5. Marketable Securities

12 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2013

Investments in Debt and Marketable Equity Securities (and Certain Trading Assets) Disclosure [Text Block]

Investments in Debt and Marketable Equity Securities (and Certain Trading Assets) Disclosure [Text Block]

5.  Marketable Securities

The cost, gross unrealized gains, gross unrealized losses and fair market value of available-for-sale securities at April 30, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):

	April 30, 2013
	Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Market Value
Fixed income securities	$	10,285	$	297	$	0		$	10,582
Equity securities		6,490		1,266		(68	)		7,688
	$	16,775	$	1,563	$	(68	)	$	18,270

	April 30, 2012
	Cost		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Market Value
Fixed income securities	$	11,573	$	297	$	(6	)	$	11,864
Equity securities		5,411		552		(169	)		5,794
	$	16,984	$	849	$	(175	)	$	17,658

The following table presents the fair value and unrealized losses, aggregated by investment type and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position:

	Less than 12 months				12 Months or more					Total
	Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
April 30, 2013
Fixed Income Securities	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-		$	-	$	-
Equity Securities		-		-		512		(68	)		512		(68	)
	$	-	$	-	$	512	$	(68	)	$	512	$	(68	)

	Less than 12 months					12 Months or more				Total
	Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
April 30, 2012
Fixed Income Securities	$	301	$	(6	)	$	-	$	-	$	301	$	(6	)
Equity Securities		539		(169	)		-		-		539		(169	)
	$	840	$	(175	)	$	-	$	-	$	840	$	(175	)

The Company regularly reviews its investment portfolio to identify and evaluate investments that have indications of possible impairment.  The Company does not believe that its investments in marketable securities with unrealized losses at April 30, 2013 are other-than-temporary due to market volatility of the security’s fair value, analysts’ expectations and the Company’s ability to hold the securities for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recoveries in market value.

Proceeds from the sale or redemption of available-for-sale securities and the resulting gross realized gains and losses included in the determination of net income (loss) are as follows (in thousands):

	For the years ended April 30,
	2013		2012
Proceeds	$	3,006	$	6,636
Gross realized gains	$	47	$	20
Gross realized losses	$	-	$	-

Maturities of fixed income securities classified as available-for-sale at April 30, 2013 are as follows (at cost, in thousands):

Current	$	2,003
Due after one year through five years		7,478
Due after five years through ten years		804
	$	10,285

The fair value accounting framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value.  The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements).

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability to access.

Level 2 Inputs to the valuation methodology include:

- Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets;

- Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets

- Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability;

- Inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The asset’s or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.  Valuation techniques used need to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.  All of the Company’s investments in marketable securities are Level 1 assets.