Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
In addition to historical information, this Form 10-Q may contain forward-looking statements relating to ISC. All statements, trend analyses and other information relative to markets for our products and trends in revenue, gross margins and anticipated expense levels, as well as other statements including words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, and “intend”, and other similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties including those factors described below under “Factors That May Affect Future Operations”, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking
statements. ISC undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results.
For purposes of this discussion and analysis, we are assuming and relying upon the reader’s familiarity with the information contained in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 201
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as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Overview
Our consolidated operations consist of our CoreCard Software subsidiary and its affiliate companies in Romania and India, as well as the corporate office which provides significant administrative, human resources and executive management support to CoreCard.
We provide technology solutions and processing services to the financial services market, commonly referred to as the FinTech industry. We offer processing services as an alternative for customers who prefer to outsource this function instead of licensing our software and running the application in-house. We derive our
product
revenue from licensing our comprehensive suite of financial transaction management software to accounts receivable businesses, financial institutions, retailers and processors to manage their credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, private label cards, fleet cards, loyalty programs, and accounts receivable and small loan transactions. Our
service
revenue consists of fees for software maintenance and support for licensed software products, fees for processing services that we provide to companies that outsource their financial transaction processing functions to us, and professional services primarily for software customizations provided to both license and processing customers.
We have frequently recognized consolidated operating losses on a quarterly and annual basis and are likely to do so in the foreseeable future. We may report operating profits on an irregular basis and our results vary in part depending on the size and number of software licenses recognized in a particular period and the level of expenses incurred to support existing customers and development and sales activities. A significant portion of our expense is related to personnel, including approximately 270 employees located in India and Romania. We are likely to incur losses in the near future because revenue for processing services is spread out over multi-year contracts while we are currently investing in the infrastructure, resources, processes and software features to support this developing business. In addition, we have certain corporate office expenses associated with being a public company that impact our operating results.
Our revenue fluctuates from period to period and our results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in future periods. It is difficult to predict the level of consolidated revenue on a quarterly or annual basis for a number of reasons, including the following:
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Software license revenue in a given period may consist of a relatively small number of contracts and contract values can vary considerably depending on the software product and scope of the license sold. Consequently, even minor delays in delivery under a software contract (which may be out of our control) could have a significant and unpredictable impact on the consolidated revenue that we recognize in a given quarterly or annual period.
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Customers may decide to postpone or cancel a planned implementation of our software for any number of reasons, which may be unrelated to our software or contract performance, but which may affect the amount, timing and characterization of our deferred and/or recognized revenue.
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Customers typically require our professional services to modify or enhance their CoreCard software implementation based on their specific business strategy and operational requirements, which vary from customer to customer and period to period.
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The timing of new processing customer implementations is often dependent on third party approvals or processes which are typically not under our direct control.
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Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes to Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this quarterly report.
Revenue
– Total revenue from continuing operations in the three month period ended March 31, 2017 was $1,752,000 which represents a six percent increase over the first quarter of 2016.
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Revenue from
products
, which includes software license fees (and, in some cases monthly support fees when the license and support fees are bundled) was $202,000 in the three month period ended March 31, 2017, compared to $230,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2016. The decrease is due to the recognition of a one-time tier upgrade to the software license of a certain customer in the quarter ended March 31, 2016. Excluding the one-time tier upgrade, revenue from products increased 11 percent quarter over quarter.
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Revenue from
services
was $1,550,000 in the first quarter of 2017 compared to $1,417,000 in the first quarter of 2016. Revenue from transaction processing services, and software maintenance and support services was greater in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the first quarter of 2016 due to an increase in the number of customers and accounts on file. Revenue from professional services decreased in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the first quarter of 2016 due to a decrease in the number and value of professional services contracts completed during the first quarter of 2017, primarily as a result of a key customer’s decision to change priority of certain development efforts which postponed completion of certain contracts until a future period. We expect that processing services will continue to grow as our customer base increases; however, the time required to implement new customer programs has proven longer than anticipated due to delays in third party integration and approval processes. It is not possible to predict with any accuracy the number and value of professional services contracts that our customers will require in a given period. Customers typically request our professional services to modify or enhance their CoreCard® software implementation based on their specific business strategy and operational requirements, which vary from customer to customer and period to period.
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Cost of Revenue
– Total cost of revenue was 52 percent and 43 percent of total revenue in the three month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
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Cost of
product
revenue as a percent of product revenue was 28 percent in the periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. Although 2016 revenue included a license tier upgrade fee component, which typically has lower direct cost than other license revenue, 2017 had lower support fee costs for the bundled license and support fee component resulting in no change in cost of product revenue percentage quarter over quarter.
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Cost of
service
revenue as a percentage of total service revenue was 55 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to 46 percent in the first quarter of 2016. Cost of service revenue includes three components: costs to provide annual maintenance and support services to our installed base of licensed customers, costs to provide professional services, and costs to provide our financial transaction processing services. The cost and gross margins on such services vary considerably depending on the customer mix, customer requirements and project complexity as well as the mix of our U.S. and offshore employees working on the various aspects of services provided. In 2016, our cost of service revenue was more heavily weighted towards our professional services component which, historically, has utilized relatively more offshore employees at a lower cost. As a result, our cost of services revenue percentage in 2016 is below the 2017 percentage. In addition, we continue to devote the resources necessary to support our developing processing business, including direct costs for regulatory compliance, infrastructure, network certifications, and customer support.
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Operating Expenses
– In the three month period ended March 31, 2017, total operating expenses from continuing operations were four percent greater than in the comparable period in 2016. Marketing expenses decreased by $17,000 due to less usage of marketing consultants for CoreCard in 2017. General and Administrative expenses decreased by $75,000 in the first quarter of 2017 primarily due to lower professional fees for both accounting and legal, as well as fewer personnel at the corporate office and lower travel costs incurred by CoreCard. Research and development expenses were $142,000 (22 percent) greater in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year, mainly due to payroll and related expenses for additional offshore technical personnel, as well as an increase in contractor fees for certain development efforts. The increase in R&D technical staff is a direct result of the revenue increase experienced throughout 2016 into 2017, resulting in a greater need for more customized development efforts.
Other Income (Loss)
– In the quarter ended March 31, 2016, we recorded a loss of $664,000 in other income, comprised primarily of the write-down of $700,000 on an investment, as described in more detail in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, offset in part by income earned on our cash balances.
Noncontrolling Interest
– As disclosed in Note 8 to the financial statements, effective January 1, 2017 we no longer allocate any net income (loss) to the minority interest held by former shareholders of CoreCard Software.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our cash balance at March 31, 2017 was $16,505,000 compared to $17,724,000 at December 31, 2016. The principal use of cash during the period was funding our investment of $1,000,000 in a privately held technology company on January 4, 2017; the liability for the investment funding was included in “Other Current Liabilities” at December 31, 2016.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, continuing operations used $163,000 cash for operations of the FinTech business and corporate office. The most significant working capital change since December 31, 2016 was accounts receivable decreasing by $571,000, as one of our largest international customers remitted payment in January 2017 of 79% of their December 31, 2016 balance.
We used $48,000 cash to acquire computer equipment primarily for the technical resources added in our India office and to upgrade existing office equipment in the India office.
We expect to have sufficient liquidity from cash on hand as well as projected customer payments to support our operations and capital equipment purchases in the foreseeable future. Currently we expect to use cash in excess of what is required for our current operations for opportunities we believe will expand our CoreCard and FinTech business, although there can be no assurance that appropriate opportunities will arise.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not currently have any off-balance sheet arrangements that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We consider certain accounting policies related to revenue recognition, valuation of investments and accrued costs and expenses to be critical policies due to the estimation processes involved in each. Management discusses its estimates and judgments with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. For a detailed description on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. Reference is also made to the discussion of the application of these critical accounting policies and estimates contained in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2016. During the three month period ended March 31, 2017, there were no significant or material changes in the application of critical accounting policies that would require an update to the information provided in the Form 10-K for 2016.
Factors That May Affect Future Operations
Future operations are subject to risks and uncertainties that may negatively impact our future results of operations or projected cash requirements. It is difficult to predict future quarterly and annual results with certainty.
Among the numerous factors that may affect our consolidated results of operations or financial condition are the following:
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Weakness or instability in the global financial markets could have a negative impact due to potential customers (most of whom perform some type of financial services) delaying decisions to purchase software or initiate processing services.
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As an alternative to licensing our software, we offer processing services running on the CoreCard software system. There are numerous risks associated with entering any new line of business and if we fail to manage the risks associated with processing operations, it could have a negative impact on our business.
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Increased federal and state regulations and reluctance by financial institutions to act as sponsor banks for prospective customers could increase our losses and cash requirements.
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Delays in software development projects could cause our customers to postpone implementations or delay payments, which would increase our costs and reduce our revenue and cash.
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We could fail to deliver software products which meet the business and technology requirements of its target markets within a reasonable time frame and at a price point that supports a
profitable, sustainable business model.
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Our processing business is impacted, directly or indirectly, by more regulations than our licensed software business. If we fail to provide services that comply with (or allow our customers to comply with) applicable regulations or processing standards, we could be subject to financial or other penalties that could negatively impact our business.
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Software errors or poor quality control may delay product releases, increase our costs, result in non-acceptance of our software by customers or delay revenue recognition.
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We could fail to expand our base of customers as quickly as anticipated, resulting in lower revenue and profits (or increased losses) and increased cash needs.
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We could fail to retain key software developers and managers who have accumulated years of know-how in our target markets and company products, or fail to attract and train a sufficient number of new software developers and testers to support our product development plans and customer requirements at projected cost levels.
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Increasing and changing government regulations in the United States and foreign countries related to such issues as data privacy, financial and credit transactions could require changes to our products and services which could increase our costs and could affect our existing customer relationships or prevent us from getting new customers.
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Delays in anticipated customer payments for any reason would increase our cash requirements and possibly our losses.
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Competitive pressures (including pricing, changes in customer requirements and preferences, and competitor product offerings) may cause prospective customers to choose an alternative product solution, resulting in lower revenue and profits (or increased losses).
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Our future capital needs are uncertain and depend on a number of factors; additional capital may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
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Other general economic and political conditions could cause customers to delay or cancel purchases.
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