberco victims filed suit in the United States District Court for the
Western District of Michigan against The Huntington National Bank. The
complaint alleges counts of aiding and abetting fraud, aiding and abetting
conversion, and statutory conversion. While we believe that we have a basis
for these claims to recover certain of our losses related to the Cyberco matter,
we cannot predict whether we will be successful in our claims for damages,
whether any award ultimately received will exceed the costs incurred to pursue
these matters, or how long it will take to bring these matters to
resolution.
Other
Matters
On
January 18, 2007 a shareholder derivative action related to stock option
practices was filed in the United States District Court for the District of
Columbia. The amended complaint names ePlus inc. as nominal
defendant, and personally names eight individual defendants who are directors
and/or executive officers of ePlus, inc. The amended
complaint alleges violations of federal securities law, and various state law
claims such as breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets and unjust
enrichment. The amended complaint seeks monetary damages from the individual
defendants and that we take certain corrective actions relating to option grants
and corporate governance, and attorneys’ fees. We have filed a motion to dismiss
the amended complaint. We cannot predict the outcome of this suit.
We
are
currently engaged in a dispute with the government of the District of Columbia
(“DC”) regarding personal property taxes on property we financed for our
customers. DC is seeking approximately $508 thousand, plus interest and
penalties, relating to property we financed for our customers. We believe the
tax is owed by our customers, and are seeking resolution in DC’s Office of
Administrative Hearings. We cannot predict the outcome of this matter. While
management does not believe this matter will have a material effect on its
financial condition and results of operations, resolution of this dispute is
ongoing.
There
can
be no assurance that these or any existing or future litigation arising in
the
ordinary course of business or otherwise will not have a material adverse effect
on our business, consolidated financial position, or results of operations
or
cash flows.
There
have not been any material changes in the risk factors previously disclosed
in
Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2007.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
We
did
not purchase any ePlus inc. common
stock
during the three and six months ended September 30, 2007.
The
timing and expiration date of the stock repurchase authorizations are included
in Note 8, “Stock
Repurchase” to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
Not
Applicable
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders
Not
Applicable
Not
Applicable
Exhibit
No.
|
Exhibit
Description
|
|
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer of ePlus
inc. pursuant to
the Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and
15d-14(a).
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer of ePlus
inc. pursuant to
the Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and
15d-14(a).
|
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of ePlus
inc. pursuant to
18 U.S.C. § 1350.
|
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.
|
ePlus
inc.
|
|
|
Date:
April 15, 2008
|
/s/
PHILLIP G. NORTON
|
|
By:
Phillip G. Norton, Chairman of the Board,
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
Date:
April 15, 2008
|
/s/
STEVEN J. MENCARINI
|
|
By:
Steven J. Mencarini
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
42