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CRV > SEC Filings for CRV > Form 10-Q on 15-May-2012All Recent SEC Filings

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Form 10-Q for COAST DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM INC


15-May-2012

Quarterly Report


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

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this Report that are not historical facts or that discuss our expectations, beliefs or views regarding our future financial performance or future financial condition, or financial or other trends in our business or in the markets in which we operate, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Often, they include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "project," "forecast" or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may." Such forward-looking statements are based on current information that is available to us, and on assumptions that we make, about future events over which we do not have control. In addition, our business and the markets in which we operate are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties, and unexpected future events, could cause our financial condition or actual operating results in the future to differ significantly from our expected financial condition and operating results that are set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this Report and could, therefore, also affect the price performance of our shares.

The principal risks and uncertainties to which our business is subject are discussed in (i) Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 (our "2011 10-K") that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 30, 2011, and (ii) in the subsection below in this Item 2 captioned "Management Overview - Factors Generally Affecting Sales of RV and Boating Products". Therefore, you are urged to read not only the information contained below in this Item 2, but also the cautionary information contained in Item 1A of our 2011 10-K, which qualify the forward-looking statements contained in this report.

Due to these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this report and not to make predictions about our future financial performance based solely on our historical financial performance. We also disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this Report or in our 2011 10-K or any other of our filings previously made with the SEC, except as may otherwise be required by law or the rules of the American Stock Exchange.

Management Overview

We believe that we are one of the largest wholesale suppliers of after-market replacement parts, accessories and supplies for recreational vehicles ("RVs"), and boats in North America. We supply more than 10,000 products and serve more than 15,000 customers throughout the United States and Canada, from 13 regional distribution centers in the United States and 4 regional distribution centers in Canada. Our sales are made primarily to retail parts and supplies stores, service and repair establishments and new and used RV and boat dealers ("After-Market Customers"). Our sales to our Aftermarket Customers are affected primarily by (i) the usage of RVs and boats by consumers, because such usage affects their need for and their purchases of replacement parts, repair services and supplies from our Aftermarket Customers, and (ii) sales of new RVs and boats, because consumers often "accessorize" their RVs and boats at the time of purchase.

Factors Generally Affecting Sales of RV and Boating Products

Our sales and operating results are directly affected by the extent to which consumers purchase and use RVs and boats. Such purchases and usage, in turn, depend, in large measure, upon the extent of discretionary income available to consumers, their confidence about future economic conditions and the availability of credit that consumers often use to finance the purchase of RVs and boats, each of which can affect the willingness and ability of consumers to use and purchase RVs and boats. As a result, recessionary conditions or a tightening in the availability or increases in the costs of credit often lead consumers to reduce their purchases and, to a lesser extent, their usage of RVs and boats and, therefore, their purchases of the products that we sell. Additionally, increases in the prices and shortages in the supply of gasoline can lead to declines in the usage and purchases of RVs and boats, because these conditions increase the costs of, and create difficulties for consumers in, using RVs and boats.


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Weather conditions also can affect our operating results. Purchases and the usage of RVs and boats decline in the winter months. As a result, our sales and operating results in the first and fourth calendar quarters generally are lower than in the spring and summer months in the second and third calendar quarters of the year. See "Seasonality and Inflation" below. Moreover, our sales and operating results can be adversely affected if unusually severe or winter weather conditions occur during the spring or summer months, because conditions of this nature will cause consumers to reduce their usage of RVs and boats and, therefore, their purchases of the products we sell during periods when such purchases and usage ordinarily increase.

These same conditions, in turn, affect the willingness and ability of Aftermarket Customers to purchase the products that we sell. Generally, Aftermarket Customers will reduce their purchases of products from us if consumer demand for those products declines, or Aftermarket Customers lose confidence about future economic conditions or encounter difficulties in obtaining or affording bank financing they need to fund their working capital requirements. Moreover, during the winter, as well as any other periods of the year that may encounter unusually adverse weather conditions, Aftermarket Customers also reduce their purchases of the products we sell due to declines in the usage and purchases of RVs and boats by consumers during such periods. By contrast, when the economy is strong and financing is readily available, and weather conditions are good, Aftermarket Customers are more willing to increase their product purchases in order to be able to meet expected increases in consumer demand.

As a result, our sales and operating results can be, and in the past have been, affected by economic conditions, the availability and the costs of consumer and business financing, the supply and prices of gasoline and weather conditions.

Overview of Operating Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2012

The following table sets forth certain financial data, expressed as a percentage
of net sales, derived from our statements of operations for the respective
periods indicated below:



                                                             Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                   2012          2011              2012 vs. 2011
                                                                                Increase (Decrease)
Dollars in thousands, except per share data              Amount                Amount         Percent
Net sales                                        $ 24,248      $ 24,697      $     (449 )         (1.8 )%
Cost of sales (including distribution costs)       20,839        20,799              40            0.2 %
Gross profit                                        3,409         3,898            (489 )        (12.6 )%
Selling, general and administrative expenses        4,989         5,262            (273 )         (5.2 )%
Operating loss                                     (1,580 )      (1,364 )          (216 )        (15.8 )%
Interest expense                                      139           134               5            3.7 %
Loss before income taxes                           (1,710 )      (1,525 )          (185 )        (12.1 )%
Income tax benefit                                    365           486            (121 )        (24.9 )%
Net loss                                         $ (1,345 )    $ (1,039 )          (306 )        (29.5 )%
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted    $  (0.30 )    $  (0.23 )    $    (0.07 )        (30.4 )%

As the table above indicates, we incurred a net loss of $1.3 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, in this year's first quarter as compared to a net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the same quarter of 2011. That loss was attributable to declines in net sales and gross profits primarily as a result of (i) selected price reductions in response to aggressive price competition in our markets that was due to weak consumer demand primarily as a result of the continued weakness of the economic recovery, and (ii) higher shipping costs due largely to increases in fuel prices. Only partially offsetting these declines was a $273,000 reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses, primarily attributable to reductions in product marketing and promotional costs and a reduction in office rent that became effective after the first quarter of 2011. See "Results of Operations" below.


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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

General

In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), we record most of our assets at the lower of cost or fair value. In the case of some of our assets, principally accounts receivable, inventories and deferred income taxes, we make adjustments to their cost or fair values to arrive at what we expect to be able to collect on outstanding accounts receivables, the amounts for which we expect to be able to sell our inventories and the amount of available tax loss and credit carryforwards and deductions that we will be able to use to reduce our future income tax liability. Those adjustments are made on the basis of estimates which require us to make assumptions and judgments regarding economic and market conditions and trends and their impact on our financial performance. However, those assumptions and judgments are necessarily based on current information available to us. If those conditions or trends were to change in ways that we did not expect, or other unexpected events were to occur, then, pursuant to GAAP, we may be required to further adjust the carrying values at which we record these assets for financial reporting purposes. Any resulting downward adjustments are commonly referred to as "write-downs" of the assets affected by the changed conditions.

It is our practice to establish reserves or allowances against which we are able to charge any such downward adjustments or "write-downs" to our assets. Examples include an allowance established for uncollectible accounts receivable (sometimes referred to as "bad debt reserves"), an allowance for inventory obsolescence, a reserve for product warranty claims and a valuation allowance against our deferred tax asset to the extent necessary to reduce its carrying value to the amount of that asset which we believe we are likely to be able to use to reduce our income tax liability in future periods. The amounts at which those allowances or reserves are established and maintained involve estimates that are based on historical experience and our assumptions and judgments about economic or market conditions or trends and any other factors that we believe could affect the values at which we had recorded such assets. We periodically increase or replenish the allowances or reserves following write-downs of uncollectible accounts or to take account of increased risks due to changes in economic or market conditions or trends. Increases in the allowances or reserves are effectuated by charges to income or increases in expense in the periods when those allowances or reserves are increased. As a result, our judgments or assumptions about market and economic conditions or trends and about their effects on our financial performance can and will affect not only the amounts at which we record these assets on our balance sheet, but also our results of operations.

The decisions as to the timing of (i) adjustments or write-downs of this nature and (ii) the increases we make to our allowances or reserves, also require subjective evaluations or assessments about the effects and duration of changes in economic or market conditions or trends. For example, it is difficult to predict whether events or changes in economic or market conditions, such as increasing gasoline prices or interest rates or economic downturns, will be of short or long-term duration, and it is not uncommon for it to take some time after the onset of such changes for their full effects on our business to be recognized. Therefore, we make our estimates based upon the information available to us at that time and reevaluate and adjust the reserves and allowances for potential write-downs on a quarterly basis.

Under GAAP, most businesses also must make estimates or judgments regarding the periods during which sales are recorded and also the amounts at which they are recorded. Those estimates and judgments will depend on such factors as the steps or actions that a business must take to complete a sale of products to or to perform services for a customer and the circumstances under which a customer would be entitled to return the products or reject or adjust the payment for the services rendered to it. Additionally, in the case of a business that grants its customers contractual rights to return products sold to them, GAAP requires that a reserve or allowance be established for product returns by means of a reduction in the amount at which its sales are recorded, based primarily on the nature, extensiveness and duration of those rights and historical return experience.

In making our estimates and assumptions we follow GAAP and accounting practices applicable to our business that we believe will enable us to make fair and consistent estimates of the carrying value of those assets and to establish adequate reserves or allowances for downward adjustments in those values that we may have to make in future periods.


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Our Critical Accounting Policies

Set forth below is a summary of the accounting policies that we believe are material to an understanding of our financial condition and results of operations that are discussed below.

Revenue Recognition and the Allowance for Product Returns. We recognize revenue from the sale of a product upon its shipment to the customer. Shipping and handling costs that are billed to our customers are included in revenue and our shipping and handling costs are included in costs of sales. We provide our customers with limited rights to return products that we sell to them. We establish an allowance for potential returns that reduces the amounts of our reported sales. We estimate the allowance based on historical experience with returns of like products and current economic and market conditions and trends, which can affect the level at which customers submit product for return.

Accounts Receivable and the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. In the normal course of our business we extend 30 day payment terms to our customers and, due to the seasonality of our business, during late fall and winter we sometimes grant payment terms of longer duration to those of our customers that have good credit records. We regularly review our customers' accounts and estimate the amount of, and establish an allowance for, uncollectible accounts receivable in each reporting period. The amount of the allowance is based on several factors, including the age of unpaid amounts, a review of significant past due accounts and current economic and market trends that can affect the ability of customers to keep their accounts current. Estimates of uncollectible amounts are reviewed periodically to determine if the allowance should be increased, and any increases are recorded in the accounting period in which the events or circumstances that require such increases become known. For example, if the financial condition of some of our customers or economic or market conditions were to deteriorate, adversely affecting the ability of customers to make payments to us on a timely basis, it could become necessary for us to increase the allowance for uncollectible accounts. Since the allowance is increased or replenished by recording a charge which is included in, and has the effect of increasing, selling, general and administrative expenses, an increase in the allowance will reduce income in the period when the increase is recorded.

Inventory and Reserve for Excess, Slow-Moving and Obsolete Inventory. We are a wholesale supplier and not a manufacturer of products and, therefore, all of our inventory consists of finished goods. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or net realizable value and that value is reduced by an allowance for excess and slowing-moving or obsolete inventories. The amount of the allowance is determined on the basis of historical experience with different product lines and estimates or assumptions concerning future economic and market conditions and trends. If there is an economic downturn or a decline in sales, causing inventories of some product lines to accumulate, it may become necessary for us to increase the allowance. Other factors that can require increases in the allowance or inventory write downs are reductions in pricing or introduction of new or competitive products by manufacturers; however, due to the relative maturity of the markets in which we operate, usually these are not significant factors. Increases in this allowance also will cause a decline in operating results as such increases are effectuated by charges against income. Our reserve for excess and obsolete inventory was $1,315,000, or approximately 4.3% of gross inventory, at March 31, 2012 and $2,004,000, or approximately 6.2% of gross inventory, at March 31, 2011.

Deferred Tax Asset and Valuation Allowance. We record as a "deferred tax asset" on our balance sheet an amount equal to the tax credit and tax loss carryforwards and tax deductions ("tax benefits") that we believe will be available to us to offset or reduce the amounts of our income taxes in future periods. Under applicable federal and state income tax laws and regulations, such tax benefits will expire if not used within specified periods of time. Accordingly, the ability to fully use our deferred tax asset depends on the amount of taxable income that we generate during those time periods. At least once each year, we make estimates of future taxable income that we believe we are likely to generate during those future periods. If we conclude, on the basis of those estimates and the aggregate amount of the tax benefits available to us, that it is more likely, than not, that we will be able to fully utilize those tax benefits prior to their expiration, we recognize the deferred tax asset in full on our balance sheet. On the other hand, if we conclude on the basis of those estimates and the aggregate amount of the tax benefits available to us that it is more likely, than not, that we will be unable to utilize those tax benefits in their entirety prior to their expiration, then we would establish (or increase any existing) valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax asset on our balance sheet to the amount that we believe we will be able to utilize. That reduction would be implemented by recognizing a non-cash charge that would have the effect of increasing the provision, or reducing any credit, for income taxes that would be recorded in our


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statement of operations. At March 31, 2012, the aggregate amount of our net deferred tax asset was approximately $3.1 million, as compared to $2.7 million at March 31, 2011. That increase was largely attributable to an increase in our NOL carryforwards in 2012.

Warranty Costs and Reserves.We generally do not independently warrant the products that we sell. Instead, in almost all cases, the manufacturers warrant the products and allow us to return defective products, including those that have been returned to us by our customers. However, we sell a line of portable generators under a product supply arrangement which obligates us to provide warranty services for these products and to share the costs of providing those services with the manufacturer. The duration of the warranty period for these products is 24 months, commencing on the respective dates on which such products are sold to retail customers. We established warranty reserves for these products of $552,000 and $480,000 at March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Those amounts were determined on the basis of a number of factors, including our sales of the products that we warrant and our historical and expected future warranty claims experience. In the event changes occur in the conditions or circumstances upon which our assumptions and estimates were made, it could become necessary for us to increase the reserve by means of a charge to our income.

Long-Lived Assets. Long-lived assets are reviewed for possible impairment at least annually or if and when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of any of those assets may not be recoverable in full, by comparing the fair value of the long-lived asset to its carrying amount.

Foreign Currency Translation. The financial position and results of operations of our Canadian and other foreign subsidiaries are measured using local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of each foreign subsidiary are translated into U.S. dollars at the rate of exchange in effect at the end of each reporting period. Revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the average exchange rate for the reporting period. Foreign currency translation gains and losses not impacting cash flows are credited to or charged against other comprehensive earnings. Foreign currency translation gains and losses arising from cash transactions are credited to or charged against current earnings.

Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Stock Compensation, which requires the recognition of the fair value of compensation paid in stock or other equity instruments as an expense in the calculation of net earnings (loss). We recognize stock-based compensation expense in the period in which the employee is required to provide service, which is generally over the vesting period of the individual equity instruments. Stock options issued in lieu of cash to non-employees for services performed are recorded at the fair value of the options at the time they are issued and are expensed as service is provided. Stock-based compensation expense in the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 totaled $99,000 and $123,000, respectively.

Results of Operations

Net Sales

Net sales consist of revenues from the sales of the products we supply or distribute, net of an allowance for product returns. The following table sets forth and compares our net sales (in thousands of dollars) for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011:

Three Months Ended March 31, Amounts % Change 2012 2011 2012 vs. 2011 $ 24,248 $ 24,697 (1.8 )%

We believe that the decrease in net sales in the first three months of 2012 as compared to 2011 was primarily the result of (i) continuing uncertainties about the strength of the economic recovery and persistently high rates of unemployment, which have adversely affected consumer confidence and the willingness of consumers to make discretionary expenditures involved in purchasing and using RVs and boats, and (ii) rising gasoline prices, which adversely affect both the purchases and the usage of RVs and boats by consumers.


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Gross Profits and Gross Margin

Gross profit is calculated by subtracting the cost of products sold from net sales. Cost of products sold consists primarily of the amounts paid to manufacturers and suppliers for the products that we purchase for resale, and warehouse and distribution costs, including warehouse labor costs and freight charges. Gross margin is gross profits stated as a percentage of net sales. The following table compares our gross profits (in thousands of dollars) and gross margin in the quarters ended March 31, 2012 and 2011.

                                        Three Months Ended
                                             March 31,
                                        2012           2011
                       Gross profit   $   3,409       $ 3,898
                       Gross margin        14.1 %        15.8 %

The decreases in our gross profits and gross margin in the first quarter of 2012, as compared to the first quarter of 2011, were primarily due to
(i) selected price reductions in response to aggressive price competition in our markets, which adversely affected the margins we realized on sales of those products, and (ii) higher shipping costs due largely to increases in fuel prices.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses



                                                        Three Months Ended
                                                             March 31,
                                                        2012             2011
                                                      (Dollars in thousands)
     Selling, general and administrative expenses   $      4,989        $ 5,262
     As a percentage of net sales                           20.6 %         21.3 %

As the above table indicates, in the quarter ended March 31, 2012 selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses decreased by $273,000, or 5.2%, and as a percentage of net sales to 20.6%, as compared to the same quarter of 2011. Those decreases were due largely to a reduction in product marketing and promotional costs, as well as a reduction in the rent for our headquarters offices in Morgan Hill, California.

Other Expense

The largest component of other expense is the interest expense that we incur on
borrowings. To a lesser extent, other (income) expense also includes foreign
currency gains or losses and gains or losses on disposal of assets.



                                                Three Months Ended
                                                     March 31,
                                                2012            2011
               Other expense, net
               Interest expense               $    139         $  134
               Other                                (9 )           27

               Total                          $    130         $  161

               As a percentage of net sales        0.5 %          0.7 %

Income Taxes



                                           Three Months Ended
                                                March 31,
                                           2012            2011
. . .
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