Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Notes

Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

Utah Medical Products, Inc. with headquarters in Midvale, Utah and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Femcare Nikomed Ltd, located in Romsey, Hampshire, England, Femcare Australia Pty Ltd located in Castle Hill, NSW, Australia and Utah Medical Products Ltd., which operates a manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland, (in the aggregate, the Company) are in the primary business of developing, manufacturing and globally distributing specialized medical devices for the healthcare industry.  The Company’s broad range of products includes those used in critical care areas and the labor and delivery departments of hospitals, as well as outpatient clinics and physicians’ offices.  Products are sold directly to end user facilities in the U.S., Ireland, UK and Australia, and through third party distributors in other international markets.  Domestically, UTMD has an exclusive distribution relationship with CooperSurgical, Inc for the Filshie Clip System.  UTMD also sells subcontract manufactured components and finished products to over 100 companies in the U.S. for their medical and non-medical products.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Although actual results could differ from those estimates, management believes it has considered and disclosed all relevant information in making its estimates that materially affect reported performance and current values.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include those of the Company and its subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the consolidated statement of cash flows, the Company considers cash on deposit and short-term investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents.

Investments

The Company classifies its investments as “available for sale.”  Securities classified as “available for sale” are carried in the financial statements at fair value.  Realized gains and losses, determined using the specific identification method, are included in operations; unrealized holding gains and losses are reported as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income.  Declines in fair value below cost that are other than temporary are included in operations.  As of December 31, 2014 the Company retained a freely tradeable investment in Citigroup (C) (see note 3).

Concentration of Credit Risk

The primary concentration of credit risk consists of trade receivables.  In the normal course of business, the Company provides credit terms to its customers.  Accordingly, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and maintains allowances for possible losses which, when realized, have been within the range of management's expectations as reflected by its reserves.

The Company's customer base consists of hospitals, medical device distributors, physician practices and others directly related to healthcare providers, as well as other manufacturing companies.  Although the Company is affected by the well-being of the global healthcare industry, management does not believe significant trade receivable credit risk exists at December 31, 2014 except under an extreme global financial crisis.

The Company maintains its cash in bank deposit accounts in addition to Fidelity Investment accounts.  The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes it is not exposed to a significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalent balances.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are amounts due on product sales and are unsecured.  Accounts receivable are carried at their estimated collectible amounts.  Credit is generally extended on a short-term basis; thus accounts receivable do not bear interest although a late charge may be applied to such receivables that are past the due date.  Accounts receivable are periodically evaluated for collectibility based on past credit history of customers and current market conditions.  Provisions for losses on accounts receivable are determined on the basis of loss experience, known and inherent risk in the account balance and current economic conditions (see note 2).

Inventories

Finished products, work-in-process, raw materials and supplies inventories are stated at the lower of cost (computed on a first-in, first-out method) or market (see note 2).

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost.  Depreciation and amortization are computed using the straight-line and units-of-production methods over estimated useful lives as follows:

Building and improvements	15-40 years
Furniture, equipment and tooling	3-10 years

Long-Lived Assets

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 360, “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets.”  Long-lived assets held and used by the Company are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their net book value may not be recoverable.  When such factors and circumstances exist, the Company compares the projected undiscounted future cash flows associated with the related asset or group of assets over their estimated useful lives against their respective carrying amounts.  Impairment, if any, is based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of those assets, and is recorded in the period in which the determination was made.

Intangible Assets

Costs associated with the acquisition of patents, trademarks, trade names, customer relationships, regulatory approvals & product certifications, license rights and non-compete agreements are capitalized, and are being amortized using the straight-line method over periods ranging from 5 to 20 years. UTMD’s goodwill is tested for impairment annually, in the fourth quarter of each year, using a fair value measurement test, in accordance with ASC 350. UTMD also performs impairment tests contemporaneously, if circumstances change that would more than likely reduce the fair value of goodwill below its net book value.  If UTMD determines that its goodwill is impaired, a second step is completed to measure the amount of the impairment loss. UTMD does not expect its goodwill to become impaired in the foreseeable future.  Estimated future amortization expense on intangible assets currently held, using the 2014 year-end 1.5586 USD/GBP and .8181 USD/AUD currency exchange rates, is about $2,544 in 2015, $2,512 in 2016, $2,496 in 2017,  2018 and  2019 (see note 2).

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue at the time of shipment as title generally passes to the customer at the time of shipment. Revenue recognized by UTMD is based upon documented arrangements and fixed contracts in which the selling price is fixed prior to the Company’s acceptance of an order. Revenue from product and service sales is generally recognized at the time the product is shipped or service completed and invoiced, and collectibility is reasonably assured.  There are circumstances under which revenue may be recognized when product is not shipped, which meet the criteria of SAB 104: the Company provides engineering services, for example, design and production of manufacturing tooling that may be used in subsequent UTMD manufacturing of custom components for other companies.  This revenue is recognized when UTMD’s service has been completed according to a fixed contractual agreement.  UTMD includes handling fees charged to customers in revenues.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” whereby deferred taxes are computed under the asset and liability method.

The Company or one of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, in Utah, in the United Kingdom, in Australia and in Ireland.  UTMD is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2011.  In 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examined the Company’s federal income tax return for 2008 and did not propose any adjustments. 

The Company recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expenses and any related penalties in income taxes. The Company did not recognize any tax-related interest expense or have any tax penalties in any of the three years 2012 through 2014.

Legal Costs

The Company has been involved in lawsuits which are an expected consequence of its operations and in the ordinary course of business.  The Company maintains a reserve for legal costs which are probable and estimated based on previous experience and known risk.  The reserve for legal costs at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $110 and $148, respectively (see note 2).

Earnings per Share

The computation of basic earnings per common share is based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during each year.

The computation of earnings per common share assuming dilution is based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the year plus the weighted average common stock equivalents which would arise from the exercise of stock options outstanding using the treasury stock method and the average market price per share during the year.

The shares (in thousands) used in the computation of the Company’s basic and diluted earnings per share are reconciled as follows:

	2014	2013	2012
Weighted average number of shares outstanding – basic	3,747	3,728	3,677
Dilutive effect of stock options	27	47	34
Weighted average number of shares outstanding, assuming dilution	3,774	3,775	3,711

Presentation of Sales and Similar Taxes

Sales tax on revenue-producing transactions is recorded as a liability when the sale occurs.  UTMD is not required to withhold sales tax on international sales, and at least 85% of domestic 2014 sales were to customers who are tax exempt or who are in jurisdictions where UTMD is not required to withhold sales tax.

Stock-Based Compensation

At December 31, 2014, the Company has stock-based employee compensation plans, which are described more fully in note 9.  The Company accounts for stock compensation under ASC 718, Share-Based Payment.  This statement requires the Company to recognize compensation cost based on the grant date fair value of options granted to employees and directors.  In 2014, the Company recognized $74 in compensation cost compared to $28 in 2013 and $70 in 2012.

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the applicable exchange rates at year-end.  Net gains or losses resulting from the translation of the Company’s assets and liabilities are reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ equity.  A negative translation impact on stockholders’ equity reflects a current relative U.S. Dollar value higher than at the point in time that assets were actually acquired in a foreign currency.  A positive translation impact would result from a U.S. dollar weaker in value than at the point in time foreign assets were acquired.  Year-end translation gains or losses of non-functional currency bank account balances, e.g. EURO and AUD balances held by the UK subsidiary, are recognized as non-operating income/ expense.

Income and expense items are translated at the weighted average rate of exchange (based on when transactions actually occurred) during the year.