10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020
or
☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission File Number: 000-50587

WRIGHT INVESTORS’ SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware	13-4005439
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

118 North Bedford Road, Ste. 100, Mount Kisco, NY	10549
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip code)

(914) 242-5700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or, an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company”, in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐	Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒	Smaller reporting company ☒
	Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒  No ☐

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:            None 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol (s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value	WISH	OTC

As of May 10, 2020, there were 19,839,777 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding. 

WRIGHT INVESTORS’ SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Part I.  Financial Information	Page No.
Item 1.	Financial Statements of Wright Investors’ Service Holdings, Inc.	1
	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations- Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)	1
	Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - March 31, 2020 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2019	2
	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)	3
	Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity- Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)	4
	Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (Unaudited)	5
Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	10
Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	12
Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	12
	Part II. Other Information
Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	13
Item 5.	Other Information	13
Item 6.	Exhibits	14
SIGNATURES		15

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

WRIGHT INVESTORS' SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2020			2019
Expenses
Compensation and benefits	$	133		$	152
Other operating		244			475
		377			627
Loss from operations		(377	)		(627	)
Interest and other income, net		59			146
Loss from operations before income taxes		(318	)		(481	)
Income tax expense		-			(11	)
Net loss	$	(318	)	$	(492	)
Basic and diluted loss per share	$	(0.02	)	$	(0.03	)

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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WRIGHT INVESTORS' SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

	March 31,			December 31,
	2020			2019
		(unaudited)
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,051		$	7,336
Income tax receivable		52			15
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		91			131
Total current assets		7,194			7,482
Deferred tax asset		-			37
Other assets		8			26
Total assets	$	7,202		$	7,545
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	142		$	190
Total current liabilities		142			190
Total liabilities		142			190
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 10,000,000 shares; none issued		-			-
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 30,000,000 shares; issued 20,654,996 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019; outstanding 19,839,777 at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019; and 33,333 shares issuable as of March 31, 2020		206			206
Additional paid-in capital		34,157			34,134
Accumulated deficit		(25,604	)		(25,286	)
Treasury stock, at cost (815,219 shares at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019)		(1,699	)		(1,699	)
Total stockholders' equity		7,060			7,355
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	7,202		$	7,545

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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WRIGHT INVESTORS' SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2020			2019
Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss	$	(318	)	$	(492	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Equity based compensation, including vesting of stock to directors		23			22
Unrealized appreciation on investments in U.S. Treasury Bills		-			(25	)
Changes in other operating items:
Deferred tax asset		37			74
Income taxes receivable		(37	)		(63	)
Prepaid expenses, other current assets, and other assets		58			41
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(48	)		(9	)
Right of use lease asset		-			(111	)
Operating lease liability		-			130
Net cash used in operating activities		(285	)		(433	)
Cash flows from investing activities
Investments in U.S. Treasury Bills		-			(4,985	)
Net cash used in investing activities		-			(4,985	)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents		(285	)		(5,418	)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period		7,336			6,163
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period	$	7,051		$	745

See accompanying notes to condensed unaudited consolidated financial statements. 

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WRIGHT INVESTORS' SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2020 and 2019

(UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except per share data)

													Total
					Additional					Treasury			stock-
	Common stock (Issued)				paid -in		Accumulated			stock, at			holders
	shares		amount		capital		deficit			cost			equity
Balance at December 31, 2018		20,462,462	$	204	$	34,046	$	(23,283	)	$	(1,699	)	$	9,268
Net loss		-		-		-		(492	)		-			(492	)
Equity based compensation expense		-		-		2		-			-			2
Stock based compensation expense to directors		-		-		20		-			-			20
Balance at March 31, 2019		20,462,462	$	204	$	34,068	$	(23,775	)	$	(1,699	)	$	8,798
Balance at December 31, 2019		20,654,996	$	206	$	34,134	$	(25,286	)	$	(1,699	)	$	7,355
Net loss		-		-		-		(318	)		-			(318	)
Equity based compensation expense		-		-		3		-			-			3
Stock based compensation expense to directors		-		-		20		-			-			20
Balance at March 31, 2020		20,654,996	$	206	$	34,157	$	(25,604	)	$	(1,699	)	$	7,060

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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WRIGHT INVESTORS’ SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

Three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019

(unaudited)

1. Basis of presentation and description of activities

Basis of presentation

The accompanying interim financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X.  The information and note disclosures normally included in complete financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.  The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019 has been derived from audited financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 as presented in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, this interim information includes all material adjustments, which are of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation. The results for the 2020 interim period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the entire year.

Description of activities

The Company has no or nominal operations. As a result, the Company is a “shell company”, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a shell company, its stockholders will be unable to utilize Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or Rule 144 to sell “restricted stock” as defined in Rule 144 or otherwise use Rule 144 to sell stock of the Company, and the Company would be ineligible to utilize registration statements on Form S-3 or Form S-8 for so long as the Company remains a shell company and for 12 months thereafter. Among other things, as a consequence, the offering, issuance and sale of its securities is likely to be more expensive and time consuming and may make the Company’s securities less attractive to investors.

The Company is not engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, and it does not hold itself out as being engaged in those activities. However, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), a company may fall within the scope of being an “inadvertent investment company” under section 3(a)(1)(C) of such Act if the value of the Company’s investment securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act) is more than 40% of the Company’s total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash and certain cash equivalents). 

The Company intends to evaluate and explore all available strategic options. The Company will continue to work to maximize stockholder value. Such strategic options may include acquisition of an investment advisory business, acquisition of a financial services business, creating partnerships or joint ventures for those or other businesses and investing in other businesses that provide attractive opportunities for growth. The directors will also consider alternatives for distributing some or all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents. Until such time as a decision is made as to how the proceeds from the Sale and other liquid assets of the Company are so deployed, the Company intends to invest the proceeds of the Sale and its other liquid assets in high-grade, short- term investments (such as cash and cash equivalents) consistent with the preservation of principal, maintenance of liquidity and avoidance of speculation.

2. Adoption of new accounting guidance

In January 2017, FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles- Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which eliminates the second step of the previous FASB guidance for testing goodwill for impairment and is intended to reduce cost and complexity of goodwill impairment testing. The Company has adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, which did not have an impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

3. Certain new accounting guidance not yet adopted

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 (ASU 2016-13) "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments", which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss model which requires the use of forward-looking information to calculate credit loss estimates. It also eliminates the concept of other-than-temporary impairment and requires credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. These changes will result in earlier recognition of credit losses. The standard is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2022 for both interim and annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2016-13 to have an impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

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4. Per share data

Loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, is calculated based on 19,856,444 and 19,647,243 weighted average outstanding shares of common stock.

Options for 550,000 shares of common stock, for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and stock awards for 66,667 and 100,000 shares of common stock for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, were not included in the diluted computation as their effect would be anti-dilutive since the Company incurred net losses for both periods.

5. Investment valuation

The Company carries its investments at fair value. Fair value is an estimate of the exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants (i.e., the exit price at the measurement date). Fair value measurements are not adjusted for transaction costs. A fair value hierarchy provides for prioritizing inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels:

Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 Inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable, either directly or indirectly, and reasonably available. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company.

Level 3 Unobservable inputs. Unobservable inputs reflect the assumptions that the Company develops based on available information about what market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability.

An asset or liability's level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Availability of observable inputs can vary and is affected by a variety of factors. The Company uses judgment in determining fair value of assets and liabilities and Level 3 assets and liabilities involve greater judgment than Level 1 or Level 2 assets or liabilities.

As of March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company held $550,000 and $7,144,000 in U.S. government debt securities. U.S. government securities are valued using a model that incorporates market observable data, such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations. Money market funds are valued at the closing price reported by the fund sponsor from an actively traded exchange. U.S. government debt securities are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, depending on the inputs used and market activity levels for specific securities. The U.S. government debt securities, which have maturities of three months or less at time of purchase, are reported as Cash and cash equivalents on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. 

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The following table presents the Company’s financial instruments at fair value (in thousands):

	Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2020
	3/31/2020		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,051	$	6,501	$	550	$	-

	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2019
	12/31/2019		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,336	$	192	$	7,144	$	-

6. Income taxes

Income tax expense represents minimum state taxes. No tax benefit has been recorded in relation to the pre-tax loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, due to a full valuation allowance to offset any deferred tax asset related to net operating loss carry forwards attributable to the losses.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The Act contains several new or changed income tax provisions, including but not limited to the following: increased limitation threshold for determining deductible interest expense, class life changes to qualified improvements (in general, from 39 years to 15 years), and the ability to carry back net operating losses incurred from tax years 2018 through 2020 up to the five preceding tax years. The Company has evaluated the new tax provisions of the CARES Act and determined the impact to be either immaterial or not applicable.

7. Capital Stock

The Company’s Board of Directors, without any vote or action by the holders of common stock, is authorized to issue preferred stock from time to time in one or more series and to determine the number of shares and to fix the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of any series of preferred stock.

The Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to 5,000,000 outstanding shares of common stock from time to time either in open market or privately negotiated transactions. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had repurchased 2,041,971 shares of its common stock and a total of 2,958,029 of the authorization shares, remained available for repurchase as of March 31, 2020. The Company did not repurchase shares of common stock during the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

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8. Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation

Stock awards

On February 13, 2019, 100,000 stock awards were issued to a newly appointed director of the Company. The stock awards vest equally, annually, over 3 years. The stock awards are valued based on the closing price of $0.42 of the Company’s common stock on February 13, 2019. At March 31, 2020, 66,667 stock awards remained unvested and 33,333 shares are to be issued.

The Company recorded compensation expense of $3,000 and $2,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related to those stock awards. The total unrecognized compensation expense related to these unvested stock awards at March 31, 2020 is $25,000, which will be recognized over the remaining vesting period of approximately 2 years. 

Common stock options

The Company adopted a stock-based compensation plan for employees and non-employee members of its Board of Directors in November 2003 (the “2003 Plan”), and the National Patent Development Corporation 2007 Incentive Stock Plan in December 2007 (the “2007 NPDC Plan”).  The periods during which additional awards may be granted under the plans have expired and no further awards may be granted under any of these plans after December 20, 2017. As a consequence, any equity compensation awards issued after that time will be on terms determined by the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the securities laws.

The Company recorded compensation expense of $0 and $100 for each of the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, under these plans. 

The Company issued 100,000 options to a consultant on March 28, 2016 which vest equally over 3 years and are subject to post vesting restrictions for sale for three years with an exercise price of $1.29, which price was equal to the market value at the date of the grant. 

As of March 31, 2020, all options were vested and there were outstanding options to acquire 550,000 common shares under the 2007 NPDC Plan, all 550,000 options were vested and exercisable, having a weighted average exercise price of $1.35 per share, a weighted average contractual term of 1.75 years and zero aggregate intrinsic value. There were no grants, forfeitures or options exercised during the first quarter of 2020.

9. Commitments, Contingencies, and Other

a) The extent of the impact and effects of the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the operation and financial performance of our Company are unknown. However, the Company does not expect that the outbreak will have a material adverse effect on financial results at this time.

b) In July 2019, the Company entered into a six-month lease for office space in a building located in Mt. Kisco, NY. The lease commenced on September 1, 2019 and expired on February 29, 2020, after which it is being renewed on a monthly basis for $3,800 per month.

c) The Company has interests in land and certain flowage rights in undeveloped property (the “properties”) primarily located in Killingly, Connecticut. The properties were fully impaired as of December 31, 2018.

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d) On September 26, 2014, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) issued two Orders requiring the investigation and repair of two dams in which the Company and its subsidiaries have certain ownership interests. The first Order required that the Company investigate and make specified repairs to the ACME Pond Dam located in Killingly, Connecticut. The second Order, as subsequently revised by DEEP on October 10, 2014, required that the Company investigate and make specified repairs to the Killingly Pond Dam located in Killingly, Connecticut. The Company administratively appealed and contested the allegations in both Orders. On July 27, 2017, the Company entered into a Consent Order with the DEEP relative to Killingly Pond Dam. The Killingly Pond Consent Order required the Company to continue to perform routine maintenance and administrative procedures consistent with DEEP’s Dam Safety regulations, the cost of which was not material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations. On July 27, 2018, the Company entered into a Consent Order with the DEEP relative to Acme Pond Dam. The Acme Pond Dam Consent Order required the Company to investigate and recommend repairs to Acme Pond Dam. Based up on the work performed by the Company’s retained consulting engineering firm, the Company submitted its recommended Action Plan (the “Action Plan”) for Acme Pond Dam pursuant to the Consent Order on November 30, 2017 and such recommended Action Plan was approved by DEEP as submitted on May 23, 2019. The estimated cost of work to be performed under the Action Plan was $90,000 and was accrued for at December 31, 2018. Total expenses for the repair work conducted in accordance with the Action Plan during the year ending December 31, 2019 was approximately $150,000. All repair work required for both the ACME Pond Dam and the Killingly Pond Dam was completed as of December 31, 2019. DEEP issued a Certificate of Compliance for Consent Order for the ACME Pond Dam on February 7, 2020. The Company is currently waiting for the final administrative sign off for Killingly Pond Dam. On February 11, 2020, the Company and its representatives met with the Town of Killingly Town Council to discuss a proposed ownership transfer of the properties to the Town of Killingly or a group of interested parties. The proposal is currently under the review of the Town of Killingly Town Council, in conjunction with the Town Manager. 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).  The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning future events and results. The words “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “project,” “predict,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” and “intend,” as well as other similar words and expressions of the future, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause actual results to differ from those results expressed or implied, include, but are not limited to, those listed under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 30, 2020.

These forward-looking statements generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for future events and include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts.  These statements are based upon our opinions and estimates as of the date they are made.  Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may be beyond our control, which could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from results, performance and achievements projected, expected, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.  While we cannot assess the future impact that any of these differences could have on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows or the market price of shares of our common stock, the differences could be significant. You are cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking statements when evaluating the information presented in this report and you are urged to consider all such risks and uncertainties. In light of the uncertainty inherent in such forward-looking statements, you should not consider their inclusion to be a representation that such forward-looking matters will be achieved. 

General Overview

The Company is a “shell company”, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  Because we are a shell company, our stockholders are unable to utilize Rule 144 to sell “restricted stock” as defined in Rule 144 or to otherwise use Rule 144 to sell our securities, and we are ineligible to utilize registration statements on Form S-3 or Form S-8 for so long as we remain a shell company and for 12 months thereafter.  As a consequence, among other things, the offering, issuance and sale of our securities is likely to be more expensive and time consuming and may make our securities less attractive to investors.

The Company’s Board of Directors is considering strategic uses for its funds to develop or acquire interests in one or more operating businesses.  While we have focused our development or acquisition efforts on sectors in which our management has expertise, we do not wish to limit ourselves to, or to foreclose any opportunities in, any particular industry or sector.  Prior to this use, the Company’s funds have been, and we anticipate will continue to be, invested in high-grade, short-term investments (such as cash and cash equivalents) consistent with the preservation of principal, maintenance of liquidity and avoidance of speculation, until such time as we need to utilize such funds, or any portion thereof, for the purposes described above.   The directors will also consider alternatives for distributing some or all of its cash and cash equivalents to stockholders.

Results of operations

Three months ended March 31, 2020 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2019

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company had a loss from operations before income taxes of $318,000 compared to a loss from operations before income taxes of $481,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

The decreased loss before income taxes of $163,000 was the result of a decrease in Compensation and benefits of $19,000, a decrease in Other operating expenses of $231,000 mainly as the result of decreased professional fees, decreased expenses associated with the Killingly dam, and decreased rent expense, offset by a decrease in Interest and other income of $87,000.

Compensation and benefits

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, Compensation and benefits were $133,000 as compared to $152,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 as the result of the Company having fewer employees and there was a decrease in the health plan expense as of the quarter ended on March 31, 2020 in comparison to the quarter ended March 31, 2019

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Other operating expenses

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, Other operating expenses were $244,000 as compared to $475,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The decreased operating expenses of $231,000 were primarily the result of decreased insurance expenses of $20,000, decreased professional fees of $110,000, decreased rent expense of $54,000 and decreased consulting fees and expenses associated with remediation of the dams of $ 34,000, for which all required repair work was completed as of December 31, 2019.  

Income taxes

For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded income tax expense from operations of $0 and $11,000, respectively. The tax expense recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2019 represented minimum state taxes. No tax benefit has been recorded in relation to the pre-tax loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, due to a full valuation allowance to offset any deferred tax asset related to net operating loss carry forwards attributable to the losses. 

Other Assets

The Company has interests in land and certain flowage rights in undeveloped property (the “properties”) primarily located in Killingly, Connecticut, which are deemed to be fully impaired as of March 31, 2020.

Financial condition

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At March 31, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents totaling $7,051,000, which it intends to use to acquire interests in one or more operating businesses, to fund the Company’s general and administrative expenses, and the directors will also consider alternatives for distributing some or all of its cash and cash equivalents to stockholders.  The Company believes that its working capital is sufficient to support its operating requirements through June 30, 2021.

Cash equivalents represent short-term, highly liquid investments, which are readily convertible to cash and have maturities of three months or less at time of purchase. Please refer to note 5 for valuation on Investments.

The decrease in cash and cash equivalents of $285,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 was primarily the result of the Company’s operating loss for the period.  

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not required.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, with the assistance of other members of the Company’s management, have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report. Based upon such evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report.

The Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have also concluded that there was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

Purchases of Equity Securities

The Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to 5,000,000 outstanding shares of common stock from time to time either in open market or privately negotiated transactions. At March 31, 2020, the Company had repurchased 2,041,971 shares of its common stock and, a total of 2,958,029 shares remained available for repurchase at March 31, 2020, pursuant to the 5,000,000 shares repurchase plans. The Company did not repurchase shares of common stock during the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

Item 5. Other Information

None

13

Item 6. Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
31.1	*	Certification of principal executive officer of the Company, pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a)
31.2	*	Certification of principal financial officer of the Company, pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a)
32.1	*	Certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, signed by the principal executive officer of the Company and the principal financial officer of the Company
101.INS	**	XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH	**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL	**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF	**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB	**	XBRL Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE	**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

*Filed herewith

**Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, these interactive data files are deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Section 18 of the Securities Act of 1934 and otherwise are not subject to liability.

14

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	WRIGHT INVESTORS’ SERVICE HOLDINGS, INC
Date:  May 13, 2020	By:	/s/ HARVEY P. EISEN
		Name:	Harvey P. Eisen
		Title:	Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

Date:  May 13, 2020	By:	/s/ HAROLD D. KAHN
		Name:	Harold D. Kahn
		Title:	Acting Chief Financial Officer and Acting Principal Accounting Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

15

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Harvey P. Eisen, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-Q of Wright Investors’ Service Holdings, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)  Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)  All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 13, 2020

/s/ HARVEY P. EISEN
Name:	Harvey P. Eisen
Title:	Chairman, President, and
	Chief Executive Officer

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Harold D. Kahn, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-Q of Wright Investors’ Service Holdings, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)  Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)  All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 13, 2020

/s/ HAROLD D. KAHN
Name:	Harold D. Kahn
Title:	Acting Chief Financial Officer and
	Acting Principal Accounting Officer

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with this Annual Report on Form 10-Q of Wright Investors’ Service Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2020 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), each of the undersigned officers of the Company hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. (section) 1350, as adopted pursuant to (section) 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to the best of his knowledge:

(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

/s/ HARVEY P. EISEN
Name:	Harvey P. Eisen
Title:	Chairman, President, and
	Chief Executive Officer
Date:	May 13, 2020

/s/ HAROLD D. KAHN
Name:	Harold D. Kahn
Title:	Acting Chief Financial Officer and
	Acting Principal Accounting Officer
Date:	May 13, 2020

XML

Basis of presentation and description of activities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of presentation and description of activities

1. Basis of presentation and description of activities

Basis of presentation

The accompanying interim financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X.  The information and note disclosures normally included in complete financial statements have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.  The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019 has been derived from audited financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 as presented in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, this interim information includes all material adjustments, which are of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation. The results for the 2020 interim period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the entire year.

Description of activities

The Company has no or nominal operations. As a result, the Company is a “shell company”, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a shell company, its stockholders will be unable to utilize Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or Rule 144 to sell “restricted stock” as defined in Rule 144 or otherwise use Rule 144 to sell stock of the Company, and the Company would be ineligible to utilize registration statements on Form S-3 or Form S-8 for so long as the Company remains a shell company and for 12 months thereafter. Among other things, as a consequence, the offering, issuance and sale of its securities is likely to be more expensive and time consuming and may make the Company’s securities less attractive to investors.

The Company is not engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, and it does not hold itself out as being engaged in those activities. However, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), a company may fall within the scope of being an “inadvertent investment company” under section 3(a)(1)(C) of such Act if the value of the Company’s investment securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act) is more than 40% of the Company’s total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash and certain cash equivalents). 

The Company intends to evaluate and explore all available strategic options. The Company will continue to work to maximize stockholder value. Such strategic options may include acquisition of an investment advisory business, acquisition of a financial services business, creating partnerships or joint ventures for those or other businesses and investing in other businesses that provide attractive opportunities for growth. The directors will also consider alternatives for distributing some or all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents. Until such time as a decision is made as to how the proceeds from the Sale and other liquid assets of the Company are so deployed, the Company intends to invest the proceeds of the Sale and its other liquid assets in high-grade, short- term investments (such as cash and cash equivalents) consistent with the preservation of principal, maintenance of liquidity and avoidance of speculation.

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 7,051	$ 7,336
Income tax receivable	52	15
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	91	131
Total current assets	7,194	7,482
Deferred tax asset		37
Other assets	8	26
Total assets	7,202	7,545
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	142	190
Total current liabilities	142	190
Total liabilities	142	190
Stockholders' equity
Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 10,000,000 shares; none issued
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 30,000,000 shares; issued 20,654,996 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019; outstanding 19,839,777 at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019; and 33,333 shares issuable as of March 31, 2020	206	206
Additional paid-in capital	34,157	34,134
Accumulated deficit	(25,604)	(25,286)
Treasury stock, at cost (815,219 shares at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019)	(1,699)	(1,699)
Total stockholders' equity	7,060	7,355
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 7,202	$ 7,545

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Investment valuation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Investment valuation

5. Investment valuation

The Company carries its investments at fair value. Fair value is an estimate of the exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants (i.e., the exit price at the measurement date). Fair value measurements are not adjusted for transaction costs. A fair value hierarchy provides for prioritizing inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels:

Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 Inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable, either directly or indirectly, and reasonably available. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company.

Level 3 Unobservable inputs. Unobservable inputs reflect the assumptions that the Company develops based on available information about what market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability.

An asset or liability's level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Availability of observable inputs can vary and is affected by a variety of factors. The Company uses judgment in determining fair value of assets and liabilities and Level 3 assets and liabilities involve greater judgment than Level 1 or Level 2 assets or liabilities.

As of March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company held $550,000 and $7,144,000 in U.S. government debt securities. U.S. government securities are valued using a model that incorporates market observable data, such as reported sales of similar securities, broker quotes, yields, bids, offers, and reference data. Certain securities are valued principally using dealer quotations. Money market funds are valued at the closing price reported by the fund sponsor from an actively traded exchange. U.S. government debt securities are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, depending on the inputs used and market activity levels for specific securities. The U.S. government debt securities, which have maturities of three months or less at time of purchase, are reported as Cash and cash equivalents on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. 

The following table presents the Company’s financial instruments at fair value (in thousands):

	Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2020
	3/31/2020		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,051	$	6,501	$	550	$	-

	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2019
	12/31/2019		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,336	$	192	$	7,144	$	-

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Commitments, Contingencies, and Other

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments, Contingencies and Other

9. Commitments, Contingencies, and Other

a) The extent of the impact and effects of the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the operation and financial performance of our Company are unknown. However, the Company does not expect that the outbreak will have a material adverse effect on financial results at this time.

b) In July 2019, the Company entered into a six-month lease for office space in a building located in Mt. Kisco, NY. The lease commenced on September 1, 2019 and expired on February 29, 2020, after which it is being renewed on a monthly basis for $3,800 per month.

c) The Company has interests in land and certain flowage rights in undeveloped property (the “properties”) primarily located in Killingly, Connecticut. The properties were fully impaired as of December 31, 2018.

d) On September 26, 2014, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) issued two Orders requiring the investigation and repair of two dams in which the Company and its subsidiaries have certain ownership interests. The first Order required that the Company investigate and make specified repairs to the ACME Pond Dam located in Killingly, Connecticut. The second Order, as subsequently revised by DEEP on October 10, 2014, required that the Company investigate and make specified repairs to the Killingly Pond Dam located in Killingly, Connecticut. The Company administratively appealed and contested the allegations in both Orders. On July 27, 2017, the Company entered into a Consent Order with the DEEP relative to Killingly Pond Dam. The Killingly Pond Consent Order required the Company to continue to perform routine maintenance and administrative procedures consistent with DEEP’s Dam Safety regulations, the cost of which was not material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations. On July 27, 2018, the Company entered into a Consent Order with the DEEP relative to Acme Pond Dam. The Acme Pond Dam Consent Order required the Company to investigate and recommend repairs to Acme Pond Dam. Based up on the work performed by the Company’s retained consulting engineering firm, the Company submitted its recommended Action Plan (the “Action Plan”) for Acme Pond Dam pursuant to the Consent Order on November 30, 2017 and such recommended Action Plan was approved by DEEP as submitted on May 23, 2019. The estimated cost of work to be performed under the Action Plan was $90,000 and was accrued for at December 31, 2018. Total expenses for the repair work conducted in accordance with the Action Plan during the year ending December 31, 2019 was approximately $150,000. All repair work required for both the ACME Pond Dam and the Killingly Pond Dam was completed as of December 31, 2019. DEEP issued a Certificate of Compliance for Consent Order for the ACME Pond Dam on February 7, 2020. The Company is currently waiting for the final administrative sign off for Killingly Pond Dam. On February 11, 2020, the Company and its representatives met with the Town of Killingly Town Council to discuss a proposed ownership transfer of the properties to the Town of Killingly or a group of interested parties. The proposal is currently under the review of the Town of Killingly Town Council, in conjunction with the Town Manager. 

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Investment valuation (Schedule of Financial Instruments at Fair Value) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 7,051	$ 7,336	$ 745	$ 6,163
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	6,501	192
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents	550	7,144
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Cash and cash equivalents

XML

Commitments, Contingencies and Other (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated cost of work - accrual			$ 90,000
Total cost of repair work		$ 150,000
Mt. Kisco [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Monthly rent	$ 3,800

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Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation (Common Stock Options) (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 28, 2016	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted - Stock Options	100,000
Expected life	3 years
Exercise price	$ 1.29
2007 NPDC Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options outstanding		550,000
Options vested and exercisable		550,000
Outstanding options, weighted average exercise price		$ 1.35
Outstanding options, weighted average contractual term		1 year 9 months
Outstanding options, aggregate intrinsic value		$ 0
2003 and 2007 NPDC Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation		$ 0	$ 100

XML

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Common Stock [Member]	Additional paid-in capital [Member]	Accumulated deficit [Member]	Treasury stock, at cost [Member]	Total
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 204	$ 34,046	$ (23,283)	$ (1,699)	$ 9,268
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2018	20,462,462
Net loss			(492)		(492)
Equity based compensation expense		2			2
Stock based compensation expense to directors		20			20
Stock based compensation expense to directors, shares
Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	$ 204	34,068	(23,775)	(1,699)	8,798
Balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2019	20,462,462
Balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 206	34,134	(25,286)	(1,699)	7,355
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2019	20,654,996
Net loss			(318)		(318)
Equity based compensation expense		3			3
Stock based compensation expense to directors		20			20
Stock based compensation expense to directors, shares
Balance at Mar. 31, 2020	$ 206	$ 34,157	$ (25,604)	$ (1,699)	$ 7,060
Balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2020	20,654,996

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Expenses
Compensation and benefits	$ 133	$ 152
Other operating	244	475
Total expenses	377	627
Loss from operations	(377)	(627)
Interest and other income, net	59	146
Loss from operations before income taxes	(318)	(481)
Income tax expense		(11)
Net loss	$ (318)	$ (492)
Basic and diluted loss per share	$ (0.02)	$ (0.03)

XML

Investment valuation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Investments in U.S. Treasury Bills, held for trading	$ 550	$ 7,144

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Per share data

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Per share data

4. Per share data

Loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, is calculated based on 19,856,444 and 19,647,243 weighted average outstanding shares of common stock.

Options for 550,000 shares of common stock, for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and stock awards for 66,667 and 100,000 shares of common stock for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, were not included in the diluted computation as their effect would be anti-dilutive since the Company incurred net losses for both periods.

XML

Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation

8. Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation

Stock awards

On February 13, 2019, 100,000 stock awards were issued to a newly appointed director of the Company. The stock awards vest equally, annually, over 3 years. The stock awards are valued based on the closing price of $0.42 of the Company’s common stock on February 13, 2019. At March 31, 2020, 66,667 stock awards remained unvested and 33,333 shares are to be issued.

The Company recorded compensation expense of $3,000 and $2,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related to those stock awards. The total unrecognized compensation expense related to these unvested stock awards at March 31, 2020 is $25,000, which will be recognized over the remaining vesting period of approximately 2 years. 

Common stock options

The Company adopted a stock-based compensation plan for employees and non-employee members of its Board of Directors in November 2003 (the “2003 Plan”), and the National Patent Development Corporation 2007 Incentive Stock Plan in December 2007 (the “2007 NPDC Plan”).  The periods during which additional awards may be granted under the plans have expired and no further awards may be granted under any of these plans after December 20, 2017. As a consequence, any equity compensation awards issued after that time will be on terms determined by the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the securities laws.

The Company recorded compensation expense of $0 and $100 for each of the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, under these plans. 

The Company issued 100,000 options to a consultant on March 28, 2016 which vest equally over 3 years and are subject to post vesting restrictions for sale for three years with an exercise price of $1.29, which price was equal to the market value at the date of the grant. 

As of March 31, 2020, all options were vested and there were outstanding options to acquire 550,000 common shares under the 2007 NPDC Plan, all 550,000 options were vested and exercisable, having a weighted average exercise price of $1.35 per share, a weighted average contractual term of 1.75 years and zero aggregate intrinsic value. There were no grants, forfeitures or options exercised during the first quarter of 2020.

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Capital Stock (Details)	Mar. 31, 2020 shares
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased	5,000,000
Remaining number of shares available for repurchase	2,958,029
Shares repurchased	2,041,971

XML

Income taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income taxes

6. Income taxes

Income tax expense represents minimum state taxes. No tax benefit has been recorded in relation to the pre-tax loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, due to a full valuation allowance to offset any deferred tax asset related to net operating loss carry forwards attributable to the losses.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The Act contains several new or changed income tax provisions, including but not limited to the following: increased limitation threshold for determining deductible interest expense, class life changes to qualified improvements (in general, from 39 years to 15 years), and the ability to carry back net operating losses incurred from tax years 2018 through 2020 up to the five preceding tax years. The Company has evaluated the new tax provisions of the CARES Act and determined the impact to be either immaterial or not applicable.

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Investment valuation (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of Financial Instruments at Fair Value

The following table presents the Company’s financial instruments at fair value (in thousands):

	Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2020
	3/31/2020		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,051	$	6,501	$	550	$	-

	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2019
	12/31/2019		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	7,336	$	192	$	7,144	$	-

XML

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred Stock, par value per share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred Stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred Stock, shares issued
Common Stock, par value per share	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common Stock, shares authorized	30,000,000	30,000,000
Common Stock, shares issued	20,654,996	20,654,996
Common Stock, shares outstanding	19,839,777	19,839,777
Treasury stock, shares	815,219	815,219
Common Stock, shares issuable	33,333

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Adoption of new accounting guidance

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Adoption Of New Accounting Guidance

Adoption of new accounting guidance

2. Adoption of new accounting guidance

In January 2017, FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles- Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which eliminates the second step of the previous FASB guidance for testing goodwill for impairment and is intended to reduce cost and complexity of goodwill impairment testing. The Company has adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, which did not have an impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Capital Stock

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Capital Stock

7. Capital Stock

The Company’s Board of Directors, without any vote or action by the holders of common stock, is authorized to issue preferred stock from time to time in one or more series and to determine the number of shares and to fix the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of any series of preferred stock.

The Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to 5,000,000 outstanding shares of common stock from time to time either in open market or privately negotiated transactions. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had repurchased 2,041,971 shares of its common stock and a total of 2,958,029 of the authorization shares, remained available for repurchase as of March 31, 2020. The Company did not repurchase shares of common stock during the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

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Per share data (Details) - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding	19,856,444	19,647,243
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	550,000	550,000
Stock awards [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	66,667	100,000

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Certain new accounting guidance not yet adopted

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Certain New Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

Certain new accounting guidance not yet adopted

3. Certain new accounting guidance not yet adopted

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 (ASU 2016-13) "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments", which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss model which requires the use of forward-looking information to calculate credit loss estimates. It also eliminates the concept of other-than-temporary impairment and requires credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. These changes will result in earlier recognition of credit losses. The standard is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2022 for both interim and annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2016-13 to have an impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Cash flows from operating activities
Net loss	$ (318)	$ (492)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Equity based compensation, including vesting of stock to directors	23	22
Unrealized appreciation on investments in U.S. Treasury Bills		(25)
Changes in other operating items:
Deferred tax asset	37	74
Income taxes receivable	(37)	(63)
Prepaid expenses, other current assets, and other assets	58	41
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	(48)	(9)
Right of use lease asset		(111)
Operating lease liability		130
Net cash used in operating activities	(285)	(433)
Cash flows from investing activities
Investments in U.S. Treasury Bills		(4,985)
Net cash used in investing activities		(4,985)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(285)	(5,418)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period	7,336	6,163
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period	$ 7,051	$ 745

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Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	May 10, 2020
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2020
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Registrant Name	Wright Investors Service Holdings, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001279715
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		19,839,777
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity File Number	000-50587
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Shell Company	true

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Incentive stock plans and stock-based compensation (Stock Awards) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Feb. 13, 2019	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Common Stock, shares issuable		33,333
Stock awards [Member] | Newly appointed director [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock awards, Granted	100,000
Vesting period for plan	3 years
Share price of stock awards granted	$ 0.42
Compensation expense		$ 3	$ 2
Unrecognized compensation expense (unvested)		$ 25
Unrecognized compensation recognition period		2 years
Stock awards unvested		66,667