UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14A-101)
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment
No. 1)
Filed
by the Registrant
x
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Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant
o
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Check the
appropriate box:
x
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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o
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Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
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o
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Definitive
Proxy Statement
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o
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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o
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Soliciting
Material pursuant to
§
240.14a-12
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COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
(Name
of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
o
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No
fee required.
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x
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Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
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1.
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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Common Stock, par value $0.01 per
share
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2.
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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435,000
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3.
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
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$0.29
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4.
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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$126,150
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5.
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Total
fee paid:
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$25.23
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o
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials:
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x
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
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1.
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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$25.23
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2.
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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Schedule 13E-3
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3.
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Filing
Party:
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Comtex News Network,
Inc.
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4.
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Date
Filed:
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February 5,
2010
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PRELIMINARY
COPY
625 N.
Washington Street, Suite 301
Alexandria,
Virginia 22314
[Date]
, 2010
Dear
Fellow Stockholders:
You are
cordially invited to attend a Special Meeting of Stockholders of Comtex News
Network, Inc. (the “Company” or “Comtex”) to be held on
[date]
, 2010 at
[time]
a.m. (Eastern Standard
Time) at the
[location]
.
At this
meeting, you will be asked to vote, in person or by proxy, on the following
matters: (i) the election of two directors to the Company’s Board of Directors;
(ii) a proposal to approve an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation which would effect a reverse stock split pursuant to which each
1,000 shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock, par value $0.01 (“Common
Stock”), will be converted into one share of Common Stock (with stockholders
owning less than one share of Common Stock after giving effect to the reverse
stock split receiving a cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split share) (the “Reverse
Stock Split”); (iii) a proposal to approve an amendment to the Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation which would permit actions of the Company’s
stockholders to be taken by written consent; (iv) the ratification of the
appointment of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP as the Company’s independent
auditors; and (v) any other business as may properly come before the
meeting.
The text
of the proposed amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation
referred to in items (ii) and (iii) above are set forth in the accompanying
Proxy Statement. If item (ii) is approved and carried out as
described, the Company will have fewer than 500 stockholders. The
purpose of the amendment related to the Reverse Stock Split is to permit Comtex
to terminate the registration of its Common Stock under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended, and cease being a reporting public
company. In such event, the Common Stock will no longer be publicly
traded, and the Company will no longer file certain periodic reports with the
Securities and Exchange Commission as required under the Exchange
Act.
The Board
of Directors has fully reviewed and considered the terms and conditions of the
proposed Reverse Stock Split (including the payment of cash in lieu of the
issuance of fractional shares) and has unanimously determined that the
transaction, taken as a whole, is fair to, and in the best interests of, the
Company’s stockholders. Promptly following the completion of the
Reverse Stock Split, the Company will send a form of letter of transmittal to
all stockholders for their use in exchanging their stock certificates for cash
and/or surrendering their old stock certificates in exchange for new stock
certificates. Please do not send in your stock certificates until you
receive the form of letter of transmittal.
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Sincerely,
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/s/
C.W. Gilluly, Ed.D.
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Chairman
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/s/
Chip Brian
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President and
CEO
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PRELIMINARY COPY
Comtex
News Network, Inc.
Notice
of Special Meeting of Stockholders
[Date],
2010
TO THE
STOCKHOLDERS:
NOTICE IS
HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Meeting of Stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) of
Comtex News Network, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “Comtex”),
is scheduled to be held on
[date]
, 2010 at
[time]
a.m. (Eastern Standard
Time), at the
[location]
for the following purposes:
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1.
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To
elect two directors to serve for a term expiring in 2013 and until their
successors are duly elected and qualified;
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2.
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To
approve an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation which
would effect a reverse stock split pursuant to which each 1,000 shares of
the Company’s outstanding Common Stock, par value $0.01 (“Common Stock”),
will be converted into one share of Common Stock (with stockholders owning
less than one share of Common Stock after giving effect to the reverse
stock split receiving a cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split share) (the
“Reverse Stock Split”);
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3.
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To
approve an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation which
would permit actions of the Company’s stockholders to be taken by written
consent;
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4.
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To
ratify the appointment of Turner, Stone & Co. LLP as independent
auditors for the Company for fiscal year 2010;
and
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5.
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting and
any adjournment thereof.
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Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on [●], 2010 are entitled to
notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting and any adjournment
thereof. All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Special
Meeting in person. However, to assure your representation at the
meeting, you are urged to download, complete, sign and date the proxy card and
vote it promptly. Stockholders who have submitted a proxy card may
revoke their proxy in writing, or by attending the meeting and voting in
person.
Comtex is
making the proxy materials available to its stockholders on the Internet on
[date]
, 2010. You may
read, print and download the Company’s 2009 Annual Report on Form
10K and the Proxy Statement at
[Internet
address]
. On
[date]
, 2010, the Company
mailed a notice to its stockholders containing instructions on how to access the
proxy materials online. In addition, ten days after mailing such notice, the
Company will mail a proxy card and voting instructions to stockholders for
voting their shares. On an ongoing basis, stockholders may request to receive
proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by
e-mail.
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of
this Proxy Statement or the transactions described in this Proxy Statement,
passed upon the merits or fairness of the transactions described in this Proxy
Statement, or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this
Proxy Statement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
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FOR
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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/s/
S. Amber Gordon
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Corporate
Secretary
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Alexandria,
Virginia
[Date]
,
2010
Comtex
News Network, Inc.
PROXY
STATEMENT
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Proxy
Solicitation
This Proxy Statement is furnished
to the holders of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), of
Comtex News Network, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “Comtex”),
in connection with the solicitation on behalf of the Board of Directors of the
Company (the “Board”) of proxies to be used at the Special Meeting of
Stockholders (the “Special Meeting”), which will be held on
[date]
, 2010 at
[time]
a.m. (Eastern
Standard Time) at the
[location]
, or at any
adjournment thereof, pursuant to the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of
Stockholders. The purposes of the Special Meeting and the related
matters to be acted upon are set forth in the accompanying Notice of Special
Meeting of Stockholders. The Board is not currently aware of any other matters
that will come before the Special Meeting. In connection with the
Reverse Stock Split (as defined below), the Company has filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Transaction Statement on
Schedule 13E-3 (the “Schedule 13E-3”) pursuant to Rule 13e-3 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which
incorporates by reference the information contained in this Proxy Statement
regarding the Reverse Stock Split.
Pursuant to SEC Notice and Access regulations, the Company has chosen to post
all proxy materials on a public, independent Internet Website (the “Website”)
and send the Company’s stockholders a notice (the “Notice”) specifying precisely
where the materials are available and how to access them. If a
stockholder wishes to receive printed copies of the materials, the instructions
on how to request such materials are also contained in the
Notice. Furthermore, the Company will make arrangements with
brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to send such
Notice to the beneficial owners of shares and will reimburse them for their
expenses in so doing.
Revocability
and Voting of Proxy
A form of proxy card (the “Proxy Card”) for use at the Special Meeting is posted
on the Website, and can be downloaded and mailed to the address specified on the
Proxy Card. Stockholders may revoke the authority granted by their
execution of Proxy Cards at any time before their effective exercise at the
Special Meeting by filing with the Corporate Secretary of the Company a written
notice of revocation or a duly executed Proxy Card bearing a later date, or by
voting in person at the Special Meeting. Shares of Common Stock
represented by executed and unrevoked Proxy Cards will be voted in accordance
with the instructions specified thereon. If executed Proxy Cards are
returned to the Company with no provided instructions, the proxies intend to
vote the shares of Common Stock represented thereby in favor of the nominee(s)
for director set forth in Proposal No. 1 below, and to approve Proposals No. 2,
3 and 4 as set forth below and, as directed by the Board, on any other matters
which may properly come before the Special Meeting.
Record
Date, Quorum and Voting Rights
Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on March [●], 2010 are entitled
to notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting. As of March [●],
2010, 15,794,200 shares of Common Stock were issued and
outstanding. This is the only class of shares authorized by the
Company for which stock is outstanding. Each share of Common Stock is
entitled to a single non-cumulative vote on all matters that may properly come
before the Special Meeting. The holders of a majority of the votes of
shares of Common Stock entitled to vote at the Special Meeting will constitute a
quorum at the Special Meeting.
Under Delaware law, (i) a plurality of the votes cast at the Special
Meeting is necessary to elect directors; (ii) the affirmative vote of a
majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock is required to approve
amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation which would (a) effect
a reverse stock split pursuant to which each 1,000 shares of the Company’s
outstanding Common Stock will be converted into one share of Common Stock (with
stockholders owning any fractional share of Common Stock after giving effect to
the reverse stock split receiving a cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split share
the conversion of which results in such post-split fractional share) (the
“Reverse Stock Split”) and (b) permit actions of the Company’s stockholders to
be taken by written consent; and (iii) the affirmative vote of a majority
of the votes cast at the Special Meeting is required to ratify the appointment
of Turner, Stone & Co. LLP as the Company’s independent auditors for the
fiscal year 2010. With respect to the election of the nominees for
directors, a “plurality” of the votes cast means that the two nominees who
receive the highest number of properly cast votes will be elected as directors
even if those nominees do not receive a majority of the votes cast.
Broker
“non-votes” and shares of Common Stock as to which a stockholder abstains from
voting are included for the purposes of determining whether a quorum of
stockholders is present at the Special Meeting. A broker “non-vote”
occurs when a nominee holding shares of Common Stock for a beneficial owner does
not have discretionary voting power with respect to a proposal set forth in this
Proxy Statement and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial
owner. Broker non-votes will not be counted in determining the number
of votes cast in favor of the nominees for directors with respect to Proposal
No. 2. Brokers will not have discretionary voting power with
respect to Proposal No. 2 or 3, so broker non-votes will have the same effect as
a vote “against” Proposal No. 2 or 3.
Votes at
the Special Meeting will be tabulated by Inspectors of Election appointed by the
Company.
Important Information Regarding
Beneficial Ownership and Record Ownership
If you hold your shares in “street name” (
i.e
., in a brokerage
account), you are
not
considered to be the “record holder” of those shares. Instead, you
are the “beneficial owner” of those shares and your broker is the “record
holder.” Your broker may be the “record holder” for you and many
other “beneficial owners” of the Company’s Common Stock, and as a result may be
the “record holder” of more than 1,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock even
if you are the “beneficial owner” of fewer than 1,000 shares of the Company’s
Common Stock. As a “beneficial owner,” you are entitled to receive
either post-split shares of Common Stock based on the 1-for-1,000 exchange
ratio, a cash payment, or both, depending on the number of shares of Common
Stock that you hold and based upon the information provided by your
broker. Even though your broker is expected to provide the Company
with information regarding the beneficial ownership positions that it holds,
this information may result in calculations that affect the number of shares of
Common Stock or the amount of cash in lieu of fractional shares that you receive
in the Reverse Stock Split. If your broker holds more than 1,000
shares of Common Stock in the aggregate, depending on its policies and
procedures, your broker may not be obligated to treat the Reverse Stock Split as
affecting your shares and you may not receive cash for your fractional
interests. Accordingly, if you hold shares in “street name” and you
wish to ensure that your ownership position is accurately reported to the
Company, you should instruct your broker to transfer your shares into a record
account in your name immediately. If your broker does so, you would
become both the “record holder” and the “beneficial owner” of your
shares. Unless you instruct your broker accordingly, the Company
cannot ensure that you will be paid cash in lieu of any fractional shares that
are created by the Reverse Stock Split with respect to your shares.
STOCKHOLDER
LIST
A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Special Meeting will be available
at the Company’s offices, located at 625 N. Washington Street, Suite 301,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314, for a period of ten days prior to the Special
Meeting for examination by any stockholder, and at the Special Meeting
itself.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
Proxy Statement contains certain statements about the Company’s expectations,
beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance that are
not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are
often, but not always, indicated by the words “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,”
“projects,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend” and similar words and
phrases. These statements are subject to a variety of risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these
forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and
uncertainties include those described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, and in the Company’s other
periodic filings with the SEC. These risks and uncertainties include, among
other things, the consolidation of the Internet news market; competition with
the Company’s markets; the financial stability of the Company’s customers;
maintaining a secure and reliable news-delivery network; maintaining
relationships with key content providers; attracting and retaining key
personnel; the volatility of the Common Stock price; control of operating
expenses; successful marketing of the Company’s services to current and new
customers; the effect of the Reverse Stock Split and deregistration of the
Common Stock on the Company’s customer relationships, operating results and
business generally; the amount of cost savings the Company achieves as a result
of the deregistering the Common Stock; and the failure of the Reverse Stock
Split to be effected for any reason. All forward-looking statements
are necessarily only estimates of future results and there can be no assurance
that actual results will not differ materially from expectations, and,
therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
statements. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their
entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this Proxy Statement
and the documents incorporated by reference herein.
SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
The following is a summary of the material information regarding the Reverse
Stock Split. For a more complete description of the terms and effects
of the Reverse Stock Split, you are urged to read carefully the entire Proxy
Statement and the documents that are attached as Annexes to the Proxy
Statement.
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After
consideration of a number of factors, the Board unanimously approved a
1-for-1,000 reverse split of the Common Stock with a cash out of
fractional interests. See “Special Factors—Purpose of,
Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Purpose of the Reverse Stock Split,” “—Alternatives to the Reverse
Stock Split,” “—Reasons for the Reverse Stock Split” and “Proposal No.
2—Background Events.”
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In
cashing out fractional shares, the Company expects to purchase
approximately 435,000 pre-split shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.29
per pre-split share, for a total expenditure of approximately
$126,150. The Company has sufficient cash available to make
payments for all fractional shares, and intends to make such payments out
of available working capital. See “Special Factors—Purpose of,
Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on the
Company.”
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The
approval of the Reverse Stock Split requires the approval of the majority
of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock. The Company has approximately 15,794,200 shares
of Common Stock outstanding as of the record date; therefore, the approval
of approximately 7,897,101 shares of Common Stock is required to approve
the Reverse Stock Split. See “Special Factors—Fairness of the Reverse
Stock Split—Approval of the
Stockholders.”
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The
Reverse Stock Split will be effected by filing a Certificate of Amendment
to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State
of the State of Delaware. See “Proposal No. 2—Proposed Language
Amending the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation.” The
Company may elect to file an Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation instead of a Certificate of
Amendment.
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When
the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, if you hold at least 1,000
shares of Common Stock (a “Continuing Stockholder”), you will receive one
share of post-split Common Stock for every 1,000 shares of Common Stock
that you owned prior to the Reverse Stock Split. You will not
be issued fractional shares for numbers of pre-split shares of Common
Stock that are not divisible by 1,000; instead, you will receive a cash
payment of $0.29 per pre-split share for those shares. You will
no longer have any rights as a stockholder with respect to those shares
for which you receive a cash payment. See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on
Stockholders Holding 1,000 or More Shares of Common
Stock.”
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When
the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, if you hold fewer than 1,000
shares of Common Stock (a “Cashed-Out Stockholder”), you will receive a
cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split share. You will no longer
hold any shares of Common Stock, and will no longer have any rights as a
stockholder with respect to those shares for which you receive a cash
payment. See “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and
Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Effects on Stockholders Holding Fewer Than 1,000 Shares of Common
Stock.”
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When
the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, if you hold options to purchase
shares of Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock subject to
each outstanding option will be automatically decreased by a factor of
1,000, and the exercise price of each such outstanding option will be
automatically increased by a factor of 1,000. Any vested option
for fewer than 1,000 shares of pre-split Common Stock will be
automatically converted into a right to receive a cash payment of $0.29
per pre-split share (less an amount equal to the exercise price of such
option). Any unvested options for fewer than 1,000 shares of
pre-split Common Stock, regardless of exercise price, will be cancelled in
the Reverse Stock Split. See “Special Factors—Purpose of,
Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on Option
Holders.”
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The
Reverse Stock Split will have the same effect on directors, officers and
affiliates of the Company as it does on all other unaffiliated
stockholders, except that, because each director, officer and other
affiliate of the Company holds more than 1,000 shares of Common Stock, no
director, officer or affiliate of the Company will be completely cashed
out, and each such person will own post-split shares of Common
Stock. “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons
for and Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Special Effects on Affiliated
Persons.”
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As
soon as practicable after the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, you
will be asked to surrender any stock certificates representing cashed-out
shares of Common Stock to the Company’s transfer agent. A
letter of transmittal will be provided to you at that time for you to
complete, sign and return to the Company’s transfer agent. You
should allow for approximately five business days after mailing your
certificates for the Company’s transfer agent to receive your
information. Upon receipt of a properly completed letter of
transmittal and your certificates, you should receive your cash payment
within approximately seven to ten business days thereafter. The
Company may also contact you after the Reverse Stock Split to issue new
certificates representing post-split shares that you will continue to
hold.
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If
you hold your shares in “street name” (such as a brokerage account), you
are
not
considered to be the record holder of those shares. If your
broker does not provide the Company’s transfer agent with accurate
information regarding the beneficial ownership positions that it holds,
you may not receive an accurate number of post-split shares of Common
Stock or the cash payment to which you are entitled. Please see
“Information Regarding Beneficial Ownership and Record Ownership”
above.
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When
the Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, the Company will have fewer
than 500 stockholders of record. Accordingly, the Company
intends to terminate the registration of the Common Stock with the
SEC. Upon termination of registration, the Company will no
longer be required to file annual, quarterly or other reports with the
SEC, and the Company will not be subject to applicable proxy
rules. In addition, the shares of Common Stock will no longer
be eligible for listing on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board of the
Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (the “OTCBB”). See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Purpose of the Reverse Stock Split” and “—Effects of
the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on the
Company.”
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After
the Reverse Stock Split, the Company expects its business and operations
generally to continue as currently conducted. The Company does
not currently plan to initiate any new operational or strategic projects
or acquisitions, although it may take advantage of opportunities to expand
organically or through acquisitions as such opportunities
arise. See “Proposal No. 2—Conduct of the Company’s Business
After the Reverse Stock Split.”
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The
receipt of post-split shares of Common Stock will not result in any gain
or loss to you for federal income tax purposes. The receipt of cash for
fractional shares of Common Stock will be a taxable transaction to you for
federal income tax purposes and may be taxable for state, local, foreign
and other tax purposes as well.
You are urged to consult your
personal tax advisor for an analysis of the effect of the Reverse Stock
Split on your tax situation.
See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Federal Income Tax
Consequences.”
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You
will not have appraisal rights in the event you dissent from the Reverse
Stock Split. See “Proposal No. 2—No Dissenters’
Rights.”
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The
Company believes that the Reverse Stock Split is fair to all affiliated
and unaffiliated stockholders of the Company, including those stockholders
who will receive only cash in lieu of fractional shares and those
stockholders who will continue as stockholders of the Company following
the completion of the Reverse Stock Split. However, the Company
urges stockholders to be aware that factual circumstances could change
subsequent to the date of this Proxy Statement such that it might no
longer be desirable or appropriate to effect the Reverse Stock
Split. A change in circumstances could include a third party
tender offer for the shares of Common Stock at a higher price, a merger
opportunity which would result in a higher price to stockholders, and a
material change in the Company’s business operations or financial
condition that affects the Company’s ability to effect the Reverse Stock
Split. If the Board elects to withdraw or modify the terms of
the Reverse Stock Split, the Company will notify stockholders as soon as
practicable.
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QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
The
following are some questions about the Reverse Stock Split that may be raised by
the Company’s stockholders, and answers to each of those
questions. The answers to the questions below may not include all the
information that is important to you. You are urged to read carefully
the entire Proxy Statement.
Q:
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What
are some of the advantages of the Reverse Stock
Split?
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A:
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The
Company believes that the Reverse Stock Split may have the following
advantages, among others:
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The
Company will reduce various costs and expenses, such as auditing and legal
fess, filing fees and printing and mailing expenses, as a result of
terminating its periodic filing and reporting
obligations.
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The
Company’s management will be able to focus on long-term value, rather than
on the short-term earnings that are often the focus of public reporting
companies.
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The
Company will be able to better control the dissemination of certain
business information to competitors, vendors and customers, whose
interests may be significantly disparate from with those of the
Company.
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|
The
Continuing Stockholders will continue to hold equity interests in the
Company after the Reverse Stock
Split.
|
●
|
The
Cashed-Out Stockholders will receive a premium of approximately 30% over
the average daily closing price per share of the Common Stock on the OTCBB
for the ten trading days immediately preceding the date on which the
Reverse Stock Split was first publicly
announced.
|
|
See
“Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of
the Reverse Stock Split—Benefits of the Reverse Stock
Split.”
|
Q:
|
What are some of the
disadvantages of the Reverse Stock
Split?
|
A:
|
The
Company believes that the Reverse Stock Split may have the following
disadvantages, among others:
|
●
|
The
Company’s working capital or assets will be decreased to fund the costs of
the transaction, including the cash payment in lieu of the issuance of
fractional shares of Common Stock.
|
●
|
The
Common Stock will no longer be registered with the SEC or traded on the
OTCBB, resulting in reduced liquidity for the Continuing
Stockholders.
|
●
|
The
Continuing Stockholders will experience a reduced equity interest in the
Company and a reduced participation in the Company’s potential future
earnings or growth as a result of the receipt of cash in lieu of any
fractional shares.
|
●
|
Less
public information about the Company will be available after the Reverse
Stock Split to the Continuing
Stockholders.
|
●
|
The
Cashed-Out Stockholders will not have an opportunity to sell their shares
at a time and for a price of their choosing and will be unable to
participate in any future earnings or growth of the
Company.
|
●
|
The
Company will experience the effective elimination of its already limited
ability to access the public capital markets or to use the Common Stock as
acquisition currency.
|
|
See
“Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of
the Reverse Stock Split—Detriments of the Reverse Stock
Split.”
|
Q:
|
What
are some of the factors that the Board considered in approving the Reverse
Stock Split?
|
A:
|
The
Board considered numerous factors in approving the Reverse Stock Split,
including:
|
●
|
the
Company’s direct and indirect costs in complying with the Exchange Act’s
periodic filing and reporting
requirements;
|
●
|
the
Company’s belief that neither it nor its stockholders realize many of the
benefits normally presumed to result from the Company’s publicly reporting
status, including a liquid trading
market;
|
●
|
the
Company’s belief that it is not in a position to use its status as a
public company to raise capital through sales of securities in a public
offering in the future or to otherwise access the public markets to raise
equity or debt financing;
|
●
|
the
Company’s belief that the Reverse Stock Split will permit management to
focus on long-term value, rather than on the short-term
earnings;
|
●
|
the
Company’s belief that upon the termination of its duty to file periodic
reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act, the Company will be better
able to control the dissemination of certain business information to
competitors, vendors and customers;
|
●
|
the
financial analyses of the Company’s management and the Special Transaction
Committee used to determine the fair price to be paid in lieu of issuing
fractional shares;
|
●
|
the
Special Transaction Committee’s utilization of the “fair value” definition
proscribed by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) to
determine the fair price to be paid in lieu of issuing fractional
shares;
|
●
|
the
Board’s discussions and conclusions about the fairness of the price of
$0.29 per pre-split share to be paid in connection with the Reverse Stock
Split to the Company’s stockholders owning fewer than 1,000 shares of
Common Stock at the time of the Reverse Stock Split and in lieu of
fractional shares that would be issued to stockholders owning more than
1,000 shares of Common Stock at the time of the Reverse Stock Split;
and
|
●
|
the
recommendation of the Special Transaction Committee to the Board regarding
the fairness from a financial point of view to the Company’s unaffiliated
stockholders of a reverse split followed by a cash-out of fractional
interests and its recommendation of a price to effect such a cash-out that
is fair to such stockholders.
|
|
For
a more comprehensive review of the factors considered by the Board, see
“Special Factors—Fairness of the Reverse Stock Split—Factors Considered in
Determining Fairness.”
|
Q:
|
Why
does the Company wish to reduce the number of its stockholders of record
to fewer than 500?
|
A:
|
If
the Company has fewer than 500 stockholders of record, the Company is
permitted to file a Form 15 with the SEC to terminate the registration of
the Common Stock under the Exchange Act and thereby suspend the Company’s
duty to file periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange
Act.
|
Q:
|
What will the effect of the
Reverse Stock Split be on the
Stockholders?
|
A:
|
The
effect of the Reverse Stock Split on the Stockholders will be as
follows:
|
●
|
If
you are a Continuing Stockholder, you will own one share of Common Stock
for every 1,000 shares of Common Stock that you owned prior to the Reverse
Stock Split. You will not be issued fractional shares for
numbers of pre-split shares of Common Stock that are not divisible by
1,000; instead, you will receive a cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split
share for those shares that you own in excess of the highest multiple of
1,000 shares. For example, if you own 3,250 pre-split shares
prior to the Reverse Stock Split, you would receive (i) three post-split
shares, and (ii) cash in the amount of $72.50 (250 pre-split shares times
$0.29 per pre-split share). You will no longer have any rights
as a stockholder with respect to those shares for which you receive a cash
payment. See “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to,
Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse
Stock Split—Effects on Stockholders Holding 1,000 or More Shares of Common
Stock.”
|
●
|
If
you are a Cashed-Out Stockholder, you will receive a cash payment of $0.29
per pre-split share. You will no longer hold any shares of our
Common Stock, and will no longer have any rights as a stockholder with
respect to those shares for which you receive a cash payment. See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on
Stockholders Holding Fewer Than 1,000 Shares of Common
Stock.”
|
●
|
If
you hold options to purchase shares of Common Stock immediately before the
Reverse Stock Split becomes effective, the number of shares of Common
Stock subject to each outstanding stock option will be automatically
decreased by a factor of 1,000, and the exercise price of each such
outstanding option will be automatically increased by a factor of
1,000. Any vested option for fewer than 1,000 pre-split shares
of Common Stock will be automatically converted into a right to receive a
cash payment of $0.29 per pre-split share (less an amount equal to the
exercise price of such options). For example, if you hold an
option to purchase 2,000 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of
$0.20 per share, after the Reverse Stock Split, you would hold an option
to purchase two post-split shares of Common Stock with an exercise price
of $200 per share. If you hold an option to purchase 700 shares
of pre-split Common Stock with an exercise price of $0.20 per share, you
would receive a cash payment of $63 (700 shares times ($0.29 - $0.20) per
share). Any unvested options for fewer than 1,000 pre-split
shares Common Stock, regardless of exercise price, will be cancelled in
connection with the Reverse Stock Split. See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on Option
Holders.”
|
●
|
Stockholders holding Common
Stock in “street name” (
i.e.
, in a brokerage account) may
be subject to special requirements and separate
risks.
Please carefully review the information under
“Important Information Regarding Beneficial Ownership and Record
Ownership.”
|
Q:
|
What
are the rights of the stockholders if the Company goes
private?
|
A:
|
Continuing
Stockholders will continue to have the rights afforded to stockholders in
a private corporation in accordance with the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation and By-Laws and the Delaware General Corporation
Law. Cashed-Out Stockholders will no longer have any rights as
stockholders of the Company.
|
Q:
|
How
will payment for shares be
effected?
|
A:
|
Promptly
following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company will send
to all stockholders of record a form of letter of transmittal for use in
sending Common Stock certificates to the Company’s transfer
agent. Upon proper completion and execution of a letter of
transmittal and its return to the transfer agent, together with Common
Stock certificates, the stockholder will receive a new Common Stock
certificate and/or cash in the amount to which the holder is entitled as a
result of the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders will be
required to provide their Social Security or other taxpayer identification
numbers (or in some instances additional information) to the Company’s
transfer agent in connection with the Reverse Stock Split to avoid backup
withholding requirements that might otherwise apply. The form
of letter of transmittal will require each stockholder to deliver this
information when he or she surrenders the Common Stock certificates
following the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split (the “Effective
Date”). Failure to provide this information may result in
backup withholding.
Please do not send your stock
certificates to the Company’s transfer agent until after you have received
the instructions.
See “Proposal No. 2—Exchange of Stock
Certificates.”
|
Q:
|
What
are the interests of the Company’s directors and executive officers in the
Reverse Stock Split?
|
A:
|
The
Company’s executive officers and directors own beneficially an aggregate
of 4,138,386 shares, or approximately 24%, of the outstanding Common
Stock, including currently exercisable options to purchase an aggregate of
1,447,800 shares of Common Stock. Each of these individuals
holds shares or vested options exceeding 1,000 shares and will therefore
retain shares of Common Stock or options to purchase shares of Common
Stock immediately following the completion of the Reverse Stock
Split. Most of these individuals will also receive cash
payments in lieu of fractional shares. As a result of the
Reverse Stock Split, it is expected that the percentage of ownership of
outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company held beneficially by the
Company’s executive officers and directors as a group will increase from
approximately 24% to approximately 24.6% after the completion of the
transaction, based on the number of shares outstanding on March [•],
2010. See “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons
for and Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Special Effects on Affiliated
Persons.”
|
Q:
|
What
if I hold shares of Common Stock in “street
name”?
|
A:
|
If
you hold shares of Common Stock in “street name,” then your broker, bank
or other nominee is considered the stockholder of record with respect to
those shares and not you. Depending upon your nominee’s
procedures, your nominee may not be obligated to treat the Reverse Stock
Split as affecting your shares and you may not receive cash for your
fractional interests.
Accordingly, if you hold shares
in “street name” and you wish to ensure that your ownership position is
accurately reported to the Company, you should instruct your broker to
transfer your shares into a record account in your name
immediately.
See “Special Information Regarding
Beneficial Ownership and Record
Ownership.”
|
Q:
|
What
if I hold 1,000 or more shares of Common Stock in the aggregate through
multiple brokerage or record accounts or a combination of brokerage and
record accounts, each with fewer than 1,000
shares?
|
A:
|
In
the event that you hold a total of 1,000 or more shares of Common Stock,
but these shares are divided up among multiple brokerage and/or record
accounts, each with fewer than 1,000 shares, the Company’s transfer agent
will attempt to contact you at the address the Company has on record or
through your brokerage account to make the necessary arrangements to
register and, where applicable, aggregate your
positions. However, there can be no assurance that the transfer
agent will be able to contact you or, where applicable, that our transfer
agent will be able to successfully compare your holdings across multiple
brokerage and/or record accounts. If you hold a total of 1,000
or more shares of Common Stock divided up among multiple brokerage and/or
record accounts, each with fewer than 1,000 shares, you are urged to
contact your broker immediately to make arrangements to register and/or
consolidate your holdings or take such other steps as may be necessary in
order to avoid processing delays after completion of the Reverse Stock
Split and to avoid receiving fewer shares than you might be otherwise
entitled to based upon your aggregate holdings. See “Special
Information Regarding Beneficial Ownership and Record
Ownership.”
|
Q:
|
Can
the Board determine not to proceed with the Reverse Stock Split as
currently contemplated?
|
A:
|
The
Company may decide not to proceed with the Reverse Stock Split as
currently contemplated, or to change certain of the terms of the Reverse
Stock Split, if the Board determines that abandoning or changing the terms
of the Reverse Stock Split is in the Company’s best interest and the best
interest of the Company’s stockholders. If the Company decides
not to proceed with the Reverse Stock Split, the Company anticipates that
it will continue to operate its business as presently
conducted. If the Company decides to change the terms of the
Reverse Stock Split, you may receive additional materials describing the
revised terms and soliciting your vote in favor of the revised
terms. See “Proposal No. 2—Conduct of the Company’s Business
After the Reverse Stock Split.”
|
Q:
|
What
are the federal income tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split to
me?
|
A:
|
Generally,
a stockholder receiving cash in exchange for his, her or its fractional
shares in connection with the Reverse Stock Split will recognize capital
gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes. A
Continuing Stockholder generally will not recognize any gain or loss for
United States federal income tax purposes with respect to the portion of
his, her or its pre-split shares that are exchanged for post-split shares
of Common Stock. See “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives
to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Federal Income Tax Consequences.”
You are urged to consult with
your personal tax advisor with regard to the individual tax consequences
to you of the Reverse Stock
Split.
|
Q:
|
What
information will I be able to obtain about the Company if I continue to
hold stock after the Reverse Stock
Split?
|
A:
|
Following
the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company will become a
private company with no legal obligation to provide periodic reporting
information to its stockholders or the SEC. However, following
the completion of the Reverse Stock Split the Company intends to provide
its stockholders with basic information regarding the Company’s financial
performance on an annual basis. The nature and the scope of
such reporting (including whether such information is audited, the manner
of the distribution of such information and whether such information may
be provided on a more frequent basis) will be determined by the Company
following the completion of the Reverse Stock
Split.
|
Q:
|
What
is the total cost of the Reverse Stock Split to the
Company?
|
A:
|
The
Company estimates that it will pay approximately $126,150 to cash out
fractional shares as part of the Reverse Stock Split. In
addition, the Company anticipates incurring approximately $59,300 in
advisory, legal, financial, accounting, printing and other fees and costs
in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. See “Special
Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the
Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on the
Company.”
|
Q:
|
What
does the deregistration of the Common Stock
mean?
|
A:
|
The
Reverse Stock Split is expected to reduce the number of stockholders of
record of the Company from approximately 518 to approximately
154. If the Reverse Stock Split is completed, the Company will
terminate the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act as
soon as practicable. Upon termination of the Company’s periodic
reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, the Common Stock will no
longer be listed on the OTCBB, but may be eligible for listing and trading
in the Pink Sheets® (a centralized quotation service that collects and
publishes market maker quotations for securities). However, the
completion of the Reverse Stock Split and the deregistration of the Common
Stock under the Exchange Act will likely cause the trading market for
shares of the Common Stock to be substantially reduced or
eliminated. See “Special Factors—Purpose of, Alternatives to,
Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects of the Reverse
Stock Split—Effects on the
Company.”
|
Q:
|
Am
I entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the Reverse Stock
Split?
|
A:
|
You
are not entitled to appraisal rights under Delaware law or under the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws in connection with the
Reverse Stock Split. See Proposal No. 2—No Dissenters’
Rights.”
|
Q:
|
At
what prices has the Company’s Common Stock traded
recently?
|
A:
|
As
of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Common Stock is traded on the
OTCBB. From January 1, 2010, through February 5, 2010 (the date
of the Company’s initial announcement of its intention to undertake the
Reverse Stock Split), the closing price of the Common Stock ranged between
$0.20 and $0.25 per share. Following the initial announcement
on February 5, 2010, through the date of this Proxy Statement, the closing
price of the Common Stock has ranged between $[0.20] and $[0.29] per
share. See “Price Range of Common Stock; Dividends; Trading
Volume.”
|
Q:
|
How
is the Reverse Stock Split being
financed?
|
A:
|
The
Company will be solely responsible for the payment of the fees and
expenses incurred in connection with the Reverse Stock
Split. The Company will pay such fees and expenses out of
available working capital. See “Special Factors—Purpose of,
Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split—Effects of the Reverse Stock Split—Effects on the
Company.”
|
Q:
|
Why
is the Company seeking the ability to permit actions of the Company’s
stockholders to be taken by written
consent?
|
A:
|
The
Board believes that allowing for actions of the Company’s stockholders to
be taken by written consent to the extent authorized by Delaware law would
allow the Company increased flexibility to act on corporate matters as
events warrant, particularly following the Reverse Stock
Split. See “Proposal No.
3.”
|
Q:
|
Does
the Company currently have any plans to issue additional shares of capital
stock?
|
A:
|
The
Company does not currently have any definitive plans to issue additional
shares of its capital stock. However, the Company reserves the
right to do so at any time and from time to time at such prices and on
such other terms and conditions as the Board determines to be in the best
interest of the Company. Such additional shares may be
used for various purposes with stockholder approval, except as may be
required by law or by the terms of any agreements to which the Company is
a party. These purposes may include: raising capital; providing
equity incentives to employees, officers or directors; establishing
strategic relationships with other companies; expanding the Company’s
business or product lines through the acquisition of other businesses or
products; and other purposes. See “Proposal No. 2—Conduct of
the Company’s Business After the Reverse Stock
Split.”
|
Q:
|
Who
can help answer my questions?
|
A.
|
If
you have additional questions about the Reverse Stock Split, allowing the
Company’s stockholders to take actions by written consent or any of the
other disclosures in this Proxy Statement, you should contact S. Amber
Gordon, the Corporate Secretary of the Company, at (703)
797-8011.
|
SPECIAL
FACTORS
Purpose
of, Alternatives to, Reasons for and Effects of the Reverse Stock
Split
Purpose
of the Reverse Stock Split
The
purpose of the Reverse Stock Split is to reduce the number of stockholders of
record of the Company to fewer than 500, which will allow the Company to
terminate the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act, thereby
suspending the Company’s duty to file periodic reports with the SEC under the
Exchange Act. If the number of record holders were reduced to fewer
than 500, the Company would be eligible to deregister the Common Stock under the
Exchange Act and would no longer be subject to the SEC periodic filing and
reporting requirements imposed on public companies. The Company
intends to achieve this result by acquiring for cash all fractional shares of
Common Stock resulting from the Reverse Stock Split.
Alternatives
to the Reverse Stock Split
The
Board and the Special Transaction Committee have each concluded that the Reverse
Stock Split is the most expeditious and economical alternative for changing the
Company’s status from that of a public reporting company to that of a private
non-reporting company. In making its recommendation to the Board, the
Special Transaction Committee considered the feasibility of various alternative
transactions, and ultimately rejected each alternative. The Board
concurred in the Special Transaction Committee’s determinations. The
alternatives considered are as follows:
Issuer Tender
Offer
The Special Transaction Committee considered recommending that the Company make
a cash tender offer to all the Company’s stockholders with a view to reducing
the number of record stockholders to fewer than 500, but it ultimately
determined the Reverse Stock Split to be preferable. The Special
Transaction Committee believed that an issuer tender offer would not assure a
reduction in the number of record holders to fewer than 500 because many small
holders would not bother tendering their shares of Common Stock. The
Special Transaction Committee further expected the cost of completing the issuer
tender offer to be significant relative to the value of the shares of Common
Stock sought to be purchased by the Company. In addition, an
excessive number of tenders - something the Company could not control - could
require the Company to expend a substantially greater amount of funds than
otherwise necessary to achieve the Company’s objective. Purchasing on
a pro rata basis only a specified portion of the shares of Common Stock tendered
by each stockholder would be an inappropriate solution because this would not
reduce the actual number of record holders. In contrast, the Reverse
Stock Split does not share these uncertainties and has a high probability of
allowing the Company to achieve its objective at a relatively fixed
cost.
Traditional Stock Repurchase
Program
The
Special Transaction Committee considered the advisability of a plan for the
Company periodically to repurchase shares of the Common Stock on the open market
at then-current market prices. However, given the limited public
trading activity in the Common Stock and the random self-selection of the
selling stockholders in such transactions, it was thought highly unlikely that
the Company could acquire the entire holdings of a sufficient number of record
holders within any reasonable time frame or assured cost, if at all, to
accomplish a going-private objective.
Odd-Lot Repurchase
Program
The Special Transaction Committee considered the feasibility of a program by
which the Company would offer to repurchase at a specified price all the shares
of Common Stock held by any stockholder holding of record fewer than 100
shares. However, because stockholder participation would be entirely
voluntary and therefore unpredictable, the Company could not be assured that
enough eligible stockholders would sell their shares of Common Stock so as to
cause the total number of holders of record to be reduced to below
500. Moreover, such a program, especially allowing for likely
extensions of deadlines for responding, would likely entail a more protracted
time frame and greater expense than that of the Reverse Stock
Split.
Merger or Buy-Out of the
Company
The Company has neither sought nor received any proposals from any persons for
the merger or consolidation of the Company, or for the sale or other transfer of
all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, or for the issuance of
securities of the Company that would enable the holder thereof to exercise
control of the Company. The Company did not seek any such proposals
because such transactions are inconsistent with the purpose of the proposed
transaction, which is the continued operation of the Company as a privately-held
company for the benefit of its current stockholders. The Special
Transaction Committee believed that implementation of the Reverse Stock Split
would enable management to devote full time and attention to the Company’s
business and result in a significant reduction in the Company’s
expenses. This is expected, in turn, to enable the Company to improve
its financial performance, which could result in increased stockholder value
over time. The Special Transaction Committee was also concerned that
exploring the sale of the Company could create an unstable environment for
various employees whose commitment is critical key to the Company’s operations,
thus potentially disrupting and adversely affecting the Company’s business and
operations.
Maintaining the Status
Quo
The Special Transaction Committee considered maintaining the status quo, in
which case the Company would continue to incur the expenses of being a publicly
reporting company without enjoying the benefits typically associated with
public-company status. The Special Transaction Committee considered
this alternative to be detrimental to the continued future success of the
Company, and therefore to all of the Company’s stockholders, and accordingly
determined that it was not in the best interest of the Company and its
stockholders.
Reasons
for the Reverse Stock Split
Significant Expenses
Attendant to Being a Public Company
The Company incurs direct and
indirect costs in complying with the Exchange Act’s periodic filing and
reporting requirements imposed on public companies. The cost of this
compliance has increased significantly with the implementation of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“Sarbanes-Oxley”). In
addition, the Company pays substantially higher premiums for its directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance policy as a public reporting company than it would
if the Common Stock was not registered under the Exchange Act. The
Company also incurs substantial costs as a result of, among other things, the
Company’s management time expended in preparing and reviewing the Company’s
periodic public filings. The Company believes that these costs have,
and are expected to continue to have, a significant and adverse effect on the
operations and financial performance of the Company.
The cost of administering each
stockholder’s account and the amount of time spent by the Company’s management
in responding to stockholder requests is the same regardless of the number of
shares held in the account. Accordingly, the burden to the Company of
maintaining many small accounts is disproportionately high when compared with
the total number of shares involved. While the Company does have an
employee whose responsibilities include managing investor relations, the
executive officers are nevertheless called upon to regularly participate in
preparing the Company’s responses to stockholder requests. This
administrative burden distracts the Company’s management from allocating their
time and energies to managing the Company’s operations and to strategic
planning. The Company believes that it and its stockholders would
significantly benefit from the elimination of the administrative burden and cost
associated with the approximately 305 record stockholders accounts containing
approximately 80,400 total shares of Common Stock.
The Company expects that, by deregistering the Common Stock under the Exchange
Act and terminating the Company’s periodic filing and reporting obligations, it
will benefit from savings in historical costs including (a) a reduction in
auditing related fees; (b) a reduction in legal fees related to securities law
compliance and the less complicated and extensive disclosure entailed by the
Company’s private status; (c) the elimination of requisite filing fees for
various periodic filing and reporting with the SEC; (d) the expected savings in
fees and expenses of the Company’s transfer agent and others external service
providers for postage, stock transfer and other administrative expenses to
service public stockholders; (e) the lower printing and mailing costs
attributable to the reduction in the number of the Company’s stockholders; and
(f) the expected reduction in premiums for directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance. In total, the Company expects to save in excess of $95,000
per year in expenses as a result of deregistering the Common Stock under the
Exchange Act and terminating the Company’s periodic filing and reporting
obligations. The foregoing estimate is based upon (i) the actual
costs to the Company of the services and disbursements in each of the categories
described above and (ii) the allocation to each category of the Company’s
estimates of the portion of the expenses and disbursements in such category
believed to be solely or primarily attributable to the Company’s periodic public
reporting status. The actual savings the Company will realize from
becoming a private company may be higher or lower than the foregoing
estimate.
In some instances, the Company’s cost-saving expectations set forth above were
based on information provided from external sources or upon verifiable
assumptions. For example, the Company’s auditors have informally
discussed a reduction in auditing fees if the Company ceases to be a public
company. In addition, the costs associated with retaining legal
counsel to assist with complying with the Exchange Act periodic reporting
requirements will be eliminated if the Company no longer files reports with the
SEC and is otherwise not required to comply with the disclosure requirements
that apply to publicly reporting companies. Other estimates were more
subjective and included the savings in transfer agent fees that could be
expected due to (i) the reduction in the number of accounts to be handled by the
transfer agent, (ii) the lower printing and mailing costs attributable to such a
reduction, (iii) the less complicated disclosure required by the Company’s
private status, and (iv) the reduction in direct miscellaneous clerical and
other expenses (
e.g.
,
word processing and other internal charges associated with Exchange Act filings
and the elimination of the charges imposed by brokers and banks to forward
materials to beneficial holders of Common Stock).
In addition to these annual estimated cost savings, the completion of the
Reverse Stock Split and subsequent deregistration of the Common Stock under the
Exchange Act would enable the Company to experience significant cost savings by
avoiding expected increases in operating expenses resulting from Sarbanes-Oxley
and related regulations – specifically regarding implementation of Section 404
of Sarbanes-Oxley. These costs are expected to comprise (i) a
one-time incremental cost of $50,000 or more in computer software and fees to
external service providers for planning, assessment, documentation and testing
to comply with the new internal-control audit requirements imposed by Section
404 of Sarbanes-Oxley and (ii) in excess of $25,000 in annual expenses
thereafter.
By way of comparison, assuming
that the Company will save approximately $95,000 in historical costs and $25,000
in anticipated future costs (by avoiding implementation of Section 404 of
Sarbanes-Oxley) by deregistering the Common Stock under the Exchange Act and
terminating the Company’s periodic filing and reporting obligations, such
estimated total savings of $120,000 would have represented 1.9% of the Company’s
revenue of $6,401,518 for the fiscal year-ended June 30, 2009, and 130.5% of the
Company net income of $91,927 for the fiscal year-ended June 30, 2009, each as
reported in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2009.
The Company expects the actual cost savings of being a non-reporting, private
company to be greater than simply eliminating the estimated historical
out-of-pocket costs. The legislative and litigation environment
resulting from recent corporate governance abuses is expected to cause the
costs, compliance burdens and potential liabilities of being a publicly
reporting company to continue increasing in the near future. The
Company believes it is likely to incur continued increased audit fees and other
costs of compliance such as securities counsel fees, increased outside director
fees and increased potential liability faced by the Company’s directors and
executive officers.
Inability to Realize
Benefits Normally Realized By Publicly Reporting Companies
The Company believes that
neither it nor its stockholders realize many of the benefits normally presumed
to result from the Company’s publicly reporting status. Though
publicly-traded, there is a very limited trading market for the Common Stock,
especially for sales of larger blocks of stock. The Company’s small
public float and limited trading volume have restricted the stockholders’
ability to sell a significant number of their shares without impacting the
trading price of the Common Stock. During the twelve months prior to
the announcement of the proposed Reverse Stock Split on February 5, 2010, the
average daily trading volume of the Common Stock was approximately 7,600
shares.
Furthermore, the Company does not believe itself to be in a position to use its
status as a public company to raise capital through sales of securities in a
public offering in the future or to otherwise access the public markets to raise
equity or debt financing or to acquire other business entities using the Common
Stock as the consideration for any such acquisition. The poor
performance of the Common Stock in the public market has also been a detriment
to attracting and retaining high quality employees because of the perceived
negative image that a low stock price creates and the fact that stock options
are not a meaningful method of compensation.
Operational
Considerations
The Reverse Stock Split will permit the Company’s management to focus on
long-term value, rather than on the short-term earnings that are often the focus
of public reporting companies. With the Company privately held, the
pressure imposed on it by the investing community to generate short-term
earnings and to disclose strategic initiatives will no longer exist, and
operating decisions can be made with a longer-term perspective.
In addition, the disclosures contained in the Company’s Exchange Act periodic
filings, including information related to its business operations and financial
condition, are available to the public and thus can be readily analyzed by
various parties such as competitors, vendors and customers, whose interests may
be significantly disparate from with those of the Company. Moreover,
the Company does not have access to similar information concerning its
competitors, many of which are private companies, thus aggravating the Company’s
competitive disadvantage. Upon the termination of the registration of
the Common Stock under the Exchange Act and the termination of the duty to file
periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act, the Company will be better
able to control the dissemination of certain business information.
Conclusion
The Company believes its and its stockholders’ best interests would be served by
eliminating the administrative burden and costs associated with maintaining the
Company’s status as a public reporting company and its small stockholder
accounts. The Company has proposed the Reverse Stock Split at this
time to allow the Company to quickly cease incurring the expenses and burdens of
being a public company (which are expected to increase in the future) and to
quickly make available to holders of a fractional share of Common Stock (as a
result of the Reverse Stock Split) a cash payment for reinvestment or other
use.
Effects
of the Reverse Stock Split
The following is a discussion of the effects of the Reverse Stock Split on the
Company, its affiliates and unaffiliated stockholders. Other than as
discussed under “—Special Effects on Affiliated Persons,” the Reverse Stock
Split will have the same effect on unaffiliated stockholders as it does on
affiliated stockholders. See “Executive Compensation—Beneficial
Ownership of Common Stock” for additional information regarding ownership by the
Company's affiliates.
Effects on the
Company
The Reverse Stock Split is expected to reduce the number of stockholders of
record from 518 to 154. As of February 16, 2010, the number of
outstanding shares of Common Stock was 15,794,200, and there were no shares of
Preferred Stock outstanding. Based upon the Company’s best estimates,
if the Reverse Stock Split had been completed as of February 16, 2010, the
number of outstanding shares of Common Stock would have been reduced from
15,794,200 to approximately 15,360, the Company would have paid cash for
approximately 435,000 shares and the number of record holders of Common Stock
would have been reduced from 518 to approximately 154.
After the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company will have
25,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock, of which approximately 15,360 will
be issued and outstanding. The fractional shares of Common Stock
purchased by the Company will be cancelled and will become authorized but
unissued stock of the Company.
Other than issuances pursuant to the exercise of outstanding employee stock
options, the Company has no current plans, arrangements or understandings to
issue any Common Stock. However, it reserves the right to do so at
any time and from time to time at such prices and on such other terms and
conditions as the Board determines to be in the best interest of the
Company.
The Common Stock is currently registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange
Act, and the Company is accordingly subject to the periodic filing and reporting
of the Exchange Act. As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, the
Company will have fewer than 500 holders of record of its Common Stock and will
be eligible to terminate the registration of its shares of Common Stock and
suspend its obligation to continue periodic filing and reporting under the
Exchange Act. Following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split,
the Company intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC in order to terminate the
registration of its shares of Common Stock and suspend its obligation to
continue periodic filing and reporting under the Exchange Act. As a result of
the reverse stock split, the Common Stock will no longer be quoted on the
OTCBB. Upon termination of the Company’s periodic reporting
obligations under the Exchange Act, the Common Stock may be eligible for listing
and trading in the Pink Sheets® (a centralized quotation service that collects
and publishes market maker quotations for securities), as described
below. However, the completion of the Reverse Stock Split and the
deregistration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act will likely cause the
trading market for shares of the Common Stock to be substantially reduced or
eliminated.
The Company expects to purchase fractional shares totaling approximately 435,000
shares of its Common Stock at a price of $0.29 per share, for a total
expenditure of approximately $126,150. The Company also expect to
incur, and will be solely responsible for, the payment of the fees and expenses
set forth in the table below in connection with the Reverse Stock
Split. The Company intends to use available working capital to fund
such purchases and to pay its fees and expenses related to the Reverse Stock
Split.
Expenses
of Purchase of Fractional Shares
|
|
$
|
126,150
|
|
Legal
Fees
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
Printing,
Filing and Mailing Expenses
|
|
|
4,300
|
|
Transfer
Agent Fees and Expenses
|
|
|
19,000
|
|
Information
Agent Fees and Expenses
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
185,450
|
|
No
outside person will be directly or indirectly retained, employed, retained or
compensated to make solicitations or recommendations in connection with the
Reverse Stock Split. S. Amber Gordon, the Corporate Secretary of the Company,
will act as information agent for the Reverse Stock Split. She will
receive no separate compensation for serving in such capacity. The Company’s
transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company LLC, will perform
certain services in connection with the Reverse Stock Split, and will be paid
customary fees and expenses for its services. Employees of the Company may
perform administrative tasks in connection with the Reverse Stock Split, and
they will be not be separately compensated for such services. The
Company’s directors, officers and employees may also solicit proxies in person,
by telephone or through other forms of communication, but these persons will not
receive any additional compensation for the solicitations. The
information agent, the transfer agent and the directors, officers and employees
have not been authorized to make any solicitation or recommendation in or with
respect to the Reverse Stock Split.
The Company’s accounting
treatment of the Reverse Stock Split is not material. The Reverse Stock
Split will result in an addition to paid-in capital and a reduction to common
stock. Assuming the Reverse Stock Split was effective as of June 30,
2009, the Company’s paid-in capital would have increased from $13,596,637 to
$13,754,421, and Common Stock would have decreased from $157,942 to
$158. This adjustment does not affect total stockholders’ equity,
assets or liabilities, nor does it affect any item on the Company’s income
statement or statement of cash flows.
The Reverse Stock Split is not
expected to have any material tax consequences for the Company except that a
substantial portion of the transaction expenses may not be deductible by the
Company for federal and state income tax purposes.
Effects on
Stockholders Holding Fewer Than 1,000 Shares of Common Stock
If the Reverse Stock Split
is completed, Cashed-Out Stockholders:
-
|
Will
not receive a fractional share of Common Stock in the
transaction;
|
-
|
Will
instead receive $0.29 in cash for each share of Common Stock held
immediately prior to the Reverse Stock Split in accordance with the
procedures described in this Proxy
Statement;
|
-
|
Will
have no further ownership interest in the Company and will therefore no
longer be entitled to vote on matters presented to stockholders of the
Company; and
|
-
|
Will
not have to pay any service charges or brokerage commissions in connection
with the Reverse Stock Split.
|
Cashed-Out
Stockholders holding stock certificates representing their Common Stock will
receive from the Company soon after the Effective Date a letter of transmittal
containing instructions on how to surrender their current stock certificates to
the Company’s transfer agent in exchange for their cash payments.
Effects on Stockholders
Holding 1,000 or More Shares of Common Stock
If the Reverse Stock Split is
completed, Continuing Stockholders:
-
|
Will
receive (i) one share of Common Stock for each 1,000 shares of Common
Stock held immediately prior to the Reverse Stock Split and (ii) $0.29 in
cash for each share of Common Stock held immediately prior to the Reverse
Stock Split exceeding 1,000 shares or a multiple of 1,000 shares owned,
both in accordance with the procedures described in this Proxy
Statement.
|
-
|
Will
have a reduced equity interest in the Company and reduced participation in
future potential earnings or growth as a result of the receipt of cash in
lieu of any fractional shares;
|
-
|
Will,
immediately following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, be the
only persons entitled to vote on matters presented to stockholders of the
Company;
|
-
|
Will
experience a reduction in liquidity with respect to the Common Stock as a
result of (i) the termination of the registration of the Common Stock and
(ii) the cessation of OTCBB trading of the Common
Stock;
|
-
|
Will
no longer have the same degree of access to financial and other
information about the Company inasmuch as the Company will no longer be
required to publicly file periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange
Act. Moreover, the executive officers of the Company will no
longer be required to certify the accuracy of the financial information
that is made available to the stockholders;
and
|
-
|
Will
have no preemptive or other preferential rights to purchase any Common
Stock that may be issued in the future unless such rights are specifically
granted to the stockholders.
|
Continuing Stockholders holding stock certificates representing their Common
Stock will receive from the Company soon after the Effective Date a form of
letter of transmittal containing instructions on how to surrender their current
stock certificates to the Company’s transfer agent in exchange for certificates
representing whole shares of Common Stock and any cash payments to which they
are entitled in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares of Common
Stock.
If the Company terminates the registration of the Common Stock under the
Exchange Act, the Common Stock will not be eligible for trading on any
securities market except the Pink Sheets®, and even this source of liquidity may
not be available. In order for the Common Stock to be quoted in the
Pink Sheets®, it will be necessary that one or more broker-dealers act as market
makers and sponsor the Common Stock in the Pink Sheets®. Following
completion of the Reverse Stock Split and in the absence of current information
about the Company being filed under the Exchange Act, there can be no assurance
that any broker-dealer will be willing to act as a market maker in the Common
Stock. There is also no assurance that shares of the Common Stock
will be available to be bought or sold after the Reverse Stock
Split.
Effect on Option
Holders
If the Reverse Stock Split is completed, the number of shares of Common Stock
subject to each outstanding stock option will be automatically decreased by a
factor of 1,000, and the exercise price of each such outstanding stock option
will be automatically increased by a factor of 1,000. Any vested
option for fewer than 1,000 shares of pre-split Common Stock will be
automatically converted into a right to receive a cash payment of $0.29 per such
share (less an amount equal to the exercise price), and will result in the
elimination of any rights to acquire fractional shares of Common
Stock. Each option for more than 1,000 shares will be adjusted so
that the holder will own an option for 1/1,000
th
as
many shares exercisable at a price 1,000 times the pre-split exercise
price. Any unvested options for fewer than 1,000 shares of pre-split
Common Stock, regardless of exercise price, will be cancelled in the Reverse
Stock Split. The vesting schedule related to the options still
outstanding after the Reverse Stock Split will remain unchanged.
Special Effects on
Affiliated Persons
The Company’s executive officers and directors own beneficially an aggregate of
4,148,386 shares, or approximately 24.0%, of Common Stock, including currently
exercisable options to purchase an aggregate of 1,447,800 shares of Common
Stock. Each of these individuals holds shares or vested options
exceeding 1,000 shares and will therefore retain shares of Common Stock or
options to purchase shares of Common Stock immediately following the completion
of the Reverse Stock Split.
See
“Special Factors—Fairness
of the Reverse Stock Split—Special Effects on Affiliated Persons” and “Proposal
1 - Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock.” None of the Company’s
executive officers and directors has indicated to the Company that he or she
intends to sell some or all of his or her shares of the Common Stock during the
period between the public announcement of the Reverse Stock Split and the
Effective Date. Moreover, none of the Company’s executive officers
and directors has indicated his or her intention to divide his or her shares of
Common Stock among different record holders with fewer than 1,000 shares in each
account, so that the record holders, and therefore such directors and officers,
would receive cash in lieu of fractional shares. Each of the
Company’s executive officers and directors has indicated to the Company his or
her intention to vote all their respective shares of Common Stock in favor of
the Reverse Stock Split.
As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, assuming that no transfers described in
the foregoing paragraphs are made, it is expected that the percentage of
ownership of outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company held beneficially
by the Company’s executive officers and directors as a group will increase from
approximately 24.0% to approximately 24.6% after the completion of the
transaction, based on the number of shares outstanding on February 16,
2010. Neither the Company nor any executive officer, director,
affiliate or subsidiary of the Company, or any of the Company’s pension, profit
sharing or similar plans, has engaged in any transaction in the Common Stock
during the past 60 days. The table below sets forth estimates of the
shares of Common Stock and the cash payments in lieu of fractional shares to be
received by directors, officers and other affiliates of the Company based on
their estimated holdings as of March 15, 2010.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Affiliate
|
|
|
Current
Beneficial
Ownership
|
|
|
|
Percentage
of
Class
(1)
|
|
|
|
Post-Split
Beneficial
Ownership
|
|
|
|
Post-Split
Percentage
of
Class
(2)
|
|
|
Cash
Payment
|
|
Tepco
Ltd.
|
|
|
3,669,924
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
%
|
|
|
3,669
|
|
|
|
23.9
|
%
|
|
$
|
268
|
|
Peter
H. Kamin
|
|
|
1,244,200
|
|
|
|
7.9
|
%
|
|
|
1,244
|
|
|
|
8.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
58
|
|
Hanina
and Amy Hibshoosh
|
|
|
970,725
|
|
|
|
6.1
|
%
|
|
|
970
|
|
|
|
6.3
|
%
|
|
$
|
210
|
|
C.W.
Gilluly, Ed.D., Chairman
|
|
|
2,537,506
|
(3)
|
|
|
15.7
|
%
|
|
|
2,537
|
(3)
|
|
|
16.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
147
|
(3)
|
Erik
Hendricks, Director
|
|
|
65,000
|
(4)
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
65
|
(4)
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
William
J. Howard, Director
|
|
|
30,000
|
(5)
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
30
|
(5)
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
Robert
J. Lynch, Jr., Director
|
|
|
30,000
|
(5)
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
30
|
(5)
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
Pieter
VanBennekom, Director
|
|
|
20,000
|
(6)
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
|
|
20
|
(6)
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
Chip
Brian, President and CEO
|
|
|
1,250,000
|
(7)
|
|
|
7.6
|
%
|
|
|
1,250
|
(7)
|
|
|
7.5
|
%
|
|
|
–
|
|
Kathy
Ballard, VP Content
|
|
|
205,880
|
(8)
|
|
|
1.3
|
%
|
|
|
205
|
(8)
|
|
|
1.3
|
%
|
|
$
|
111
|
(8)
|
Paul
Sledz, Treasurer
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
All Directors and executive
officers (8 persons)
|
|
|
4,138,386
|
(9)
|
|
|
24.0
|
%
|
|
|
4,137
|
(9)
|
|
|
24.6
|
%
|
|
$
|
258
|
|
(1)
Based
on 15,794,200 shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the Reverse Stock
Split.
(2)
Based
on 15,360 shares of Common Stock outstanding subsequent to the Reverse Stock
Split.
(3)
Includes
370,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 370shares of Common Stock that may
be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split. Cash payment assumes payment of $147 in lieu of 506 pre-split
shares of Common Stock.
(4)
Includes
50,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split, 50 shares of Common Stock that may be
acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split.
(5)
Includes
30,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 30 shares of Common Stock that may
be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split.
(6)
Includes
20,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 20 shares of Common Stock that may
be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split.
(7)
Includes
750,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 750 shares of Common Stock that may
be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split.
(8)
Includes
197,800 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested
options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 197 shares of Common Stock that may
be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split. Cash payment assumes payment of $23 in lieu of 80 pre-split
shares of Common Stock and an aggregate payment of $88 for 800 options with an
exercise price of $0.18 per share.
(9)
Includes
4,138,386 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options prior to the Reverse Stock Split and 1,447 shares of Common Stock
that may be acquired upon the exercise of vested options after the Reverse Stock
Split.
The three members of the Special
Transaction Committee were paid a total of $1,000 in fees during fiscal 2009 and
2010 for having served on the Special Transaction Committee. These
fees were in addition to director fees and fees for service on other committees
of the Board.
Federal Income Tax
Consequences
A summary of the federal income tax consequences of the Reverse Stock Split is
set forth below. The discussion is based on present federal income
tax law. The discussion is not, and should not be relied on as, a
comprehensive analysis of the tax issues arising from or relating to the
transaction. This summary does not purport to deal with all aspects
of federal income taxation that may be relevant to a particular stockholder of
the Company in light of such stockholder’s personal investment circumstances or
to certain types of stockholders subject to special treatment under the Internal
Revenue Code (the “IRC”) (including, financial institutions, broker-dealers,
regulated investment companies, life insurance companies, tax-exempt
organizations, foreign corporations and non-resident aliens).
Stockholders are urged to consult
their personal tax advisors for an analysis of the effect of the Reverse Stock
Split based on their own tax situations, including consequences under applicable
state, local or foreign tax laws.
The Company believes that the receipt of cash for a fractional share of Common
Stock will be deemed a sale of the fractional share for income tax purposes and
that the gain or loss to be recognized will be the difference between the amount
of cash received for the fractional share and the stockholder’s tax basis in
such fractional share. The gain or loss will generally be a short
term or long term capital gain or loss, depending on the length of time the
share of Common Stock was held.
The Company believes the combination of shares of Common Stock in the Reverse
Stock Split will qualify as a recapitalization under Section 368 of the IRC to
the extent that outstanding shares of existing Common Stock are combined into a
reduced number of shares of Common Stock. Therefore, the combination
of shares into fewer shares of Common Stock will result in neither the Company
nor its stockholders recognizing any gain or loss for federal income tax
purposes.
The shares of Common Stock to be issued to each Continuing Stockholder in the
Reverse Stock Split will have an aggregate basis, for computing gain or loss,
equal to the aggregate basis of the shares of existing Common Stock held by such
stockholder immediately prior to the completion of the Reverse Stock Split,
less
the basis of any
fractional shares for which he or she receives cash. A stockholder’s
holding period for the shares of Common Stock will include the holding period
prior to the Effective Date; provided, that such outstanding shares of existing
Common Stock were held by the stockholder as a capital asset on the Effective
Date.
Benefits
of the Reverse Stock Split
The
Company views the following issues as the principal benefits of the Reverse
Stock Split:
|
-
|
The
Company will benefit from the reduction of auditing and legal fees, the
elimination of filing fees and the reduction in premiums for directors’
and officers’ liability insurance as a result of the termination of
registration of the Common Stock with the
SEC.
|
|
-
|
The
Company will benefit from the reduction of various expenses related to
stockholders services, such as transfer agent fees, and printing and
mailing costs
as a result of
having fewer stockholders.
|
|
-
|
The
Company’s management will be able to focus on long-term value as opposed
to short-term earnings. In addition, the Company’s management
will be able to focus on the Company’s operations without the distractions
associated with the Company’s public company
status.
|
|
-
|
The
Company will eliminate the competitive disadvantage created by the
requirement that it publicly disclose certain aspects of its
business.
|
|
-
|
The
Continuing Stockholders will own a larger percentage of the Company than
they previously owned, and will continue to share in the Company’s growth
and income.
|
|
-
|
The
Cashed Out Stockholders will receive a premium of approximately 30% on the
sale of their shares, based upon the average daily closing price of the
Common Stock over the ten trading days prior to the date on which the
Reverse Stock Split was first publicly
announced.
|
Detriments
of the Reverse Stock Split
The Company views the following issues
as the main detriments of the Reverse Stock Split:
|
-
|
The
Company’s working capital or assets will be decreased to fund (i) the cash
payment in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares of Common Stock and
(ii) the other costs associated with the
transaction.
|
|
-
|
The
Continuing Stockholders will experience reduced liquidity for their shares
of Common Stock because the shares will no longer be registered with the
SEC or traded on the OTCBB.
|
|
-
|
The
Continuing Stockholders will also experience a reduced equity interest in
the Company and a reduced participation in the Company’s potential future
earnings or growth since most of these stockholders will also receive cash
in lieu of fractional shares for a portion of their pre-split shares of
Common Stock.
|
|
-
|
Less
public information about the Company will be available after the Reverse
Stock Split to the Continuing Stockholders because the Company will no
longer be required to file periodic and other reports with the
SEC. Moreover, the executive officers of the Company will have
no further obligation to certify the accuracy of the financial information
of the Company that is made available to the Continuing
Stockholders.
|
|
-
|
The
Cashed-Out Stockholders will not have an opportunity to sell their shares
at a time and for a price of their choosing and will be unable to
participate in any future earnings or growth of the
Company.
|
|
-
|
The
Company will experience the effective elimination of its already limited
ability to access the public capital markets or to use the Common Stock as
acquisition currency.
|
Fairness
of the Reverse Stock Split
Fairness
The Company believes that the
Reverse Stock Split is substantively and procedurally fair to all stockholders
of the Company, including those stockholders who are not officers, directors or
affiliates of the Company, and including all Cashed-Out Stockholders and
Continuing Stockholders.
Factors Considered in Determining
Fairness
The Company, the Board and the Special Transaction Committee believe that the
Reverse Stock Split is in the best interests of the Company and is substantively
and procedurally fair to the affiliated and unaffiliated stockholders of the
Company, including both Cashed-Out Stockholders and Continuing
Stockholders. The Board has unanimously approved the Reverse Stock
Split and recommends its approval by the stockholders.
The Board appointed the Special
Transaction Committee, comprised of three independent directors, to assist the
Board in evaluating whether or not to effect the Reverse Stock Split and, if so,
on what terms, including a fair price to be paid to stockholders in lieu of the
issuance of fractional shares. The Special Transaction Committee also
unanimously approved the Reverse Stock Split.
The Special Transaction
Committee considered whether to retain a representative to negotiate the terms
of the Reverse Stock Split on behalf of the unaffiliated stockholders or an
independent financial advisor to perform an evaluation of the Common Stock and
render an opinion as to the fairness of the price to be paid in lieu of the
issuance of fractional shares. The Special Transaction Committee
determined that, given the limited financial resources of the Company, the low
trading volume of the Common Stock, and the recent low trading price of the
Common Stock, the cost of retaining an unaffiliated representative or an
independent financial advisor for such purposes outweighed the benefits to the
Company’s affiliated and unaffiliated stockholders. Specifically,
given that the recommended cash price included a substantial premium, the
Special Transaction Committee determined that an unaffiliated representative
would not have been able to negotiate a superior price, and that a fairness
opinion from an independent financial advisor would not have provided any
additional guidance with respect to the fairness of the Reverse Stock
Split. Further, the Special Transaction Committee determined that the
premium paid to the Cashed-Out Stockholders provided a fair current value for
the fractional shares of Common Stock in exchange for the potential future value
of those fractional shares foregone by the cash payment. Conversely,
the Special Transaction Committee also determined that the cost to the Company
(and correspondingly to the Continuing Stockholders) of the premium paid to the
Cashed-Out Stockholders was not overly onerous given the Continuing
Stockholders’ opportunity to share in the growth and profits of the Company on a
going-forward basis.
The Board and the Special
Transaction Committee considered requiring that the Reverse Stock Split be
approved by the majority of the Company’s unaffiliated stockholders in addition
to and separate from the approval of the majority of the outstanding Common
Stock. Delaware law and the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation
and Bylaws only require the approval of a majority of the shares entitled to
vote in order to amend the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation. The Board and the Special Transaction Committee
determined that following the requirements of Delaware law and the Company’s
governing documents would embody good governance practices and create a process
which was procedurally fair to all of the Company’s stockholders.
In order to determine the
fair price to be paid in lieu of issuing fractional shares, the Board and the
Special Transaction Committee utilized the “fair value” definition proscribed by
GAAP: “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a
liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the
measurement date.” This method of determining fair value was selected
by the Company for several reasons: (a) it is objectively determined
by measurement of quantified factors, rather than by subjective valuation
criteria; (b) it is market-based rather than entity-specific; and (c) the input
information is the most reliable, since it is based on direct observations of
transactions (
i.e.
,
quoted prices) rather than on unobservable data or a reporting entity’s own
assumptions, which would provide less reliable data. The Company
chose to use a multiple-trading-day-average-price to determine the fair value of
the Common Stock.
In applying the “fair value” definition proscribed by GAAP, the Special
Transaction Committee primarily considered both the current market price and the
historical market price of the Common Stock in determining the fairness of the
transaction. The average daily closing price per share of the Common
Stock on the OTCBB for the ten trading days immediately preceding the date on
which the Reverse Stock Split was first publicly announced was $0.23 per
share. The $0.29 cash consideration to be paid in lieu of the
issuance of fractional shares represents a premium of (a) 30% over the average
daily closing price per share for the Common Stock for the ten days preceding
the date on which the Reverse Stock Split was first publicly announced; (b) 30%
over the average daily closing price per share of the Common Stock during the 30
trading days prior to the date on which the Reverse Stock Split was first
publicly announced; and (c) 93% over the one-year average market price of the
Common Stock.
The
Special Transaction Committee also considered, to a lesser extent, the net book
value of the Company. Given the nature and value of the Company’s
assets, the Special Transaction Committee determined that the net book value of
the Company did not provide an accurate indicator of the value of the shares of
Common Stock. Further, the net book value per share of the Common
Stock was significantly lower than the average daily closing price per share of
the Common Stock for the ten days preceding the date on which the Reverse Stock
Split was first publicly announced. The Special Transaction Committee
determined that the variance in the two values warranted a conservative approach
in determining the premium to be paid to the Cashed-Out
Stockholders. The table below sets forth the calculation for the net
book value per share as considered by the Special Transaction
Committee.
Net
Book Value Per Share of Common Stock, as of:
|
|
|
|
June
30, 2009
(audited)
|
|
|
September
30, 2009
(unaudited)
|
|
|
December
31, 2009
(unaudited)
|
|
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
$
|
1,953,344
|
|
|
$
|
2,119,504
|
|
|
$
|
1,993,444
|
|
Total
Shares Outstanding
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
Net
Book Value Per Share
|
|
$
|
0.12
|
|
|
$
|
0.13
|
|
|
$
|
0.13
|
|
The Special Transaction
Committee also considered, to a lesser extent, the going concern value and the
liquidation value of the Company. The Special Transaction Committee
determined that the going concern value of the Company, which in part relies
upon comparing the Company to comparably situated companies, was a deficient
method of determining the fairness of the Reverse Stock Split. The comparably
situated companies to which the Company would be compared are generally global,
well-financed, large-cap news and information providers (
i.e
., Bloomberg, News
Corporation, and Thomson Financial) that bear little resemblance to a United
States-only micro-cap news provider such as the Company. Accordingly,
the Special Transaction Committee determined that reliance on the going concern
value of the Company would provide limited value in determining the fairness of
the Reverse Stock Split, particularly to Cashed-Out Stockholders. The
Special Transaction Committee also determined that utilizing the liquidation
value of the Company would have resulted in a significantly reduced price for
the fractional shares, with such price making the Reverse Stock Split
substantively unfair to the unaffiliated stockholders of the Company,
particularly the Cashed-Out Stockholders.
Given the deficiencies in the
going concern value, the liquidation value and the net book value methods in
determining the fairness of the Reverse Stock Split, the Special Transaction
Committee determined that it should give greater weight to the valuation
methodologies that it considered the most reliable, principally the use of
current and historical market prices of the Company’s Common Stock.
During the past two years, there
were no repurchases of the Common Stock or firm offers for the stock or assets
of the Company. Therefore, the Special Transaction Committee did not
consider these factors in its determination of the fairness of the Reverse Stock
Split.
Approval of Stockholders
The Reverse Stock Split must be approved by the holders of a majority of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock. The Reverse Stock Split is not
required to be approved separately by the majority of the Common Stock held by
unaffiliated stockholders.
Unaffiliated Representative; Access to
Information
The directors who are not employees of the Company have not retained an
unaffiliated representative to act on behalf of unaffiliated stockholders for
purposes of negotiating the terms of, or preparing a report concerning the
fairness of, the Reverse Stock Split.
Security holders will be entitled to access to the Company’s corporate records
in the manner permitted by Delaware law. The Company is making no
special provision to grant unaffiliated security holders access to its corporate
files or to allow unaffiliated security holders to obtain counsel or appraisal
services at the expense of the Company.
Approval of Directors
The Board and the Special Transaction Committee, including all directors who are
not employees of the Company, each unanimously approved the proposed amendments
to the Certificate of Incorporation and the Reverse Stock Split.
No director
dissented as to, or abstained from voting on, the Reverse Stock
Split.
Other Offers
The Company is not aware of any firm offer made by any unaffiliated person
within the past two years regarding the merger or consolidation of the Company
with or into any other company, the sale or other transfer of all or a
substantial portion of the assets of the Company or a purchase of the Company’s
Common Stock that would enable the purchaser to exercise control of the
Company.
Reports,
Opinions, Appraisals and Negotiations
Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has received any report, opinion
or appraisal from an outside party that is materially related to the Reverse
Stock Split.
PROPOSAL
NO. 1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Pursuant
to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, each member of the Board serves
for a three-year term, and the Board is divided into three classes with terms
expiring in successive years. The term of Mr. VanBennekom expires in
2010. In addition, there is a vacancy on the Company’s
Board. Mr. Van Bennekom is being nominated for re-election to the
Board and Mr. Brian is being nominated to fill the vacancy, in each case for the
three-year term expiring in 2013. Both nominees have consented
to be named and have indicated their intent to serve on the Board, if
elected.
Information
regarding the nominees and directors is set forth below:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Office
Held with Company
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nominees to
Serve as Directors with Terms Expiring in 2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chip
Brian
|
|
39
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
Pieter
VanBennekom
|
|
64
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors with Terms
Expiring in 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
C.W.
Gilluly, Ed.D.
|
|
64
|
|
Chairman
|
Erik
Hendricks
|
|
66
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors with Terms
Expiring in 2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
William
J. Howard
|
|
62
|
|
Director
|
Robert
J. Lynch, Jr.
|
|
76
|
|
Director
|
CHIP
BRIAN, 39, has not previously served as a director of the
Company. Mr. Brian was appointed Chief Executive Officer in November
2006, in addition to his role as President of the Company. He had
been named President and Chief Operating Officer in May 2005 and served as Vice
President, Operations since April 2004. Mr. Brian has extensive
experience in providing operating management and technology solutions to
companies in the financial services industry. From 2003 until 2004,
he was the Manager, Product Operations Group for Nyfix Incorporated, where his
responsibilities included providing management solutions for technicians serving
the broker community on the floor of the New York Stock
Exchange. From the end of 2000 until 2003, Mr. Brian was the Manager,
Trading Support Operations for the BNY Brokerage division of The Bank of New
York.
C.W.
GILLULY, Ed.D., 64, has served as a director of the Company since
1992. He served as President from June 1992 until September 1997, as
Chairman of the Board from June 1992 until December 2002 and from February 2004
until the present, as Vice-Chairman from December 2002 through June 2003 and as
interim Chief Executive Officer from February 2004 until November
2006. Dr. Gilluly has served as Chairman of the Board and President
of AMASYS Corporation and its predecessor, Infotechnology, Inc., since June
1992. Dr. Gilluly also served as a director of Analex Corporation
until March 2003, and as a director of Mobile Nation, Inc., from October 2003
through June 2008.
WILLIAM
J. HOWARD, 62, has served as a director of the Company since January
2003. Mr. Howard has extensive experience in journalism and is
currently President of Visitors TV Network, the premiere producer of hotel and
destination videos in the United States. Mr. Howard has also
participated in real estate development and the restoration of historical
sites. In Maryland, he has received Governor’s Citations from three
different governors for his community service work, particularly in Talbot
County.
ROBERT J.
LYNCH, JR., 76, has served as a director of the Company since January
2003. Mr. Lynch has been President of American & Foreign
Enterprises, Inc. (“AFE”), an investment firm, for more than 20
years. Among its many enterprises, AFE is partnered with Hochtief,
A.G., Germany’s largest engineering/construction group. AFE has
worked with international investment banks such as Goldman Sachs & Co., BV
Bank of Munich and Citibank. Mr. Lynch has been a director of many
public companies including AMASYS, Dames & Moore, Data Broadcasting
Corporation, and Turner Construction Company. Mr. Lynch also serves
as a director of IX Energy, a solar and renewable energy solutions
provider.
ERIK
HENDRICKS, 65, has served as a director of the Company since
1991. Now retired, Mr. Hendricks served as the Executive Director and
Chief Operating Officer of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, a non-profit humane society, for more than twenty five
years.
PIETER
VANBENNEKOM, 64, has served as a director of the Company since February
2004. Mr. VanBennekom has extensive experience in the news,
information and publishing industries and has worked with Progressive Business
Publications, Inc. (“PBP”) a diversified business information services
publishing company, since 1994. He joined PBP as Senior Editor,
became Group Publisher in 1996 and was promoted to Editorial Director, in
1998. Prior to joining PBP, Mr. VanBennekom worked with the worldwide
wire service United Press International (“UPI”) for more than 20 years, where
his final position was President and CEO.
Executive
Officers
The
following table contains information as of February 5, 2010 as to the executive
officers of the Company who are not also directors of the Company:
Name
|
|
|
Age
|
|
Office
Held With Company
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kathy
Ballard
|
|
58
|
|
Vice
President, Operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
Sledz
|
|
52
|
|
Controller
and Treasurer
|
Ms.
Ballard’s career includes more than twenty years in various research and
management positions in the information industry. She has been with
Comtex since 1999, where she served as Director, Product Operations/Client
Services until assuming her present position in 2004. Previously, she
worked with LEXIS/NEXIS for more than twelve years, held positions in the
education arena and worked with the New York Times Information
Service.
Mr. Sledz
joined Comtex in March 2007 as Controller and was appointed Treasurer in May
2007. Mr. Sledz has broad accounting and financial management
experience, with both large corporations and entrepreneurial
businesses. He came to the Company from General Dynamics, where he
had been Finance Manager for an Information Systems division since
2005. Beginning in 2000, he served as the Manager of Corporate
Planning and Budgeting for the Airline Tariff Publishing Company.
There are
no family relationships among the directors or executive officers of the
Company.
Meetings
of the Board
The Board held a total of seven meetings during the Company’s fiscal year ended
June 30, 2009. Each director attended in person or telephonically at
least 80% of the meetings held.
Committees
of the Board
The
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee, which held five meetings during fiscal year 2009, is
comprised of Messrs. Lynch, Howard and VanBennekom. The Audit
Committee selects and engages the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm, reviews and evaluates the Company’s audit and control
functions, reviews the results and scope of the audit and other services
provided by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, and
performs such other duties as may from time to time be determined by the
Board. The Board has determined that Mr. Lynch is an “audit
committee financial expert.” Each of Messrs. Lynch, Howard and
VanBennekom is an “independent director” as defined in Rule 5605 of the
Marketplace Rules of NASDAQ.
Report
of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
The Audit Committee has issued a report that states as follows:
We have reviewed and discussed with management the Company’s audited
consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2009;
We have discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the
matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61;
and
We have received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent
registered public accounting firm required by Independence Standards Board
Standard No. 1, “Independence Discussions with Audit Committees,” and have
discussed with the registered public accounting firm their
independence.
Based on the review and discussions referred to above, we recommend to the Board
that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009.
Submitted
by the Audit Committee
Robert J.
Lynch, Jr., Chairman
William
J. Howard
Pieter
VanBennekom
The preceding report on Audit Committee procedures shall not be deemed
incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s previous filings under the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act which might incorporate filings made by the
Company under those acts, nor will such report be incorporated by reference into
any future filings made by the Company under those acts, except to the extent
that the Company specifically incorporate this information by
reference.
The
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee of the Board, which held five meetings during fiscal
year 2009, is comprised of Messrs. Howard, Hendricks, Lynch and
VanBennekom. The Compensation Committee evaluates management’s
recommendations and makes its own recommendations to the Board concerning the
compensation of the Company’s executive officers. It is also
responsible for the formulation of the Company’s executive compensation policy
and the research, analysis and subsequent recommendation regarding the
administration of the Company’s 1995 Stock Option Plan, which expired in October
2005, and the Company’s 2003 Stock Incentive Plan.
Compliance
with IRC Section 162(m)
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”)
disallows a tax deduction to publicly held companies for compensation paid to
certain of their executive officers, to the extent that such compensation,
whether payable in cash or stock, exceeds $1 million per covered officer in any
fiscal year. The limitation applies only to compensation that is not
considered to be performance-based. Non-performance-based
compensation paid to the Company’s executive officers for the 2009 fiscal year
did not exceed the $1 million limit per officer, and the Compensation Committee
does not anticipate that any non-performance-based compensation payable to the
executive officers for the 2009 fiscal year will exceed such
limit. Because it is unlikely that the actual compensation payable to
any of the Company’s executive officers in the foreseeable future will approach
the $1 million limit, the Compensation Committee has decided at this time not to
take any action to limit or restructure the elements of cash compensation
payable to the Company’s executive officers. The Compensation
Committee shall reconsider this decision should the individual cash compensation
of any executive officer ever approach the $1 million level.
The preceding report on executive compensation shall not be deemed incorporated
by reference into any of the Company’s previous filings under the Securities Act
or the Exchange Act which might incorporate filings made by the Company under
those acts, nor will such report be incorporated by reference into any future
filings made by the Company under those acts, except to the extent that the
Company specifically incorporate this information by reference.
The
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Board, which held no meetings during fiscal year
2009, is comprised of Messrs. VanBennekom, Hendricks and Lynch. The
Executive Committee is chartered to act in place of the full Board between Board
meetings, if actions are required, and to fulfill the function of reviewing any
initial merger and acquisition and/or partnering proposals.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board, which held no
meetings during fiscal year 2009, is comprised of Messrs. Hendricks, Howard and
VanBennekom. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee meets in order to
evaluate and nominate candidates for membership to the Board and to serve as
officers of the Company.
Executive
Compensation
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table sets forth information concerning all compensation paid or
accrued by the Company to its Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial
Officer and the other executive officers who earned total compensation in excess
of $100,000 during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonequity
|
|
|
Nonqualified
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
incentive
|
|
|
deferred
|
|
|
All
other
|
|
|
|
|
principal
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
plan
|
|
|
compensation
|
|
|
compensation
|
|
|
|
|
position
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
awards
|
|
|
awards
|
|
|
compensation
|
|
|
earnings
|
|
|
(4)
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chip
Brian
(1)
|
2009
|
|
$
|
230,847
|
|
|
$
|
94,630
|
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
360,477
|
|
President
and
Chief
Executive
Officer
|
2008
|
|
|
213,062
|
|
|
|
168,888
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
381,950
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kathy
Ballard
(2)
|
2009
|
|
$
|
121,549
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
121,549
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
117,123
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
127,123
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
Sledz
(3)
|
2009
|
|
$
|
116,860
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
116,860
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
105,656
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
105,656
|
|
(1)
|
Mr.
Brian was appointed Vice President, Operations in April 2004 and was
appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in May 2005, and President
and CEO in November 2006.
|
(2)
|
Ms.
Ballard was appointed Vice President of Content in May
2004.
|
(3)
|
Mr.
Sledz was appointed Treasurer in May of
2007.
|
(4)
|
In
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, there were no perquisites
exceeding $10,000 for the above referenced
years.
|
Agreements
with Executives
On October 31, 2008, Comtex entered into a new employment agreement (the
“Employment Agreement”) with its President and Chief Executive Officer, Chip
Brian (the “Officer”). The Employment Agreement is for a two-year
term, effective October 1, 2008, and may be extended by written agreement
between the parties. The Officer will receive an annual base salary
of $235,000, to be increased to $250,000 on October 1, 2009. The
Officer is eligible for annual and incentive bonuses, and is eligible to
participate in Company-sponsored employee benefit plans.
The Officer owned an option to purchase 750,000 shares of Common Stock (the
“Option”) granted under the Company’s option plans, the exercise price of which
was significantly higher than the current trading price of shares of the
Company’s Common Stock. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Officer
forfeited the Option in exchange for a grant of 500,000 shares of unregistered
Common Stock, effective as of December 3, 2008.
Under the Agreement, upon the Officer’s termination for any reason other than
for cause or voluntarily by the Officer without good reason during the one-year
period subsequent to an occurrence of a “change in control” (as defined in the
Employment Agreement), the Company shall pay the Officer a cash lump sum equal
to the greater of his annual base salary or the remainder of the salary due for
the term of the Employment Agreement. The Employment Agreement also
contains non-competition and non-solicitation provisions.
Stock
Option Grants
There were no stock options granted during the fiscal year ended June 30,
2009. No stock options were exercised during the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2009.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
|
|
|
Name
and
principal
position
|
|
Number
of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options
exercisable
|
|
|
Number
of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options
unexercisable
|
|
|
Equity
incentive
plan
awards:
Number
of
securities
underlying
unexercised
unearned
options
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chip
Brian
|
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
0.18
|
|
7/15/2014
|
President
and
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.12
|
|
7/16/2014
|
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.17
|
|
5/20/2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kathy
Ballard
VP
Content
|
|
|
8,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
0.45
|
|
10/1/2011
|
|
|
9,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.52
|
|
1/2/2012
|
|
|
|
15,800
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.18
|
|
3/12/2013
|
|
|
|
15,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
3/19/2014
|
|
|
|
75,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.18
|
|
7/15/2014
|
|
|
|
75,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.34
|
|
9/25/2015
|
Paul
Sledz
Treasurer
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There were no outstanding stock awards at the end of fiscal 2009.
Stock Option
Plans
In October 1995, the Board approved the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan (the “1995 Plan”), which was approved by stockholders in December
1995. In July 2003, the Board approved the Comtex News Network, Inc.
2003 Incentive Stock Plan, which was approved by stockholders in October
2003. The plans provide for the issuance of incentive stock options
(within the meaning of Section 422 of the IRC) and non-qualified stock options
and stock awards in order to recruit and retain key employees, consultants and
directors. The 1995 Plan has expired and the Company currently has no
plan to renew it or replace it with a new stock option plan.
Compensation
of Directors
The
following table discloses total compensation paid to the Company’s directors for
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
Fees
earned
or
paid
in
cash
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-equity
incentive
plan
compensation
|
|
|
Nonqualified
deferred
compensation
earnings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C.W.
Gilluly
(1)
|
|
$
|
39,282
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
39,282
|
|
Erik
Hendricks
(2)
|
|
$
|
9,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
9,000
|
|
William
J. Howard
(2)
|
|
$
|
9,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
9,500
|
|
Robert
J. Lynch, Jr.
(2)
|
|
$
|
9,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
9,000
|
|
Pieter
VanBennekom
(2)
|
|
$
|
9,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
9,500
|
|
(1)
|
Dr.
Gilluly is paid a salary by the Company, but is not compensated for Board
Meetings
|
(2)
|
All
amounts represent fees paid for Board
Meetings.
|
Non-employee members of the Board are paid a fee of $1,000 per meeting
attended. Members of Board Committees are paid an additional fee of
$500 per Committee Meeting, but only if such meeting is held on a different day
than the Board Meeting.
Dr. Gilluly is employed as Chairman of the Company, through June 30, 2010, for
an annual salary of $60,000.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None.
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder
Matters
Persons and groups who beneficially own in excess of 5% of the Common Stock are
required to file certain reports with the SEC regarding such
ownership. Based on these reports, the following table sets forth, as
of January 10, 2010, the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by persons
who beneficially own more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common
Stock.
Beneficial
Ownership of Common Stock
The following table sets forth information as of February 16, 2010 regarding the
beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, of (i) each person known to the
Company to be the beneficial owner, within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the
Exchange Act, of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (ii)
each director of the Company, (iii) each executive officer of the Company named
in the Summary Compensation Table (
see
“Executive Compensation”
above), and (iv) all executive officers and directors of the Company as a
group. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each named
beneficial owner is c/o Comtex News Network, Inc., 625 N. Washington Street,
Suite 301, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Except to the extent indicated
in the footnotes, each of the beneficial owners named below has sole voting and
investment power with respect to the shares of Common Stock listed.
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Tepco
Ltd.
The
Continental Building
25
Church Street, Hamilton HM 12, Bermuda
|
|
|
3,669,924
|
|
|
|
23.2
|
%
|
Peter
H. Kamin
One
Avery Street, Boston, MA 02111
|
|
|
1,244,200
|
|
|
|
7.9
|
%
|
Dr.
and Mrs. Hanina and Amy Hibshoosh
560
Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10027
|
|
|
970,725
|
|
|
|
6.1
|
%
|
C.W.
Gilluly, Ed.D., Chairman
|
|
|
2,537,506
|
(2)
|
|
|
15.7
|
%
|
Erik
Hendricks, Director
|
|
|
65,000
|
(3)
|
|
|
*
|
|
William
J. Howard, Director
|
|
|
30,000
|
(4)
|
|
|
*
|
|
Robert
J. Lynch, Jr., Director
|
|
|
30,000
|
(4)
|
|
|
*
|
|
Pieter
VanBennekom, Director
|
|
|
20,000
|
(5)
|
|
|
*
|
|
Chip
Brian, President and CEO
|
|
|
1,250,000
|
(6)
|
|
|
7.6
|
%
|
Kathy
Ballard, VP Content
|
|
|
205,880
|
(7)
|
|
|
1.3
|
%
|
Paul
Sledz, Treasurer and Controller
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
–
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
Directors and executive officers as a group
(8
Persons)
|
|
|
4,138,386
|
(8)
|
|
|
24.0
|
%
|
*
|
|
Less
than 1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Beneficial
ownership is direct and no shares are pledged as collateral unless
otherwise indicated. Percentage of Class is based on 15,794,200
shares of common stock outstanding as of February 16,
2010.
|
(2)
|
Includes
370,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan and the 2003 Stock Option Plan, and 2,167,506 shares of Common
Stock held jointly by Dr. Gilluly and his
spouse.
|
(3)
|
Includes
50,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan.
|
(4)
|
Includes
30,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan.
|
(5)
|
Includes
20,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan
|
(6)
|
Includes
750,000 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan.
|
(7)
|
Includes
197,800 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan.
|
(8)
|
Includes
1,447,800 shares of Common Stock that may be acquired upon the exercise of
vested options granted under the Comtex News Network, Inc. 1995 Stock
Option Plan and the 2003 Stock Option
Plan.
|
The Board has determined that all of its current directors and the nominees are
“independent” as defined in the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards
except for C.W. Gilluly due to his position as an employee of the Company and
Chip Brian due to his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE
FOR
THE
ELECTION OF THE DIRECTORS NAMED AS THE NOMINEES.
PROPOSAL
NO. 2
APPROVAL
OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION TO EFFECT A
1-FOR-1,000 REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
Please refer to the
section captioned “Special Factors” for a discussion of important information
regarding the proposed 1-for-1,000 Reverse Stock Split, including a discussion
of the purpose and reasons for the Reverse Stock Split, alternatives considered
by the Board, the effects of the Reverse Stock Split on the Company and its
stockholders, and the Board’s determination of the fairness of the Reverse Stock
Split to the stockholders of the Company. You are urged to consider
the information contained set forth under “Special Factors” along with the
information in this section before deciding to vote your shares.
Background
Events
Various factors during the last five years, principally changes in
marketplace circumstances and a continued contraction in the Company’s business,
have necessitated a re-evaluation of the Company’s manner of doing
business. During this time, the Company implemented a long-term
strategy, which included rebuilding the senior management team, developing new
products, discontinuing non-core products, launching an intensive program of
distributor contact and support, introducing product-pricing programs,
streamlining its asset base, simplifying its technology platforms and generally
reducing overhead in various areas.
During the current stage of this business consolidation and expansion
program, the Board recognized that a significant number of stockholders owned
fewer than 1,000 shares each and that practically no public market exists for
the Common Stock. Further, in that context the Board began to
consider whether, on balance, it was necessary or desirable for the Company to
remain a public company.
The Board created a
Special Transaction Committee, in 2004, to consider and recommend to the Board
as to the advisability, from the Company’s standpoint and that of its
stockholders, of the Company terminating the registration of its stock under the
Exchange Act and becoming a privately held entity. If the Special
Transaction Committee advised in favor of such action, it was further charged to
recommend to the Board a suitable plan to achieve this result.
The Special Transaction Committee consists of three of the Company’s independent
directors: William J. Howard (Chairman), Erik Hendricks and Pieter
VanBennekom. The remaining directors not appointed to the committee
are C.W. Gilluly, who is an employee of the Company, and Robert J. Lynch, Jr.,
who was formerly an affiliate of the Company.
At various times over the
last several years, the Special Transaction Committee considered the
advisability of the Company’s going private and of achieving this result through
the Reverse Stock Split. It also considered the appropriate terms of
the transaction, including determining a fair cash price for fractional shares
of Common Stock. In February 2010, the Special Transaction Committee
presented the Board with its unanimous recommendation to implement the Reverse
Stock Split. The Special Transaction Committee’s recommendation of a
fair price to be paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares of Common
Stock was based on the closing prices of the Common Stock for the ten trading
days preceding the filing of the Preliminary Proxy Statement with the SEC on
February 5, 2010.
At
a meeting held on February 3, 2010, the Board considered the recommendation of
the Special Transaction Committee, and the Board adopted the recommendations of
the Special Transaction Committee, which comprise the major terms of the Reverse
Stock Split described in this Proxy Statement. The Board adopted
resolutions approving the Reverse Stock Split, but deferred the fixing of a
definitive price to be paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares of
Common Stock until the filing of the Preliminary Proxy Statement with the
SEC. The Board approved 1-for-1,000 as an appropriate conversion
ratio for the Reverse Stock Split to result in the Company’s having fewer than
500 stockholders of record immediately following completion of the
transaction. At a meeting held on February 3, 2010, the Board
approved a definitive price of $0.29 per share for the purchase of fractional
shares.
Exchange of Stock
Certificates
Stockholders should not send
their stock certificates to the Company. Stockholders should send
them to the Company’s transfer agent
only
after
they have received
the form of letter of transmittal from the Company. This will be
mailed as soon as practicable after the Reverse Stock Split is
complete.
Promptly following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company’s
transfer agent will send to all stockholders of record a form of letter of
transmittal for use in transmitting Common Stock certificates to the Company’s
transfer agent. Upon proper completion and execution of a letter of
transmittal and its return to the transfer agent, together with Common Stock
certificates, the stockholder will receive a new Common Stock certificate and/or
cash in the amount to which the holder is entitled as a result of the Reverse
Stock Split. After the completion of the Reverse Stock Split and
until surrendered, each outstanding Common Stock certificate held by a
stockholder of record who held fewer than 1,000 shares of Common Stock prior to
the completion of the Reverse Stock Split will be deemed for all purposes to
represent only the right to receive the amount of cash to which the holder is
entitled to receive pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split.
In connection with the
Reverse Stock Split, the Common Stock will be identified by a new CUSIP number,
which will appear on all newly issued certificates representing shares of Common
Stock. After the Effective Date, each certificate representing shares
of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Date
and that were held by a stockholder of record of more than 1,000 shares
immediately prior to the completion of the Reverse Stock Split, until
surrendered and exchanged for a new Common Stock certificate, will be deemed for
all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of 1/1,000
th
of
the number of shares of Common Stock set forth on the face of the Common Stock
certificate, rounded down to the nearest whole share of Common Stock, plus the
right to receive the amount of cash to which the holder is entitled with respect
to holdings not evenly divisible by 1,000 pursuant to the Reverse Stock
Split. Any stockholder desiring to receive a new Common Stock
certificate bearing the new CUSIP number can do so at any time after the
Effective Date in accordance with instructions set forth in the form of letter
of transmittal or otherwise by contacting the Company’s transfer agent as set
forth in the form of letter of transmittal for surrendering his or her old
Common Stock certificates. After the Effective Date, an old Common
Stock certificate presented to the Company’s transfer agent in settlement of a
trade will be exchanged for a new Common Stock certificate bearing the new CUSIP
number.
No service charges or brokerage
commissions will be payable by the Company’s stockholders in connection with the
Reverse Stock Split. The Company will not pay any interest on any
cash amounts payable to its stockholders as a result of the Reverse Stock
Split.
The
fractional shares of Common Stock for which the Company pays cash in the Reverse
Stock Split will be adjusted on a 1-for1,000 basis and such adjusted shares of
Common Stock will be cancelled and thereafter become authorized but unissued
shares of Common Stock. The Company’s repurchase of the fractional shares of
Common Stock will be considered a purchase and retirement of its own Common
Stock. The purchase will be treated as a reduction of stockholders’
equity.
Proposed
Language Amending the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation
The following is the text of a new paragraph in Article FOURTH of the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation substantially as it is proposed to be
amended by filing a Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation
with the Delaware Secretary of State to effect the Reverse Stock Split
:
“Effective
at 11:59 p.m., Delaware time, on the date of filing of this Certificate of
Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of
Delaware (the “Effective Time”), each 1,000 shares of Common Stock of the
Corporation then issued and outstanding will be automatically reclassified as
and changed into one share of Common Stock, without any change to par value
(such transaction, the “Reverse Stock Split”). If immediately prior
to the Reverse Stock Split a stockholder holds less than 1,000 shares of Common
Stock or a number of shares of Common Stock that is not evenly divisible by
1,000, the Corporation will make a cash payment at the rate of $0.29 (the
“Purchase Price”) for each fractional share of Common Stock immediately
following the completion of the Reverse Stock Split. Upon completion
of the Reverse Stock Split:
(i) each
stockholder of record holding less than 1,000 shares of Common Stock immediately
prior to the completion of the Reverse Stock Split will have only the right to
receive cash based upon the Purchase Price, and the equity interest of each such
stockholder in the Corporation will be terminated and shall no longer confer on
such stockholder any further right to vote as a stockholder or share in the
Corporation’s assets, earnings or profits following the completion of the
Reverse Stock Split; and
(ii) each
such stockholder of record holding 1,000 or more shares of Common Stock
immediately prior to the completion of the Reverse Stock Split shall be entitled
to receive, upon the surrender of the certificate or certificates representing
the shares of Common Stock, at the office of the transfer agent of the
Corporation in such form and accompanied by such documents, if any, as may be
prescribed by such transfer agent, a new certificate or certificates
representing the number of shares of Common Stock of which he or she is the
record owner after giving effect to the provisions of this Article
FOURTH.”
No
Dissenters’ Rights
Stockholders who dissent from the Reverse Stock Split will have no appraisal
rights under Delaware law or under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or
By-Laws. There may exist other rights or actions under state law for
stockholders who can demonstrate that they have been damaged by the Reverse
Stock Split. Although the nature and extent of such rights or actions
are uncertain and may vary depending upon facts or circumstances, stockholder
challenges to corporate actions in general are related to the fiduciary
responsibilities of corporate officers and directors and to the fairness of
corporate transactions.
Conduct
of the Company’s Business after the Reverse Stock Split
The Company expects the
Reverse Stock Split not to have any effect upon its business or operations,
which are anticipated to continue as currently conducted except as disclosed in
this Proxy Statement. The Company expects to realize time and cost
savings as a result of terminating its public company status. The Company may
decide not to proceed with the Reverse Stock Split as currently contemplated, or
to change certain of the terms of the Reverse Stock Split, if the Board
determines that abandoning, or changing the terms of, the Reverse Stock Split is
in the Company’s best interest and the best interest of the Company’s
stockholders. If the Company decides not to proceed with the Reverse
Stock Split, the Company anticipates that it will continue to operate its
business as presently conducted.
The Company plans, as a result of the Reverse Stock Split, to become a privately
held company. As stated throughout this Proxy Statement, the Company
believes that there are significant advantages in going private and the Company
plans to avail itself of any opportunities it may have as a private company,
including improving its ability to compete in the marketplace, making itself a
more viable candidate with respect to a merger or acquisition transaction with
any one of its competitors or entering into a joint venture or other
arrangement. Although the Company currently is not pursuing any
negotiations with respect to any transaction, the Company may enter into an
arrangement at any time in the future.
The Company does not have any current plans or proposals to effect any
extraordinary corporate transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or
liquidation; to sell or transfer any material amount of its assets; to change
its Board or management; to change materially its indebtedness or
capitalization; or otherwise to effect any material change in its corporate
structure or business. There are no plans to change any material term
of any severance agreement or retention bonus plan agreement with any of the
Company’s executive officers. However, the Company may engage in such
a transaction in the future to the extent that management and the Board
determine it to be in the interest of the Company and its
stockholders.
PRICE
RANGE OF COMMON STOCK; DIVIDENDS; TRADING VOLUME
The Common Stock is traded
on the OTCBB. The range of high and low bid quotations for the Common
Stock, as reported on the OTCBB, for each quarterly period during fiscal years
2009 and 2008 is shown below:
Fiscal
Year Ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First
Quarter (7/1/08 to 9/30/08)
|
|
$
|
0.32
|
|
|
$
|
0.16
|
|
Second
Quarter (10/1/08 to 12/31/08)
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
Third
Quarter (1/1/09 to 3/31/09)
|
|
|
0.08
|
|
|
|
0.05
|
|
Fourth
Quarter (4/1/09 to 6/30/09)
|
|
|
0.12
|
|
|
|
0.06
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal
Year Ended June 30, 2008
|
|
First
Quarter (7/1/07 to 9/30/07)
|
|
$
|
0.25
|
|
|
$
|
0.18
|
|
Second
Quarter (10/1/07 to 12/31/07)
|
|
|
0.24
|
|
|
|
0.18
|
|
Third
Quarter (1/1 /08 to 3/31/08)
|
|
|
0.25
|
|
|
|
0.17
|
|
Fourth
Quarter (4/1/08 to 6/30/08)
|
|
|
0.35
|
|
|
|
0.17
|
|
As of February 16, 2010, there were 15,794,200 shares of Common Stock
outstanding, held by approximately 518 holders of record. The Company
has neither declared nor paid a cash dividend to date, nor does it anticipate
doing so in the foreseeable future.
The average closing price of the Common Stock for the ten days ended February 4,
2010 was $0.23. The average daily trading volume during the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2009 was approximately 7,600 shares of Common Stock; and the
average daily volume during the ten trading days ended February 4, 2010 was
6,400 shares of Common Stock.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “
FOR
”
THE
AMENDMENT TO THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO EFFECT
THE
1-FOR-1,000 REVERSE STOCK SPLIT.
PROPOSAL
NO. 3
APPROVAL
OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION TO PERMIT
ACTIONS OF THE COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS TO BE
TAKEN BY WRITTEN
CONSENT
Purpose
of and Reasons for the Proposed Amendment
The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation currently requires that any action
required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Company must be
effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not
be effected by any written consent by such stockholders. The
Company’s By-Laws contain similar restrictions. The Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws relating to this provision are more
restrictive than Delaware law generally allows for companies incorporated
therein. Specifically, Delaware law allows for actions to be taken by
stockholders by written consent if certain procedures are
followed. The Company believes that amending its Certificate of
Incorporation to allow for actions of the Company’s stockholders to be taken by
written consent to the extent authorized by Delaware law would allow it
increased flexibility to act on corporate matters as events warrant,
particularly following the Reverse Stock Split.
Proposed
Language Amending the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to Permit Actions
of the Company’s Stockholders to be Taken by Written Consent
Article FIFTH of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation is proposed to
be amended by deleting Section C of Article FIFTH and inserting the
following
:
“C. Subject
to the rights of any class or series of Preferred Stock of the Corporation, any
action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation
may be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders of
the Corporation or by any consent in writing by such stockholders as authorized
by Delaware law.”
The Board of the Company will amend the Company’s By-Laws to provide for
stockholder action by written consent only if this amendment to the Certificate
of Incorporation is approved by the stockholders.
THE
BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT THE STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “
FOR
” THE
AMENDMENT
TO THE COMPANY’S CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO PERMIT
ACTIONS OF THE
COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS TO BE TAKEN BY WRITTEN CONSENT.
PROPOSAL
NO. 4
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS
The Board has appointed the firm of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP as the
Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2010. The Board believes it is appropriate to seek stockholder
ratification of this appointment in light of the critical role played by
independent auditors in maintaining the integrity of Company’s financial
controls and reporting.
A representative of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP is expected to attend
the Special Meeting. The representative will have the opportunity to
make a statement, if he or she so desires, and will be available to respond to
appropriate questions from stockholders.
The
following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed to the Company by Turner,
Stone & Co., LLP for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and
2008.
|
|
Fiscal
Years Ended
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
|
$
|
59,340
|
|
|
$
|
90,000
|
|
Audit
Related Fees
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
All
Other Fees
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Tax
Fees
|
|
|
5,414
|
|
|
|
5,788
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Fees
|
|
$
|
64,754
|
|
|
$
|
95,788
|
|
Vote
Not Required; Recommendation of the Board
Although not required
to be submitted to the stockholders for approval, the Board believes it is
appropriate to seek stockholder ratification of this appointment.
The Audit Committee has
considered whether the provision of non-audit services, which relate primarily
to tax consulting services rendered, is compatible with maintaining the
independence of Turner, Stone & Co, LLP. The Audit Committee concluded
that performing such services does not affect the independence of Turner, Stone
& Co., LLP in performing its function as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm.
The Audit Committee’s
policy is to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the
independent registered public accounting firm, either by approving an engagement
prior to the engagement or pursuant to a pre-approval policy with respect to
particular services. These services may include audit services,
audit-related services, tax services and other services. The Audit
Committee has delegated pre-approval authority to the Chairman of the Audit
Committee when expedition of services is necessary. The independent
registered public accounting firm and management are required to periodically
report to the full Audit Committee regarding the extent of services provided by
the independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with this
pre-approval, and the fees for the services performed to date. All
audit-related fees, tax fees and all other fees described above were approved
either as part of the Company’s engagement of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP or
pursuant to the pre-approval policy described above.
In order to ratify the
appointment of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP as the independent registered public
accounting firm of the Company for the year ending June 30, 2010, the proposal
must receive at least a majority of the votes represented at the annual meeting,
without regard to broker non-votes, in favor of such ratification. The
Audit Committee of the Board recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of Turner,
Stone & Co., LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for
the year ended June 30, 2010.
THE
BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT THE STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “
FOR
”
THE
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF TURNER, STONE & CO., LLP
AS
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS FOR THE COMPANY FOR FISCAL YEAR
2010.
OTHER INFORMATION
Financial and Other Information Regarding the
Company
You are urged to review carefully the audited financial statements of the
Company for the year ended June 30, 2009, including the notes thereto, which are
attached as
Annex
I
to this Proxy Statement, and the unaudited financial statements of the
Company for the quarters ended September 30, 2009 and December 31, 2009,
including the notes thereto, which are attached as
Annex II
and
Annex III
,
respectively, to this Proxy Statement. You are also urged to review
the related discussion regarding the Company’s financial condition and results
of operations set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
June 30, 2009 and the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended
September 30, 2009 and December 31, 2009, each of which is incorporated herein
by reference. See “—Incorporation by Reference.”
In addition to the
information provided in the Company’s audited financial statements and notes,
certain ratios may be useful as you consider the matters set forth in this Proxy
Statement. The table below sets forth the calculation for the net
book value per share as of June 30, 2009, September 30, 2009 and December 31,
2009.
Net
Book Value Per Share of Common Stock, as of:
|
|
|
|
June
30, 2009
(audited)
|
|
|
September
30, 2009
(unaudited)
|
|
|
December
31, 2009
(unaudited)
|
|
Total Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
$
|
1,953,344
|
|
|
$
|
2,119,504
|
|
|
$
|
1,993,444
|
|
Total Shares Outstanding
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
Net Book Value Per Share
|
|
$
|
0.12
|
|
|
$
|
0.13
|
|
|
$
|
0.13
|
|
The
table below sets forth the calculation for the Company’s ratio of earnings to
fixed charges for the periods ended June 30, 2009, September 30, 2009 and
December 31, 2009.
Ratio
of Earnings to Fixed Charges, for:
|
|
|
|
Quarters
ended
|
|
|
Years
ended
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2009
|
|
|
September
30, 2009
|
|
|
June
30, 2009
|
|
|
June
30, 2008
|
|
Earnings
(1)
|
|
$
|
(117,548
|
)
|
|
$
|
171,519
|
|
|
$
|
123,100
|
|
|
$
|
731,238
|
|
Total Fixed Charges
(2)
|
|
$
|
8,513
|
|
|
$
|
4,978
|
|
|
$
|
19,116
|
|
|
$
|
12,970
|
|
Ratio
|
|
$
|
8,513
|
(3)
|
|
|
34.4554
|
|
|
|
6.4396
|
|
|
|
56.3792
|
|
(1)
|
For
all periods, “earnings,” calculated in accordance with Item 503(d) of
Regulation S-K, consisted entirely of pre-tax income from continuing
operations before adjustment for income or loss from equity investees,
plus
fixed
charges.
|
(2)
|
For
all periods, “fixed charges,” calculated in accordance with Item 503(d) of
Regulation S-K, consisted entirely of an estimate of interest within
rental expense.
|
(3)
|
In
accordance with Item 503(d) of Regulation S-K, the ratio for the period
ended December 31, 2009 is presented as a dollar amount, rather than a
numerical ratio, because the ratio as calculated would indicate less than
one-to-one coverage.
|
Incorporation by
Reference
Certain of the Company’s filings with the SEC are incorporated herein by
reference. This means that the Company is referring its stockholders to
information that it has filed separately with the SEC. The
information incorporated by reference should be considered part of this Proxy
Statement, except for any information superseded by information contained
directly in this Proxy Statement.
This Proxy Statement is
accompanied by and incorporates by reference the following documents, which the
Company has previously filed with the SEC and which contain important
information about Company and its financial condition:
●
|
The
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2009
|
|
|
The
Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended
September 30, 2009
|
|
|
The
Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended
December 31, 2009
|
|
|
|
The
Company’s Schedule 13E-3
|
The Company will provide, without charge, to each person to whom this Proxy
Statement is delivered, upon written or oral request of such person and by first
class mail or other equally prompt means within one business day of receipt of
such request, a copy of any and all such additional documents. You
may obtain a copy of these documents and any amendments thereto by writing to
Corporate Secretary, Comtrex News Network, Inc., 625 N. Washington St.,
Alexandria, VA 22314.
All documents incorporated by reference are also included in the
Company’s filings with the SEC, which you can access electronically at the SEC’s
website at
http://www.sec.gov
.
This Proxy Statement is delivered to you as part of the information
materials for the Special Meeting. This Proxy Statement does not
constitute an offer to purchase or sale of the Common Stock.
Where You Can Find More
Information
The
Reverse Stock Split will constitute a “going private” transaction subject to
Rule 13e-3 of the Exchange Act. The Company has filed a
Rule 13e-3 Transaction Statement on Schedule 13E-3 under the Exchange
Act with respect to the Reverse Stock Split. Copies of the
Schedule 13E-3 are available for inspection and copying at the principal
executive offices of the Company during regular business hours by any interested
stockholder of the Company, or a representative who has been so designated in
writing, and may be inspected and copied, or obtained by mail, by written
request directed to Corporate Secretary, Comtex News Network, Inc., 625 N.
Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314.
The Company is currently subject to the information requirements of the
Exchange Act and files periodic reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC relating to its business, financial and other
matters. Such reports, proxy statements and other information, as
well as the Schedule 13E-3, may be copied (at prescribed rates) at the
public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street NE,
Washington, D.C. 20549. For further information concerning the SEC’s
public reference rooms, you may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. This information
may also be accessed on the Internet at the SEC’s Website,
http://www.sec.gov
.
The Common Stock is listed on the OTCBB under the ticker symbol
“CMTX.”
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
The Company’s By-Laws treat annual meetings and special meetings differently
with respect to stockholder proposals.
Special
Meetings
Generally, only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of
stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the
Company’s notice of meeting. However, nominations of persons for
election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which
directors are to be elected pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting (a) by
or at the direction of the Board or (b) by any stockholder of record of the
Company who is a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice provided
for in this paragraph, who shall be entitled to vote at the meeting and who
complies with the notice procedures set forth below under “—Annual
Meetings.” Nominations by stockholders of persons for election to the
Board may be made at such a special meeting of stockholders if the stockholder’s
notice described below under “—Annual Meetings” is delivered to the Secretary at
the principal executive offices of the Company not later than the close of
business on the later of the 90
th
day
prior to such special meeting or the 10
th
day
following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the
special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board to be elected as such
meeting.
Annual
Meetings
For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual
meeting by a stockholder, (a) the stockholder must have given timely notice
thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company, (b) such business must be a
proper matter for stockholder action under Delaware law, (c) if the stockholder,
or the beneficial owner on whose behalf any such proposal or nomination is made,
has provided the Company with a Solicitation Notice, such stockholder or
beneficial owner must, in the case of a proposal, have delivered a proxy
statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the
Company’s voting shares required under applicable law to carry any such
proposal, or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, have delivered a proxy
statement and form of proxy to holders of a percentage of the Company’s voting
shares reasonably believed by such stockholder or beneficial holder to be
sufficient to elect the nominee or nominees proposed to be nominated by such
stockholder, and must, in either case, have included in such materials the
Solicitation Notice, and (d) if no Solicitation Notice relating thereto has been
timely provided pursuant to this section, the stockholder or beneficial owner
proposing such business or nomination must not have solicited a number of
proxies sufficient to have required the delivery of such a Solicitation Notice
under this section.
To
be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the
principal executive offices of the Company not less than 90 days prior to the
date of the Company’s proxy materials for the preceding year’s annual meeting of
stockholders (“Proxy Statement Date”);
provided
,
that
if the date of
the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more
than 30 days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting,
notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not later than the
close of business on the 10
th
day
following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is
first made.
Such stockholder’s notice shall set forth: (a) as to each person whom the
stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director all
information relating to such person as would be required to be disclosed in
solicitations of proxies for the election of such nominees as directors pursuant
to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, and such person’s written consent to
serve as a director if elected; (b) as to any other business that the
stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of such
business, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any
material interest in such business of such stockholder and the beneficial owner,
if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (c) as to the stockholder
giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
nomination or proposal is made (i) the name and address of such stockholder, as
they appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, (ii) the class
and number of shares of the Company that are owned beneficially and of record by
such stockholder and such beneficial owner, and (iii) a Solicitation
Notice. A “Solicitation Notice” is an affirmative statement as to
whether either such stockholder or beneficial owner intends to deliver a proxy
statement and form of proxy to holders if, in the case of a proposal, at least
the percentage of the Company’s voting shares required under applicable law to
carry the proposal or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, a sufficient
number of holders of the Company’s voting shares to elect such nominee or
nominees.
OTHER
MATTERS
The Board knows of no other
business to be acted upon at the Special Meeting other than the matters referred
to in this Proxy Statement.
By Order
of the Board of Directors
/s/ S.
Amber Gordon
Corporate
Secretary
Date:
[Date]
,
2010
ANNEX I
Audited
financial statements (including notes thereto) for the year ended June 30,
2009
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
AS
OF JUNE 30
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
ASSETS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
|
$
|
1,520,831
|
|
Investment
in Marketable Securities
|
|
|
53,318
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Accounts
Receivable, Net of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts of $66,274 and
$115,396, respectively
|
|
|
835,362
|
|
|
|
848,840
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
5,647
|
|
|
|
25,097
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
CURRENT ASSETS
|
|
|
2,270,961
|
|
|
|
2,394,768
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT, NET
|
|
|
385,293
|
|
|
|
394,927
|
|
INVESTMENTS
|
|
|
106,426
|
|
|
|
6,426
|
|
DEPOSITS
AND OTHER ASSETS
|
|
|
71,928
|
|
|
|
43,253
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEFERRED
INCOME TAX ASSET, NET OF VALUATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALLOWANCE
OF $1,723,021 and $1,782,909, respectively
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
|
$
|
2,839,374
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Payable and Other Accrued Expenses
|
|
$
|
588,896
|
|
|
$
|
833,175
|
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
197,340
|
|
|
|
159,208
|
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
95,028
|
|
|
|
20,574
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
881,264
|
|
|
|
1,012,957
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 11)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000:
No Shares issued and outstanding
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Common
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000:
Shares issued and outstanding 15,794,200 and 15,294,200,
respectively
|
|
|
157,942
|
|
|
|
152,942
|
|
Additional
Paid-In Capital
|
|
|
13,596,637
|
|
|
|
13,566,637
|
|
Accumulated
Deficit
|
|
|
(11,801,235
|
)
|
|
|
(11,893,162
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
1,953,344
|
|
|
|
1,826,417
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
|
$
|
2,839,374
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
|
|
Fiscal
Year Ended
June 30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
6,401,518
|
|
|
$
|
7,070,366
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(including
depreciation and amortization expense of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$0
and $14,154, respectively)
|
|
|
2,292,426
|
|
|
|
2,610,532
|
|
Gross
Profit
|
|
|
4,109,092
|
|
|
|
4,459,834
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Operations and Support (inclusive of stock-based
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
compensation
of $0 and $1,182, respectively)
|
|
|
1,490,641
|
|
|
|
1,384,115
|
|
Sales
and Marketing (inclusive of stock-based compensation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
$0 and $1,684, respectively)
|
|
|
812,237
|
|
|
|
631,404
|
|
General
and Administrative (inclusive of stock-based
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
compensation
of $35,000 and $431, respectively)
|
|
|
1,600,300
|
|
|
|
1,625,882
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
118,871
|
|
|
|
70,264
|
|
Total
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
4,022,049
|
|
|
|
3,711,665
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
87,043
|
|
|
|
748,169
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Income (Expense), Net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
Income
|
|
|
11,441
|
|
|
|
37,394
|
|
Realized
and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities
|
|
|
4,626
|
|
|
|
(65,157
|
)
|
Other
Income (Expense)
|
|
|
874
|
|
|
|
(2,138
|
)
|
Total
Other Income (Expense), net
|
|
|
16,941
|
|
|
|
(29,901
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
Before Provision for Income Taxes
|
|
|
103,984
|
|
|
|
718,268
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Provision)
for Federal and State Income Taxes
|
|
|
(35,354
|
)
|
|
|
(247,367
|
)
|
Tax
Benefit of Net Operating Loss Carry forward
|
|
|
23,297
|
|
|
|
242,585
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$
|
91,927
|
|
|
$
|
713,486
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
|
$
|
0.05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Common Shares
|
|
|
15,583,241
|
|
|
|
15,294,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted
Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
|
$
|
0.05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Shares Assuming Dilution
|
|
|
15,601,404
|
|
|
|
15,489,755
|
|
The accompanying “Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements” are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
Shares Outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
Number
of
|
|
|
Par
|
|
|
Additional
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Stockholders’
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Paid-In
Capital
|
|
|
Deficit
|
|
|
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at June 30, 2007
|
|
|
15,294,200
|
|
|
$
|
152,942
|
|
|
$
|
13,563,340
|
|
|
$
|
(12,606,648
|
)
|
|
$
|
1,109,634
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based
compensation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3,297
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,297
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
713,486
|
|
|
|
713,486
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at June 30, 2008
|
|
|
15,294,200
|
|
|
|
152,942
|
|
|
|
13,566,637
|
|
|
|
(11,893,162
|
)
|
|
|
1,826,417
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based
compensation
|
|
|
500,000
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
91,927
|
|
|
|
91,927
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at June 30, 2009
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
$
|
157,942
|
|
|
$
|
13,596,637
|
|
|
$
|
(11,801,235
|
)
|
|
$
|
1,953,344
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
|
Fiscal
Year Ended
|
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$
|
91,927
|
|
|
$
|
713,486
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
118,871
|
|
|
|
84,418
|
|
Allowance
for Doubtful Accounts
|
|
|
(49,122
|
)
|
|
|
44,530
|
|
Realized
and Unrealized (Gain) Loss on Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(4,626
|
)
|
|
|
65,156
|
|
Stock-Based
Compensation
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
3,297
|
|
Changes
in Assets and Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Receivable
|
|
|
62,600
|
|
|
|
38,284
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
19,450
|
|
|
|
(9,271
|
)
|
Purchase
of Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(48,692
|
)
|
|
|
(1,258,181
|
)
|
Proceeds
from Sale of Marketable Securities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,716,327
|
|
Deposits
and Other Assets
|
|
|
(28,675
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Accounts
Payable and Other Accrued Expenses
|
|
|
(244,279
|
)
|
|
|
(80,651
|
)
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
38,132
|
|
|
|
(38,712
|
)
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
74,454
|
|
|
|
(8,231
|
)
|
Net
Cash Provided By Operating Activities
|
|
|
65,040
|
|
|
|
1,270,452
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of Investments
|
|
|
(100,000
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Purchase
of Property and Equipment
|
|
|
(109,237
|
)
|
|
|
(300,589
|
)
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Investing Activities
|
|
|
(209,237
|
)
|
|
|
(300,589
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Decrease)
in Broker Margin Account
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(30,163
|
)
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Financing Activities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(30,163
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
(Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
(144,197
|
)
|
|
|
939,700
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year
|
|
|
1,520,831
|
|
|
|
581,131
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at End of Year
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
|
$
|
1,520,831
|
|
The accompanying “Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements” are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Comtex
News Network, Inc. (the “Company” or “Comtex”), is a leading wholesaler of
electronic real-time news and content to major financial and business
information distributors. Comtex enhances and standardizes news and
other content received from newswire services and publishers in order to provide
editorially superior and technically uniform products to its
customers. The customers then package, integrate and distribute these
products to their end-users. Comtex processes unique
real-time news stories
each day. Processing includes adding stock ticker symbols,
indexing by keyword and category, and converting the diverse publisher materials
and formats received into XML, the industry standard delivery
format.
Consistent
with standard practice in the information aggregation industry, the Company
generally has renewable long-term contractual relationships with those
information providers and information distributors with which it does
business. The Company generates revenues primarily from charges to
distributors for the licensing of enhanced content, including CustomWires,
TopNews products and publishers’ full feeds. Distributor licenses
typically consist of minimum royalty commitments and fixed fees for data
communications and support. Royalties are based upon the customers’ business and
revenue models such that success in their chosen markets generates increasing
revenues for the Company. Fees and royalties from information
distributors comprise the majority of the Company’s revenues. Fees
and royalties due to information providers, along with telecommunications costs
and employee payroll costs, comprise the majority of the Company’s costs and
expenses. During the 2009 fiscal year, Comtex formed a wholly owned
subsidiary, LeGarde Capital Management LLC, whose financial results were not
material to the Company’s fiscal 2009 financial
performance. Intercompany transactions have been
eliminated. The Company operates and reports in one segment,
information services.
2.
|
SUMMARY
OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
|
Principles
of Consolidation
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements include the general accounts of
the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, LeGarde Capital Management, LLC,
which has a fiscal year end of June 30. All significant intercompany
accounts, balances and transactions have been eliminated in the
consolidation.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America 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 periods. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Revenue
Recognition
The
Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)
104,
Revenue Recognition in
Financial Statements
. Information services revenues are
recognized as services are rendered based on contractual terms such as usage,
fixed fee, percentage of distributor revenues or other pricing
models. The Company defers start-up fee revenues and recognizes
revenue over the initial term of contracts for content
services. Amounts received in advance are deferred and recognized
over the service period.
Cash Credit
Risk
The
Company maintains deposits in several financial institutions. The
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation provides coverage for accounts of up to
$250,000 through December 31, 2013. In addition certain funds are
held in brokerage accounts which are insured by SIPC and additional private
coverage totaling $1 million. At June 30, 2009, approximately
$393,000 of the Company’s cash was in excess of insured limits.
Accounts
Receivable
Accounts
receivable are reported at their outstanding unpaid principal balances reduced
by an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company estimates doubtful accounts
based on historical bad debts, factors related to specific customers’ ability to
pay and current economic trends. The Company writes off accounts receivable
against the allowance when a balance is determined to be
uncollectible.
Research and
Development
The
Company conducts ongoing research and development in the areas of product
enhancement and quality assurance. Such costs are expensed as
incurred. Product development costs for the fiscal years ended June
30, 2009 and 2008 were approximately $67,000 and $307,000, respectively, and are
included in technical operations and support in the consolidated statements of
operations.
Advertising
The
Company engages in advertising and promotional activities to promote its
products and services. Advertising costs are expensed as
incurred. Advertising costs for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009
and 2008 were approximately $19,000 and $30,000, respectively and are included
in sales and marketing in the consolidated statements of
operations.
Property and
Equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost. Maintenance and repairs are charged
to expense as incurred and the cost of renewals and betterments are
capitalized.
Depreciation
and amortization are computed using the straight-line method over the estimated
lives of the related assets - five years for furniture and fixtures, computer
equipment and software development and three years for purchased
software. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the
straight-line method over the lesser of the lease term or the estimated useful
lives of the related assets.
Other
Investments
In
general, investments in which the Company owns less than 20% are accounted for
on a cost basis, and investments in which the Company owns 20% to 50% of the
voting stock or otherwise exercises significant influence over the investee
would be accounted for using the equity method of accounting. During
the year ended June 30, 2009, the Company purchased 500,000 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) of PastFuture, Inc. (“PFI”), a privately
held company which developed and maintains an advertising-based internet ‘social
gadget’ website for individuals to post their evaluation and experience with new
electronic devices. The shares of Preferred Stock purchased by the
Company are convertible, and have a non-cumulative dividend rate of 8%
calculated on the invested dollar amount. The shares represent
approximately 18% of the total shares of Series A Preferred, and vote on a one
to one basis with the common stockholders. The Company’s Series A
shares represent approximately 4.5% of the total voting shares of
PFI. In addition, a combination of the common stockholders and the
Series A Preferred stockholders were granted the right to elect two directors
out of a total of five. The Company’s President and CEO, Chip Brian,
was elected to serve as one of these two directors. Management does
not believe the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence over
PFI and has accounted for its investment in the Series A Preferred shares at
cost.
Software
for Internal Use
The
Company capitalizes certain costs incurred in the development of internal use
software pursuant to the provisions of AICPA Statement of Position No. 98-1
(“SOP 98-1”),
Accounting for
the Costs of Computer Software for Internal Use
. In accordance
with SOP 98-1, the Company capitalizes internal software development costs
incurred during the application development stage. Software
development costs incurred prior to or subsequent to the application development
stage are expensed as incurred.
Impairment of Long-Lived
Assets
The
Company evaluates, on a quarterly basis, long-lived assets to be held and used,
including capitalized software, for impairment in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 144,
Accounting for the Impairment or
Disposal of Long-Lived Assets
. The evaluation is based on
certain impairment indicators, such as the nature of the assets, the future
economic benefit of the assets, any historical or future profitability
measurements, as well as other external market conditions or factors that may be
present. If these impairment indicators are present or other factors exist that
indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable, then an
estimate of the discounted value of expected future operating cash flows is used
to determine whether the asset is recoverable and the amount of any impairment
is measured as the difference between the carrying amount of the asset and its
estimated fair value. The fair value is estimated using valuation techniques
such as market prices for similar assets or discounted future operating cash
flows.
Income
Taxes
In June
2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Interpretation
No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes-an Interpretation of FASB
Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 prescribes a recognition threshold and
measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of
tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company adopted
FIN 48 effective July 1, 2007 and determined the adoption to have no effect on
results of operations or financial position at or for the year ended June 30,
2009 or 2008. The Company will record any future penalties and tax related
interest expense as a component of provision for income taxes.
The
Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109,
Accounting for Income
Taxes
. Under this method, deferred tax liabilities and assets
are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax
bases of assets and liabilities using the enacted tax rates in effect for the
period in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax
assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when the Company cannot make the
determination that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the
related tax asset will be realized. The effective tax rate for year
ended June 30, 2009 is higher than the anticipated statutory rate because the
Company records state income taxes on a cash basis.
Stock-based
Compensation
Prior to
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the Company accounted for stock-based employee
compensation under the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25,
“Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” (“APB 25”) and related
interpretations and provided the required pro forma disclosures under Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation” (“Statement 123”). On December 16, 2004, FASB
issued SFAS No. 123(R),
Share-Based Payment.
SFAS No. 123(R) addresses the accounting for share-based
payment transactions in which an enterprise receives employee services in
exchange for (a) equity instruments of the enterprise or
(b) liabilities that are based on the fair value of the enterprise’s equity
instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of such equity instruments.
SFAS No. 123(R) eliminates the ability to account for share-based
compensation transactions using APB No. 25 and generally requires that such
transactions be accounted for using a fair-value-based method. Comtex adopted
this standard on its effective date, July 1, 2005.
The
Company accounts for non-employee stock-based awards in which goods or services
are the consideration received for the equity instruments based on the fair
value of the equity instruments issued, in accordance with the Emerging Issues
Task Force (“EITF”) Issue 96-18,
Accounting for Equity Instruments
That Are Issued To Other Than Employees For Acquiring, or in Conjunction With
Selling Goods or Services.
Risks and
Uncertainties
Financial
instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit
risk, consist principally of accounts receivable. The Company
periodically performs credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition
and generally does not require collateral on accounts receivable. For the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2009, two of the Company’s customers accounted for
approximately 15.2% and 15.1% of gross revenues and as of June 30, 2009, the
accounts receivable from these customers accounted for 20.5% and 19.2% of gross
accounts receivable. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, these
customers accounted for approximately 16.3% and 14.8% of gross
revenues. The Company maintains reserves on accounts receivable and
to date credit losses have not exceeded management’s expectations.
Earnings per Common
Share
Earnings
per common share is presented in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 128,
“Earnings Per Share” (“EPS”). Basic EPS excludes dilution for potentially
dilutive securities and is computed by dividing income available to common
stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the
period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if
securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted
into common stock and resulted in the issuance of common stock. Diluted EPS was
equal to basic EPS for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009. Diluted
net income per common share for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009 does not
include the effects of options to purchase approximately 2.5 million shares as
the inclusion of these options would have been anti-dilutive. Diluted
EPS for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009 does not include the effects of
options to purchase approximately 2.2 million shares due to the options’
exercise prices being greater than the average market price of the Company’s
common shares during the respective period.
Fair Value of Financial
Instruments
Accounts
receivable, accounts payable and other accrued expenses and other current assets
and liabilities are carried at amounts which reasonably approximate their fair
values because of the relatively short maturity of those
instruments.
Financial
Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statement No. 157,
Fair Value Measurements
,
establishes a framework for measuring
fair value. That framework provides a fair
value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to
measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted
quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1
measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3
measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under
FASB Statement No. 157 are
described as follows:
Level
1
|
Inputs
to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical
assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability
to access.
|
|
|
|
Level
2
|
Inputs
to the valuation methodology include:
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active
markets;
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
quoted
prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive
markets;
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
inputs
other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or
liability;
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
inputs
that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market
data by correlation or other means.
|
|
|
|
|
If
the asset or liability has a specified (contractual) term, the Level 2
input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or
liability.
|
|
|
Level
3
|
Inputs
to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair
value measurement.
|
The asset
or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is
based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value
measurement. Valuation techniques used need to maximize the use of observable
inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.
Following
is a description of the valuation methodologies used for Company assets measured
at fair value.
Cash and cash equivalents
:
Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost plus accrued interest, which
approximate fair value. Cash equivalents are high-quality, short-term
money market instruments with an original maturity of three months or less and
consist of time deposits with U.S. commercial banks and money market fund
investments.
Marketable securities
:
Marketable securities are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling
them in the near term and are classified as trading securities. Trading
securities are recorded at fair value, with the change in fair value
during the period reported
as realized and unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities and included in
earnings.
The
preceding methods described may produce a fair value calculation that may not be
indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values.
Furthermore, although the Company believes its valuation methods are appropriate
and consistent with other market participants, the use of different
methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial
instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting
date. The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value
hierarchy, the Company’s assets at fair value as of June 30, 2009:
Assets
at Fair Value as of June 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level
1
|
|
|
Level
2
|
|
|
Level
3
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
Marketable
securities
|
|
|
53,318
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
53,318
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,429,952
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
1,429,952
|
|
In
February 2008, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-2, Effective Date of FASB Statement
No. 157, which delays the effective date of SFAS 157 for nonfinancial assets and
nonfinancial liabilities, except for items that are recognized and disclosed at
fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (as disclosed
above).
Subsequent
Events
In
preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as
determined necessary by the Company’s management, events that have occurred
after June 30, 2009, up until the issuance of the financial statements, which
occurred on or about September 25, 2009.
Reclassifications
For
comparability, certain 2008 amounts have been reclassified, where appropriate,
to conform to the financial statement presentation used in 2009.
Recent Accounting
Pronouncements
During
the year ended June 30, 2009, there were several new accounting pronouncements
issued by FASB, the most recent of which was SFAS No. 168.
The FASB Accounting Standards
Codification and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles – a
replacement of FASB Statement No. 162
. Each of these
pronouncements, as applicable, has been or will be adopted by the
Company. Management does not believe the adoption of any of these
accounting pronouncements has had or will have a material impact on the
Company’s financial position or operating results.
3.
|
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
|
None.
At June
30, 2009 the Company held $53,318 of marketable securities, and realized gains
for the fiscal year were $4,626. The Company held no marketable
securities at June 30, 2008 and recorded a realized loss of $65,156 in
2008. Realized gains and losses are determined based on the specific
identification method.
5.
|
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT
|
Property and equipment consisted of
the following at June 30:
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Computer
Equipment
|
|
$
|
1,668,319
|
|
|
$
|
1,636,159
|
|
Furniture
and Fixtures
|
|
|
97,503
|
|
|
|
64,868
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchased
Software and Software Development
|
|
|
2,533,931
|
|
|
|
2,532,309
|
|
Leasehold
Improvements
|
|
|
42,820
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Equipment
|
|
|
8,499
|
|
|
|
8,499
|
|
|
|
|
4,351,072
|
|
|
|
4,241,835
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less
Accumulated Depreciation and Amortization
|
|
|
(3,965,779
|
)
|
|
|
(3,846,908
|
)
|
Property
and Equipment, Net
|
|
$
|
385,293
|
|
|
$
|
394,927
|
|
6.
|
BANK
FINANCING AGREEMENT
|
In
December 2003, the Company entered into an Accounts Receivable Purchase
Agreement with a bank (the “Financing Agreement”), which provides for a
revolving line of credit of up to $1 million collateralized by the Company’s
accounts receivable. At June 30, 2009, no amount was due to the bank
for advances under the Financing Agreement. The outstanding agreement
provides for total available credit of $800,000, with interest at prime plus one
or two percent depending on the credit worthiness of the
customer. This facility expires on December 24, 2009.
Income
taxes included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations consist principally
of state income taxes and local franchise taxes. The tax provision
differs from the amounts computed using the statutory federal income tax rate as
follows:
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Provision
at statutory federal income tax rate
|
|
|
34.0
|
%
|
|
|
34.0
|
%
|
Benefit
of NOL
|
|
|
(34.0
|
)%
|
|
|
(34.0
|
)%
|
Provision -
state income tax
|
|
|
11.6
|
%
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
Permanent
items
|
|
|
9.6
|
%
|
|
|
1.1
|
%
|
Other
adjustments
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
1.5
|
%
|
Other
Change in valuation allowance
|
|
|
(9.6
|
)%
|
|
|
(5.5
|
)%
|
Effective
income tax rate
|
|
|
11.6
|
%
|
|
|
1.1
|
%
|
Deferred
income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting and income
tax purposes.
Significant components of the
deferred tax assets and liabilities as of June 30, 2009 and 2008, were as
follows:
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Deferred
tax assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
$
|
201,464
|
|
|
$
|
166,282
|
|
Net
operating loss carryforwards
|
|
|
1,053,196
|
|
|
|
1,190,474
|
|
Allowance
for bad debts
|
|
|
25,184
|
|
|
|
43,851
|
|
Options
to executives
|
|
|
324,851
|
|
|
|
311,550
|
|
Accruals
|
|
|
57,425
|
|
|
|
38,172
|
|
AMT
credit carryforwards
|
|
|
3,605
|
|
|
|
5,180
|
|
Capital
loss carryforwards
|
|
|
25,642
|
|
|
|
27,400
|
|
Charitable
contributions
|
|
|
31,654
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
deferred tax assets
|
|
$
|
1,723,021
|
|
|
$
|
1,782,909
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Valuation
allowance
|
|
|
(1,723,021
|
)
|
|
|
(1,782,909
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
deferred tax asset (liability)
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
The
Company has a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward available to offset future
taxable income of approximately $2,772,000 as of June 30, 2009. The
net change in valuation allowance during 2009 was a decrease of approximately
$60,000. The NOL’s expire in the years 2021 through 2024. Utilization
of these net operating losses may be subject to limitations in the event of
significant changes in stock ownership of the Company.
In
assessing the realizability of its net deferred tax assets, management considers
whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the net deferred
tax assets are realizable. Management considers the scheduled reversal of
deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning
strategies in making this assessment. As of June 30, 2009, the Company provided
a full valuation allowance of approximately $1,723,000 against its net deferred
tax assets.
The
Company’s 2003 Incentive Stock Plan (the “2003 Plan”) and 1995 Stock Option Plan
(the “1995 Plan”) provide for both incentive stock options within the meaning of
Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and non-qualified
stock options to purchase shares by key employees, consultants and directors of
the Company. The 1995 Plan expired on October 12, 2005 and the
Company will no longer grant options under its provisions. At this
time, the Company has not replaced the 1995 Plan and does not intend to do
so. The exercise price of an incentive stock option is required to be
at least equal to 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on
the date of grant (110% of the fair market value in the case of options granted
to employees who are 10% shareholders). The exercise price of a
non-qualified stock option is required to be not less than the par value, nor
greater than the fair market value, of a share of the Company’s common stock on
the date of the grant. The term of an incentive or non-qualified stock option
may not exceed ten years (five years in the case of an incentive stock option
granted to a 10% stockholder), and options generally vest within three years of
issuance.
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted Statement 123(R), which requires the
measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payments
made to employees, including employee stock option, performance share,
performance unit, restricted stock and restricted unit awards based on estimated
fair value. The Company previously applied the provisions of APB 25 and related
interpretations and provided the required pro forma disclosures under Statement
123.
The
Company is using the modified prospective transition method. Under this method,
compensation cost recognized for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
includes: (a) compensation costs for all share based payments granted prior to,
but not yet vested as of July 1, 2005, based on grant-date fair value estimated
in accordance with the original provisions of Statement 123, and (b)
compensation cost for all share-based payments granted subsequent to July 1,
2005, based on the grant-date fair value estimated in accordance with the
provisions of 123(R). Results for prior periods have not been
restated. As a result of adopting Statement 123(R) on July 1, 2005,
the Company’s income before income taxes and net income for the fiscal years
ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 was $0 and $3,297, respectively, lower than if it
had continued to account for share-based compensation under APB Opinion
25. Basic earnings per share would have been $0.01 and $0.05 for the
fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, had the Company not adopted SFAS
123(R) compared to $0.01 and $0.05, respectively, for basic income per share
with the adoption. The adoption of Statement 123(R) had no effect on
cash flow from operations and cash flow from financing activities for the years
ended June 30, 2009 and 2008.
Information
with respect to stock options under the 2003 and 1995 Plans is as
follows:
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
|
|
Outstanding
at beginning of year
|
|
|
3,248,126
|
|
|
$
|
0.30
|
|
|
|
3,265,259
|
|
|
$
|
0.30
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Reinstated
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Expired/
Forfeited
|
|
|
(765,666
|
)
|
|
|
0.34
|
|
|
|
(17,133
|
)
|
|
|
0.25
|
|
Outstanding
at end of year
|
|
|
2,482,460
|
|
|
|
0.30
|
|
|
|
3,248,126
|
|
|
|
0.30
|
|
Options
exercisable at end of year
|
|
|
2,482,460
|
|
|
|
0.29
|
|
|
|
3,248,126
|
|
|
|
0.30
|
|
Weighted average
fair value of options granted
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
following table summarizes information about the stock options outstanding at
June 30, 2009:
Outstanding
|
|
|
Exercisable
|
|
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Number
of
Shares
|
|
|
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
(years)
|
|
|
Number
of
Shares
|
|
|
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
|
|
$
0.10-0.63
|
|
|
|
2,443,460
|
|
|
$
|
0.25
|
|
|
5.2
|
|
|
|
2,443,460
|
|
|
$
|
0.25
|
|
$
1.50-1.81
|
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
$
|
1.65
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
$
|
1.65
|
|
$
2.05-4.88
|
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
$
|
3.04
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
$
|
3.04
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,482,460
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,482,460
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of
June 30, 2009, 2,482,460 stock option grants had vested. Of this
total, 1,636,560 were granted prior to July 1, 2005, and 845,900 were granted
subsequent to July 1, 2005. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009,
no options were exercised. The weighted average remaining contractual term for
stock options that were outstanding as of June 30, 2009 was approximately 5.2
years.
In the
fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and June 30, 2008, the Company did not issue
any stock options.
As of
June 30, 2009, the Company had one share-based plan, which is described
above. The 1995 plan expired as of October 12, 2005. The
compensation cost charged against income for this plan for fiscal years ended
June 30, 2009 and 2008 were $0 and $3,297, respectively. These amounts
include (a) $0 and $7, for fiscal year 2009 and 2008, respectively, of
compensation costs for all share based payments granted prior to, but not yet
vested as of July 1, 2005, based on the grant-date fair value estimated in
accordance with the original provisions of Statement 123, and (b) $0 and $3,290
for fiscal years 2009 and 2008, respectively, of compensation cost for all
share-based payments granted subsequent to July 1, 2005, based on the grant-date
fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of 123(R). No income
tax benefits are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations for
share-based arrangements due to the utilization of federal and state net
operating loss carryforwards.
Stock-based
compensation costs are allocated in operating expense categories as
follows:
|
|
For
the Year Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Operations & Support
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
1,182
|
|
Sales
& Marketing
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,684
|
|
General
& Administrative
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
431
|
|
Total
Stock-based Compensation costs
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
$
|
3,297
|
|
As of
June 30, 2009, there was no compensation cost related to non-vested
awards.
9.
|
EMPLOYEE STOCK
PURCHASE PLAN
|
In
December 1997, stockholders approved the 1997 Employee Stock Purchase
Plan. The Company has 600,000 shares reserved for issuance under the Plan
as of June 30, 2009. The purpose of the Plan is to secure for the Company
and its stockholders the benefits of the incentive inherent in the ownership of
Common Stock by present and future employees of the Company. The Plan is
intended to comply with the terms of Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended, and Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. Under the terms of the Plan individual employees may pay up to
$10,000 per calendar year for the purchase of the Company’s common shares at 85%
of the determined market price.
10.
|
SUPPLEMENTARY CASH
FLOW INFORMATION
|
Interest
The
Company did not make any payments for interest for the fiscal years ended June
30, 2009 and 2008.
Income
Taxes
The
Company made payments for income taxes of approximately $12,000 and $5,000 for
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Allowance
for Doubtful Accounts
The following table summarizes
activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts:
|
|
|
Fiscal
Years Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
Beginning
Balance
|
|
$
|
115,396
|
|
|
$
|
115,396
|
|
|
Additions
– charged to operating expenses
|
|
|
28,950
|
|
|
|
44,530
|
|
|
Write-Offs
|
|
|
(28,950
|
)
|
|
|
(44,530
|
)
|
|
Balance
Adjustment
|
|
|
(49,122
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
Balance
at End of Year
|
|
$
|
66,274
|
|
|
$
|
115,396
|
|
11.
|
COMMITMENTS AND
CONTINGENCIES
|
The
Company leases office space and certain equipment under non-cancelable operating
leases that expire at various dates through April 2014. The leases
require fixed escalations and payment of property taxes, insurance and
maintenance costs.
The
future minimum rental commitments under operating leases are as
follows:
|
Fiscal
year ending
June
30,
|
|
Minimum
Rental
Commitments
|
|
|
2010
|
|
$
|
280,725
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
238,494
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
130,992
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
127,216
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
97,790
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
875,217
|
|
Rent
expense, included in general and administrative expenses, under all operating
leases totaled approximately $293,000 and $273,000 for the fiscal years ended
June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
On
October 31, 2008, Comtex News Network, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a new
employment agreement (the “Agreement”) with its President and Chief Executive
Officer, Mr. Chip Brian (the “Officer”). The Agreement is for a
two-year term, effective October 1, 2008, and may be extended by written
agreement between the parties. The Officer will receive an annual
base salary of $235,000, to be increased to $250,000 on October 1,
2009. The Officer is eligible for annual and incentive bonuses, and
is eligible to participate in Company-sponsored employee benefit
plans.
The
Officer owned an option to purchase seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000)
shares of common stock of the Company the (“Option”) granted under the Company’s
option plans, the exercise price of which was significantly higher than the
current trading price of the Company’s shares. Pursuant to the
Agreement, the Officer forfeited the Option in exchange for a grant of five
hundred thousand (500,000) shares of unregistered common stock of the Company,
par value $0.01 per share, effective as of December 3, 2008.
Under the Agreement, upon the
Officer’s termination for any reason other than for cause or voluntarily by the
Officer without good reason during the one-year period subsequent to an
occurrence of a change in control (as defined in the Agreement), the Company
shall pay the Officer a cash lump sum equal to the greater of his annual base
salary or the remainder of the salary due for the term of the
Agreement. The Agreement also contains non-competition and
non-solicitation provisions.
The
Company has a 401(k) plan available to all full-time employees who meet a
minimum service requirement. Employee contributions are voluntary and
are determined on an individual basis with a maximum annual amount equal to the
maximum amount allowable under federal tax regulations. All
participants are fully vested in their contributions. The 401(k) plan
provides for discretionary Company contributions. The Company did not
make any contributions during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and
2008.
PRELIMINARY COPY
ANNEX II
Unaudited
financial statements (including notes thereto) for the quarter ended September
30, 2009
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
ASSETS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,150,370
|
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
Investment
in Marketable Securities
|
|
|
587,769
|
|
|
|
53,318
|
|
Accounts
Receivable, Net of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts of
$66,274
|
|
|
854,217
|
|
|
|
835,362
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
17,059
|
|
|
|
5,647
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
CURRENT ASSETS
|
|
|
2,609,415
|
|
|
|
2,270,961
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT, NET
|
|
|
372,462
|
|
|
|
385,293
|
|
INVESTMENTS
|
|
|
106,426
|
|
|
|
106,426
|
|
DEPOSITS
AND OTHER ASSETS
|
|
|
71,928
|
|
|
|
71,928
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEFERRED
INCOME TAX ASSET, NET OF VALUATION ALLOWANCE OF $1,703,746 and $1,723,021,
respectively
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
|
$
|
3,160,231
|
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Payable
|
|
$
|
437,900
|
|
|
$
|
376,354
|
|
Other
Accrued Expenses
|
|
|
393,360
|
|
|
|
212,542
|
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
100,871
|
|
|
|
197,340
|
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
108,596
|
|
|
|
95,028
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
1,040,727
|
|
|
|
881,264
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000:
No Shares issued and outstanding
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Common
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000:
Shares issued and outstanding 15,794,200
|
|
|
157,942
|
|
|
|
157,942
|
|
Additional
Paid-In Capital
|
|
|
13,596,637
|
|
|
|
13,596,637
|
|
Accumulated
Deficit
|
|
|
(11,635,075
|
)
|
|
|
(11,801,235
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
2,119,504
|
|
|
|
1,953,344
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
$
|
3,160,231
|
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
1,813,381
|
|
|
$
|
1,662,248
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of Revenues
|
|
|
660,808
|
|
|
|
641,733
|
|
Gross
Profit
|
|
|
1,152,573
|
|
|
|
1,020,515
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Operations and Support
|
|
|
356,479
|
|
|
|
405,009
|
|
Sales
and Marketing
|
|
|
220,885
|
|
|
|
192,766
|
|
General
and Administrative
|
|
|
403,443
|
|
|
|
362,156
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
34,473
|
|
|
|
29,119
|
|
Total
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
1,015,280
|
|
|
|
989,050
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
137,293
|
|
|
|
31,465
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Income (Expense), Net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
Expense
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Interest
Income
|
|
|
711
|
|
|
|
5,543
|
|
Realized
and Unrealized Gain on Marketable Securities
|
|
|
16,729
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other
Income
|
|
|
11,807
|
|
|
|
105
|
|
Total
Other Income, net
|
|
|
29,247
|
|
|
|
5,648
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
Before Provision for Income Taxes
|
|
|
166,540
|
|
|
|
37,113
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Provision)
for Federal and State Income Taxes
|
|
|
(56,624
|
)
|
|
|
(24,650
|
)
|
Tax
Benefit of Net Operating Loss Carry forward
|
|
|
56,244
|
|
|
|
12,600
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$
|
166,160
|
|
|
$
|
25,063
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Common Shares
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,294,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted
Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
$
|
0.01
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Shares Assuming Dilution
|
|
|
15,827,608
|
|
|
|
15,562,438
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$
|
166,160
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,063
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
34,473
|
|
|
|
|
29,119
|
|
Realized
and Unrealized (Gain) Loss on Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(16,729
|
)
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Changes
in Assets and Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Receivable
|
|
|
(18,855
|
)
|
|
|
|
78,009
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
(11,412
|
)
|
|
|
|
5,257
|
|
(Purchase)
Sale of Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(517,722
|
)
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deposits
and Other Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Payable and Other Accrued Expenses
|
|
|
242,364
|
|
|
|
|
(112,281
|
)
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
(96,469
|
)
|
|
|
|
70,838
|
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
13,568
|
|
|
|
|
(3,346
|
)
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Provided By Operating Activities
|
|
|
(204,622
|
)
|
|
|
|
92,659
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of Property and Equipment
|
|
|
(21,642
|
)
|
|
|
|
(2,691
|
)
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Investing Activities
|
|
|
(21,642
|
)
|
|
|
|
(2,691
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Financing Activities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
(Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
(226,264
|
)
|
|
|
|
89,968
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period
|
|
|
1,376,634
|
|
|
|
|
1,520,831
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at End of Period
|
|
$
|
1,150,370
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,610,799
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
PRELIMINARY
COPY
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
NOTES TO
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)
September
30, 2009
Summary of Significant
Accounting Policies
The accompanying unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements are presented pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in
accordance with the disclosure requirements for the quarterly report on
Form 10-Q and therefore do not include all of the information and footnotes
required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete annual
financial statements. In the opinion of Company management, the unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting
of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to fairly state the results for the
interim periods presented. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June
30, 2009 is derived from the Company’s audited financial statements. Operating
results for the three month period ended September 30, 2009 are not
necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2010. These condensed consolidated interim financial statements
should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and
notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2009 (“2009 Form 10-K”), filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2009.
The
Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary. All intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
All
references to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) are in
accordance with The FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
|
Fair Value of
Financial Instruments
|
The
Company adopted fair value accounting for certain financial assets and
liabilities that have been evaluated at least annually. The standard
defines fair value as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in a
current transaction between knowledgeable, willing parties. A liability’s fair
value is defined as the amount that would be paid to transfer the liability to a
new obligor, not the amount that would be paid to settle the liability with the
creditor. Management has determined that it will not, at this time, adopt fair
value accounting for nonfinancial assets or liabilities currently recorded in
the consolidated financial statements, which includes property and equipment,
investments carried at cost, deposits and other assets. Impairment analyses will
be made of all assets using fair value measurements.
Assets
and liabilities measured at fair value are categorized based upon the level of
judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value.
Hierarchical levels, defined by generally accepted accounting principles and
directly related to the amount of subjectivity associated with the inputs to
fair valuation of these assets and liabilities, are as
follows:
Level 1 —
Unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for the identical
assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
Level 2 —
Other observable inputs available at the measurement date, other than quoted
prices included in Level 1, either directly or indirectly,
including:
●
|
Quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active
markets;
|
●
|
Quoted
prices for identical or similar assets in non-active
markets;
|
●
|
Inputs
other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability;
and
|
●
|
Inputs
that are derived principally from or corroborated by other observable
market data.
|
Level 3 —
Unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data and
reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally
determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s
estimates of market participant assumptions.
Cash,
accounts receivable and payable, amounts, accrued expenses and other current
liabilities are carried at book value amounts which approximate fair value due
to the short-term maturity of these instruments.
The
following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the
Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value
on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2009, according to the valuation
techniques the Company used to determine their fair values.
|
|
|
Fair
Value Measurement on September 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted
Price
in
Active
Markets
for
Identical
Assets
|
|
|
Significant
Other Observable Inputs
|
|
|
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
|
|
|
|
|
Level
1
|
|
|
Level
2
|
|
|
Level
3
|
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,150,370
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
Marketable
securities
|
|
|
587,769
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,738,139
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Earnings
per common share is presented in accordance with GAAP. Basic “Earnings Per
Share” (“EPS”) excludes dilution for potentially dilutive securities and is
computed by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS
reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other
contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock
and resulted in the issuance of common stock. Diluted EPS was equal to basic EPS
for the three month period ended September 30, 2009. Diluted EPS for
the three month period ended September 30, 2009 does not include the effects of
options to purchase approximately 2.2 million shares of the total 2.4 million
options outstanding, due to the options’ exercise prices being greater than the
average market price of the Company’s common shares during the
period.
The
provision for income taxes is calculated at normal Federal and State rates for
the three month periods ended September 30, 2009 and 2008.
GAAP a
recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement
recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a
tax return. The Company has determined the adoption of this principle to have no
effect on the consolidated results of operations or financial position at or for
the three month period ended September 30, 2009. The Company will record any
future penalties and tax related interest expense as a component of provision
for income taxes.
The
Company accounts for current and deferred income taxes in accordance with
GAAP. Deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the
difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and
liabilities using the enacted tax rates in effect for the period in which the
differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced
by a valuation allowance when the Company cannot make the determination that it
is more likely than not that some portion or all of the related tax asset will
be realized.
In
preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as
determined necessary by the Company’s management, events that have occurred
after September 30, 2009, up until the issuance of the financial statements,
which occurred on or about November 13, 2009.
Commitments and
Contingencies
The
Company leases office space and certain equipment under non-cancelable operating
leases that expire at various dates through March 2014. The leases
require fixed escalations and payment of property taxes, insurance and
maintenance costs.
The
future minimum rental commitments under operating leases are as
follows:
Fiscal
year ending
June
30,
|
|
Minimum
Rental Commitments
|
|
2010
|
|
$
|
225,312
|
|
2011
|
|
|
239,219
|
|
2012
|
|
|
130,992
|
|
2013
|
|
|
127,216
|
|
2014
|
|
|
97,790
|
|
|
|
$
|
820,529
|
|
Rent
expense, included in general and administrative expenses, under all operating
leases totaled approximately $55,000 and $72,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
On
October 31, 2008, Comtex News Network, Inc. entered into a new employment
agreement (the “Agreement”) with its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr.
Chip Brian (the “Officer”). The Agreement is for a two-year term,
effective October 1, 2008, and may be extended by written agreement between the
parties. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Officer received an annual
initial base salary of $235,000, which was increased to $250,000 on October 1,
2009. The Officer is eligible for annual and incentive bonuses, and
is eligible to participate in Company-sponsored employee benefit
plans.
The
Officer owned an option to purchase seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000)
shares of common stock of the Company (the”Option”) granted under the Company’s
option plans, the exercise price of which was significantly higher than the
current trading price of the Company’s shares. Pursuant to the
Agreement, the Officer forfeited the Option in exchange for a grant of five
hundred thousand (500,000) shares of unregistered common stock of the Company,
par value $0.01 per share, effective as of December 3, 2008.
Under the
Agreement, upon the Officer’s termination for any reason other than for cause or
voluntarily by the Officer without good reason during the one-year period
subsequent to an occurrence of a change in control (as defined in the
Agreement), the Company shall pay the Officer a cash lump sum equal to the
greater of his annual base salary or the remainder of the salary due for the
term of the Agreement. The Agreement also contains non-competition
and non-solicitation provisions.
PRELIMINARY COPY
ANNEX
III
Unaudited
financial statements (including notes thereto) for the quarter ended December
31, 2009
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
June
30,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
ASSETS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,169,824
|
|
|
$
|
1,376,634
|
|
Investment
in Marketable Securities
|
|
|
150,658
|
|
|
|
53,318
|
|
Accounts
Receivable, Net of Allowance for Doubtful
Accounts
of $66,274
|
|
|
900,897
|
|
|
|
835,362
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
41,010
|
|
|
|
5,647
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
CURRENT ASSETS
|
|
|
2,262,389
|
|
|
|
2,270,961
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT, NET
|
|
|
595,834
|
|
|
|
385,293
|
|
INVESTMENTS
|
|
|
106,426
|
|
|
|
106,426
|
|
DEPOSITS
AND OTHER ASSETS
|
|
|
76,536
|
|
|
|
71,928
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEFERRED
INCOME TAX ASSET, NET OF VALUATION ALLOWANCE OF $1,703,746 and $1,723,021,
respectively
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
|
$
|
3,041,185
|
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Payable
|
|
$
|
472,951
|
|
|
$
|
376,354
|
|
Other
Accrued Expenses
|
|
|
402,269
|
|
|
|
212,542
|
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
30,782
|
|
|
|
197,340
|
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
141,739
|
|
|
|
95,028
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
|
|
|
1,047,741
|
|
|
|
881,264
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000:
No Shares issued and outstanding
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Common
Stock, $0.01 Par Value - Shares Authorized:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000:
Shares issued and outstanding 15,794,200
|
|
|
157,942
|
|
|
|
157,942
|
|
Additional
Paid-In Capital
|
|
|
13,596,637
|
|
|
|
13,596,637
|
|
Accumulated
Deficit
|
|
|
(11,761,135
|
)
|
|
|
(11,801,235
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
1,993,444
|
|
|
|
1,953,344
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
$
|
3,041,185
|
|
|
$
|
2,834,608
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Comtex
News Network, Inc.
|
|
Condensed
Statements of Operations
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended
|
|
|
Six
months ended
|
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
$
|
1,791,708
|
|
|
$
|
1,653,364
|
|
|
$
|
3,605,090
|
|
|
$
|
3,315,612
|
|
Cost
of Revenues
|
|
|
734,634
|
|
|
|
478,651
|
|
|
|
1,395,443
|
|
|
|
1,120,384
|
|
Gross
Profit
|
|
|
1,057,074
|
|
|
|
1,174,713
|
|
|
|
2,209,647
|
|
|
|
2,195,228
|
|
Operating
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical
Operations and Support
|
|
|
393,578
|
|
|
|
427,509
|
|
|
|
750,058
|
|
|
|
832,518
|
|
Sales
and Marketing
|
|
|
324,776
|
|
|
|
207,003
|
|
|
|
545,661
|
|
|
|
399,770
|
|
General
and Administrative (Inclusive of stock-based compensation of $ 0 and
$35,000, for the three months ended December 31, 2009 and 2008,
respectively and $0 and $35,000, for the six months ended December 31,
2009 and 2008, respectively)
|
|
|
448,715
|
|
|
|
468,220
|
|
|
|
852,157
|
|
|
|
830,376
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
43,000
|
|
|
|
28,970
|
|
|
|
77,472
|
|
|
|
58,088
|
|
Total
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
1,210,069
|
|
|
|
1,131,702
|
|
|
|
2,225,348
|
|
|
|
2,120,752
|
|
Operating
(Loss) Income
|
|
|
(152,995
|
)
|
|
|
43,011
|
|
|
|
(15,701
|
)
|
|
|
74,476
|
|
Other
income (expense), net:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
Income
|
|
|
170
|
|
|
|
4,021
|
|
|
|
881
|
|
|
|
9,564
|
|
Other
Income
|
|
|
21,581
|
|
|
|
1,147
|
|
|
|
33,388
|
|
|
|
1,252
|
|
Realized
and unrealized gain on marketable securities
|
|
|
5,183
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
21,912
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other
Income , net
|
|
|
26,934
|
|
|
|
5,168
|
|
|
|
56,181
|
|
|
|
10,816
|
|
(Loss)
Income Before Income Taxes
|
|
|
(126,061
|
)
|
|
|
48,179
|
|
|
|
40,480
|
|
|
|
85,292
|
|
(Provision)
for Federal and State Income Taxes
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
(17,200
|
)
|
|
|
(13,763
|
)
|
|
|
(41,850
|
)
|
Tax
Benefit of Net Operating Loss Carry forward
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
16,400
|
|
|
|
13,383
|
|
|
|
29,000
|
|
Net
(Loss) Income
|
|
$
|
(126,061
|
)
|
|
$
|
47,379
|
|
|
$
|
40,100
|
|
|
$
|
72,442
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
(Loss) Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
$
|
(0.01
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Common Shares
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,446,374
|
|
|
|
15,794,200
|
|
|
|
15,583,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted
(Loss) Earnings Per Common Share
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
|
$
|
0.00
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Shares Assuming Dilution
|
|
|
15,913,632
|
|
|
|
15,449,855
|
|
|
|
15,852,261
|
|
|
|
15,790,723
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
|
|
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
|
$
|
40,100
|
|
|
$
|
72,442
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and Amortization
|
|
|
77,473
|
|
|
|
58,088
|
|
Unrealized
(Gain) Loss on Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(8,294
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
Stock-Based
Compensation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
Changes
in Assets and Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Receivable
|
|
|
(65,535
|
)
|
|
|
66,563
|
|
Prepaid
Expenses
|
|
|
(35,363
|
)
|
|
|
11,551
|
|
(Purchase)
Sale of Marketable Securities
|
|
|
(89,046
|
)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deposits
and Other Assets
|
|
|
(4,608
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
Payable and Other Accrued Expenses
|
|
|
88,985
|
|
|
|
(287,686
|
)
|
Accrued
Payroll Expenses
|
|
|
30,782
|
|
|
|
53,213
|
|
Deferred
Revenue
|
|
|
46,710
|
|
|
|
(9,801
|
)
|
Net
Cash Provided By (Used in) Operating Activities
|
|
|
81,204
|
|
|
|
(630
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of Property and Equipment
|
|
|
(288,014
|
)
|
|
|
(15,130
|
)
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Investing Activities
|
|
|
(288,014
|
)
|
|
|
(15,130
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Cash (Used in) Financing Activities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
(Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
(206,810
|
)
|
|
|
(15,760
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period
|
|
|
1,376,634
|
|
|
|
1,520,831
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents at End of Period
|
|
$
|
1,169,824
|
|
|
$
|
1,505,071
|
|
The
accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” are an
integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
NOTES TO
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)
December
31, 2009
Summary of Significant
Accounting Policies
The accompanying unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements are presented pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in
accordance with the disclosure requirements for the quarterly report on
Form 10-Q and therefore do not include all of the information and footnotes
required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete annual
financial statements. In the opinion of Company management, the unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting
of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to fairly state the results for the
interim periods presented. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June
30, 2009 is derived from the Company’s audited financial statements. Operating
results for the three and six month periods ended December 31, 2009 are not
necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2010. These condensed consolidated interim financial statements
should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and
notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2009 (“2009 Form 10-K”), filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2009.
The
Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary. All intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
All
references to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) are in
accordance with the FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
|
Fair Value of
Financial Instruments
|
The
Company adopted fair value accounting for certain financial assets and
liabilities that have been evaluated at least annually. The standard
defines fair value as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in a
current transaction between knowledgeable, willing parties. A liability’s fair
value is defined as the amount that would be paid to transfer the liability to a
new obligor, not the amount that would be paid to settle the liability with the
creditor. Management has determined that it will not, at this time, adopt fair
value accounting for nonfinancial assets or liabilities currently recorded in
the consolidated financial statements, which includes property and equipment,
investments carried at cost, deposits and other assets. Impairment analyses will
be made of all assets using fair value measurements.
Assets
and liabilities measured at fair value are categorized based upon the level of
judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value.
Hierarchical levels, defined by generally accepted accounting principles and
directly related to the amount of subjectivity associated with the inputs to
fair valuation of these assets and liabilities, are as
follows:
Level 1 —
Unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for the identical
assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
Level 2 —
Other observable inputs available at the measurement date, other than quoted
prices included in Level 1, either directly or indirectly,
including:
●
|
Quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active
markets;
|
|
Quoted
prices for identical or similar assets in non-active
markets;
|
|
Inputs
other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability;
and
|
|
Inputs
that are derived principally from or corroborated by other observable
market data.
|
Level 3 —
Unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data and
reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally
determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s
estimates of market participant assumptions.
Cash,
accounts receivable and payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities
are carried at book value, which approximates fair value due to the short-term
maturity of these instruments.
The
following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the
Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value
on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2009, according to the valuation
techniques the Company used to determine their fair values.
|
|
|
Fair
Value Measurement on September 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted
Price
in
Active
Markets
for
Identical
Assets
|
|
|
Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
|
|
|
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
|
|
|
|
|
Level
1
|
|
|
Level
2
|
|
|
Level
3
|
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
1,169,824
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
Marketable
securities
|
|
|
150,658
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,320,482
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Earnings
per common share is presented in accordance with GAAP. Basic “Earnings Per
Share” (“EPS”) excludes dilution for potentially dilutive securities and is
computed by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS
reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other
contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock
and resulted in the issuance of common stock. Diluted EPS was equal to basic EPS
for the three and six month periods ended December 31, 2009 and
2008. Diluted EPS for the six month period ended December 31, 2009
does not include the effects of options to purchase approximately 1.5 million
shares of the total 2.5 million options outstanding, due to the options’
exercise prices being greater than the average market price of the Company’s
common shares during the period.
The
provision for income taxes is calculated at normal Federal and State rates for
the three and six month periods ended December 31, 2009 and 2008.
GAAP
prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial
statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be
taken in a tax return. The Company has determined the adoption of this principle
to have no effect on the consolidated results of operations or financial
position at or for the three and six month periods ended December 31, 2009. The
Company will record any future penalties and tax related interest expense as a
component of provision for income taxes.
The
Company accounts for current and deferred income taxes in accordance with
GAAP. Deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the
difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and
liabilities using the enacted tax rates in effect for the period in which the
differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced
by a valuation allowance when the Company cannot make the determination that it
is more likely than not that some portion or all of the related tax asset will
be realized.
In
preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as
determined necessary by the Company’s management, events that have occurred
after December 31, 2009, up until the issuance of the financial statements,
which occurred on or about February 16, 2010.
On
February 5, 2010, the Company filed a preliminary proxy statement on Schedule
14A and a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 pursuant to Rule 13e-3 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), regarding
(i) the election of six directors to the Company’s Board of Directors; (ii) a
proposal to approve amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation
which would (a) effect a reverse stock split pursuant to which each 1,000 shares
of the Company’s outstanding common stock, par value $0.01 (“Common Stock”),
will be converted into one share of Common Stock (with shareholders owning less
than one share of Common Stock after giving effect to the reverse stock split
receiving a cash payment of $0.29 per share) (the “Reverse Stock Split”), (b)
reduce the number of authorized shares of Common Stock, and (c) permit actions
of the Company’s stockholders to be taken by written consent; and (iii) the
ratification of the appointment of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP as the Company’s
independent auditors. The purpose of the Reverse Stock Split is
to reduce the number of stockholders of record of the Company to fewer than 500,
which will allow the Company to terminate the registration of the Common Stock
under the Exchange Act, thereby suspending the Company’s duty to file periodic
reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act.
If the
Reverse Stock Split is approved by the Company’s stockholders and completed, the
Company intends to file a notice of termination of registration of the Common
Stock under the Exchange Act as soon as practicable thereafter. Upon
termination of the Company’s periodic reporting obligations under the Exchange
Act, the Common Stock may be eligible for listing and trading in the Pink
Sheets® (a centralized quotation service that collects and publishes market
maker quotations for securities). However, the completion of the
Reverse Stock Split and the deregistration of the Common Stock under the
Exchange Act will likely cause the trading market for shares of the Common Stock
to be substantially reduced or eliminated. The preliminary proxy
statement on Schedule 14A and the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 filed
by the Company with the SEC on February 5, 2010, which both contain additional
information regarding the Reverse Stock Split, are hereby incorporated by
reference into this Form 10-Q.
Commitments and
Contingencies
The
Company leases office space and certain equipment under non-cancelable operating
leases that expire at various dates through March 2014. The leases
require fixed escalations and payment of property taxes, insurance and
maintenance costs.
The
future minimum rental commitments under operating leases are as
follows:
Fiscal
year ending
June
30,
|
|
Minimum
Rental Commitments
|
|
2010
|
|
$
|
150,781
|
|
2011
|
|
|
239,219
|
|
2012
|
|
|
130,992
|
|
2013
|
|
|
127,216
|
|
2014
|
|
|
97,790
|
|
|
|
$
|
745,998
|
|
Rent
expense, included in general and administrative expenses, under all operating
leases totaled approximately $127,000 and $146,000 for the six months ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
On
October 31, 2008, Comtex News Network, Inc. entered into a new employment
agreement (the “Agreement”) with its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr.
Chip Brian (the “Officer”). The Agreement is for a two-year term,
effective October 1, 2008, and may be extended by written agreement between the
parties. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Officer received an annual
initial base salary of $235,000, which was increased to $250,000 on October 1,
2009. The Officer is eligible for annual and incentive bonuses, and
is eligible to participate in Company-sponsored employee benefit
plans.
The
Officer owned an option to purchase seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000)
shares of common stock of the Company (the “Option”) granted under the Company’s
option plans, the exercise price of which was significantly higher than the
current trading price of the Company’s shares. Pursuant to the
Agreement, the Officer forfeited the Option in exchange for a grant of five
hundred thousand (500,000) shares of unregistered common stock of the Company,
par value $0.01 per share, effective as of December 3, 2008.
Under the
Agreement, upon the Officer’s termination for any reason other than for cause or
voluntarily by the Officer without good reason during the one-year period
subsequent to an occurrence of a change in control (as defined in the
Agreement), the Company shall pay the Officer a cash lump sum equal to the
greater of his annual base salary or the remainder of the salary due for the
term of the Agreement. The Agreement also contains non-competition
and non-solicitation provisions.
REVOCABLE
PROXY
COMTEX
NEWS NETWORK, INC.
SPECIAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
[
●
],
2010
The undersigned hereby appoints A. Guthrie Paterson and S. Amber Gordon,
the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, respectively, of Comtex News
Network, Inc. (the “Company”), with full powers of substitution to act as
attorneys and proxies for the undersigned to vote all shares of common stock,
par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”), that the undersigned
is entitled to vote at the Special Meeting of Stockholders (“Special Meeting”)
to be held at the
[location]
,
at
[time]
a.m., local time, on
[date]
,
2010. The proxies are, and each of them is, authorized to cast all
votes to which the undersigned is entitled as follows:
|
|
|
FOR
|
|
VOTE
WITHHELD
|
|
|
1.
|
The
election as directors of the nominees listed below (except as marked to
the contrary below) for terms expiring at the 2013 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and until their respective successors have been elected and
qualified:
Chip
Brian
Pieter
VanBennekom
INSTRUCTION:
To withhold your vote for any individual nominee, mark “Vote Withheld” and
write that nominee’s name on the space provided.
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
|
AGAINST
|
|
ABSTAIN
|
2.
|
The
approval of an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to
effect a 1-for-1,000 reverse stock split.
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
|
AGAINST
|
|
ABSTAIN
|
3.
|
The
approval of an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to
permit stockholder actions by written consent.
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
|
AGAINST
|
|
ABSTAIN
|
4.
|
The
ratification of the appointment of Turner, Stone & Co., LLP as the
independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 2010.
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
|
o
|
The
Company’s Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” each of the above-listed
proposals.
THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, BUT IF NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE SPECIFIED, THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR EACH OF THE PROPOSALS STATED ABOVE. IF ANY
OTHER BUSINESS IS PRESENTED AT THE SPECIAL MEETING, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED BY
THE PROXIES NAMED HEREIN AS DIRECTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. AT
THE PRESENT TIME, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS KNOWS OF NO OTHER BUSINESS TO BE
PRESENTED AT THE SPECIAL MEETING.
PRELIMINARY
COPY
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Should the undersigned be present and elect to vote at the Special Meeting or at
any adjournment thereof and after notification to the Corporate Secretary of the
Company at the Special Meeting of the stockholder’s decision to terminate this
proxy, then the power of said attorneys and proxies shall be deemed terminated
and of no further force and effect. This proxy may also be revoked by
sending written notice to the Corporate Secretary of the Company at the address
set forth on the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders, or by the filing of
a later dated proxy prior to a vote being taken on the proposals at the Special
Meeting.
The undersigned acknowledges receipt from the Company prior to the execution of
this proxy of the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders, a Proxy Statement,
dated [
●
],
2010, the Schedule 13E-3, audited financial statements of the Company for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, and unaudited financial statements of the
Company for the fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2009 and December 31,
2009.
Dated:
_________________, 2010
|
o
Check
Box if You Plan to Attend the Special
Meeting
|
|
|
|
|
PRINT NAME OF
STOCKHOLDER
|
|
PRINT NAME OF
STOCKHOLDER
|
|
|
|
|
|
SIGNATURE OF
STOCKHOLDER
|
|
SIGNATURE OF
STOCKHOLDER
|
|
Please sign exactly as your name appears on this card. When signing
as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give your full
title. If shares are held jointly, each stockholder should
sign.
Please
complete and date this proxy and return it promptly
in
the enclosed postage-prepaid envelope.
Comtex News (CE) (USOTC:CMTX)
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