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Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
TASER International, Inc. (“TASER” or the “Company”) is a developer and manufacturer of advanced conducted electrical weapons (“CEWs”) designed for use by law enforcement, military, corrections, and private security personnel, and by private individuals for personal defense. In addition, the Company has developed full technology solutions for the capture, storage and management of video/audio evidence as well as other tactical capabilities for use in law enforcement. The Company sells its products worldwide through its direct sales force, distribution partners, online store and third-party resellers. The Company was incorporated in Arizona in September 1993, and reincorporated in Delaware in January 2001. The Company’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Company’s software development unit facility is located in Seattle, Washington. TASER International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, serves as the Company's international headquarters, and is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. TASER International BV wholly owns two subsidiaries, Axon Public Safety U.K. LTD and Axon Public Safety AU, that serve as direct sales operations in the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively. In 2015, the Company formed Axon Public Safety Canada, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to facilitate transactions for its products and services with new and existing customers located in Canada.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company. All material intercompany accounts, transactions, and profits have been eliminated.
a. Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information related to the Company’s organization, significant accounting policies and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”) has been condensed or omitted. The accounting policies followed in the preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are consistent with those followed in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, as filed on Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented and the presentations and disclosures herein are adequate when read in conjunction with the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year (or any other period). Significant estimates and assumptions in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include:
 
product warranty reserves,
inventory valuation,
revenue recognition allocated in multiple-deliverable contracts or arrangements,
valuation of goodwill, intangibles and long-lived assets,
recognition, measurement and valuation of current and deferred income taxes,
fair value of stock awards issued, the estimated vesting period for performance-based stock awards and forfeiture rates, and
recognition and measurement of contingencies and accrued litigation expense.
Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
b. Segment Information
The Company is comprised of two reportable segments: the manufacture and sale of CEWs, accessories and other products and services (the “TASER Weapons” segment); and the video business which includes the TASER Cam, Axon cameras and related accessories, Evidence.com and MediaSolv (the “Axon” segment). Reportable segments are determined based on discrete financial information reviewed by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer who is the Chief Operating Decision Maker (the “CODM”) for the Company. The Company organizes and reviews operations based on products and services, and currently there are no operating segments that are aggregated. The Company performs an annual analysis of its reportable segments. Additional information related to the Company’s business segments is summarized in Note 14.
c. Geographic Information and Major Customers

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, net sales by geographic area were as follows (in thousands):
 
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
United States
$
60,558

 
84.2
%
 
$
43,689

 
86.7
%
 
$
155,245

 
83.4
%
 
$
117,885

 
83.1
%
Other Countries
11,324

 
15.8

 
6,687

 
13.3

 
30,923

 
16.6

 
23,966

 
16.9

Total
$
71,882

 
100.0
%
 
$
50,376

 
100.0
%
 
$
186,168

 
100.0
%
 
$
141,851

 
100.0
%


Sales to customers outside of the U.S. are typically denominated in U.S. dollars, and are attributed to each country based on the shipping address of the distributor or customer. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, no individual country outside the U.S. represented more than 10% of net sales. Individual sales transactions in the international market are generally larger and occur more intermittently than in the domestic market due to the profile of the Company's customers.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, no customer represented more than 10% of total net sales. At September 30, 2016 there was one outstanding customer balance from one unaffiliated customer that comprised 18.6% of the aggregate accounts receivable balance. At December 31, 2015, the Company had a trade receivable from one unaffiliated customer comprising 12.5% of the aggregate accounts receivable balance.
d. Income per Common Share
Basic income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the periods presented. Potentially dilutive securities include outstanding stock options and unvested restricted stock units. The dilutive effect of potentially dilutive securities is reflected in diluted earnings per share by application of the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, an increase in the fair market value of the Company’s common stock can result in a greater dilutive effect from potentially dilutive securities.
The calculation of the weighted average number of shares outstanding and earnings per share are as follows (in thousands except per share data):
 
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
$
3,843

 
$
1,521

 
$
10,956

 
$
14,829

Denominator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic
52,206

 
53,709

 
52,791

 
53,509

Dilutive effect of stock-based awards
935

 
982

 
865

 
1,162

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding
53,141

 
54,691

 
53,656

 
54,671

Anti-dilutive stock-based awards excluded
227

 
160

 
304

 
160

Net income per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
0.07

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.21

 
$
0.28

Diluted
$
0.07

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.20

 
$
0.27


e. Revenue Recognition, Deferred Revenue and Accounts and Notes Receivable
The Company derives revenue from two primary sources: (1) the sale of physical products, including CEWs, Axon cameras, corresponding extended warranties, and related accessories such as E-docks, cartridges and batteries, among others, and (2) subscription to the Company's Evidence.com software as a service ("SaaS") (including data storage fees and other ancillary services), which includes varying levels of support. To a lesser extent, the Company also recognizes training and other professional services revenue. Revenue is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, title has transferred, the price is fixed and collectability is reasonably assured. Contractual arrangements may contain explicit customer acceptance provisions, and under such arrangements, the Company defers recognition of revenue until formal customer acceptance is received. Extended warranty revenue, SaaS revenue and related data storage revenue are recognized ratably over the term of the contract beginning on the commencement date of each contract.
Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables are divided into separate units and revenue is allocated using the relative selling price method based upon vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price or third-party evidence of the selling prices if vendor-specific objective evidence of selling prices does not exist. If neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party evidence exists, management uses its best estimate of selling price. The majority of the Company’s allocations of arrangement consideration under multiple element arrangements are performed using vendor-specific objective evidence by utilizing prices charged to customers for deliverables when sold separately. The Company’s multiple element arrangements may include future CEWs and/or Axon devices to be delivered at defined points within a multi-year contract, and in those arrangements, the Company allocates total arrangement consideration over the life of the multi-year contract to future deliverables using management’s best estimate of selling price. The Company has not utilized third party evidence of selling price.
The Company offers the right to purchase extended warranties that include additional services and coverage beyond the standard limited warranty for certain products. Revenue for extended warranty purchases is deferred at the time of sale and recognized over the warranty period commencing on the date of sale. Extended warranties range from one to five years.
Evidence.com and Axon cameras and related accessories have stand-alone value to the customer and are sometimes sold separately, but in most instances are sold together. In these instances, customers typically purchase and pay for the equipment and one year of Evidence.com in advance. Additional years of service are generally billed annually over a specified service term, which has typically ranged from one to five years. Generally, the Company recognizes revenue for the Axon equipment at the time of the sale consistent with the discussion of multiple deliverable arrangements above. Revenue for Evidence.com is deferred at the time of the sale and recognized over the service period. At times the Company subsidizes the cost of Axon devices provided to customers to secure long-term Evidence.com service contracts. In such circumstances, revenue related to the Axon devices recognized at the time of delivery is limited to the amount collected from the customer that is not contingent upon the delivery of future Evidence.com services. The Company recognizes the remaining allocated revenue related to subsidized Axon devices over the remaining period it provides the contracted Evidence.com services.
In 2012, the Company introduced a program, the TASER Assurance Program (“TAP”) whereby a customer purchasing a product and joining the program will have the right to trade-in the original product for a new product of the same or like model in the future. Upon joining TAP, customers also receive an extended warranty for the initial products purchased and spare inventory. Under this program the customer generally pays additional annual installments over the contract period, generally three to five years. The Company records consideration received related to the future product purchase as deferred revenue until all revenue recognition criteria are met, which is generally when the new product is delivered. Consideration related to future product purchases is determined at the inception of the arrangement using management’s best estimate of selling price. Management’s estimate is principally based on the current selling price for such products, with due evaluation of the impact of any expected product and pricing changes, which have historically had an immaterial influence on management’s best estimate of selling price.
In 2015, The Company introduced the Officer Safety Plan (“OSP”) whereby a customer enters into a five year Evidence.com subscription that includes all of its standard advanced features along with unlimited storage. The OSP also includes a service plan that includes upgrades of (i) the Axon devices every 2.5 years and (ii) a TASER CEW at any point within the contract period. Upon entering into the OSP, customers also receive extended warranties on the Axon and CEW devices upon delivery to cover the contract periods as well as spare inventory units. Under this program the customer generally makes an initial purchase of Axon cameras and related accessories, and CEWs at inception along with annual installments for services and future hardware deliverables over the contract period. The Company records consideration received related to the future purchase as deferred revenue until all revenue recognition criteria are met, which is generally when the products or services are delivered.
In 2016, the Company introduced the TASER 60 Plan ("TASER 60") whereby a customer typically enters into a five year CEW installment purchase arrangement. The TASER 60 plan also includes extended warranties on the CEW devices upon delivery covering the contract periods as well as on-site spares, holsters and cartridges. Generally, the Company recognizes revenue for the amount allocated to the CEW at the time of sale for the amount of the customer receivable, net of imputed interest, and the amount allocated to the extended warranty is recognized over five years.
Sales tax collected on sales is netted against government remittances and thus, recorded on a net basis. Training and professional service revenues are recorded as the services are provided.
Deferred revenue consists of payments received in advance related to products and services for which the criteria for revenue recognition have not yet been met. Deferred revenue that will be recognized during the succeeding twelve month period is recorded as current deferred revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as long-term. Deferred revenue does not include future revenue from multi-year contracts for which no invoice has yet been created. Generally, customers are billed in annual installments. See Note 6 for further disclosures about the Company’s deferred revenue.
Sales are typically made on credit, and the Company generally does not require collateral. Management performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition, and maintains an allowance for estimated potential losses. Uncollectible accounts are charged to expense when deemed uncollectible, and accounts and notes receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. This allowance represents management’s best use of estimates, and is based on judgment after considering a number of factors, including third-party credit reports, actual payment history, cash discounts, customer-specific financial information and broader market and economic trends and conditions.
f. Standard Warranties
The Company warranties its CEWs, Axon cameras and certain related accessories from manufacturing defects on a limited basis for a period of one year after purchase and, thereafter, will replace any defective unit for a fee. Estimated costs for the standard warranty are charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when revenue is recorded for the related product. Future warranty costs are estimated based on historical data related to returns and warranty costs on a quarterly basis and this rate is applied to current product sales. Historically, reserve amounts have been increased if management becomes aware of a component failure or other issue that could result in larger than anticipated returns from customers. The accrued warranty liability expense is reviewed quarterly to verify that it sufficiently reflects the remaining warranty obligations based on the anticipated expenditures over the balance of the warranty obligation period, and adjustments are made when actual warranty claim experience differs from estimates. Costs related to extended warranties are charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when incurred. The reserve for warranty returns is included in accrued liabilities on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. 
Changes in the Company’s estimated product warranty liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2016
 
2015
Balance, beginning of period
$
314

 
$
675

Utilization of accrual
(97
)
 
(293
)
Warranty expense
531

 
19

Balance, end of period
$
748

 
$
401


g. Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company uses the fair value framework that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques for measuring financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis and for non-financial assets and liabilities when these items are re-measured. Fair value is considered to be the exchange price in an orderly transaction between market participants, to sell an asset or transfer a liability at the measurement date. The hierarchy below lists three levels of fair value based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. The Company categorizes each of its fair value measurements in one of these three levels based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. These levels are:
 
Level 1 – Valuation techniques in which all significant inputs are unadjusted quoted prices from active markets for assets or liabilities that are identical to the assets or liabilities being measured.
Level 2 – Valuation techniques in which significant inputs include quoted prices from active markets for assets or liabilities that are similar to the assets or liabilities being measured and/or quoted prices for assets or liabilities that are identical or similar to the assets or liabilities being measured from markets that are not active. Also, model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets are Level 2 valuation techniques.
Level 3 – Valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. Unobservable inputs are valuation technique inputs that reflect the Company's own assumptions about inputs that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.
The Company has cash equivalents and investments, which at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 were comprised of money market funds, state and municipal obligations, corporate bonds, and certificates of deposits. See additional disclosure regarding the fair value of the Company’s cash equivalents and investments in Note 2. Included in the balance of Other assets as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 was $3.0 million and $2.2 million, respectively, related to corporate-owned life insurance policies which are used to fund the Company’s deferred compensation plan. The Company determines the fair value of its insurance contracts by obtaining the cash surrender value of the contracts from the issuer, a Level 2 valuation technique.
The Company’s financial instruments also include accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable, notes payable and accrued liabilities. Due to the short-term nature of these instruments, their fair values approximate their carrying values on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
h. Valuation of Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-lived Assets
Management evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the remaining estimated useful life of long-lived assets and identifiable intangible assets may warrant revision or that the remaining balance of these assets may not be recoverable. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to, a change in the product mix, a change in the way products are created, produced or delivered, or a significant change in the way products are branded and marketed. In performing the review for recoverability, management estimates the future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. The amount of the impairment loss, if impairment exists, is calculated based on the excess of the carrying amounts of the assets over their estimated fair value computed using discounted cash flows. The Company recorded losses on disposal of intangible assets of $21,000 and $0.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
i. Recently Issued Accounting Guidance
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). ASU 2014-09 requires entities to recognize revenue through the application of a five-step model, which includes identification of the contract, identification of the performance obligations, determination of the transaction price, allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations and recognition of revenue as the entity satisfies the performance obligations. Subsequently, the FASB issued the following accounting standard updates related to Topic 606, Revenue Contracts with Customers:
ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) in March 2016. ASU 2016-08 does not change the core principle of revenue recognition in Topic 606 but clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations.
ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing in April 2016. ASU 2016-10 does not change the core principle of revenue recognition in Topic 606 but clarifies the implementation guidance on identifying performance obligations and the licensing
ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients in May 2016. ASU 2016-12 does not change the core principle of revenue recognition in Topic 606 but clarifies the implementation guidance on a few narrow areas and adds some practical expedients to the guidance.
The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company has established an internal implementation team and has engaged a third party advisory firm to assist in the implementation of the new standard. The Company is performing ongoing assessment activities to evaluate the proper method of adoption as well as the impact the adoption of the guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330). The amendments require that an entity should measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The amendments are effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The amendments should be applied prospectively with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have any impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) in order to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for those leases classified as operating leases under previous GAAP. ASU 2016-02 requires that a lessee should recognize a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term on the balance sheet. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2018 (including interim periods within that year) using a modified retrospective approach and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which amends Accounting Standards Codification (Topic 718), Compensation – Stock Compensation. ASU 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within that fiscal year and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of the ASU on its consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses ("ASU 2016-13"), which amends ASC 326. The new guidance differs from existing GAAP wherein previous objectives generally delayed recognition of credit losses until the loss was probable. ASU 2016-13 eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold and, instead, reflect an entity’s current estimate of all expected credit losses. The use of forecasted information is intended to incorporate more timely information in the estimate of expected credit loss. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within that fiscal year and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. ASU 2016-15 eliminates the diversity in practice related to the classification of certain cash receipts and payments. ASU 2016-15 designates the appropriate cash flow classification, including requirements to allocate certain components of these cash receipts and payments among operating, investing and financing activities. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required unless it is impracticable for some of the amendments, in which case those amendments would be prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.
j. Out-of-Period Adjustments

During the preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, the Company identified certain transactions that were recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 that should have been recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015. The transactions would have resulted in a reduction in income from operations for the year and quarter ended December 31, 2015 of $0.8 million. Of the $0.8 million, $0.4 million was for variable selling costs related to certain international sales contracts that were recorded and incurred during the fourth quarter, $0.2 million related to a correction of the calculation related to bonus expense that should have been recorded during fiscal 2015, and the remainder was primarily attributable to operating expenses that were incurred but not accrued for as of December 31, 2015.
The Company performed various quantitative and qualitative analyses and determined that these errors were not material to the results reported for the year and quarter ended December 31, 2015. The Company also determined that recording these entries as an out-of-period adjustment during the first quarter of 2016 is not expected to be material to the projected results for the full year ended December 31, 2016.
k. Reclassification of Prior Year Information

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified with the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.