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CMRO > SEC Filings for CMRO > Form 10-Q on 12-Sep-2008All Recent SEC Filings

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Form 10-Q for COMARCO INC


12-Sep-2008

Quarterly Report


ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10- Q.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report, including the following discussion and analysis, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," and "estimates," and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not deemed to represent an all-inclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements included in this report. Additionally, statements concerning future matters are forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements reflect current views about our plans, strategies, and prospects, but can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in or anticipated by the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements in this report include those related to our objectives; our products and the availability of future products; our sales, revenues, and costs; the timing of fulfillment of purchase orders and completion of projects; demand for our products; the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalent balances; and expected positive cash flow. Many important factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those discussed in any such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the effects of consolidation in the wireless communications industry; our customers' demand for our services and the difficulty of accurately estimating demand; our reliance on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue; increased competition; fluctuation in demand for our products; our ability to develop and introduce new products successfully; the risk of third parties infringing our intellectual property; difficulties and delays associated with our efforts to obtain cost reductions and to reduce the time to market for our ChargeSource® products; general economic, political, and market conditions; and litigation. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate and, therefore, we cannot assure that the results contemplated in forward-looking statements will be realized in the timeframe anticipated or at all. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking information included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives or plans will be achieved. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

In addition to the risks, uncertainties, and other factors discussed elsewhere in this Form 10-Q, the risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause or contribute to actual results differing materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements include, without limitation, those set forth under Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2008 filed with the SEC, those contained in the Company's other filings with the SEC, and those set forth above. For these forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Basis of Presentation

The financial information presented in this report is not audited and is not necessarily indicative of our future consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flow. Our fiscal year ends on January 31 and our fiscal quarters end on April 30, July 31, and October 31. Unless otherwise stated, all dates refer to our fiscal year and fiscal periods.


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Executive Summary

Comarco, Inc., through its subsidiary Comarco Wireless Technologies, Inc. (collectively, "we," "Comarco," or the "Company"), is a leading designer and manufacturer of external mobile power adapters used to power and charge notebook computers, mobile phones, BlackBerry ® smartphones, iPods®, and other handheld devices. Comarco is also a provider of wireless test solutions for the wireless industry. Our operations consist solely of the operations of Comarco Wireless Technologies, Inc. ("CWT").

Our revenue and related cash flows are primarily derived from sales of our ChargeSource® products and wireless test solutions ("WTS") products. We have two reportable segments: ChargeSource® and WTS. Performance measurement and resource allocation for the reportable segments are based on many factors and the primary financial measures utilized are revenue and gross profit. See "Business Segment Information" in Note 14 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.

The following table sets forth our revenue for the business segments for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007:

                        Three Months Ended July 31,           Six Months Ended July 31,
                                                  %                                   %
                        2008          2007      Change        2008         2007     Change
                          (in thousands)                       (in thousands)
     Revenue:
     ChargeSource®   $    3,158    $      766      312 %   $     6,979    $ 1,087      542 %
     WTS                  4,456         1,382      222 %        10,548      3,998      164 %

                     $    7,614    $    2,148      254 %   $    17,527    $ 5,085      245 %

Management currently considers the following events, trends, and uncertainties to be important to understanding our two business segments and corresponding operating results for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008.

ChargeSource®

• During the first quarter of fiscal 2008, we entered into a non-exclusive distribution arrangement with Kensington Technology Group ("Kensington"), thereby terminating our exclusive distribution agreement. Under the non-exclusive agreement, we have the right to penetrate all channels with multiple partners and Kensington has the right to purchase our products without volume minimums. Kensington is also able to purchase mobile power products from our competitors.

• In late January 2008, we began volume production of a small form factor 90-watt alternating current/direct current ("AC/DC") external power adapter designed to the stringent specifications of Lenovo, a leading notebook computer original equipment manufacturer ("OEM") headquartered in Beijing, China. This innovative product is currently being marketed and sold as an OEM-branded aftermarket accessory.

• During the first quarter of fiscal 2009, we entered into an additional non-exclusive distribution agreement with Trust International B.V. ("Trust") for our ChargeSource® products. We have yet to ship significant volumes to Trust as the relationship is currently being established, but we hope to increase revenue volumes in the coming quarters with the addition of a new distribution partner.

• ChargeSource® revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 increased to $3.2 million compared to $0.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2008. ChargeSource® revenue for the six months ended July 31, 2008 increased to $7.0 million compared to $1.1 million for the comparable prior fiscal year period. Sequentially, ChargeSource® revenue decreased $0.7 million primarily as a result of slowed demand during the summer.


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• The current level of ChargeSource® sales is insufficient to fully absorb our fixed manufacturing and supply chain overhead. We believe that our ability to drive increased sales is dependent upon, among others, the following factors:

• Successful development and release for manufacture of certain AC and AC/DC external power adapter products designed to address the requirements of our retail and OEM accessories channels;

• Securing additional OEM customers and retail distribution partners under non-exclusive arrangements;

• Market and customer acceptance of our new products expected to be available by early fiscal 2010;

• Successfully executing our cost reduction initiatives; and

• Reducing manufacturing lead-time from demand to delivery.

• Our ChargeSource® products are based on proprietary patented construction technology that enables the production of slim and light power sources which can charge low power and high power mobile devices simultaneously from standard wall outlets, as well as power outlets in airplanes, cars, and other modes of transportation. We had been optimistic that our new power adapter designed for the retail market would be available during the second half of fiscal 2009, but we experienced a delay in volume production due to a problem with circuit board specifications.

Wireless Test Solutions

• During fiscal 2007, we entered into a cooperative alliance with Ascom (Schweiz) AG ("Ascom"), a leading specialist in wireless onsite communications solutions based in Switzerland, to develop, market, and support next-generation wireless network QoS, optimization, and test measurement systems. Together we have developed harmonized test and measurement systems and solutions for 3G and 4G wireless standards. These harmonized products and solutions are now available to the worldwide marketplace.

• Late in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, we received a purchase order from AT&T valued at approximately $10.1 million for the Symphony™ Multi system, jointly developed by Ascom and Comarco. We began delivery on this order during the first quarter of fiscal 2009, and completed delivery during the second quarter of fiscal 2009. We generated revenue during the first half of fiscal 2009 relating to this order of $8.2 million, net of revenue sharing payable to Ascom of $1.9 million. This excludes amounts deferred relating to post-contract support and warranty. Since receiving this original order from AT&T, we have continued to receive and deliver on additional purchase orders for single systems.

• Demand for our next-generation mobile test equipment remains unpredictable. Although we are encouraged by interest we have received for the Symphony™ Multi system, the timing and amount of anticipated orders from our customer base remains uncertain. WTS revenue for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 increased $3.1 million and $6.5 million, respectively, compared to the comparable periods of the prior fiscal year, due to the deliveries on the AT&T order discussed above. We expect our ability to compete on a global basis to be driven by our ability to offer products that cover all current wireless technologies, as well as the timely integration of new technology and functionality into our product platform.

Critical Accounting Policies

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is based upon our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other


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assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially from our estimates.

An accounting policy is deemed to be critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and if different estimates that reasonably could have been used or changes in the accounting estimate that are reasonably likely to occur could materially change the financial statements. No events occurred or circumstances changed during the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 that required us to test goodwill for impairment. Management believes there have been no significant changes during the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 to the items that we disclosed as our critical accounting policies and estimates in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2008.

Results of Operations - Continuing Operations

Consolidated

Revenue



                                 Three Months Ended          Six Months Ended          Year over Year
                                      July 31,                   July 31,                 % Change
                                                                                     Three        Six
(in thousands except change)      2008          2007         2008         2007       Months      Months
Revenue:
Products                       $    7,600     $  2,105     $ 17,498     $  4,918        261 %       256 %
Services                               14           43           29          167        (67 %)      (83 %)

                               $    7,614     $  2,148     $ 17,527     $  5,085        254 %       245 %

Operating loss                 $   (2,434 )   $ (4,206 )   $ (4,918 )   $ (7,505 )

Revenue by Region



                                              Three Months Ended       Six Months Ended       Year over Year
                                                   July 31,                July 31,              % Change
                                                                                            Three        Six
(in thousands except change)                   2008         2007        2008       2007     Months      Months
Revenue:
North America                               $    4,237    $  1,186   $   10,157   $ 3,522      257 %       188 %
Europe                                             168         410          809       614      (59 %)       32 %
Asia                                             3,004         200        6,256       342    1,402 %     1,729 %
Latin America                                      205         352          305       607      (42 %)      (50 %)

                                            $    7,614    $  2,148   $   17,527   $ 5,085

Revenue for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 increased by $5.5 million, or 254 percent, and $12.4 million, or 245 percent, respectively, compared to the corresponding periods of fiscal 2008. The increase is attributable to increases in revenue in both of our businesses, with ChargeSource® and WTS increasing $2.4 million and $3.1 million, respectively, in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 and $5.9 million and $6.5 million, respectively, for the six months ended July 31, 2008 compared to the same periods of the prior fiscal year. The increase in ChargeSource® revenue relates primarily to shipments to Lenovo that began in late January 2008. The increase in WTS revenue primarily relates to deliveries of the Symphony™ Multi units sold to AT&T.


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Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin



                                                              Three Months Ended                               Six Months Ended
                                                                   July 31,                                        July 31,                          Year over Year %
                                                         2008                    2007                    2008                     2007                    Change
                                                              % of                    % of                     % of                    % of
                                                             Related                 Related                  Related                 Related       Three         Six
(in thousands except margin and change)                      Revenue                 Revenue                  Revenue                 Revenue      Months        Months
Cost of revenue:
Products                                          $ 4,889         64 %    $ 1,912         91 %    $ 11,002         63 %    $ 3,722         76 %        156 %        196 %
Amortization - software development                    -          -            59          3 %          -          -           193          4 %       (100 %)      (100 %)

                                                    4,889         64 %      1,971         94 %      11,002         63 %      3,915         80 %        148 %        181 %

Services                                               43        307 %         81        188 %         119        410 %        173        104 %        (47 %)       (31 %)
Amortization - software development                    -          -            -          -             -          -            -          -            -            -

                                                       43        307 %         81        188 %         119        410 %        173        104 %        (47 %)       (31 %)

                                                  $ 4,932         65 %    $ 2,052         96 %    $ 11,121         63 %    $ 4,088         80 %        140 %        172 %

                                         Three Months Ended           Six Months Ended         Year over Year
                                              July 31,                    July 31,               ppt Change
                                                                                              Three       Six
                                        2008            2007         2008          2007       Months     Months
Gross margin:
Products                                    36 %             6 %        37 %          20 %        30         17
Services                                  (207 %)          (88 %)     (310 %)         (4 %)     (119 )     (306 )
Combined gross margin                       35 %             4 %        37 %          20 %        31         17

Cost of revenue for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 increased by $2.9 million, or 140 percent, and $7.0 million, or 172 percent, respectively, compared to the corresponding periods of fiscal 2008. These increases are consistent with the revenue increases for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008. As combined revenues increased, combined gross margin improved over the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 compared to the prior year periods, as the Company was better able to absorb its fixed manufacturing overhead, which remained fairly comparable during the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007.


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Operating Costs and Expenses



                                                         Three Months Ended                                   Six Months Ended
                                                              July 31,                                            July 31,                           Year over Year
                                                    2008                      2007                     2008                       2007                  % Change
                                                          % of                     % of                       % of                     % of        Three        Six
(in thousands except change)                             Revenue                  Revenue                    Revenue                  Revenue      Months      Months
Operating expenses:
SG&A expenses                               $ 1,461           19 %     $   958         45 %    $  3,325           19 %     $ 2,097         41 %        53 %        59 %
Allocated corporate overhead                  1,503           20 %       1,285         60 %       3,869           22 %       2,485         49 %        17 %        56 %
Gross engineering and support expenses        2,334           31 %       2,059         96 %       4,465           25 %       3,920         77 %        13 %        14 %
Capitalized software development               (182 )         (2 %)         -          -           (335 )         (2 %)         -          -           -           -

                                            $ 5,116           67 %     $ 4,302        200 %    $ 11,324           65 %     $ 8,502        167 %        19 %        33 %

Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 increased $0.5 million, or 53 percent, and $1.2 million, or 59 percent, respectively, compared to the corresponding periods of fiscal 2008. The increases are caused by increased legal fees of $0.6 million and $1.4 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 related to fees incurred in support of the ongoing SwissQual and iGo litigation described in Note 15 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.

Allocated corporate overhead consists of salaries and other personnel-related expenses of our accounting and finance, human resources and benefits, and other administrative personnel, as well as professional fees, directors' fees, and other costs and expenses attributable to being a public company. These costs are typically allocated to our two segments based on each business's percentage share of total Company costs and expenses. Allocated corporate overhead increased $0.2 million and $1.4 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008. The increase for the three months ended July 31, 2008 relates primarily to increased legal fees in support of public company matters. The increase of $1.4 million for the six months ended July 31, 2008 relates to $1.0 million of non-recurring severance costs as well as increased legal fees of $0.2 million and increased consulting fees of $0.3 million compared to the same period of fiscal 2008.

Gross engineering and support expenses generally consist of salaries, employer paid benefits, and other personnel related costs of our hardware and software design engineers and testing and product support personnel, as well as facility and IT costs, professional and consulting fees, lab costs, material usages, and travel and related costs incurred in the development and support of our products. Engineering and support expenses for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 increased $0.3 million, or 13 percent, and $0.5 million, or 14 percent, respectively. This increase is primarily due to increased ChargeSource® engineering expenses, consisting of material usage and lab fees in support of our on-going efforts to develop new products for our retail and OEM accessories channels.

We capitalize costs incurred for the development of software embedded in our WTS products subsequent to establishing technological feasibility. These capitalized costs are subject to an ongoing assessment of recoverability based on anticipated future revenue and changes in hardware and software technologies. Costs that are capitalized include direct labor and related overhead. During the three and six months ended July 31, 2008, we capitalized software development costs related to Opti in the amount of $182,000 and $335,000, respectively. During the corresponding periods of fiscal 2008 we did not capitalize any software product development costs.


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Other Income, net

Other income, net, consists primarily of interest income earned on invested cash balances. Interest income earned on invested cash balances for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 totaled $28,000 and $81,000, respectively. For the three and six months ended July 31, 2007, interest income totaled $218,000 and $499,000, respectively. The current year decrease in interest income is due to decreased invested cash balances and decreased interest rates earned on invested cash balances.

Gain on Sale of Equipment, net

The gain on sale of equipment recorded during the first quarter of fiscal 2008 relates to the sale of WTS equipment, the majority of which was previously leased to outsourced engineering services providers. No similar transactions occurred during the first half of fiscal 2009.

Gain on Sale of Investment in SwissQual, net

During the second quarter of fiscal 2008, we received additional sale consideration based on earn-out provisions totaling approximately $0.3 million, net of $21,000 of transaction costs, from Spirent, the acquirer of our 18 percent interest in SwissQual.

Income Tax Expense

Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any required valuation allowance. The Company continues to have a fully reserved deferred tax asset. This valuation allowance was previously established based on management's overall assessment of risks and uncertainties related to our future ability to realize, and hence, utilize certain deferred tax assets, primarily consisting of net operating losses and carry forward temporary differences. Due to the losses of the first and second quarters, the adjusted net deferred tax assets remain fully reserved as of July 31, 2008. In accordance with paragraph 140 of Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes," a tax benefit has been recorded utilizing a combined effective rate of 39.2 percent and 38.3 percent for the three and six months ended July 31, 2008 and the three and six months ended July 31, 2007, respectively, to reflect the utilization of losses from current operations to offset the gain and income from discontinued operations.

The Company adopted FIN 48, "Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes - An Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109," on February 1, 2007. As a result of the adoption of FIN 48, the Company recorded an $86,000 decrease in retained earnings and increased non-current liabilities by $86,000. The FIN 48 liability recorded during the first quarter of fiscal 2008 had not changed as of July 31, 2008.

Discontinued Operations, net of income taxes

. . .

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