General

6 Months Ended

Sep. 24, 2011

General [Abstract]

GENERAL

NOTE 1 – GENERAL

Description of Business: Transcat, Inc. (“Transcat” or the “Company”) is a distributor of professional grade handheld test and measurement instruments and accredited provider of calibration, repair and other measurement services primarily for pharmaceutical and FDA-regulated, industrial manufacturing, energy and utilities, chemical manufacturing and other industries.

Basis of Presentation: Transcat’s unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, the Consolidated Financial Statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company’s management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) have been included. The results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the fiscal year. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the fiscal year ended March 26, 2011 (“fiscal year 2011”) contained in the Company’s 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments: Transcat has determined the fair value of debt and other financial instruments using a valuation hierarchy. The hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value, consists of three levels. Level 1 uses observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2 uses inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, which is defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, requires the Company to develop its own assumptions. The carrying amount of debt on the Consolidated Balance Sheets approximates fair value due to variable interest rate pricing, and the carrying amounts for cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.

Stock-Based Compensation: The Company measures the cost of services received in exchange for all equity awards granted, including stock options, warrants and restricted stock, based on the fair market value of the award as of the grant date. The Company records compensation cost related to unvested stock awards by recognizing, on a straight-line basis, the unamortized grant date fair value over the remaining service period of each award. Excess tax benefits from the exercise of stock awards are presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as a financing activity. Excess tax benefits are realized benefits from tax deductions for exercised awards in excess of the deferred tax asset attributable to stock-based compensation costs for such awards. The Company did not capitalize any stock-based compensation costs as part of an asset. The Company estimates forfeiture rates based on its historical experience. During each of the first six months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 (“fiscal year 2012”) and fiscal year 2011, the Company recorded non-cash stock-based compensation cost in the amount of $0.3 million in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.

Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions: The accounts of Transmation (Canada) Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, are maintained in the local currency and have been translated to U.S. dollars. Accordingly, the amounts representing assets and liabilities have been translated at the period-end rates of exchange and related revenue and expense accounts have been translated at an average rate of exchange during the period. Gains and losses arising from translation of Transmation (Canada) Inc.’s balance sheets into U.S. dollars are recorded directly to the accumulated other comprehensive income component of shareholders’ equity.

Transcat records foreign currency gains and losses on Canadian business transactions. The net foreign currency loss was less than $0.1 million in the first six months of fiscal years 2012 and 2011. The Company utilizes foreign exchange forward contracts to reduce the risk that its earnings would be adversely affected by changes in currency exchange rates. The Company does not apply hedge accounting and therefore, the change in the fair value of the contracts, which totaled less than $0.1 million during the first six months of fiscal years 2012 and 2011, was recognized as a component of other expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. The change in the fair value of the contracts is offset by the change in fair value on the underlying accounts receivables denominated in Canadian dollars being hedged. On September 24, 2011, the Company had a foreign exchange contract, which matured in October 2011, outstanding in the notional amount of $1.3 million. The Company does not use hedging arrangements for speculative purposes.

Earnings Per Share: Basic earnings per share of common stock are computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share of common stock reflect the assumed conversion of stock options, warrants, and unvested restricted stock awards using the treasury stock method in periods in which they have a dilutive effect. In computing the per share effect of assumed conversion, funds which would have been received from the exercise of options, warrants, and unvested restricted stock and the related tax benefits are considered to have been used to purchase shares of common stock at the average market prices during the period, and the resulting net additional shares of common stock are included in the calculation of average shares of common stock outstanding.

The average shares outstanding used to compute basic and diluted earnings per share are as follows:

	Second Quarter Ended				Six Months Ended
	September 24, 2011		September 25, 2010		September 24, 2011		September 25, 2010
Average Shares Outstanding – Basic		7,302		7,308		7,290		7,298
Effect of Dilutive Common Stock Equivalents		338		233		334		239
Average Shares Outstanding – Diluted		7,640		7,541		7,624		7,537
Anti-dilutive Common Stock Equivalents		436		617		440		610

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements: In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-08, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (“ASU 2011-08”). This standard simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment and allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Under ASU 2011-08, an entity would not be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. ASU 2011-08 is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. This standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.