10-Q 1 fy08q1f10q.htm ACXIOM FY08 1ST QTR FY08 1st Qtr 10-Q

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

 

x

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE

ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2007

 

OR

 

o

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 0-13163

 

Acxiom Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

DELAWARE

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

71-0581897

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

 

P.O. Box 8180, 1 Information Way,

Little Rock, Arkansas

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

72203

(Zip Code)

 

 

 

(501) 342-1000

(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 x

No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Large accelerated filer x

Accelerated filer o

Non-accelerated filer o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes o

No x

 

The number of shares of Common Stock, $ 0.10 par value per share outstanding as of August 6, 2007 was 80,635,643.

 

1

 


ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

June 30, 2007

 

 

 

 

Page No.

Part I.    Financial Information

 

 

 

Item 1.   Financial Statements

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

of June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007 (Unaudited)

 

 

3

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

for the Three Months ended June 30, 2007 and 2006 (Unaudited)

 

 

4

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income

(Loss) for the Three Months ended June 30, 2007 (Unaudited) 5

 

 

5

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

for the Three Months ended June 30, 2007 and 2006 (Unaudited)

 

 

6-7

 

 

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

1. Basis of presentation and summary of significant accounting policies

 

8

 

 

2. Earnings (loss) per share and stockholders’ equity

 

8-9

 

 

3. Share-based compensation

 

9-11

 

 

4. Acquisitions

 

11-12

 

 

5. Other current and noncurrent assets

 

13

 

 

6. Goodwill

 

13-14

 

 

7. Long-term obligations

 

14-15

 

 

8. Allowance for doubtful accounts

 

15

 

 

9. Segment information

 

15

 

 

10. Restructuring, impairment and other charges

 

16-17

 

 

11. Commitments and contingencies

 

17-18

 

 

12. Uncertain tax positions

 

19

 

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

of Operations

 

 

20-30

 

Item 3.   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

31

 

Item 4.   Controls and Procedures

 

31

 

 

 

Part II.   Other Information

 

 

 

Item 1.   Legal Proceedings

 

32

 

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

 

33

 

Item 6.   Exhibits

 

34

 

 

 

 

 

Signature

 

34

 

 

2

 


PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financials Statements

ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$             61,379

 

$             37,776

Trade accounts receivable, net

 

280,956

 

285,850

Deferred income taxes

 

22,318

 

22,341

Refundable income taxes

 

8,374

 

7,657

Other current assets

 

56,114

 

59,252

Total current assets

 

429,141

 

412,876

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

302,493

 

312,292

Software, net of accumulated amortization

 

50,533

 

44,289

Goodwill

 

522,279

 

522,046

Purchased software licenses, net of accumulated amortization

 

145,368

 

151,326

Unbilled and notes receivable, excluding current portions

 

14,479

 

16,742

Deferred costs, net of accumulated amortization

 

136,184

 

137,684

Data acquisition costs, net of accumulated amortization

 

36,672

 

35,398

Other assets, net

 

23,248

 

23,251

 

 

$        1,660,397

 

$       1,655,904

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Current installments of long-term obligations

 

$           104,341

 

$           106,921

Trade accounts payable

 

62,034

 

54,808

Accrued expenses:

 

 

 

 

Payroll

 

26,562

 

33,663

Other

 

77,474

 

79,078

Deferred revenue

 

102,589

 

113,318

Total current liabilities

 

373,000

 

387,788

Long-term obligations:

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt and capital leases, net of current installments

 

622,950

 

631,184

Software and data licenses, net of current installments

 

12,290

 

17,695

Total long-term obligations

 

635,240

 

648,879

Deferred income taxes

 

96,726

 

97,926

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

Common stock

 

11,331

 

11,145

Additional paid-in capital

 

760,952

 

718,336

Retained earnings

 

451,323

 

462,844

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

20,365

 

17,526

Treasury stock, at cost

 

(688,540)

 

(688,540)

Total stockholders' equity

 

555,431

 

521,311

 

 

$       1,660,397

 

$       1,655,904

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 


ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months ended

 

 

 

 

June 30

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services

 

 

 

$           264,735

 

$           261,892

Data

 

 

 

73,433

 

74,813

Total revenue

 

 

 

338,168

 

336,705

Operating costs and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services

 

 

 

212,086

 

196,073

Data

 

 

 

53,885

 

49,572

Total cost of revenue

 

 

 

265,971

 

245,645

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

 

52,669

 

54,745

Gains, losses and other items, net

 

 

 

15,390

 

-

Total operating costs and expenses

 

 

 

334,030

 

300,390

Income from operations

 

 

 

4,138

 

36,315

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

 

 

(13,575)

 

(7,769)

Other, net

 

 

 

183

 

647

Total other income (expense)

 

 

 

(13,392)

 

(7,122)

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

 

 

 

(9,254)

 

29,193

Income taxes

 

 

 

2,267

 

11,385

Net earnings (loss)

 

 

 

$            (11,521)

 

$             17,808

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

 

$               (0.15)

 

$                0.20

Diluted

 

 

 

$               (0.15)

 

$                0.20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 


ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2007

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated other

 

Treasury stock

 

Total

 

 

Number

of shares

 

Amount

 

paid-in capital

 

Comprehensive income (loss)

 

Retained earnings

 

comprehensive income

 

Number

of shares

 

Amount

 

stockholders’ equity

 

Balances at March 31, 2007

 

111,445,769

 

$  11,145

 

$ 718,336

 

 

 

$ 462,844

 

$     17,526

 

(32,862,138)

 

$  (688,540)

 

$   521,311

Employee stock awards, benefit plans and other issuances

 

1,868,952

 

186

 

35,634

 

$              -

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

35,820

Tax benefit of stock options and warrants exercised

 

-

 

-

 

5,624

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

5,624

Non-cash share-based compensation

 

-

 

-

 

1,358

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

1,358

Comprehensive income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

2,976

 

-

 

2,976

 

-

 

-

 

2,976

Unrealized loss on marketable securities, net of tax

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(137)

 

-

 

(137)

 

-

 

-

 

(137)

Net loss

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(11,521)

 

(11,521)

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(11,521)

Total comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$      (8,682)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balances at June 30, 2007

 

113,314,721

 

$  11,331

 

$ 760,952

 

 

 

$ 451,323

 

$     20,365

 

(32,862,138)

 

$ (688,540)

 

$   555,431

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

 

5

 


ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss)

 

 

 

$           (11,521)

 

$             17,808

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

 

59,102

 

59,047

Loss (gain) on disposal or impairment of assets, net

 

 

 

310

 

(84)

Deferred income taxes

 

 

 

(1,226)

 

(233)

Non-cash share-based compensation expense

 

 

 

1,358

 

553

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

 

7,721

 

(1,796)

Other assets

 

 

 

(792)

 

3,186

Accounts payable and other liabilities

 

 

 

(3,097)

 

(9,743)

Deferred revenue

 

 

 

(12,723)

 

(12,388)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

 

39,132

 

56,350

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payments received from investments

 

 

 

-

 

783

Capitalized software development costs

 

 

 

(8,447)

 

(5,719)

Capital expenditures

 

 

 

(2,867)

 

(217)

Cash collected from the sale and license of software

 

 

 

-

 

5,000

Deferral of costs and data acquisition costs

 

 

 

(14,129)

 

(16,887)

Net cash paid in acquisitions

 

 

 

(2,680)

 

-

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

 

(28,123)

 

(17,040)

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from debt

 

 

 

2,127

 

28,873

Payments of debt

 

 

 

(31,283)

 

(67,866)

Sale of common stock under employee stock awards, benefit plans and other issuances

 

 

 

35,820

 

6,773

Acquisition of treasury stock

 

 

 

-

 

(11,965)

Tax benefit of stock options exercised

 

 

 

5,624

 

1,079

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

 

12,288

 

(43,106)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

 

 

 

306

 

254

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

23,603

 

(3,542)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

 

37,776

 

7,705

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

 

 

$             61,379

 

$               4,163

 

 

6

 


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Supplemental cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid during the period for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest

 

 

 

$              13,888

 

$                7,830

Income taxes

 

 

 

115

 

5,268

Payments on capital leases and installment payment arrangements

 

 

 

19,137

 

18,905

Payments on software and data license liabilities

 

 

 

6,493

 

7,847

Other debt payments, excluding line of credit

 

 

 

3,526

 

1,711

Revolving credit payments

 

 

 

2,127

 

39,403

Noncash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enterprise software licenses acquired under software obligation

 

 

 

-

 

15,266

Acquisition of property and equipment under capital leases and installment payment arrangements

 

 

 

7,222

 

19,426

Construction and other financing

 

 

 

5,351

 

5,904

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 


ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

1.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

 

Basis of presentation

 

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by Acxiom Corporation (“Registrant”, “Acxiom” or “the Company”), without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “the Commission”). In the opinion of the Registrant’s management all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the periods included have been made and the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. Certain note information has been omitted because it has not changed significantly from that reflected in notes 1 through 22 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements filed as part of Item 8 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 (“2007 Annual Report”), as filed with the Commission on May 30, 2007. This report and the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in connection with the 2007 Annual Report. The financial information contained in this report is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any other period or for the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2008.

 

Management of the Company has made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain of the accounting policies used in the preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements are complex and require management to make judgments and/or significant estimates regarding amounts reported or disclosed in these financial statements. Additionally, the application of certain of these accounting policies is governed by complex accounting principles and interpretations thereof. A discussion of the Company’s significant accounting principles and the application thereof is included in note 1 and in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, to the Company’s 2007 Annual Report.

 

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on the prior year’s net earnings as previously reported.

 

2.

EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

 

Earnings (Loss) Per Share  

 

A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share is shown below (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

Basic earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator – net earnings (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

$           (11,521)

 

$             17,808

Denominator – weighted-average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

79,341

 

88,155

Basic earnings (loss) per share

 

 

 

 

$              (0.15)

 

$                0.20

Diluted earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator – net earnings (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

$           (11,521)

 

$            17,808

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

79,341

 

88,155

Dilutive effect of common stock options, warrants, and restricted stock as computed under the treasury stock method

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

2,268

 

 

 

 

 

 

79,341

 

90,423

Diluted earnings (loss) per share

 

 

 

 

 

$               (0.15)

 

$                 0.20

 

 

8

 


 

At June 30, 2007, the Company had options and warrants outstanding providing for the purchase of approximately 11.6 million shares of common stock. Due to the net loss incurred by the Company, the effect of options, warrants and restricted stock of 2,048 shares was excluded from the earnings per share calculation since the impact on the calculation was antidilutive. Options and warrants that were outstanding during the periods presented, but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares are shown below (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

Number of shares outstanding under options and warrants

 

 

 

 

 

3,826

 

3,391

Range of exercise prices

 

 

 

 

 

$25.00-$268.55

 

$24.52- $268.55

 

Stockholders’ Equity

 

The Company did not declare dividends on its common stock in the quarter ended June 30, 2007 and declared dividends of $0.05 per share in the quarter ended June 30, 2006.

 

During the quarter ended June 30, 2006, 0.6 million shares were repurchased pursuant to the Company’s common stock repurchase program for an aggregate purchase price of $13.9 million. Cash paid for repurchases differs from the aggregate purchase price due to trades at the end of the current and prior quarter, which were settled shortly after the end of their respective purchase periods. Cash paid for repurchases in the quarter ended June 30, 2006 was $12.0 million. There were no shares repurchased under the Company’s common stock repurchase program in the quarter ended June 30, 2007. At June 30, 2007, the maximum dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the program is $146.0 million.

 

3.

SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION:

 

Share-based Compensation Plans

 

Options and Equity Compensation

The Company has stock option plans and equity compensation plans (collectively referred to as the “share-based plans”) administered by the compensation committee of the board of directors under which options and restricted stock were outstanding as of June 30, 2007.

 

The Company has reserved 30.1 million shares of the Company’s common stock for awards pursuant to the Company’s share-based plans of which approximately 0.8 million shares were available for grant at June 30, 2007.

 

The Company’s 2005 Equity Compensation Plan provides that all associates ( employees, officers, directors, affiliates, independent contractors or consultants) are eligible to receive awards (grant of any option, stock appreciation right, restricted stock award, restricted stock unit award, performance awards, performance share, performance unit, qualified performance-based award, or other stock unit award) pursuant to the plan with the terms and conditions applicable to an award set forth in applicable grant documents. While restricted stock and/or restricted stock units will likely be the primary long-term incentive vehicle going forward, some stock options may be granted for recruiting and/or retention purposes. The compensation committee of the board of directors will continue to take external market and regulatory developments into consideration when determining the Company’s long-term incentive practices and may further update its guidelines so as to better align share-based compensation with the Company’s business strategies and with stockholder interests.

 

Incentive stock option awards granted pursuant to the share-based plans cannot be granted with an exercise price less than 100% of the per-share market value of the Company’s shares at the date of grant and have a maximum duration of ten years from the date of grant. Board policy has required that nonqualified options be priced at or above the fair market value of the common stock at the time of grant with a maximum duration of twelve years.

 

Restricted stock units may be issued pursuant to the 2005 Equity Compensation Plan and represent the right to receive shares in the future by way of an award agreement which includes vesting provisions. Award agreements can further provide for forfeitures triggered by certain prohibited activities, such as breach of confidentiality. All restricted stock units will be expensed over the vesting period as adjusted for estimated forfeitures.

 

9

 


The Company receives income tax deductions as a result of the exercise of nonqualified stock options and the vesting of restricted stock units. Under the provisions of SFAS 123R, the tax benefit of share-based compensation expense in excess of the book compensation expense is reflected as a financing cash inflow and an operating cash outflow included in changes in operating assets and liabilities. The Company has elected the short-cut method in accounting for the tax benefits of share-based payment awards.

 

Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In addition to the share-based plans, the Company maintains a qualified employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) that permits substantially all employees to purchase shares of common stock at 85% of the market price. The number of shares available for issuance at June 30, 2007 was approximately 1.7 million. Approximately 49,999 shares were purchased under the ESPP during the three months ended June 30, 2007. The total expense to the Company in the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for the discount to the market price was approximately $0.2 million.

 

Stock Option Activity

The Company granted 150,000 stock options in the quarter ended June 30, 2007. The per-share weighted-average fair value of the stock options granted during the three months ended June 30, 2007 was $7.21. This valuation was determined using a customized binomial lattice approach with the following weighted-average assumptions: dividend yield of 0.9%; risk-free interest rate of 4.9%; expected option life of 5.7 years and expected volatility of 20.4%. There were no stock options granted in the quarter ended June 30, 2006.

 

Option activity for the three months ended June 30, 2007 was as follows:

 

 

 

Number

of shares

 

Weighted-average exercise price

per share

 

Weighted-average remaining contractual term (in years)

 

Aggregate intrinsic value

(in thousands)

Outstanding at March 31, 2007

 

11,784,406

 

$             21.52

 

 

 

 

Grant

 

150,000

 

$             27.71

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(1,728,847)

 

$             18.88

 

 

 

$      13,111

Forfeited or cancelled

 

(57,046)

 

$             29.04

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at June 30, 2007

 

10,148,513

 

$             22.02

 

8.21

 

$      60,642

 

Exercisable at June 30, 2007

 

9,684,366

 

$             21.97

 

8.12

 

$      58,889

 

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between Acxiom’s closing stock price on the last trading day of its first quarter of fiscal 2008 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had vested option holders exercised their options on June 30, 2007. This amount changes based upon changes in the fair market value of Acxiom’s stock.

 

Following is a summary of stock options outstanding and exercisable as of June 30, 2007:

 

 

 

Options outstanding

 

Options exercisable

Range of
exercise price
per share

 

Options
outstanding

 

Weighted- average remaining contractual life

 

Weighted-average
exercise price
per share

 

Options
exercisable

 

Weighted-average
exercise price
per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$ 0.11 - $ 9.62

 

193,099

 

6.48 years

 

$             6.20

 

128,949

 

$             5.71

$ 10.17 - $ 14.68

 

1,565,645

 

8.91 years

 

$          12.24

 

1,554,910

 

$          12.23

$ 15.00 - $ 19.82

 

2,297,719

 

8.13 years

 

$          16.65

 

2,293,457

 

$          16.64

$ 20.12 - $ 24.53

 

3,087,320

 

8.73 years

 

$          22.80

 

3,087,320

 

$          22.80

$ 25.00 - $ 29.30

 

1,793,744

 

7.98 years

 

$          26.57

 

1,408,744

 

$          26.71

$ 30.93 - $ 39.12

 

887,054

 

6.71 years

 

$          35.70

 

887,054

 

$          35.70

$ 40.50 - $ 75.55

 

319,620

 

7.05 years

 

$          44.67

 

319,620

 

$          44.67

$168.61 - $268.55

 

4,312

 

2.64 years

 

$        208.61

 

4,312

 

$        208.61

 

 

10,148,513

 

8.21 years

 

$          22.02

 

9,684,366

 

$          21.97

 

 

10

 


Total expense related to stock options for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 was approximately $0.3 million. Future expense for these options is expected to be approximately $3.8 million over the next four years.

 

Restricted Stock Unit Activity

Non-vested restricted stock units as of June 30, 2007 and changes during the three-month period ended June 30, 2007 were as follows:

 

 

 

Number

of shares

 

Weighted average fair value per

share at grant date

(in thousands)

 

Weighted-average remaining contractual term (in years)

Outstanding at March 31, 2007

 

451,750

 

$             23.79

 

3.35

Granted

 

79,000

 

$             25.21

 

3.85

Forfeited or cancelled

 

(3,750)

 

$             20.87

 

2.34

Outstanding at June 30, 2007

 

527,000

 

$             24.01

 

3.22

 

During the quarter ended June 30, 2007, the Company granted restricted stock units covering 79,000 shares of common stock with a value at the date of grant of $2.0 million. The value at the date of grant is determined by reference to quoted market prices for the shares, less a small calculated discount to reflect the fact that the restricted shares do not pay dividends until they are vested. Restricted stock units vest in equal annual increments over four years. The expense related to restricted stock in the quarter ended June 30, 2007 was $0.8 million. Future expense for these restricted stock units is expected to be approximately $9.9 million over the next four years.

 

4.

ACQUISITIONS:

 

On March 27, 2007, the Company acquired Kefta, Inc. (“Kefta”), a leader in real-time, dynamic personalization solutions for the Internet. The Company paid $8.8 million, net of cash acquired, for Kefta not including amounts, if any, payable pursuant to the terms and conditions of two deferred payment agreements. The first deferred payment agreement is a deferred cash compensation agreement that requires the Company to pay up to $1.5 million if three of Kefta’s key employees are retained by the Company for eight consecutive quarters following the acquisition. The second deferred payment agreement is an earnout agreement that allows for payment of up to $1.5 million if the acquired business achieves certain revenue goals. The Company has accrued $0.2 million for the retention bonus as of June 30, 2007. No accrual was recorded for the earnout agreement.

 

On March 15, 2007, the Company purchased Harbinger Associates, LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary Harbinger Technologies, Inc. (“Harbinger”) from ICx Technologies, Inc. Harbinger is an international consulting and technology firm that develops software tools and training programs for personnel involved in homeland defense, national security and the prevention of international terrorism. The Company paid $9.5 million in cash, net of cash acquired, and executed a promissory note for another $1.3 million to acquire Harbinger. The interest-free promissory note requires a $1 million payment on March 15, 2008 and the remaining $0.3 million payment on March 15, 2009.

 

On December 29, 2006, the Company completed the acquisition of certain assets of the Equitec division of Henry Group, Ltd. (“Equitec”), a consulting and analytics company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The Company paid approximately $14.5 million in cash for Equitec, and issued shares of the Company’s common stock with an approximate value of $3.6 million. The $18.0 million purchase price paid for Equitec does not include amounts, if any, payable pursuant to the terms and conditions of an earnout agreement under which the Company may pay up to an additional $12 million based on Equitec’s achievement of certain operating targets over the period ending March 31, 2009. A portion of the earnout payments that are dependent on continued employment will be charged to compensation expense if the operating targets are met.

 

In August 2005, the Company completed the acquisition of InsightAmerica, Inc. (“IA”), a privately held company based in Broomfield, Colorado. IA specializes in fraud prevention and risk mitigation services. The Company paid approximately $34.6 million in cash for IA, net of cash acquired, and not including amounts payable pursuant to the terms and conditions of an earnout agreement. The Company paid an additional $2.4 million during the quarter ending December 31, 2005. The Company has completed negotiations to settle the earnout and expects to make a final payment of approximately $1.0 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2008. The final $1.0 million was accrued as of June 30, 2007 and recorded as an increase to goodwill.

 

 

11

 


The following table shows the allocation of Kefta, Harbinger, Equitec and IA purchase prices to assets acquired and liabilities assumed (dollars in thousands):

 

 

Kefta

 

Harbinger

 

Equitec

 

IA

Assets acquired:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

$           75

 

$           74

 

$             -

 

$         541

Goodwill

7,968

 

7,652

 

 13,911

 

30,085

Other intangible assets

2,000

 

2,375

 

4,100

 

7,000

Other current and noncurrent assets

447

 

1,308

 

79

 

6,716

 

10,490

 

11,409

 

18,090

 

44,342

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and capital leases assumed

1,323

 

559

 

-

 

5,850

Net assets acquired

9,167

 

10,850

 

18,090

 

38,492

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash acquired

75

 

74

 

-

 

541

Common stock issued

-

 

-

 

3,610

 

-

Promissory note

-

 

1,300

 

-

 

-

Accrued liabilities

265

 

-

 

-

 

1,000

Net cash paid

$      8,827

 

$      9,476

 

$    14,480

 

$    36,951

 

The allocations of purchase price for the Kefta, Harbinger and Equitec acquisitions are preliminary and subject to revisions as more detailed analyses are completed and additional information about fair value of assets and liabilities becomes available. Any change in the estimated fair value of the net assets of the acquired companies will change the amount of purchase price allocable to goodwill.

 

As a result of the acquisition of Digital Impact in fiscal 2006 and the acquisition of Claritas Europe and Consodata in fiscal 2004 and 2005, management formulated plans to consolidate certain facilities, eliminate duplicative operations, and terminate or relocate certain associates. The Company recorded aggregate accruals in other accrued liabilities for the estimated costs of the integration process, including lease termination costs, costs of terminating or relocating associates, and for other contract termination costs. The table below shows adjustments and payments related to these accruals during the quarter ended June 30, 2007. Any future adjustments to these plans may result in future expense or in a decrease to the goodwill recorded for the acquisitions.

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

Associate-related reserves

 

Lease and related reserves

 

Other contract termination reserves

 

Total

Balance at March 31, 2007

 

$                   253

 

$                1,219

 

$                1,205

 

$                2,677

Adjustments

 

-

 

-

 

(49)

 

(49)

Payments

 

-

 

(205)

 

(70)

 

(275)

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

 

4

 

18

 

21

 

43

Balance at June 30, 2007

 

$                   257

 

$                1,032

 

$                1,107

 

$                2,396

 

The remaining items are expected to be paid through approximately April 2008.

 

 

12

 


5.

OTHER CURRENT AND NONCURRENT ASSETS:

 

Unbilled and notes receivable are from the sales of software, data licenses, and equipment and from the sale of divested operations, net of the current portions of such receivables. Other current assets include the current portion of the unbilled and notes receivable of $9.2 million and $10.9 million at June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007, respectively. There are no allowances recorded against any of the unbilled and notes receivable (dollars in thousands).

 

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

Notes receivable from divestitures

 

$               4,635

 

$               4,932

Less current portion

 

3,993

 

3,940

Long-term portion

 

642

 

992

Unbilled and notes receivable arising from operations

 

19,031

 

22,714

Less current portion

 

5,194

 

6,964

Long-term portion

 

13,837

 

15,750

Unbilled and notes receivable, excluding current portions

 

$             14,479

 

$             16,742

 

 

Other current assets consist of the following (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

Current portion of unbilled and notes receivable

 

$               9,187

 

$             10,904

Prepaid expenses

 

22,860

 

23,736

Non-trade receivables

 

5,122

 

7,432

Other miscellaneous assets

 

18,945

 

17,180

Other current assets

 

$             56,114

 

$             59,252

 

 

Other noncurrent assets consist of the following (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30

 

March 31

 

 

2007

 

2007

Investments in marketable and nonmarketable securities

 

$ 4,179

 

$ 4,299

Acquired intangible assets, net

 

15,975

 

15,747

Other miscellaneous noncurrent assets

 

3,094

 

3,205

Other assets

 

$ 23,248

 

$ 23,251

 

The acquired intangible assets noted above include customer relationship intangibles acquired through purchase acquisitions, net of accumulated amortization.

 

6.

GOODWILL:

 

Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition costs over the fair values of net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is reviewed at least annually for impairment under a two-part test. Impairment exists to the extent that the reporting unit’s recorded goodwill exceeds the residual fair value assigned to such goodwill. Any impairment that results from the completion of the two-part test is recorded as a charge to operations during the period in which the impairment test is completed. Completion of the Company’s most recent annual impairment test indicated that no potential impairment of its goodwill balances existed as of April 1, 2007.

 

 

13

 


The carrying amount of goodwill, by business segment, for the three months ended June 30, 2007 is presented in the following table.

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Information Services

 

Information Products

 

Infrastructure Management

 

Total

Balance at March 31, 2007

$           323,709

 

$           154,306

 

$              44,031

 

$           522,046

Purchase adjustments

(735)

 

(1,334)

 

-

 

(2,069)

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

691

 

1,611

 

-

 

2,302

Balance at June 30, 2007

$           323,665

 

$           154,583

 

$              44,031

 

$           522,279

 

The Company revised its segments, effective April 1, 2007 (see note 9). As a result of the revision to the segments, the balances recorded at March 31, 2007 have been reallocated to the new segments based on the relative fair value of the segments at March 31, 2007.

 

7.

LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS:

 

Long-term obligations consist of the following (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

Term loan credit agreement

 

$           545,500

 

$           547,000

Capital leases and installment payment obligations on land, buildings and equipment payable in monthly payments of principal plus interest at rates ranging from approximately 3% to 8%; remaining terms up to fifteen years

 

109,538

 

121,399

Warrants

 

1,961

 

1,651

Other debt and long-term liabilities

 

44,460

 

41,135

Total long-term debt and capital leases

 

701,459

 

711,185

Less current installments

 

78,509

 

80,001

Long-term debt, excluding current installments

 

$           622,950

 

$           631,184

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software license liabilities payable over terms up to seven years; effective interest rates ranging from approximately 4% to 8%

 

$             38,122

 

$             44,615

Less current installments

 

25,832

 

26,920

License liabilities, excluding current installments

 

$             12,290

 

$             17,695

 

 

Effective September 15, 2006, the Company entered into an amended and restated credit agreement allowing (1) term loans up to an aggregate principal amount of $600 million and (2) revolving credit facility borrowings consisting of revolving loans, letter of credit participations and swing-line loans up to an aggregate amount of $200 million. The term loan is payable in quarterly principal installments of $1.5 million through September 2011, followed by quarterly principal installments of $150 million through June 2012, followed by a final installment of $70 million due September 15, 2012. The term loan also allows prepayments before maturity. Revolving loan commitments and all borrowings of revolving loans mature on September 15, 2011. The credit agreement is secured by the accounts receivable of Acxiom and its domestic subsidiaries, as well as by the outstanding stock of certain Acxiom subsidiaries.

 

On September 15, 2006, the Company borrowed the entire amount of the term loan. Term loan proceeds were used to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the terms of its “Dutch auction” self-tender offer for approximately $278 million, to pay certain fees of approximately $6.4 million related to entering into the credit agreement and to pay off an existing revolving loan of approximately $267 million. The remainder of the term loan proceeds was used to retire additional debt or for general corporate purposes.

 

14

 


Revolving credit facility borrowings under the new facility currently bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.5% or at an alternative base rate or at the Federal Funds rate plus 2.25%, depending on the type of borrowing. Term loan borrowings currently bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.75%. There were no revolving loan borrowings outstanding at June 30, 2007 or March 31, 2007. The interest rate on term loan borrowings outstanding at June 30, 2007 was 7.1%. Outstanding letters of credit at June 30, 2007 were $13.7 million.

 

Under the terms of certain of the above borrowings, the Company is required to maintain certain debt-to-cash flow and debt service coverage ratios, among other restrictions. At June 30, 2007, the Company was in compliance with these covenants and restrictions. In addition, if certain financial ratios and other conditions are not satisfied, the revolving credit facility limits the Company’s ability to pay dividends in excess of $30 million in any fiscal year (plus additional amounts in certain circumstances).

 

8.

ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS:

 

Trade accounts receivable are presented net of allowances for doubtful accounts, returns and credits of $8.3 million at both June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007.

 

9.

SEGMENT INFORMATION:

 

The Company reports segment information consistent with the way management internally disaggregates its operations to assess performance and to allocate resources. In the quarter ended June 30, 2007, the Company realigned its business segments to better reflect the way management assesses the business. The Company’s new business segments consist of Information Services, Information Products and Infrastructure Management. Information Services develops, sells and delivers industry-tailored solutions globally through the integration of products, services and consulting. Information Products develops and sells all global data products as well as domestic fraud and risk mitigation products. Infrastructure Management develops and delivers information technology products and services such as IT outsourcing and transformational solutions. The Company evaluates performance of the segments based on segment operating income, which excludes certain gains, losses and other items.

 

Substantially all of the nonrecurring and impairment charges incurred by the Company have been recorded in Corporate and other, since the Company does not hold the individual segments responsible for these charges. The following tables present information by business segment (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

Revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information services

 

 

 

 

 

$           181,045

 

$           173,685

Information products

 

 

 

 

 

96,678

 

94,968

Infrastructure management

 

 

 

 

 

113,520

 

120,491

Eliminations

 

 

 

 

 

(53,075)

 

(52,439)

Total revenue

 

 

 

 

 

$           338,168

 

$           336,705

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information services

 

 

 

 

 

$              24,267

 

$              29,290

Information products

 

 

 

 

 

(5,684)

 

(830)

Infrastructure management

 

 

 

 

 

12,136

 

14,094

Corporate and other

 

 

 

 

 

 (26,581)

 

 (6,239)

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

$                4,138

 

$              36,315

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The revenue attributed to the Infrastructure Management segment above includes revenue from internal customers of approximately $31 million for both periods reported. These intersegment revenues, as well as revenues from external customers which are counted as revenues by multiple segments, are shown as eliminations in the table above.

 

 

15

 


10.

RESTRUCTURING, IMPAIRMENT AND OTHER CHARGES:

 

As discussed below, the following table shows the balances that were accrued for restructuring plans and the Spain closure as well as the changes in those balances during the quarter ended June 30, 2007 (dollars in thousands):

 

Restructuring plans:

 

Associate-related reserves

 

Ongoing
contract costs

 

Other accruals

 

Total

Balance at March 31, 2007

 

$               2,293

 

$               1,511

 

$                  144

 

$               3,948

Payments

 

(1,537)

 

(62)

 

3

 

(1,596)

Adjustments

 

171

 

-

 

-

 

171

Balance at June 30, 2007

 

$                  927

 

$               1,449

 

$                  147

 

$               2,523

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spain closure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at March 31, 2007

 

$                   278

 

$                     93

 

$                4,589

 

$                4,960

Payments

 

(165)

 

(82)

 

(525)

 

(772)

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

 

4

 

1

 

67

 

72

Balance at June 30, 2007

 

$                   117

 

$                     12

 

$                4,131

 

$                4,260

 

Restructuring Plans

 

In March 2007, the Company recorded a total of $2.5 million in restructuring charges included in gains, losses and other items in the consolidated statement of operations. The charges included $1.5 million in severance and other associate-related reserves for payments to be made to approximately 105 associates who were notified in March that they were to be involuntarily terminated and $0.3 million in fees paid to terminate contract workers. In the first quarter of fiscal 2008, the Company adjusted its original estimate with an additional severance accrual for $0.2 million. The remaining accrued costs of $0.3 million as of June 30, 2007 are expected to be paid out in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.

 

During the quarter ended September 30, 2005, the Company recorded a total of $13.0 million in restructuring and other impairment charges included in gains, losses and other items in the consolidated statement of operations. The charges included $6.8 million in severance and other associate-related reserves for payments to be made to approximately 160

associates who were notified during the quarter that they were to be involuntarily terminated; $3.7 million in lease termination costs or costs to be incurred after exiting certain leased facilities; and $2.5 million in other costs including the write-off of certain non-productive assets and other contract termination costs. The table above shows the portion of the above charges which are yet to be paid as of June 30, 2007 (dollars in thousands). The remaining accrued costs of $2.2 million are expected to be paid out over the terms of the related leases or contracts, of which the longest one runs through fiscal 2012.

 

Spain Closure

 

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company announced plans to shut down its operations in Spain. Upon the completion of this closure, the Company recorded $6.6 million of exit costs including $0.7 million severance costs, $3.9 million in accruals for contingent liabilities related to governmental data protection claims pending in Spain, and $2.0 million in asset write offs and other accruals. Of this amount, $4.3 million remained accrued as of June 30, 2007 and is expected to be paid out in the remainder of fiscal 2008.

 

Proposed Acquisition of the Company

 

On May 16, 2007, the Company announced it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital, at a price of $27.10 per share plus the assumption of outstanding debt. Due to this transaction, the Company incurred related expenses of $15.1 million in banking and legal service fees included in gains, losses and other items. Of this amount, $12.8 million was accrued but not paid as of June 30, 2007.

 

 

16

 


Gains, Losses and Other Items

 

Gains, losses and other items for each of the quarters presented are as follows (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

2007

 

2006

Acquisition expenses

 

$             15,094

 

$                       -

March 2007 restructuring plan adjustment

 

171

 

-

Spain closure adjustment

 

125

 

-

 

 

$             15,390

 

$                       -

 

Impairment

 

The Company reviews the recoverability of its capitalized costs whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The test of recoverability is performed by comparing the carrying value of the asset to its undiscounted expected future cash flows. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of an asset exceeds the sum of its expected future cash flows, the asset’s carrying amount is written down to its estimated fair value. Fair value is determined by an internally developed discounted projected cash flow analysis of the asset. Due to a renegotiation of a contract with an outsourcing customer the Company performed a test for potential impairment of the related capitalized costs at June 30, 2007. The Company determined that the future cash flows relating to that renegotiated outsourcing contract would not be sufficient to recover the costs that were capitalized. Based on this analysis, the Company recorded a write-down of $5.2 million relating to the capitalized costs of this contract. The $5.2 million charge is recorded in cost of revenue in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and in the Infrastructure Management segment for segment disclosures.

 

11.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

 

Legal Matters

 

Linda Brooks and Richard Fresco v. Auto Data Direct, Inc., et al., (U.S. Dist. Court, S.D. Florida, 03-61063) is a putative class action lawsuit, removed to federal court in May 2003, filed against Acxiom and several other information providers. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants obtained and used drivers’ license data in violation of the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act. To date, a class has not been certified. Among other things, the plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, statutory damages, and attorneys’ fees. While certain defendants have agreed to conditionally settle the case, Acxiom will continue to defend the case vigorously in that it believes it has acted in conformity with the applicable law. Two companion cases, Sharon Taylor, et al., v. Acxiom, et al., (U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas, 207CV001) and Sharon Taylor, et al. v. Biometric Access Company, et al., (U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas, 2:07-CV-00018), were filed in January 2007.

 

Equifax Direct Marketing Solutions LLC and Equifax Information Services LLC v. Acxiom Corporation, (U.S. District Court, N.D., Georgia 1:07-CV-0563-RLV) is a lawsuit removed from the Georgia state court, alleging that Acxiom breached a 1997 data license agreement and several data processing agreements and is using Equifax data beyond the scope of the parties’ agreements and without Equifax’s permission. The matter has been settled subsequent to June 30, 2007 with no material impact to Acxiom’s financial statements.

 

The Company is involved in a number of actions with the Data Protection Authority of Spain, involving alleged improper usage of individuals’ data. The total claims sought by the Data Protection Authority may be as high as $10.6 million. The Company is negotiating with the Data Protection Authority in an attempt to settle the claims, and the Company maintains that the Company’s usage of data has been in compliance with the applicable law. However, upon advice of counsel and after review of the pending claims, the Company accrued $3.9 million as part of the cost of closure of the Spain office (see note 10). The amount accrued represents legal fees incurred to date along with an estimate of the amount which will be required to ultimately settle the claims.

 

 

17

 


Levy Investments LTD vs. Acxiom Corporation, et al., (Circuit Court of Arkansas, Pulaski County CV 07-6571) is a putative class action lawsuit filed on May 22, 2007 by an Acxiom shareholder, Levy Investments LTD, against Acxiom, its directors, ValueAct Capital and Silver Lake Partners. The plaintiff seeks an injunction against the proposed sale of the Company as announced on May 16, 2007, contending that the sale price agreed to by the directors is insufficient, that the directors breached their fiduciary duties, and that the proposed merger agreement should be nullified. The defendants believe that the suit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend it.

 

Arnold Footle v. Acxiom Corporation, et al., (Circuit Court of Arkansas, Pulaski County, CV 07-6947) is a putative class action lawsuit filed May 30, 2007, by an Acxiom shareholder, Arnold Footle, against Acxiom and its directors. The plaintiff claims that the directors breached their fiduciary duties in agreeing to the proposed sale of the Company that was announced May 16, 2007. The plaintiff seeks an injunction against the proposed sale, a constructive trust on any benefits the defendants receive and an injunction against the defendants requiring them to adhere to their fiduciary duties. The defendants believe that the suit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend it.

 

In the opinion of management, none of the above cases will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

 

The Company is involved in various other claims and legal actions in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of all of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Commitments

 

The Company leases data processing equipment, software, office furniture and equipment, land and office space under noncancellable operating leases. Additionally, the Company has entered into synthetic operating leases for computer equipment, furniture and aircraft (“Leased Assets”). These synthetic operating lease facilities are accounted for as operating leases under generally accepted accounting principles and are treated as capital leases for income tax reporting purposes. Initial lease terms under the synthetic computer equipment and furniture facility range from two to six years, with the Company having the option at expiration of the initial lease to return the equipment, purchase the equipment at a fixed price, or extend the term of the lease.

 

The Company has a future commitment for synthetic lease payments of $23.4 million over the next five years. In the event the Company elects to return the Leased Assets, the Company has guaranteed a portion of the residual value to the lessors. Assuming the Company elects to return the Leased Assets to the lessors at its earliest opportunity under the synthetic lease arrangements and assuming the Leased Assets have no significant residual value to the lessors, the maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these residual value guarantees was $12.4 million at June 30, 2007.

 

The Company also has an aircraft leased from a business controlled by an officer and director of the Company. Should the Company elect early termination rights under the lease or not extend the lease beyond the initial term and the lessor sells the aircraft, the Company has guaranteed a residual value of 70% of the then outstanding indebtedness of the lessor, or $2.5 million at June 30, 2007.

 

In March 2007, the Company entered into a contract with Guava Acquisitions, LLC (“Guava”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Value Property Exchange, Inc to acquire an aircraft. The Company entered into a short-term operating lease for the aircraft with Guava and has invested approximately $5.4 million in leasehold improvements to upgrade the aircraft. Once the Company has completed the upgrade, it will cancel the operating lease and purchase the aircraft from Guava for $5.5 million.

 

In connection with certain of the Company’s facilities, the Company has entered into 50/50 joint ventures with local real estate developers. In each case, the Company is guaranteeing portions of the loans for the buildings. In addition, in connection with the disposal of certain assets, the Company has guaranteed loans for the buyers of the assets. These guarantees were made by the Company primarily to facilitate favorable financing terms for those third parties. Should the third parties default on this indebtedness, the Company would be required to perform under its guarantee. Substantially all of the third-party indebtedness is collateralized by various pieces of real property. At June 30, 2007 the Company’s maximum potential future payments under all of these guarantees of third-party indebtedness were $5.0 million.

 

18

 


12.

UNCERTAIN TAX POSITIONS:

 

In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (“FIN 48”) that clarifies the accounting and recognition for income tax positions taken or expected to be taken on tax returns. The Company adopted the provisions of FIN 48 as of the beginning of its 2008 fiscal year. As a result of its adoption of FIN 48, the Company made no adjustments to retained earnings. In addition, the Company anticipates no changes to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months.

 

As of the beginning of its 2008 fiscal year, the total amount of reserves for income taxes is $3.8 million. The entire amount of the $3.8 million, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. Any prospective adjustments to the reserve for income taxes will be recorded as an increase or decrease to the provision for income taxes and would impact the effective tax rate.

 

The Company accrues penalties and interest related to reserves for income taxes in the provision for income taxes. The amount of penalties and interest accrued as of the beginning of the 2008 fiscal year is $0.7 million.

 

The Company files a consolidated U.S. income tax return and tax returns in various state and local jurisdictions. The Company’s subsidiaries also file tax returns in various foreign jurisdictions. In addition to the U.S., the Company’s major taxing jurisdictions include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The number of years with open tax examinations varies depending on the tax jurisdiction. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has completed its examination of the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years through 2002 and has commenced an examination of the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2003-2005, for which the Company anticipates no adverse adjustments. The status of foreign tax examinations varies by jurisdiction. The Company does not anticipate any material adjustments to its financial statements resulting from tax examinations currently in progress.

 

19

 


PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

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

 

Introduction and Overview

 

Acxiom Corporation (“Acxiom” or “the Company”) integrates data, services and technology to create and deliver customer and information management solutions for many of the largest and most respected companies in the world. The core components of Acxiom’s innovative solutions are customer data integration (“CDI”) technology and services, data, database services, information technology (“IT”) outsourcing, consulting and analytics, and privacy leadership. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations throughout the United States (“US”) and Europe, and in Canada, Australia and China.

 

Highlights of the quarter ended June 30, 2007 are identified below.

 

 

The Company announced an agreement to be acquired by Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital, at a price of $27.10 per share plus the assumption of outstanding debt.

 

Revenue of $338.1 million, up 0.4 percent from $336.7 million in the first fiscal quarter a year ago.

 

Income from operations of $4.1 million, an 88.6 percent decrease compared to $36.3 million in the first fiscal quarter last year.

 

Pre-tax loss of $9.3 million, compared to pretax earnings of $29.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2007.

 

Unusual items added $20.6 million in expenses for the quarter, including costs related to the pending transaction with Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital of $15.1 million, which are non-deductible for tax purposes, and $5.2 million related to a write-off of certain long-term assets related to an amended contract with an information technology outsourcing client.

 

Diluted loss per share of $0.15, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.20 in the first fiscal quarter last year.

 

Operating cash flow of $39.1 million and free cash flow available to equity of a negative $9.8 million. The free cash flow available to equity is a non-GAAP financial measure which is discussed in Capital Resources and Liquidity.

 

Gross margin decreased to 21.3 percent from 27.0 percent in the same quarter last fiscal year.

 

The highlights above are intended to identify to the reader some of the more significant events and transactions of the Company during the quarter ended June 30, 2007. However, these highlights are not intended to be a full discussion of the Company’s results for the quarter. These highlights should be read in conjunction with the following discussion of Results of Operations and Capital Resources and Liquidity and with the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes accompanying this report.

 

Results of Operations

 

A summary of selected financial information for each of the periods reported is presented below (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

% Change

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services

 

$          264.7

 

$          261.9

 

1.1%

Data

 

73.4

 

74.8

 

(1.8)

 

 

$          338.1

 

$          336.7

 

0.4%

Total operating costs and expenses

 

334.0

 

300.4

 

11.2

Income from operations

 

$             4.1

 

$           36.3

 

$        (88.6)%

Diluted earnings per share

 

$          (0.15)

 

$           0.20

 

  (175.0)%

 

 

 

20

 


Revenues

Services revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 was $264.8 million. This represents a $2.8 million increase or 1.1% when compared to the same period in the prior year. International services accounted for approximately half of the increase, most of which was attributed to favorable exchange rate variances. Revenue generated from the Equitec, Harbinger, and Kefta acquisitions accounted for an increase of $3.1 million. US operations excluding the impact of acquisitions and divestitures accounted for the remaining revenue decrease.

 

Data revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 was $73.4 million. This represents a $1.4 million decrease or 1.8%. The decrease is primarily attributable to US operations. Pass-through data revenue from the purchase of third-party data on behalf of a large client accounted for $0.7 million of the decrease. (Pass-though data revenue is offset in cost of data, discussed below.) The remaining quarter-over-quarter decrease was attributable to Acxiom’s US InfoBase.

 

The Company’s business segments consist of Information Services, Information Products and Infrastructure Management.

The following table shows the Company’s revenue by business segment for each of the three-month periods reported (dollars in millions):

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

% Change

Information services

 

$         181.0

 

$         173.7

 

4.2%

Information products

 

96.7

 

94.9

 

1.8

Infrastructure management

 

113.5

 

120.5

 

(5.8)

Eliminations

 

(53.1)

 

(52.4)

 

1.2

Total revenue

 

$         338.1

 

$         336.7

 

0.4%

 

For the quarter ended June 30, 2007 Information Services revenue increased $7.4 million, or 4.2%, to $181.0 million compared to the same quarter a year ago. Strong growth in MICS (13%) and Digital (26%) was offset by declines in Financial Services (down 3.4%)

 

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, Information Products revenue increased slightly (1.8%) to $96.7 million. Strong growth in the Risk line of business ($2.0 million or 12%) was offset by flat to slightly down results for InfoBase and International components of the segment.

 

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, Infrastructure management decreased 5.8% to $113.5 million. The decrease is due to contract reductions with a few large IT clients.

 

Operating Costs and Expenses

The following table presents the Company’s operating costs and expenses for each of the periods presented (dollars in millions):

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

% Change

Cost of revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services

 

$         212.1

 

$         196.1

 

8.2%

Data

 

53.9

 

49.6

 

8.7

Total cost of revenue

 

$         266.0

 

$         245.7

 

8.3%

Selling, general and administrative

 

52.6

 

54.7

 

(3.8)

Gains, losses and other items, net

 

15.4

 

 -

 

 100.0

Total operating costs and expenses

 

$         334.0

 

$         300.4

 

11.2%

 

 

21

 


 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

 

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

 

Gross profit margin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services

 

19.9%

 

25.1%

 

 

Data

 

26.6

 

33.7

 

 

Total gross profit margin

 

21.3%

 

27.0%

 

 

Operating profit margin

 

1.2%

 

10.8%

 

 

 

Cost of services revenue of $212.1 million represents an increase of $16.0 million compared to the same quarter a year ago. Gross margin for services revenue decreased from 25.1% to 19.9%. This margin decline can be attributed to a $5.2 million impairment charge recorded on an information technology contract restructuring and headcount increases.

 

Cost of data revenue of $53.9 million represents an increase of $4.3 million compared to the same quarter a year ago. Data revenue gross margins decreased from 33.7% a year ago to 26.6% in this quarter. The primary driver of the decrease is headcount as data content costs are relatively flat compared to the same quarter a year ago.

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $52.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007. This represents a $2.1 million decrease over the prior year same quarter. As a percent of total revenue, these expenses are 15.6% compared to 16.3% a year ago. The decline is primarily attributable to a reduction in management bonuses.

 

Gains, losses and other items were $15.4 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2007, which is primarily made up of $15.1 million in banking and legal services fees related to the pending acquisition by Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital.

 

Other Income (Expense)

Interest expense for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 is $13.6 million compared to $7.8 million a year ago due primarily to the new term loan borrowing of $600 million under the amended and restated credit agreement which closed September 15, 2006 (See note 7 to the condensed consolidated financial statements).

 

Other income decreased slightly to $0.2 million in the current quarter. Both in the current and prior year quarter, other income is composed primarily of interest income on notes receivable and investment income. Additionally, in the current quarter, there was a negative adjustment of $0.3 million to adjust the value of the warrants issued in the acquisition of ChinaLoop.

 

Income taxes

The anticipated effective tax rate for fiscal 2008 is 38%. Using this effective tax rate, the expected tax benefit for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 would have been $3.5 million. However, because the costs related to the pending acquisition of the Company are likely to be non-deductible the expected benefit is reduced by $5.8 million to a net expense of $2.3 million.

 

Capital Resources and Liquidity

 

Working Capital and Cash Flow

Working capital at June 30, 2007 totaled $56.1 million compared to $25.1 million at March 31, 2007. Total current assets increased $16.3 million due to increases in cash which was driven by current quarter exercises of stock options. Current liabilities decreased $14.8 million due to decreases in deferred revenue of $10.7 million and payroll accruals of $7.1 million offset by increases in trade accounts payable of $7.2 million.

 

 

22

 


Accounts receivable days sales outstanding (“DSO”) was 76 days at June 30, 2007 and was 72 days at March 31, 2007, and is calculated as follows (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

Numerator – trade accounts receivable, net

 

$            280,956

 

$            285,850

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

Quarter revenue

 

 338,168

 

   57,271

Number of days in quarter

 

91

 

90

Average daily revenue

 

$                3,716

 

$                3,970

Days sales outstanding

 

76

 

72

 

Net cash provided by operating activities declined 30.6%, to $39.1 million. The reduction in earnings accounts for most of the total decline in operating cash flow, partially offset by changes in working capital.

 

Investing activities used $28.1 million in cash. This was primarily deferral of costs of $14.1 million and capitalization of software of $8.4 million. Capital expenditures were $2.9 million for the quarter. However, as noted in the supplemental cash flow information, the Company acquired $7.2 million of property under capital leases and incurred $5.4 million in construction and other financing. Payments under these arrangements will be reflected in future cash flows as payments of debt.

 

Cash flows from financing activities include payments of debt of $31.3 million including payments on revolving credit of $2.1 million, capital lease payments of $19.1 million, software license payments of $6.5 million, and other debt payments of $3.5 million. Financing activities also includes $35.8 million in proceeds from stock options exercised and $5.6 million of tax benefits related to the exercise of stock options.

 

Free cash flow available to equity is not a generally accepted accounting principle (“GAAP”) financial measure. A “non-GAAP financial measure” is defined as a numerical measure of the Company’s financial performance, financial position or cash flow that excludes (or includes) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Free cash flow available to equity, as defined by the Company, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management of the Company has included free cash flow available to equity in this filing because it represents the amount of money available for the Company’s discretionary spending, after funding all required payments including scheduled debt payments, and it therefore provides investors with a useful alternative measure of liquidity by allowing an assessment of the amount of cash available for general corporate and strategic purposes. The table below reconciles free cash flow available to equity to net cash provided by operating activities, the nearest comparable GAAP measure.

 

 

23

 


The Company generated free cash flow available to equity of negative $9.8 million in the quarter ended June 30, 2007, and $11.9 million in the quarter ended June 30, 2006, as shown in the table below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the quarter ended

June 30

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

 

2007 

 

2006 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

 

$             39,132

 

$             56,350

Plus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payments received from investments

 

 

 

-

 

783

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitalized software development costs

 

 

 

(8,447)

 

(5,719)

Capital expenditures

 

 

 

(2,867)

 

(217)

Deferral of costs and data acquisition costs

 

 

 

(14,129)

 

(16,887)

Payments on capital leases and installment payment arrangements

 

 

 

(19,137)

 

(18,905)

Payments on software and data license liabilities

 

 

 

(6,493)

 

(7,847)

Other required debt payments

 

 

 

(3,526)

 

(1,711)

Sub-total

 

 

 

(15,467)

 

5,847

Plus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax benefit of stock options and warrants

 

 

 

5,624

 

1,079

Sub-total

 

 

 

(9,843)

 

6,926

Plus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash collected from sale of software

 

 

 

-

 

5,000

Free cash flow available to equity

 

 

 

$             (9,843)

 

$             11,926

 

Credit and Debt Facilities

Effective September 15, 2006, the Company entered into an amended and restated credit agreement allowing (1) term loans up to an aggregate principal amount of $600 million and (2) revolving credit facility borrowings consisting of revolving loans, letter of credit participations and swing-line loans to an aggregate amount of $200 million. On September 15, 2006, the Company borrowed the entire amount of the term loan. The term loan is payable in quarterly principal installments of $1.5 million through September 2011, followed by quarterly principal installments of $150.0 million through June 2012, followed by a final installment of $70 million due September 15, 2012 (see note 7 to the condensed consolidated financial statements). The term loan also allows prepayments before maturity. Revolving loan commitments and all borrowings of revolving loans mature on September 15, 2011. The credit agreement is secured by the accounts receivable of Acxiom and its domestic subsidiaries, as well as by the outstanding stock of certain Acxiom subsidiaries. At June 30, 2007 there were no revolving credit borrowings outstanding. Borrowings under the revolving credit agreement bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.5%, an alternative base rate, or at the federal funds rate plus 2.25%.

 

The Company’s debt-to-capital ratio, as calculated below, was 53% at June 30, 2007 compared to 55% at March 31, 2007 (dollars in thousands).

 

 

 

June 30,
2007

 

March 31,
2007

Numerator - long-term obligations, net of current installments

 

$          635,240

 

$          648,879

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

Long-term obligations, net of current installments

 

635,240

 

648,879

Stockholders’ equity

 

555,431

 

521,311

 

 

$       1,190,671

 

$       1,170,190

Debt-to-capital ratio

 

53%

 

55%

 

The foregoing calculation of the debt-to-capital ratio excludes current maturities of long-term obligations in the amounts of $104.3 million and $106.9 million at June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007, respectively.

 

 

24

 


Funded Software Arrangement

On December 29, 2005, the Company entered into a definitive Asset Purchase and License Agreement (the “Agreement”) with EMC Corporation (“EMC”). The Agreement provides, among other things, for the purchase by EMC of the Company’s information grid operating system software (the “Base Technology”) and for the grant of a perpetual license from EMC to the Company of the Base Technology and further developments for the Company’s continued use in connection with its business. The Company also licensed other ancillary related technology to EMC.

 

Under the terms of the agreement, the parties will work together to further develop the Base Technology. EMC paid the Company $20 million in fiscal year 2006 and $10 million in fiscal 2007. The agreement also gives EMC the option during a two-year option period to acquire the Acxiom division responsible for the further development of the technology, upon payment of an option price specified in the agreement. The option price was $5 million at inception, and has increased to $20 million for the remainder of the option period. If EMC exercises that option, Acxiom will retain its perpetual license to the Base Technology and further developments of the Base Technology.

 

Payments received by Acxiom from EMC under the Agreement will offset previously capitalized software balances associated with development of the sold and licensed technology and amounts capitalized in the future to further develop the technology. These payments have no effect on revenue, earnings, or operating cash flow, but do contribute to free cash flow available to equity. The reduction in the capitalized balance will reduce future amortization expense.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Items and Commitments

The Company has entered into synthetic operating lease facilities for computer equipment, furniture and aircraft (“Leased Assets”). These synthetic operating lease facilities are accounted for as operating leases under GAAP and are treated as capital leases for income tax reporting purposes. Lease terms under the computer equipment and furniture facility range from two to six years, with the Company having the option at expiration of the initial term to return, or purchase at a fixed price, or extend or renew the term of the leased equipment. The synthetic lease term for one aircraft expires in January 2011, with the Company having the option at the expiration to either purchase the aircraft at a fixed price, enter into a lease for an additional twelve-month period (with a nominal purchase price paid at the expiration of the renewal period), or return the aircraft in the condition and manner required by the lease. In the event the Company elects to return the Leased Assets, the Company has guaranteed a portion of the residual value to the lessors. Assuming the Company elects to return the Leased Assets to the lessors at its earliest opportunity under the synthetic lease arrangements and assuming the Leased Assets have no significant residual value to the lessors, the maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these residual value guarantees was $12.4 million at June 30, 2007. As of June 30, 2007 the Company has a future commitment for synthetic lease payments of $23.4 million over the next five years.

 

In connection with certain of the Company’s buildings and facilities, the Company has entered into 50/50 joint ventures with local real estate developers. In each case, the Company is guaranteeing portions of the loans for the buildings. In addition, in connection with the disposal of certain assets, the Company has guaranteed loans for the buyers of the assets. Substantially all of the third party indebtedness for which the Company has provided guarantees is collateralized by various pieces of real property. The aggregate amount of the guarantees at June 30, 2007 was $5.0 million.

 

Outstanding letters of credit which reduce the borrowing capacity under the Company’s revolving credit facility at June 30, 2007 were $13.7 million and $10.2 million at March 31, 2007.

 

25

 


Contractual Commitments

The following table presents Acxiom’s contractual cash obligations and purchase commitments at June 30, 2007 (dollars in thousands). The column for 2008 represents the nine months ending March 31, 2008. All other columns represent fiscal years ending March 31.

 

 

 

For the years ending March 31

 

 

2008

 

2009

 

2010

 

2011

 

2012

 

Thereafter

 

Total

Capital lease and installment payment obligations

 

$    52,112

 

$    30,357

 

$    13,263

 

$      2,103

 

$         633

 

$    11,070

 

$  109,538

Software and data license liabilities

 

20,634

 

14,853

 

2,635

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

38,122

Warrant liability

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

1,961

 

1,961

Other long-term debt

 

16,435

 

18,880

 

7,110

 

18,418

 

303,424

 

225,693

 

589,960

Total long-term obligations

 

89,181

 

64,090

 

23,008

 

20,521

 

304,057

 

238,724

 

739,581

Synthetic aircraft leases

 

698

 

931

 

931

 

699

 

-

 

-

 

3,259

Synthetic equipment and furniture leases

 

7,355

 

8,837

 

3,849

 

125

 

-

 

-

 

20,166

Total synthetic operating leases

 

8,053

 

9,768

 

4,780

 

824

 

-

 

-

 

23,425

Equipment operating leases

 

2,417

 

2,039

 

549

 

213

 

14

 

-

 

5,232

Building operating leases

 

13,633

 

15,106

 

12,200

 

9,223

 

7,962

 

47,210

 

105,334

Partnerships building leases

 

1,609

 

2,155

 

46

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

3,810

Related party aircraft lease

 

675

 

900

 

900

 

900

 

375

 

-

 

3,750

Total operating lease payments

 

26,387

 

29,968

 

18,475

 

11,160

 

8,351

 

47,210

 

141,551

Operating software license obligations

 

4,691

 

4,904

 

4,888

 

1,370

 

1,371

 

685

 

17,909

Total operating lease and software license obligations

 

31,078

 

34,872

 

23,363

 

12,530

 

9,722

 

47,895

 

159,460

Total contractual cash obligations

 

$  120,259

 

$    98,962

 

$    46,371

 

$    33,051

 

$  313,779

 

$  286,619

 

$  899,041

 

 

 

 

For the years ending March 31

 

 

2008

 

2009

 

2010

 

2011

 

2012

 

Thereafter

 

Total

Purchase commitments on synthetic aircraft leases

 

$              -

 

$             -

 

$             -

 

$      4,398

 

$             -

 

$             -

 

$      4,398

Purchase commitments on synthetic equipment and furniture leases

 

-

 

1,755

 

4,030

 

215

 

-

 

-

 

6,000

Other purchase commitments

 

54,099

 

16,714

 

11,791

 

7,522

 

2,473

 

4,377

 

96,976

Total purchase commitments

 

$    54,099

 

$    18,469

 

$    15,821

 

$    12,135

 

$      2,473

 

$      4,377

 

$  107,374

 

 

 

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The related party aircraft lease relates to an aircraft leased from a business owned by an officer and director. The Company has agreed to pay the difference, if any, between the sales price of the aircraft and 70% of the related loan balance (approximately $2.5 million at June 30, 2007) should the Company elect to exercise its early termination rights or not extend the lease beyond its initial term and the lessor sells the equipment as a result.

 

The purchase commitments on the synthetic equipment, furniture and aircraft leases assume the leases terminate and are not renewed, and the Company elects to purchase the assets. The other purchase commitments include contractual commitments for the purchase of data and open purchase orders for equipment, paper, office supplies, construction and other items. Other purchase commitments in some cases will be satisfied by entering into future operating leases, capital leases, or other financing arrangements, rather than payment of cash.

 

The following table shows contingencies or guarantees under which the Company could be required, in certain circumstances, to make cash payments as of June 30, 2007 (dollars in thousands):

 

Residual value guarantee on the synthetic computer equipment and furniture lease

 

$            10,626

Residual value guarantee on synthetic aircraft lease

 

1,759

Residual value guarantee on related party aircraft lease

 

2,512

Guarantees on certain partnership and other loans

 

5,001

Outstanding letters of credit

 

13,727

 

 

The total of loans of which the Company guarantees the portion noted in the above table, is $12.2 million as of June 30, 2007.

 

While the Company does not have any other material contractual commitments for capital expenditures, certain levels of investments in facilities and computer equipment continue to be necessary to support the growth of the business. It is the Company’s general practice to lease any new required equipment to better match cash outflows with customer inflows. In some cases, the Company also sells software and hardware to clients. In addition, new outsourcing or facilities management contracts frequently require substantial up-front capital expenditures to acquire or replace existing assets. Management believes that the Company’s existing available debt and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet the Company’s working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the foreseeable future. The Company also evaluates acquisitions from time to time, which may require up-front payments of cash. Depending on the size of the acquisition it may be necessary to raise additional capital. If additional capital becomes necessary as a result of any material variance of operating results from projections or from potential future acquisitions, the Company would first use available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit agreement, followed by the issuance of debt or equity securities. However, no assurance can be given that the Company would be able to obtain funding through the issuance of debt or equity securities at terms favorable to the Company, or that such funding would be available.

 

For a description of certain risks that could have an impact on results of operations or financial condition, including liquidity and capital resources, see the “Risk Factors” contained in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors of the Company’s 2007 Annual Report.

 

Pending Acquisition

On May 16, 2007, the Company announced it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital, at a price of $27.10 per share plus the assumption of outstanding debt. The merger is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2008 upon approval by the Company’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

 

Approximately $500 million of the Company’s annual revenue is with customers where a contract contains terms which may allow the customer to terminate the agreement upon a change in control of the Company. Therefore, upon the change of control of the Company, it is possible that some customers may seek to invoke their right to terminate some contracts.

 

 

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Related Parties

 

See note 15 to the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s 2007 Annual Report for additional information on certain relationships and related transactions.

 

Non-U.S. Operations

 

The Company has a presence in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Australia, Canada and China. Most of the Company’s exposure to exchange rate fluctuation is due to translation gains and losses as there are no material transactions that cause exchange rate impact. In general, each of the foreign locations is expected to fund its own operations and cash flows, although funds may be loaned or invested from the U.S. to the foreign subsidiaries subject to limitations in the Company’s revolving credit facility. These advances are considered to be long-term investments, and any gain or loss resulting from changes in exchange rates as well as gains or losses resulting from translating the foreign financial statements into U.S. dollars are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Exchange rate movements of foreign currencies may have an impact on the Company’s future costs or on future cash flows from foreign investments. The Company has not entered into any foreign currency forward exchange contracts or other derivative instruments to hedge the effects of adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These accounting principles require management to make certain judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The consolidated financial statements in the Company’s 2007 Annual Report include a summary of significant accounting policies used in the preparation of Acxiom’s consolidated financial statements. In addition, the Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed as part of the 2007 Annual Report contains a discussion of the policies which management has identified as the most critical because they require management’s use of complex and/or significant judgments. None of the Company’s critical accounting policies have materially changed since the date of the last annual report.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (“FIN 48”) that clarifies the accounting and recognition for income tax positions taken or expected to be taken on tax returns. The Company adopted the provisions of FIN 48 as of the beginning of its 2008 fiscal year. As a result of its adoption of FIN 48, the Company made no adjustments to retained earnings. In addition, the Company anticipates no changes to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months.

 

As of the beginning of its 2008 fiscal year, the total amount of reserves for income taxes is $3.8 million. The entire amount of the $3.8 million, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. Any prospective adjustments to the reserve for income taxes will be recorded as an increase or decrease to the provision for income taxes and would impact the effective tax rate.

 

The Company accrues penalties and interest related to reserves for income taxes in the provision for income taxes. The amount of penalties and interest accrued as of the beginning of the 2008 fiscal year is $0.7 million.

 

The Company files a consolidated U.S. income tax return and tax returns in various state and local jurisdictions. The Company’s subsidiaries also file tax returns in various foreign jurisdictions. In addition to the U.S., the Company’s major taxing jurisdictions include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The number of years with open tax examinations varies depending on the tax jurisdiction. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has completed its examination of the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years through 2002 and has commenced an examination of the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2003-2005, for which the Company anticipates no adverse adjustments. The status of foreign tax examinations varies by jurisdiction. The Company does not anticipate any material adjustments to its financial statements resulting from tax examinations currently in progress.

 

 

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Forward-looking Statements

 

This document and other written reports and oral statements made from time to time by the Company and its representatives contain forward-looking statements. These statements, which are not statements of historical fact, may contain estimates, assumptions, projections and/or expectations regarding the Company’s financial position, results of operations, market position, product development, growth opportunities, economic conditions, and other similar forecasts and statements of expectation. The Company generally indicates these statements by words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “foresee,” and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results and experiences to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements.

 

The factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following:

 

the possibility that the anticipated transaction may not be closed, or may not be closed within the anticipated time frame;

 

certain contracts may not be closed, or may not be closed within the anticipated time frames;

 

the possibility that clients may attempt to reduce the amount of business they do with the Company;

 

the possibility that in the event that a change of control was sought that certain of the clients of the Company would invoke certain provisions in their contracts resulting in a decline in the revenue and profit of the Company

 

the possibility that certain contracts may not generate the anticipated revenue or profitability;

 

the possibility that negative changes in economic or other conditions might lead to a reduction in demand for our products and services;

 

the possibility of an economic slowdown or that economic conditions in general will not be as expected;

 

the possibility that the historical seasonality of our business may change;

 

the possibility that significant customers may experience extreme, severe economic difficulty;

 

the possibility that the integration of acquired businesses may not be as successful as planned;

 

the possibility that the fair value of certain of our assets may not be equal to the carrying value of those assets now or in future time periods;

 

the possibility that sales cycles may lengthen;

 

the possibility that we may not be able to attract and retain qualified technical and leadership associates, or that we may lose key associates to other organizations;

 

the possibility that we won’t be able to properly motivate our sales force or other associates;

 

the possibility that we won’t be able to achieve cost reductions and avoid unanticipated costs;

 

the possibility that we won’t be able to continue to receive credit upon satisfactory terms and conditions;

 

the possibility that competent, competitive products, technologies or services will be introduced into the marketplace by other companies;

 

the possibility that we may be subjected to pricing pressure due to market conditions and/or competitive products and services;

 

the possibility that there will be changes in consumer or business information industries and markets that negatively impact the Company;

 

the possibility that changes in accounting pronouncements may occur and may impact these projections;

 

the possibility that we won’t be able to protect proprietary information and technology or to obtain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms;

 

the possibility that we may encounter difficulties when entering new markets or industries;

 

the possibility that there will be changes in the legislative, accounting, regulatory and consumer environments affecting our business, including but not limited to litigation, legislation, regulations and customs relating to our ability to collect, manage, aggregate and use data;

 

29

 


 

the possibility that data suppliers might withdraw data from us, leading to our inability to provide certain products and services;

 

the possibility that we may enter into short-term contracts which would affect the predictability of our revenues;

 

the possibility that the amount of ad hoc, volume-based and project work will not be as expected;

 

the possibility that we may experience a loss of data center capacity or interruption of telecommunication links or power sources;

 

the possibility that we may experience failures or breaches of our network and data security systems, leading to potential adverse publicity, negative customer reaction, or liability to third parties;

 

the possibility that postal rates may increase, thereby leading to reduced volumes of business;

 

the possibility that our clients may cancel or modify their agreements with us;

 

the possibility that we will not successfully complete customer contract requirements on time or meet the service levels specified in the contracts, which may result in contract penalties or lost revenue;

 

the possibility that we experience processing errors which result in credits to customers, re-performance of services or payment of damages to customers;

 

the possibility that the services of the United States Postal Service, their global counterparts and other delivery systems may be disrupted; and

 

the possibility that we may be affected by other competitive factors.

 

With respect to the provision of products or services outside our primary base of operations in the United States, all of the above factors apply, along with the difficulty of doing business in numerous sovereign jurisdictions due to differences in scale, competition, culture, laws and regulations.

 

Other factors are detailed from time to time in periodic reports and registration statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company believes that we have the product and technology offerings, facilities, associates and competitive and financial resources for continued business success, but future revenues, costs, margins and profits are all influenced by a number of factors, including those discussed above, all of which are inherently difficult to forecast.

 

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements based on the occurrence of future events, the receipt of new information or otherwise.

 

30

 


Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk

 

Acxiom’s earnings are affected by changes in short-term interest rates primarily as a result of its revolving credit agreement, which bears interest at a floating rate. Acxiom does not currently use derivative or other financial instruments to mitigate the interest rate risk. Risk can be estimated by measuring the impact of a near-term adverse movement of one percentage point in short-term market interest rates. If short-term market interest rates increase one percentage point during the next four quarters compared to the previous four quarters, there would be no material adverse impact on Acxiom’s results of operations. Acxiom has no material future earnings or cash flow expenses from changes in interest rates related to its other long-term debt obligations as substantially all of Acxiom’s remaining long-term debt instruments have fixed rates. At both June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007, the fair value of Acxiom’s fixed rate long-term obligations approximated carrying value.

 

The Company has a presence in the United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Australia, China and Canada. In general, each of the foreign locations is expected to fund its own operations and cash flows, although funds may be loaned or invested from the U.S. to the foreign subsidiaries. Therefore, exchange rate movements of foreign currencies may have an impact on Acxiom’s future costs or on future cash flows from foreign investments. Acxiom, at this time, has not entered into any foreign currency forward exchange contracts or other derivative instruments to hedge the effects of adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

(a)

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

 

An evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company Leader (Chief Executive Officer) and Chief Administrative Leader (Chief Financial Officer), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures,” which are defined under SEC rules as controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within required time periods. Based upon that evaluation, the Company Leader and Chief Administrative Leader concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

 

(b)

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

The Company’s management, including the Company Leader (Chief Executive Officer) and the Chief Administrative Leader (Chief Financial Officer), has evaluated any changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarterly period covered by this report, and has concluded that there was no change during the quarterly period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

31

 


PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

The Company is involved in various claims and litigation matters that arise in the ordinary course of the business. None of these, however, are believed to be material in their nature or scope, except as follows:

 

Linda Brooks and Richard Fresco v. Auto Data Direct, Inc., et al., (U.S. Dist. Court, S.D. Florida, 03-61063)—This is a putative class action lawsuit, removed to federal court in May 2003, filed against Acxiom and several other information providers. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants obtained and used drivers’ license data in violation of the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act. To date, a class has not been certified. Among other things, the plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, statutory damages, and attorneys’ fees. While certain defendants have agreed to conditionally settle the case, Acxiom will continue to defend the case vigorously in that it believes it has acted in conformity with the applicable law. Two companion cases, Sharon Taylor, et al., v. Acxiom, et al., (U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas, 207CV001) and Sharon Taylor, et al. v. Biometric Access Company, et al., (U.S. District Court, E.D. Texas, 2:07-CV-00018), were filed in January 2007.

 

Equifax Direct Marketing Solutions LLC and Equifax Information Services LLC v. Acxiom Corporation, (U.S. District Court, N.D., Georgia 1:07-CV-0563-RLV)--A lawsuit removed from the Georgia state court, alleging that Acxiom breached a 1997 data license agreement and several data processing agreements and is using Equifax data beyond the scope of the parties’ agreements and without Equifax’s permission. The matter has been settled subsequent to June 30, 2007 with no material impact to Acxiom’s financial statements.

 

Data Protection Authority of Spain--The Company is involved in a number of actions with the Data Protection Authority of Spain, involving alleged improper usage of individuals’ data. The total claims sought by the Data Protection Authority may be as high as $10.6 million. The Company is negotiating with the Data Protection Authority in an attempt to settle the claims, and the Company maintains that the Company’s usage of data has been in compliance with the applicable law. However, upon advice of counsel and after review of the pending claims, the Company accrued $3.9 million as part of the cost of closure of the Spain office (see note 10). The amount accrued represents legal fees incurred to date along with an estimate of the amount which will be required to ultimately settle the claims.

 

Levy Investments LTD vs. Acxiom Corporation, et al., (Circuit Court of Arkansas, Pulaski County CV 07-6571)--A putative class action lawsuit filed on May 22, 2007 by an Acxiom shareholder, Levy Investments LTD, against Acxiom, its directors, ValueAct Capital and Silver Lake Partners. The plaintiff seeks an injunction against the proposed sale of the Company as announced on May 16, 2007, contending that the sale price agreed to by the directors is insufficient, that the directors breached their fiduciary duties, and that the proposed merger agreement should be nullified. The defendants believe that the suit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend it.

 

Arnold Footle v. Acxiom Corporation, et al., (Circuit Court of Arkansas, Pulaski County, CV 07-6947)--A putative class action lawsuit filed May 30, 2007, by an Acxiom shareholder, Arnold Footle, against Acxiom and its directors. The plaintiff claims that the directors breached their fiduciary duties in agreeing to the proposed sale of the Company that was announced May 16, 2007. The plaintiff seeks an injunction against the proposed sale, a constructive trust on any benefits the defendants receive and an injunction against the defendants requiring them to adhere to their fiduciary duties. The defendants believe that the suit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend it.

 

.

 

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

 

 

(a)

Not Applicable

 

 

(b)

Not Applicable

 

(c)           During the first quarter of fiscal 2008 there were no repurchases made pursuant to the repurchase program adopted by the Board

                of Directors on October 30, 2002.

 

 

32

 


 

Item 6.

Exhibits

 

 

(a)

The following exhibits are filed with this Report:

 

 

31(a)

Certification of Company Leader (principal executive officer) pursuant to SEC Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

31(b)

Certification of Chief Administrative Leader (principal financial and accounting officer) pursuant to SEC Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

32(a)

Certification of Company Leader (principal executive officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

32(b)

Certification of Chief Administrative Leader (principal financial and accounting officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

 

 

33

 


 

 

ACXIOM CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

SIGNATURE

 

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

 

 

Acxiom Corporation

 

 

Dated: August 8, 2007

 

By: /s/Rodger S. Kline

(Signature)

Rodger S. Kline

Chief Administrative Leader

(principal financial and accounting officer)

 

 

34