KOSS CORP 10-Q

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations The following discussion and analysis supplements our management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended June 30, 2023 as contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2023, and presumes that readers have read or have access to such discussion and analysis. The following discussion and analysis should also be read together with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans and strategy for our business and involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as updated by subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. You should carefully read “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Overview The Company initially developed stereo headphones in 1958 and has been recognized as a leader in the industry ever since. Koss markets a complete line of high-fidelity headphones, wireless Bluetooth® headphones, wireless Bluetooth® speakers, computer headsets, telecommunications headsets, and active noise canceling headphones. The Company operates as one business segment, as its principal business line is the design, manufacture and sale of stereo headphones and related accessories. Financial Results The following table presents selected financial data for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended March 31 March 31 Financial Performance Summary 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 2,637,606 $ 3,380,840 $ 9,371,668 $ 10,026,301 Net sales (decrease) % from prior year period (22.0)% (27.1)% (6.5)% (25.3)% Gross profit $ 841,523 $ 1,304,358 $ 3,017,653 $ 3,635,744 Gross profit as % of net sales 31.9% 38.6% 32.2% 36.3% Selling, general and administrative expenses $ 1,451,247 $ 1,749,341 $ 4,572,049 $ 27,907,246 Selling, general and administrative expenses as % of net sales 55.0% 51.7% 48.8% 278.3% Interest income $ 214,814 $ 189,593 $ 636,482 $ 314,482 Other income $ — $ — $ — $ 33,000,000 (Loss) income before income tax provision (benefit) $ (394,910) $ (255,390) $ (917,914) $ 9,042,980 (Loss) income before income tax provision (benefit) as % of net sales (15.0)% (7.6)% (9.8)% 90.2% Income tax provision (benefit) $ (81,130) $ (30,910) $ (77,372) $ 463,928 Income tax provision (benefit) as % of (loss) income before income tax provision (benefit) 20.5% 12.1% 8.4% 5.1% ‎ 16 Table of Contents Fiscal 2024 Period Results Compared with Fiscal 2023 Period (comments refer to the three and nine-month periods ended March 31 unless otherwise noted) Net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2024 were $2,638,000 compared to $3,381,000 for the same three-month period in the prior year, a decrease of $743,000, or 22.0%. A reduction in sales to a significant customer in the educational space, due to timing of a recurring order versus the prior year, was the most significant contribution to the decline, coupled with a meaningful drop in direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) sales and sales to our largest domestic distributors. For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, sales of $9,372,000 were also unfavorable compared to $10,026,000 of sales for the first three quarters of the prior fiscal year with the driver being the nearly 30% fall in DTC sales followed by declines in all export market sales and sales to domestic distributors. The decreases were offset somewhat by increased sales of custom headphones. In the domestic markets, net sales of $2,056,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 reflected a decrease of $673,000, or 24.6%, when compared to sales of $2,729,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The decrease was driven by the timing of the order from the education customer as noted above along with the step back in DTC sales and sales to domestic distributors. During the nine months ended March 31, 2024, domestic sales were off by $294,000, or 3.9%, versus sales to the domestic markets during the same period in the prior year. Nearly half of the 27.0% decline in DTC sales, plus the nearly 10% decline in sales to domestic distributors, were offset by sales of custom headphones to a new customer and an over 50% increase in sales to e-tailers. The export markets saw a slight decline in sales to our Europe and Asia partners for the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to the same period in the prior year. Total export sales for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 were $582,000 in comparison with sales of $652,000 in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, a decrease of $70,000, or 10.7%. Sales for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 were down $361,000, or 15.0%, to $2,045,000 versus sales of $2,406,000 to the export markets during the same nine-month period in the prior year, most significantly in the European market. The current quarter did, however, include a rather sizable restock order from a distributor in Eastern Europe, along with smaller orders from a new customer in the region. There have been no sales to our Russian distributor since April 2022. Gross margins as a percentage of net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2024 were 31.9% as compared to 38.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a drop of 670 basis points. While the mix of sales by market class was fairly consistent year over year and there was some favorability as a result of a decrease in the excess and obsolete inventory reserve, the adverse impact on margin from the continued sell through of Company inventory brought in from suppliers at higher freight rates, coupled with the increase in online marketplace seller fees due to some targeted marketing programs, drove the decline. Gross margin as a percentage of sales for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 was 32.2% compared with 36.3.% for the same nine months in the prior year. The 410 basis points drop in the current period’s margins was primarily driven by the aforementioned sell-through combined with an increase in the reserve for excess and obsolete inventory. The Company was able to preserve consistent freight rates through the quarter ended March 31, 2024, as the Company’s partnership with a dedicated freight forwarder provided access to lower fixed freight rates. Market rates and transit times continue to stabilize as carriers have adjusted to ongoing environmental and geopolitical issues in the Panama and Suez Canals. The market remains oversupplied but will become more vulnerable to disruption as the year progresses and lower demand due to declining consumer confidence and rising prices could result in overcapacity in the market. The Company continues to monitor the ongoing tension in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and is prepared to react as necessary if faced with supply chain disruptions. While the Red Sea shipping crisis is disrupting global supply chains, the Company rarely utilizes this route so no adverse impacts are expected. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $1,451,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024, a decrease of $298,000, or 17.0%, compared to the same three months in the prior year. The decrease in the quarter was driven by a number of reasons: 1) personnel departures for which work was reallocated with no replacement hired, 2) a reduction in bad debt expense as a result of continued strong collections and low past due accounts, 3) a decrease in deferred compensation expense driven by lower discount rates used to calculate the deferred compensation liability in the prior year, and 4) a reduction in stock based compensation expense as options became fully vested. For the nine months ended March 31, 2024, selling, general and administrative expenses of $4,572,000 were reduced by $23,335,000 from $27,907,000 of expenses incurred for the nine months ended March 31, 2023. The decrease was predominantly driven by the $22,141,000 of legal fees and related expenses incurred during the prior nine-month period in support of the Company’s patent defense litigation. Also, expenses related to bonus and profit-sharing accruals of $381,000 and $576,000, respectively, were recorded during the nine months ended March 31, 2023 as a result of the increased net income before income taxes due to the licensing proceeds received in that year. A decrease in payroll expense as a result of personnel departures in the prior fiscal year, coupled with a reduction in stock based compensation expense as options became fully vested, also contributed to the decline. No other income was recorded for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024. Other income for the nine months in the prior period consisted entirely of $33,000,000 in licensing proceeds received during the first quarter. As a result of a taxable loss for the three- and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2024, no federal income tax expense was recorded. Instead, a federal income tax benefit of $82,653 was recorded for both periods as a result of the RTP adjustment recorded during the 17 Table of Contents third quarter of fiscal 2024. State income tax expense of $1,522 and $5,281 was recorded for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024, respectively, reflecting the minimum required tax due. For the nine months ended March 31, 2023, the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards significantly reduced the taxable income for that period, resulting in federal and state tax provisions of $374,714 and $89,214, respectively. The effective tax rate was 20.5% and 8.4%, respectively, in the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and was 12.1% and 5.1%, respectively, for those same periods in the prior year. It is anticipated that the effective rate in the current year and future years will be reduced by utilization of a portion or all of the federal net operating loss carryforwards that existed as of June 30, 2023. The Company’s remaining expected federal tax loss carryforward is expected to approximate $32,800,000 by the end of the fiscal year. The taxable loss for the first nine months of fiscal year 2024 increased the net operating loss carryforward deferred tax asset to approximately $8,500,000 as of March 31, 2024, and the future realization of this continues to be uncertain. The valuation allowance was increased to fully offset the net deferred tax asset as there is sufficient negative evidence to support the maintaining of a full valuation allowance as, excluding unusual, infrequent items, a three-year cumulative tax loss occurred. As previously mentioned, the Company maintains a program focused on enforcing its intellectual property and, in particular, certain of its patent portfolio. The Company has enforced its intellectual property by filing complaints against certain parties alleging infringement on the Company’s patents relating to its wireless headphone technology. If efforts are successful, the Company may receive royalties, offers to purchase its intellectual property, or other remedies advantageous to its competitive position from time to time. However, there is no guarantee of a positive outcome from these efforts in the future, which could ultimately be time-consuming and unsuccessful. Additionally, the Company may owe all or a portion of any future proceeds arising from the enforcement program to third parties. The Company believes that its financial position remains strong. The Company had $2.9 million of cash and cash equivalents, $7.0 million of short-term investments and available credit facilities of $5.0 million on March 31, 2024. Recent Events Recent and ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions have impacted, and will continue to impact, our business. These include economic uncertainty from elevated inflation and interest rates, reduced consumer confidence, disruption in our supply chain and trade tensions with China, the ongoing crises in Eastern Europe, the ongoing instability in the Middle East and increased risk of cyberattacks. While the impact of these factors on our fiscal 2024 performance remains uncertain, we will continue to evaluate the extent to which these factors will impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations. These and other uncertainties with respect to these recent events could result in changes to our current expectations. Inflationary Cost Environment and Reduced Consumer Confidence - The Company continues to experience inflationary cost increases in our commodities, packaging materials, wages and higher energy and transportation costs, potentially impacting our ability to meet customer demand. These increases have been partially mitigated by pricing actions implemented in the third quarter of the prior fiscal year, as well as working with a dedicated freight forwarding partner to minimize freight rate increases. Inflation may impact customer demand for our products resulting from a slowdown in consumers’ willingness to spend as disposable income decreases due to rising prices of essential items, spend through of excess savings from earlier in the pandemic and leading indicators pointing to a softening in the labor market. Other risk factors further exacerbated by inflation include supply chain disruptions, increased oil and energy costs, risks of international operations and the recruitment and retention of talent. Supply Chain Disruption and Trade Tensions with China - The Company relies on our third-party supply chain and distribution networks and the availability of necessary components to produce a considerable number of our products. A reduction or interruption in supply, including interruptions due to a reoccurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical unrest, labor shortages or strikes, or a failure to procure adequate components, may lead to delays in manufacturing or increases in costs. 18 Table of Contents The Company uses contract manufacturing facilities in the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan to produce a significant amount of our products. There has been increasing geopolitical tension between China and Taiwan that may affect future shipments from Taiwan and China-based suppliers. Any other adverse changes in the social, political, regulatory or economic conditions in the countries could materially increase the cost of the products we buy or delay shipments. There has also been increasing geopolitical tension between China and the United States. Sustained uncertainty about, or worsening of, economic relations and further escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China, or any other country in which the Company conducts business, could result in retaliatory trade restrictions that restrict our ability to source products from China or continue business in such other country. Any alterations to our business strategy or operations made in order to adapt to or comply with any such changes would be time-consuming and expensive, and the Company may not be able to pass along most increases in tariffs and freight charges to the Company’s customers, which would also directly affect profits. Our dependence on foreign suppliers for our products necessitates ordering products further in advance than we would if manufactured domestically, thus increasing investments in inventory. Delays in receiving and shipping products due to interruptions in its supply chain would pose a risk of lower sales to the Company and the potential for price volatility, negatively impacting profits. Recovery of a single facility through replacement of a supplier in the event of a disaster or suspension of supply could take an estimated six to twelve months. On July 25, 2023, United Parcel Service (“UPS”) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union reached a tentative five-year contract deal that averted a nationwide strike. Also, in December 2022, the U.S. government abated a threatened railroad strike and implemented a labor agreement that prohibited the workers from striking and negotiations continue between union leaders and railroad executives of each of the remaining railroads. While Yellow freight lines announced their insolvency earlier in the year, the Company has had no material direct exposure to Yellow. The Company continues to monitor these situations as the changes in the current labor landscape, the settlement of recent labor disputes, coupled with rising energy prices, could potentially exacerbate disruptions in the supply chain, delay product shipments and increase transportation costs. Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine - Financial and credit markets around the world experienced volatility following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. In response to the invasion, the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, along with others, imposed significant sanctions and export controls against Russia, Russian banks and certain Russian individuals and may implement additional sanctions or take further punitive actions in the future. In accordance with Executive Order 14071 signed on April 6, 2022, the Company suspended sales to Russia. While there is a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine created by the war and the population continues to seek refuge in other countries, the Company did receive a sizable order from their Ukrainian distributor in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 with potential for another before the end of this fiscal year. During the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no sales to Russia. Cyberattacks - Cyberattacks are a growing geopolitical risk, becoming larger, more frequent, more intricate and more relentless. They are a significant threat to individual organizations and national security . We rely on accounting, financial, and operational management information systems to conduct our operations. Any disruption in these systems could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. Furthermore, as part of our normal business activities, we collect and store common confidential information about customers, employees, vendors, and suppliers. This information is entitled to protection under a number of regulatory regimes. Any failure to maintain the security of the data, including the penetration of our network security and the misappropriation of confidential and personal information, could result in business disruption, damage to our reputation, financial obligations to third parties, fines, penalties, regulatory proceedings and private litigation with potentially large costs, and also result in deterioration in customers confidence in us and other competitive disadvantages, and thus could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations . While we devote resources to security measures to protect our systems and data, these measures cannot provide absolute security and the insurance coverage we maintain may be inadequate to cover claims, costs, and liabilities relating to cybersecurity incidents. ‎ 19 Table of Contents Liquidity and Capital Resources Cash Flows The following table summarizes cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: Total cash (used in) provided by: 2024 2023 Operating activities $ (16,558) $ 10,616,726 Investing activities (197,625) (17,040,594) Financing activities 35,800 137,330 Net (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents $ (178,383) $ (6,286,538) Operating Activities The cash used in operating activities during the nine months ending March 31, 2024, was primarily a result of the payment of bonuses earned in the prior year mostly offset by improvements in cash flow related to working capital, namely the reduction of inventory levels. During the nine months ended March 31, 2023, the majority of the cash provided by operating activities resulted from the licensing proceeds received, partially offset by the payment of related legal fees and expenses and profit sharing. Investing Activities Cash used by investing activities for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 was related to fixed asset expenditures, predominantly the replacement of a roof section of the building for approximately $300,000, and the payment of the premiums on the company-owned life insurance policies on two of its executives. Proceeds of $14,331,000 were received during the nine months ended March 31, 2024 from the maturity of U.S. Treasury securities and were mostly reinvested to purchase $14,286,000 of similar securities at a $300,000 discount. Cash used by investing activities for the nine months ended March 31, 2023 was almost entirely related to the purchase of $17,334,000 of U.S. Treasury securities at a discount of $450,000. The Company believes that its available cash and its credit facility is sufficient to fund any necessary tooling, leasehold improvement and capital expenditures. Financing Activities Cash from the exercise of stock options during the nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 provided the cash from financing activities. An aggregate of 20,000 and 69,000 shares of common stock, respectively, were issued as a result of employee stock option exercises under the Company’s 2012 Omnibus Incentive Plan for those periods. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on its bank line of credit facility. There were no purchases of common stock in the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 or March 31, 2023 under the stock repurchase program. Liquidity The Company believes its existing cash and cash equivalents, investments in short-term U.S. Treasury securities, cash provided by operating activities and borrowings under its credit facility, if any, will be sufficient to meet its anticipated working capital, and capital expenditure requirements during the next twelve months. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company’s business will continue to generate cash flow at current levels. If the Company is unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, then it may be required to sell assets, reduce capital expenditures, or draw on its credit facilities. The Company regularly evaluates new product offerings, inventory levels and capital expenditures to ensure that it is effectively allocating resources in line with current market conditions. Credit Facility On May 14, 2019, the Company entered into a secured credit facility (“Credit Agreement”) with Town Bank (“Lender”). The Credit Agreement provides for a $5,000,000 revolving secured credit facility for letters of credit for the benefit of the Company of up to a sublimit of $1,000,000. There are no unused line fees in the credit facility. On January 28, 2021, the Credit Agreement was amended to extend the expiration date to October 31, 2022, and to change the interest rate to Wall Street Journal Prime less 1.50%. A Third Amendment to the Credit Agreement effective October 30, 2022, extended the expiration date to October 31, 2024. The Company and the Lender also entered into a General Business Security Agreement dated May 14, 2019 under which the Company granted the Lender a security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets in connection with the Company’s obligations under the Credit 20 Table of Contents Agreement. The Credit Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants customary for financings of this type. The negative covenants include restrictions on other indebtedness, liens, fundamental changes, certain investments, disposition of assets, mergers and liquidations, among other restrictions. As of March 31, 2024, the Company was in compliance with all covenants related to the Credit Agreement. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, there were no outstanding borrowings on the facility. Contractual Obligation The Company leases its 126,000 square foot facility from Koss Holdings, LLC, which is controlled by five equal ownership interests in trusts held by the five beneficiaries of a former chairman’s revocable trust and includes current stockholders of the Company . On May 24, 2022, the lease was renewed for a period of five years, ending June 30, 2028, and is being accounted for as an operating lease. The lease extension maintained the rent at a fixed rate of $380,000 per year. The Company has the option to renew the lease for an additional five years beginning July 1, 2028 and ending June 30, 2033 under the same terms and conditions except that the annual rent will increase to $397,000. The negotiated increase in rent slated for 2028 will be the first increase in rent since 1996. The Company is responsible for all property maintenance, insurance, taxes and other normal expenses related to ownership. The facility is in good repair and, in the opinion of management, is suitable and adequate for the Company’s business purposes. Off-Balance Sheet Transactions At March 31, 2024, the Company did not have any transactions, obligations or relationships that could be considered off-balance sheet arrangements. ‎ 21 Table of Contents Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk Not applicable.