UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x
|
Quarterly
Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934.
|
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2008
¨
|
Transition
Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934.
|
For
the transition period from
to
Commission
File Number 0-51063
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
|
13-3930916
|
(State
or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation
or Organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
|
|
120
Albany Street, Tower II, New Brunswick, New
Jersey
|
08901
|
(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code (732) 509-9100
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to
be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes
x
No:
¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company.
See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Large
accelerated filer
¨
|
Accelerated
filer
x
|
Non-accelerated
filer
¨
(
Do
not check if a smaller reporting company)
|
Smaller
reporting company
¨
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
¨
No:
x
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s class of common stock,
as of November 1, 2008:
Class
|
|
Number
of Shares
|
Common
Stock, par value $0.001 per share
|
|
25,962,305
|
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
|
Page
|
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
|
Item 1.
|
Consolidated
Financial Statements (Unaudited)
|
|
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets (Unaudited) as of December 31, 2007 and September 30,
2008
|
1
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the Three and Nine Months
Ended
September 30, 2007 and 2008
|
2
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2007 and 2008
|
3
|
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
|
4
|
Item 2.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
9
|
Item 3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
19
|
Item 4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
19
|
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
Item 1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
20
|
Item 1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
20
|
Item 2.
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
20
|
Item 6.
|
Exhibits
|
21
|
SIGNATURES
|
22
|
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements, including
but
not limited to statements about Arbinet’s growth, strategic and business plans,
product development and service offerings, and future operating results.
Such
forward-looking statements may be identified by, among other things, the
use of
forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,”
“should” or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or
comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy that involve risks
and
uncertainties. Various important risks and uncertainties may cause Arbinet’s
actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by these
forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: members (in
particular, significant trading members) not trading on our exchange or
utilizing our new and additional services (including data on thexchange
SM
,
DirectAxcess
SM
,
PrivateExchange
SM
,
AssuredAxcess
SM
, and
PeeringSolutions
SM
);
continued volatility in the volume and mix of trading activity (including
the
average call duration and the mix of geographic markets traded); our uncertain
and long member enrollment cycle; the failure to manage our credit risk;
failure
to manage our growth; pricing pressure; investment in our management team
and
our personnel; system failures, human error and security breaches that could
cause us to lose members and expose us to liability; regulatory uncertainty;
and
our ability to obtain and enforce patent protection for our methods and
technologies. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties
Arbinet faces, please refer to Part I, Item 1A of the Annual Report on Form
10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2008,
and other filings, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Arbinet assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise
local, regional, national and international economic conditions and the impact
they may have on the Corporation and its customers, volatility and disruption
in
national and international financial markets, government intervention in
the
U.S. financial system, and such statements are current only as of the date
they
are made.
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
|
|
December 31,
2007
|
|
September 30,
2008
|
|
|
|
($ in thousands, except per share data)
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
Current
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$
|
28,556
|
|
$
|
8,376
|
|
Marketable
securities
|
|
|
20,344
|
|
|
13,226
|
|
Trade
accounts receivable (net of allowance of $1,481 and $1,805 at
December 31, 2007 and September 30, 2008,
respectively)
|
|
|
28,451
|
|
|
28,005
|
|
Prepaids
and other current assets
|
|
|
2,421
|
|
|
4,425
|
|
Total
current assets
|
|
|
79,772
|
|
|
54,032
|
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
|
|
23,002
|
|
|
22,350
|
|
Security
deposits
|
|
|
2,430
|
|
|
2,127
|
|
Intangible
assets, net
|
|
|
2,018
|
|
|
1,694
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
|
2,196
|
|
|
1,964
|
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
322
|
|
Long
term assets of discontinued operations
|
|
|
440
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
$
|
109,934
|
|
$
|
82,489
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
lease obligation
|
|
$
|
7
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Notes
payable
|
|
|
493
|
|
|
-
|
|
Due
to Silicon Valley Bank
|
|
|
285
|
|
|
749
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
|
16,123
|
|
|
11,735
|
|
Deferred
revenue
|
|
|
2,499
|
|
|
2,010
|
|
Accrued
and other current liabilities
|
|
|
8,250
|
|
|
8,388
|
|
Current
liabilities of discontinued operations
|
|
|
334
|
|
|
643
|
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
27,991
|
|
|
23,525
|
|
Other
long-term liabilities
|
|
|
2,282
|
|
|
1,634
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
30,273
|
|
|
25,159
|
|
Commitments
and Contingencies
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Stockholders’
Equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred
Stock, 5,000,000 shares authorized
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Common
Stock, $0.001 par value, 60,000,000 shares authorized, 26,355,641
and
26,588,169 shares issued, respectively
|
|
|
26
|
|
|
27
|
|
Additional
paid-in-capital
|
|
|
181,644
|
|
|
173,091
|
|
Treasury
stock, 674,233 and 2,982,245 shares, respectively
|
|
|
(4,613
|
)
|
|
(13,732
|
)
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
|
|
|
(455
|
)
|
|
760
|
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
|
|
(96,941
|
)
|
|
(102,816
|
)
|
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
79,661
|
|
|
57,330
|
|
Total
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
$
|
109,934
|
|
$
|
82,489
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR
THE THREE MONTHS AND THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2007 AND
2008
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three Months Ended
September 30,
|
|
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
($
in thousands except per share data)
|
|
Trading
revenues
|
|
$
|
116,701
|
|
$
|
94,956
|
|
$
|
368,329
|
|
$
|
330,400
|
|
Fee
revenues
|
|
|
12,516
|
|
|
11,702
|
|
|
37,661
|
|
|
38,003
|
|
Total
revenues
|
|
|
129,217
|
|
|
106,658
|
|
|
405,990
|
|
|
368,403
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of trading revenues
|
|
|
116,797
|
|
|
95,112
|
|
|
368,569
|
|
|
330,696
|
|
Indirect
cost of trading and fee revenues
|
|
|
4,976
|
|
|
4,840
|
|
|
15,056
|
|
|
15,258
|
|
Total
cost of trading and fee revenues
|
|
|
121,773
|
|
|
99,952
|
|
|
383,625
|
|
|
345,954
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
Profit
|
|
|
7,444
|
|
|
6,706
|
|
|
22,365
|
|
|
22,449
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales
and marketing
|
|
|
2,390
|
|
|
2,409
|
|
|
7,244
|
|
|
8,200
|
|
General
and administrative
|
|
|
2,899
|
|
|
2,162
|
|
|
10,270
|
|
|
8,292
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
1,801
|
|
|
1,921
|
|
|
5,779
|
|
|
5,637
|
|
Severance
charges
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
1,277
|
|
|
1,030
|
|
|
1,277
|
|
Restructuring
|
|
|
(672
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
(672
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Impairment
charges
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
476
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
476
|
|
Reserve
for litigation
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
1,940
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
6,427
|
|
|
8,245
|
|
|
25,591
|
|
|
23,882
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
(loss) from operations
|
|
|
1,017
|
|
|
(1,539
|
)
|
|
(3,226
|
)
|
|
(1,433
|
)
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
652
|
|
|
181
|
|
|
2,127
|
|
|
823
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
(208
|
)
|
|
(134
|
)
|
|
(779
|
)
|
|
(443
|
)
|
Foreign
currency exchange gain (loss)
|
|
|
159
|
|
|
(2,372
|
)
|
|
434
|
|
|
(2,360
|
)
|
Other
income (expense), net
|
|
|
(23
|
)
|
|
94
|
|
|
382
|
|
|
178
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
1,597
|
|
|
(3,770
|
)
|
|
(1,062
|
)
|
|
(3,235
|
)
|
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
64
|
|
|
331
|
|
|
225
|
|
|
511
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
|
|
1,533
|
|
|
(4,101
|
)
|
|
(1,287
|
)
|
|
(3,746
|
)
|
Discontinued
operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss)
from discontinued operations,
net
of income tax of $0 in 2007 and $0 and $11 for the three and nine
months
ended September 30, 2008, respectively
|
|
|
(550
|
)
|
|
(673
|
)
|
|
(2,079
|
)
|
|
(2,129
|
)
|
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$
|
983
|
|
$
|
(4,774
|
)
|
$
|
(3,366
|
)
|
$
|
(5,875
|
)
|
Basic
net income (loss) per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing
operations
|
|
$
|
0.06
|
|
$
|
(0.18
|
)
|
$
|
(0.05
|
)
|
$
|
(0.15
|
)
|
Discontinued
operations
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
$
|
(0.09
|
)
|
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.04
|
|
$
|
(0.21
|
)
|
$
|
(0.13
|
)
|
$
|
(0.24
|
)
|
Diluted
net income (loss) per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing
operations
|
|
$
|
0.06
|
|
$
|
(0.18
|
)
|
$
|
(0.05
|
)
|
$
|
(0.15
|
)
|
Discontinued
operations
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
$
|
(0.09
|
)
|
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$
|
0.04
|
|
$
|
(0.21
|
)
|
$
|
(0.13
|
)
|
$
|
(0.24
|
)
|
Dividends
declared per common share
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
(0.40
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
(0.40
|
)
|
Shares
used in computing basic net income (loss) per share
|
|
|
25,540,028
|
|
|
23,067,698
|
|
|
25,074,860
|
|
|
24,314,886
|
|
Shares
used in computing diluted net
income
(loss) per share
|
|
|
25,967,895
|
|
|
23,067,698
|
|
|
25,074,860
|
|
|
24,314,886
|
|
Other
comprehensive income (loss):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cumulative
unrealized gain (loss) in available-for-sale securities
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
(52
|
)
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
(60
|
)
|
Foreign
currency translation adjustment
|
|
|
48
|
|
|
1,274
|
|
|
116
|
|
|
1,275
|
|
Comprehensive
income (loss)
|
|
$
|
1,033
|
|
$
|
(3,552
|
)
|
$
|
(3,254
|
)
|
$
|
(4,660
|
)
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR
THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2007 AND 2008
(Unaudited)
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
($ in thousands)
|
|
Loss
from continuing operations
|
|
$
|
(1,288
|
)
|
$
|
(3,746
|
)
|
Loss
from discontinued operations
|
|
|
(2,078
|
)
|
|
(2,129
|
)
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(3,366
|
)
|
|
(5,875
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
6,046
|
|
|
5,637
|
|
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
|
|
1,523
|
|
|
1,398
|
|
Impairment
charge
|
|
|
(672
|
)
|
|
476
|
|
Foreign
currency exchange (gain) loss
|
|
|
(434
|
)
|
|
2,360
|
|
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade
accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
7,197
|
|
|
871
|
|
Other
current assets, security deposits and other assets
|
|
|
(971
|
)
|
|
(2,019
|
)
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
|
(6,077
|
)
|
|
(5,261
|
)
|
Deferred
revenue, accrued expenses and other current liabilities
|
|
|
(2,617
|
)
|
|
(134
|
)
|
Other
long-term liabilities
|
|
|
(855
|
)
|
|
(648
|
)
|
Net
cash (used in) operating activities
|
|
|
(226
|
)
|
|
(3,195
|
)
|
Net
cash (used in) provided by discontinued operations
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
748
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
|
|
(3,941
|
)
|
|
(5,186
|
)
|
Net
proceeds from the sale of Broad Street Digital's
assets
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
153
|
|
Purchases
of marketable securities
|
|
|
(32,414
|
)
|
|
(18,142
|
)
|
Proceeds
from sales and maturities of marketable securities
|
|
|
43,079
|
|
|
25,200
|
|
Net
cash provided by investing activities
|
|
|
6,724
|
|
|
2,025
|
|
Net
cash (used in) discontinued investing activities
|
|
|
(980
|
)
|
|
(461
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special
cash distribution
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(10,016
|
)
|
Repayment
of indebtedness
|
|
|
(90
|
)
|
|
—
|
|
(Payments
to) advances from Silicon Valley Bank
|
|
|
(7,528
|
)
|
|
464
|
|
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options
|
|
|
19
|
|
|
66
|
|
Purchase
of treasury shares
|
|
|
(2,119
|
)
|
|
(9,119
|
)
|
Notes
payable
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(493
|
)
|
Payments
on obligations under capital leases
|
|
|
(14
|
)
|
|
(7
|
)
|
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
(9,732
|
)
|
|
(19,105
|
)
|
Effect
of foreign exchange rate changes on cash
|
|
|
217
|
|
|
(192
|
)
|
Net
(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
(4,001
|
)
|
|
(20,180
|
)
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of year
|
|
|
32,986
|
|
|
28,556
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents of discontinued operations, end of
period
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents, end of period
|
|
$
|
28,985
|
|
$
|
8,376
|
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1.
|
SUMMARY
OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
|
Basis
of Presentation
The
accompanying interim consolidated financial statements include the accounts
of
Arbinet-thexchange, Inc. (“Arbinet” or the “Company”) and its wholly-owned
subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been
eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying interim consolidated financial
statements of the Company have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistent in all material respects
with those applied in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2007. Interim financial reporting does not include all
of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial
statements. The interim financial information is unaudited, but reflects
all
adjustments (consisting of normal, recurring adjustments) that are, in the
opinion of management, necessary to provide a fair statement of results for
the
interim periods presented. Operating results for the three and nine months
ended
September 30, 2008 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may
be
expected for the year ending December 31, 2008.
Reclassifications
Certain
amounts in the comparative periods have been reclassified to conform to the
current period’s presentation in the consolidated statements of operations. We
reclassed “operating and development costs” from operating expenses to “indirect
cost of trading and fee revenues”. In addition, costs related to the Company’s
third party credit arrangements were reclassified from “Other income (expense)”
to “Interest expense” in the accompanying consolidated statements of
operations.
Effects
of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Fair
Value Measurements
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, “Fair Value
Measurements” (“SFAS No. 157”). SFAS No. 157 defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures
about
fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 does not require any new fair
value measurements; rather, it applies to other accounting pronouncements
that
require or permit fair value measurements. The provisions of SFAS No. 157,
as issued, were effective January 1, 2008. However, the FASB issued FASB
Staff Position No. SFAS 157-2, “Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 157”,
which allows entities to defer the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for one
year for certain non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities, except
those that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements
on a recurring basis (i.e., at least annually). The Company adopted SFAS
No. 157 as of January 1, 2008 and elected the deferral for
non-financial assets and liabilities. The effect of adopting this standard
was
not significant.
Fair
value is defined under SFAS No. 157 as the price that would be received to
sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most
advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants
on the
measurement date. SFAS No. 157 also establishes a three-level hierarchy,
which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize
the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.
The
valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation
of
an asset or liability on the measurement date. The three levels are defined
as
follows:
|
•
|
Level
1 - inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted)
for
an identical asset or liability in an active
market
|
|
•
|
Level
2 - inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for
a
similar asset or liability in an active market or model-derived
valuations
in which all significant inputs are observable for substantially
the full
term of the asset or liability
|
|
•
|
Level
3 - inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant
to the fair value measurement of the asset or
liability
|
The
following table presents assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis
as
of September 30, 2008, by SFAS No. 157 valuation hierarchy:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 1
|
|
Level 2
|
|
Level 3
|
|
Carrying
Value
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents (1)
|
|
$
|
3,387
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
3,387
|
|
Marketable
securities (2)
|
|
$
|
13,226
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
13,226
|
|
(1)
Cash and cash equivalents consist of commercial paper, money market funds
and
agency notes.
(2)
Marketable securities primarily consist of commercial paper, corporate bonds,
and U.S. government securities.
Basic
earnings per share are computed by dividing net income (loss) available for
common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding
for the period. Diluted earnings per share are calculated based on the weighted
average number of outstanding common shares plus the dilutive effect of
restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock options and warrants as if
they
were exercised. During a loss period, the effect of the potential exercise
restricted stock, restricted stock units, of stock options and warrants are
not
considered in the diluted earnings per share calculation since it would be
antidilutive.
The
following is a reconciliation of the basic weighted average number of common
shares outstanding to diluted weighted average number of common and common
share
equivalent shares outstanding:
|
|
For the three months ended
|
|
For the nine months ended
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
Basic
number of common shares outstanding
|
|
|
25,540,028
|
|
|
23,067,698
|
|
|
25,074,860
|
|
|
24,314,886
|
|
Dilutive
effect of unvested restricted stock, restricted
stock
units, stock options and warrants
|
|
|
427,867
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
Dilutive
number of common and common share equivalents
|
|
|
25,967,895
|
|
|
23,067,698
|
|
|
25,074,860
|
|
|
24,314,886
|
|
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, outstanding stock options
of
1,584,197 and 3,535,025, respectively, have been excluded from the above
calculations because the effect on net income (loss) per share would have
been
antidilutive. For the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, warrants
of
1,439 have been excluded from the above calculations because the effect on
net
income per share would have been antidilutive.
The
Company recorded an income tax provision of approximately $225 and $511 for
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, respectively. The income tax
provision in 2007 represented the statutory requirements for state taxes.
The
income tax provision in 2008 is based upon the Company’s 2008 estimated
effective annual domestic tax rate of approximately 13.8%. The difference
between the federal statutory tax rate and the estimated effective tax rate
in
2008 is primarily related to the expected utilization of certain of the
Company’s net operating loss carryforwards and the impact of state taxes and
losses in the United Kingdom for which the Company is unable to recognize
a tax
benefit.
In
2006,
the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in
Income Taxes—an Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109, Accounting for
Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 addresses the determination of whether tax
benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded
in
the financial statements. Under FIN 48, the Company may recognize the tax
benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not
that
the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities,
based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized
in
the financial statements from such a position should be measured based on
the
largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized
upon
ultimate settlement. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition,
classification, interest and penalties on income taxes, accounting in interim
periods and requires increased disclosures.
The
Company adopted the provisions of FIN 48 effective January 1, 2007. As a
result of the implementation of FIN 48, the Company identified an aggregate
of
$625 of unrecognized tax benefits, including related estimated interest and
penalties, due to uncertain tax positions. Approximately $589 of these uncertain
tax positions resulted in a reduction of deferred tax assets against which
the
Company had recorded a full tax valuation allowance on its consolidated balance
sheet. The balance of the unrecognized tax benefits, amounting to $36, which
includes interest and penalties, was recorded as an increase to accumulated
deficit and an increase of $36 to “other long-term liabilities.”
As
of
January 1, 2008, the amount of unrecognized tax benefits is $628, including
interest and penalties, of which recognition of $39 would impact the Company’s
effective tax rate. While the Company believes that it has identified all
reasonably identifiable exposures and that the reserve it has established
for
such exposures is appropriate under the circumstances, it is possible that
additional exposures exist and that exposures will be settled at amounts
different than the amounts reserved. It is also possible that changes in
facts
and circumstances could cause the Company to either materially increase or
reduce the amount of its tax reserve.
The
Company's U.S. subsidiaries join in the filing of a U.S. federal consolidated
income tax return. The U.S. federal statute of limitations remains open for
the
years 2004 onward. The Company is no longer subject to federal, state or
foreign
income tax assessments for years prior to 2004. The Company is not currently
under examination by the Internal Revenue Service. State income tax returns
are
generally subject to examination for a period of three to five years after
filing of the respective return. The state impact of any federal changes
remains
subject to examination by various states for a period of up to one year after
formal notification to the states.
Foreign
income tax returns are generally subject to examination for a period of three
to
nine years after filing of the respective return. The Company is currently
under
examination in the United Kingdom for its 2004 and 2005 tax years. In the
event
that the Company’s income tax examination in the United Kingdom concludes within
the next twelve months, the Company’s total amounts of unrecognized tax
benefits, excluding related estimated interest and penalties, may change.
However, the Company has recorded a full tax valuation allowance on its
consolidated balance sheet and this item will have no impact on the consolidated
statements of operations.
During
the fourth quarter of 2007, the Company completed a formal study of changes
in
its ownership since the prior testing date, which occurred in 2004. Management
has concluded that an ownership change occurred during 2007. However, based
on
the market value of the Company at such date, the Company believes that this
ownership change will not significantly impact its ability to use net operating
losses in the future to offset taxable income.
4.
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Bell
Fax,
Inc.
In
October 1999, the Company ceased the operations of Bell Fax,
Inc. (“Bellfax”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. Bellfax was engaged in the
sale and rental of telecommunication equipment and operating international
routes. In the first quarter of 2008, management determined that the remaining
Bellfax liability of $226 was no longer required. This amount has been recorded
as income from discontinued operations, net of income tax of $11, in the
first
quarter of 2008.
Digital
Media
In
August
2006, the Company established a new subsidiary, Arbinet Digital Media
Corporation, to explore and develop products and services to address the
market
opportunity presented by the exchange of digital media. As part of our digital
media strategy, in December 2006, the Company, through its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Broad Street Digital Inc., acquired all of the outstanding common
stock of Flowphonics Limited (renamed Broad Street Digital Limited (“Broad
Street Digital”)), a license management platform for intellectual property
rights and digital content distribution. The purchase price was approximately
$2.1 million, including transaction costs.
To
increase resources available for our core business, in the first quarter of
2008, the Company announced a decision to explore strategic alternatives
for
Broad Street Digital. As a result of this decision, the Company recognized
an
impairment charge of approximately $2.3 million, in the fourth quarter of
2007,
to write down the intangible and long lived assets, including $0.4 million
of
goodwill, of Broad Street Digital to their estimated fair value.
During
the second quarter of 2008, the Company made a decision to cease all activities
related to the digital media market. As a result, the digital media segment
has
been presented as a discontinued operation in the accompanying financial
statements for all periods presented.
On
August
5, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement to sell substantially all
of the
assets of Broad Street Digital. In the second quarter of 2008, the Company
recorded a charge of $250, to adjust the carrying value of the Broad Street
Digital assets to the estimated net proceeds from the transaction, which
was
completed on August 19, 2008.
In
connection with ceasing digital media activities, the Company entered into
a
separation and release agreement with the Chief Operating Officer of Arbinet
Digital Media Corporation and severed the remaining employees in this segment.
The Company recognized a severance charge of $0.5 million in the three months
ended September 30, 2008 which was recorded in the loss from discontinued
operations.
Summarized
financial information for discontinued operations is shown
below.
|
|
Three Months Ended September 30,
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
Total
revenues
|
|
$
|
22
|
|
$
|
87
|
|
$
|
63
|
|
$
|
647
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss)
from discontinued operations, before income tax
|
|
|
(550
|
)
|
|
(673
|
)
|
|
(2,079
|
)
|
|
(2,140
|
)
|
Income
tax expense
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
11
|
|
(Loss)
from discontinued operations, net of taxes
|
|
$
|
(550
|
)
|
$
|
(673
|
)
|
$
|
(2,079
|
)
|
$
|
(2,129
|
)
|
|
|
At
December 31,
2007
|
|
At
September 30,
2008
|
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-current
assets of discontinued operations
|
|
$
|
440
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
$
|
272
|
|
$
|
357
|
|
Accrued
and other current liabilities
|
|
|
62
|
|
|
286
|
|
Current
liabilities of discontinued operations
|
|
$
|
334
|
|
$
|
643
|
|
The
table
below summarizes the issued share activity for the Company’s common stock since
December 31, 2007. Treasury shares held by the Company are included in
these balances:
Balance
as of December 31, 2007
|
|
|
26,355,641
|
|
Retirement
of restricted stock
|
|
|
(63,407
|
)
|
Grants
of restricted stock
|
|
|
261,483
|
|
Exercise
of options
|
|
|
34,452
|
|
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
|
|
26,588,169
|
|
On
June 11, 2007, the Board of Directors of Arbinet authorized the repurchase
of up to $15.0 million of the Company’s common stock at anytime and from time to
time (the “2007 Repurchase Plan”). On February 26, 2008, the Company’s
Board of Directors terminated the 2007 Repurchase Plan, under which an aggregate
of 836,997 shares had been purchased.
On
February 28, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had
approved a special one-time cash distribution of $0.40 per share. The aggregate
total distribution of approximately $10.0 million was paid on March 28,
2008 to record holders of our common stock as of the close of business on
March 12, 2008. Adjustments were made to certain stock options and
restricted stock grants to restore the respective holders to their position
before the issuance of the distribution. These modifications were treated
as
adjustments in connection with an equity restructuring in accordance with
applicable accounting standards.
On
May
22, 2008, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $8.0
million
of the Company’s common stock at anytime and from time to time (the “2008
Repurchase Plan”). The 2008 Repurchase Plan, under which an aggregate of
1,918,516 shares were repurchased, expired on August 27, 2008.
6.
|
RESTRUCTURING
AND SEVERANCE CHARGES
|
Restructuring
Charges:
During 2001 and 2002, the Company exited two separate facilities and accordingly
recorded charges for the future lease obligations, net of estimated sub-lease
income. During the fourth quarter of 2005, the Company renegotiated the lease
terms for a leased property that was exited in 2001, under a lease termination
agreement that requires the Company to make scheduled payments through
December 31, 2009. Accordingly, the Company recorded an adjustment of
approximately $0.9 million to reduce the liability for future estimated lease
payments.
In
August
2007, the Company decommissioned certain fixed assets at 611 West
6th
th
Street
in Los Angeles and relocated its Los Angeles switch operations to one of
the
sites which had been exited in December 2002. As a result, the Company
recognized a gain of $1.0 million representing the reversal of the remaining
liability related to the abandoned space placed back into service. In addition,
the Company recognized a charge of $0.3 million representing the present
value
of the future lease obligations remaining on the West 6
th
Street
site.
The table below shows the cash payments related to the Company’s
restructuring liabilities.
|
|
($ in thousands)
|
|
Balance as
of December 31, 2007
|
|
$
|
533
|
|
Cash
payments
|
|
|
(303
|
)
|
Balance
as of September 30, 2008
|
|
$
|
230
|
|
As
of
September 30, 2008, a balance of $206 is recorded in “accrued and other current
liabilities” and $24 is recorded in “other long-term liabilities” in the
accompanying consolidated balance sheet.
Severance
Charges:
In June
2007, the Company recorded severance charges related to a resignation agreement
entered into with our former Chief Executive Officer and a workforce reduction
of certain employees. In accordance with SFAS No. 112, “Employers’
Accounting for Post-employment Benefits” (“SFAS No. 112”), an amendment of FASB
Statements No. 5 and 43, benefits were provided pursuant to a severance
plan which used a standard formula of paying benefits based upon tenure with
the
Company. The accounting for these severance costs has met the four requirements
of SFAS No. 112, which are: (i) the Company’s obligation relating to
employees’ rights to receive compensation for future absences is attributable to
employees’ services already rendered; (ii) the obligation relates to rights
that vest or accumulate; (iii) payment of the compensation is probable; and
(iv) the amount can be reasonably estimated. All severance related
obligations have been paid.
During
the third quarter of 2008, the Company recorded a severance charge of $1.3
million related to a departure and transition services agreement entered
into with our former Chief Executive Officer, and a workforce reduction of
certain employees in our core Voice and Data business, including the termination
without cause of our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer.
7.
|
PROPERTY
AND EQUIPMENT
|
During
2006 and 2007, the Company decommissioned certain fixed assets located at
its
exchange delivery points (“EDP”) in New York City, Los Angeles and London,
England. Management is committed to selling this equipment and has engaged
a
third party to facilitate the sale. To date, the Company has sold a nominal
amount of these assets. During the three months ended September 30, 2008,
the
Company recorded an impairment charge of approximately $0.5 million, to adjust
the carrying value of the assets to their estimated fair market value. The
carrying value of this equipment as of December 31, 2007 and September 30,
2008
is approximately $0.5 million and $0.1 million, respectively, and is included
in
“prepaids and other current assets” in the accompanying consolidated balance
sheets.
8.
|
STOCK
BASED COMPENSATION
|
The
Company has stock-based compensation plans under which employees, board of
director members and non-employees of the Company have been granted options
to
purchase shares of Company’s common stock at the fair market value at the time
of grant. In addition to stock options, the Company grants restricted stock
units and performance share units to certain management-level employees.
The
Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation in our
consolidated statements of operations on a straight line basis over the
requisite service period.
SFAS
123(R)
requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised,
if
necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those
estimates. As a result of recent management changes and work force reductions,
the estimated forfeitures for certain groups of options and stock-based
awards
were revised in the third quarter of 2008. The change in estimated forfeiture
rates resulted in a reduction in stock-based compensation expense of
approximately $0.8 million in the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2008.
9.
|
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
|
Legal
Proceedings
The
litigation process is inherently uncertain, and we cannot guarantee that
the
outcomes of the following proceedings and lawsuits will be favorable for
us or
that they will not be material to our business, results of operations or
financial position. However, the Company does not currently believe that
these
matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations or financial position.
World
Access Proceeding
On
March 18, 2003, World Access, Inc. f/k/a WAXS, Inc., WA Telcom Products
Co., Inc., WorldxChange Communications, Inc., Facilicom International LLC
and
World Access Telecommunications Group, Inc. f/k/a Cherry Communications
Incorporated d/b/a Resurgens Communications Group (collectively “the Debtors”),
filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States Bankruptcy Court
for
the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The Debtors had previously
filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
The
Debtors seek recovery of certain payments they made to us as a buyer on our
exchange, which total approximately $855. The Debtors claim that such payments
were preferential transfers under the Bankruptcy Code. The Debtors also seek
costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and interest. The Company filed an
answer to the complaint on April 18, 2003, denying the Debtors’ claims for
relief and asserting several affirmative defenses. The parties have agreed
in
principle to settle this matter and are preparing settlement documentation.
The
Company has accrued an amount equal to the anticipated settlement.
10.
|
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
|
The
Company entered into two Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreements dated July
31,
2007 and February 7, 2008 with a member of its Board of Directors, Alex
Mashinsky, in connection with consulting services beyond the scope of his
services rendered as a member of Board of Directors. The Company recognized
a
total of $18 and $143 in stock based compensation expense pursuant to these
agreements during the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2008,
respectively. All expenses recognized pursuant to these compensation related
agreements have been included in indirect cost of trading and fee revenues
in
the consolidated statements of operations.
The
Chief
Financial Officer is also a Partner in Tatum LLC (“Tatum”), an executive
services and consulting firm. The Company entered into an agreement with
Tatum
to hire a Controller on an interim basis. The Company recognized a total
of $18
and $70 in compensation related expense pursuant to this agreement during
the
three month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, and $18 and $208 during
the nine month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, respectively.
On
November 4, 2008, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the Company to
purchase up to $5.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock. Stock
repurchases will be made from time to time in the open market. This stock
repurchase program may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior
notice, and has no expiration date.
Item
2 Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations
Overview
We
are a
leading solutions provider for the telecommunication industry, based primarily
upon an electronic market for trading, routing and settling communications
capacity. Members of our exchange, consisting primarily of communications
services providers, buy and sell voice minutes and Internet capacity through
our
centralized, efficient and liquid marketplace. Communications services providers
that do not use our exchange generally individually negotiate and buy access
to
the networks of other communications services providers to send voice calls
and
Internet capacity outside of their networks. We believe that we provide a
cost-effective and efficient alternative to these direct connections. With
a
single interconnection to our exchange, members have access to all of our
other
members’ networks. Members directly or indirectly place orders through our
web-based interface. Sellers on our exchange post sell orders to offer
voice calls and Internet capacity for specific destinations, or routes, at
various prices. We independently assess the quality of these routes and include
that information in the sell order. Buyers enter buy orders based on route
quality and price and are matched to sell orders by our fully automated trading
platform and our proprietary software. When a buyer’s order is matched to a
seller’s order, the voice calls or Internet capacity are then routed through our
state-of-the-art facilities. We invoice and process payments for our members’
transactions and manage the credit risk of buyers primarily through our credit
management programs with third parties.
Revenue
We
generate revenues from both the trading that members conduct on our exchange,
which we refer to as trading revenues, and the fees we charge members for
the
ability to trade on our exchange, which we refer to as fee revenues. Our
trading
revenue represents the aggregate dollar value of the calls that are routed
through our switches at the price agreed to by the buyer and seller of the
capacity. For example, if a 10-minute call is originated in France and routed
through our facilities to a destination in India for $0.11 per minute, we
record
$1.10 of trading revenue for the call. Under our AssuredAxcess product, our
members contract to buy minutes to specific markets at fixed rates. We may
generate profit or incur losses associated with trading revenue on AssuredAxcess
and other transactions executed on our exchange. Historically, such losses
have not been material to our operating results. Our system automatically
records all traffic terminated through our switches.
We
record
trading revenues because:
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all
traffic traded on our exchange is routed through one of our switches;
and
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we
are obligated to pay sellers for the minutes they sell on our exchange
regardless of whether we ultimately collect from
buyers.
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Our
fee
revenues represent the amounts we charge buyers and sellers for the
following:
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a
monthly minimum fee based on the amount of capacity that members
have
connected to our switches and overage fees for the number of minutes
or
megabytes that are routed through our switches in excess of amounts
allowed under the monthly minimum, or collectively referred to
as access
fees, which comprised approximately 80% and 79% of fee revenues
for the
nine months ended September 30, 2007 and September 30, 2008,
respectively;
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a
credit risk management fee, which is a charge for the credit management,
clearing and settlement services we
provide;
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a
membership fee to join our exchange;
and
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additional
services as utilized by our members for items such as premium service
offerings and accelerated payment
terms.
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Cost
and Operating Expenses
Our
cost of
trading revenues consists of the cost of calls, which are routed through
our
switches at the price agreed to by both the buyer and seller of the capacity.
Using the example above in the caption “Revenues”, we would record cost of
trading revenues equal to $1.10, an amount that we would pay to the
seller.
Indirect
cost
of trading and fee revenues consists of costs related to supporting the
operation of our exchange, such as salaries, benefits, and related costs
of
engineering, technical support, product and software development, and system
support personnel, as well as facilities and interconnect costs. It is
impracticable to breakdown such expense between indirect cost of trading
revenues and indirect cost of fee revenues.
Sales
and
marketing consists of salaries, benefits, commissions, and related costs
of
sales and marketing personnel, trade shows and other marketing activities.
General
and
administrative costs consist of salaries, benefits, and related costs of
corporate, finance, and administrative personnel, facilities costs, bad debt
expense and outside service costs, such as legal and accounting
fees.
Digital
Media
In
August
2006, we established a new subsidiary, Arbinet Digital Media Corporation,
to
explore and develop products and services to address the market opportunity
presented by the exchange of digital media. As part of our digital media
strategy, in December 2006, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary,
Broad Street Digital Inc., acquired all of the outstanding common stock of
Flowphonics Limited (renamed as Broad Street Digital Limited (“Broad Street
Digital”)), a license management platform for intellectual property rights and
digital content distribution. The purchase price was approximately $2.1 million,
including transaction costs.
To
increase resources available for our core business, in the first quarter of
2008, we announced a decision to explore strategic alternatives for Broad
Street
Digital. As a result of this decision, we recognized an impairment charge
of
approximately $2.3 million, in the fourth quarter of 2007, to write down
the
intangible and long lived assets, including $0.4 million of goodwill, of
Broad Street Digital to their estimated fair value.
During
the second quarter of 2008, we made a decision to cease all activities related
to the digital media market. As a result, the digital media segment has been
presented as a discontinued operation in the accompanying financial statements
for all periods presented.
On
August
5, 2008, we entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of the assets
of
Broad Street Digital. In the second quarter of 2008, we recorded a charge
of
$250, to adjust the carrying value of the Broad Street Digital assets to
the
estimated net proceeds from the transaction, which was completed on August
19,
2008.
In
connection with ceasing digital media activities, we entered into a separation
and release agreement with the Chief Operating Officer of Arbinet Digital
Media
Corporation and severed the remaining employees in this segment. We
recognized a severance charge of $0.5 million in the three months ended
September 30, 2008 which is reflected in the loss from discontinued operations.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our
management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of
our operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which
have
been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial
statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect
the
amounts reported for assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and the disclosure
of contingent liabilities. Our significant accounting policies are more fully
described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in
our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2007.
Our
critical accounting policies are those that we believe are both important
to the
portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and often
involve
difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need
to
make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.
Management evaluates these estimates, including those related to bad debts,
income taxes, long-lived assets, restructuring, contingencies and litigation
on
an ongoing basis. The estimates are based on historical experience and on
various assumptions about the ultimate outcome of future events. Our actual
results may differ from these estimates because we did not estimate
correctly.
We
believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant
judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial
statements:
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Long-lived
assets.
We
assess the impairment of long-lived assets whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable, in
accordance with SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of
Long-Lived Assets” (“SFAS No. 144”). Factors we consider important, which
could trigger an impairment review, include the following:
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significant
underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating
results;
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significant
changes in the manner of or use of the acquired assets or the strategy
for
our overall business; and
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significant
industry, economic or competitive
trends.
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Income
taxes.
We
have net deferred tax assets, reflecting net operating loss (“ NOL”),
carryforwards and other deductible differences, which may reduce
our
taxable income in future years. These net deferred tax assets are
offset
by a valuation allowance resulting in no tax benefit being recognized
related to these net deferred tax assets. We are required to periodically
assess the realization of our deferred tax assets and changes in
circumstances may require adjustments in future periods. The amount
of net
deferred tax assets actually realized could vary if there are differences
in the timing or amount of future reversals of existing deferred
tax
liabilities or changes in the amounts of future taxable income. If
it
becomes more likely than not that we will recognize a future tax
benefit
from the deferred tax assets, we may need to reverse some or all
of our
valuation allowance. When evaluating our ability to record a net
deferred tax asset, SFAS No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes,”
requires us to consider all sources of taxable income as well as
all
available evidence to determine that it is more likely than not that
we
will be able to utilize this asset. At December 31, 2007, a full
valuation allowance in the amount of $41.6 million has been recorded
against net deferred tax assets since at that date the Company was
unable
to conclude that it was more likely than not that it would realize
those
assets. We will continue to refine and monitor all available evidence
during future periods in order to more fully evaluate the recoverability
of the Company’s deferred tax assets.
On
January 1, 2007 we adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48,
“Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes—an Interpretation of FASB
Statement No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”) to account
for uncertain tax positions. FIN 48 requires that we recognize in
our
financial statements the impact of a tax position, if that position
is
more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical
merits of the position. Included in our consolidated balance sheet
at
September 30, 2008 is approximately $39 of other long-term liabilities
associated with uncertain tax positions in the various jurisdictions
in
which we conduct business.
The
application of income tax law is inherently complex. Tax laws and
regulations are voluminous and at times ambiguous, and interpretations
of
and guidance regarding income tax laws and regulations change over
time.
This requires us to make many subjective assumptions and judgments
regarding our income tax exposures. Changes in our assumptions and
judgments can materially affect our financial position, results of
operations and cash flows.
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Allowance
for doubtful accounts.
We
maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses
resulting
from the failure of members on our exchange to make required payments.
The
amount of our allowance is based on our historical experience and
an
analysis of our outstanding accounts receivable balances. If the
financial
condition of our members deteriorates, resulting in additional risk
in
their ability to make payments to us, then additional allowances
may be
required which would result in an additional expense in the period
that
this determination is made. While credit losses have historically
been
within our range of expectations and our reserves, we cannot guarantee
that we will continue to experience the same level of doubtful accounts
that we have in the past.
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Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets.
We
follow the guidance of SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets,” which requires that purchased goodwill and certain
indefinite-lived intangibles no longer be amortized but, instead,
goodwill
is subject to an annual assessment for impairment by applying a fair
value
approach. In assessing the recoverability of our goodwill and other
intangibles, we must make assumptions regarding estimated future
cash
flows. If such assumptions change in the future, we may be required
to
record impairment charges for these
assets.
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Litigation
reserves.
The
establishment of litigation reserves requires judgments concerning
the
ultimate outcome of pending litigation against the Company and its
subsidiaries. These reserves are based on the application of
SFAS No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies
”
(“SFAS No. 5”), which requires us to record a reserve if we believe an
adverse outcome is probable and the amount of the probable loss is
capable
of reasonable estimation. In applying judgment, management utilizes
among
other things, opinions and estimates obtained from outside legal
counsel
to apply the standards of SFAS No. 5. Accordingly, estimated amounts
relating to certain litigation have met the criteria for the recognition
of a liability under SFAS No. 5. Litigation by its nature is
uncertain and the determination of whether any particular case involves
a
probable loss or the amount thereof requires the exercise of considerable
judgment, which is applied as of a certain date. The required reserves
may
change in the future due to new matters, developments in existing
matters
or if we determine to change our strategy with respect to any particular
matter.
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Share-Based
Compensation.
Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R,
“Share-Based Payment” (“SFAS No. 123R”). SFAS No. 123R requires
all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock
options,
to be expensed over the requisite service period based on the grant-date
fair value of the awards and requires that the unvested portion of
all
outstanding awards upon adoption be recognized using the same fair
value
and attribution methodologies previously determined under SFAS
No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.”
SFAS
123(R) requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant
and
revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures
differ
from those estimates. The estimated forfeitures for certain groups
of
options were revised in the third quarter of 2008, as a result of
recent
management changes and work force reductions. This resulted in a
cumulative
reduction
of approximately $0.8 million
for
the three and nine months ended September 30,
2008,
in
non-cash stock-based compensation expense.
The
effect of this change in estimate, increased basic earnings per share
by
$0.04 and $0.03 for the three and nine months ended September 30,
2008,
respectively.
We
use the Black-Scholes valuation
method.
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Results
of Operations
Comparison
of Nine Months Ended September 30, 2007 and 2008
Trading
revenues, cost of trading revenues and indirect cost of trading and fee
revenues
Trading
revenues decreased 10.3% from $368.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 to $330.4 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2008. The decrease in trading revenues was due to a decrease in the volume
of minutes traded by our members and a lower average trade rate for minutes
bought and sold on our exchange. Specifically, the factors affecting
trading revenues included:
A
total
of 10.15 billion minutes were bought and sold on our exchange in the nine
months
ended September 30, 2008, a decrease of 5.0% from the 10.72 billion minutes
for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. This decline was due to a 2.0%
decrease in the number of completed calls from 1.39 billion calls in the
nine
months ended September 30, 2007 to 1.36 billion calls in the nine months
ended
September 30, 2008. Also contributing to the decline in minutes bought and
sold
on our exchange was a decrease in the average call duration (ACD) from 3.9
minutes per call on for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 to
3.7 minutes per call for the nine months ended September 30, 2008.
Average call duration, a recognized measure of call quality within the
telecommunications industry, is influenced by various factors including changes
in geographic markets, the mix of fixed versus mobile calls and the quality
of
the underlying termination. During the three months ended June 30, 2008,
the ACD
for completed calls on our exchange was 3.53 minutes, its lowest level since
the
inception of the Company. In an effort to increase the ACD of calls completed
on
our exchange, during the quarter ended September 30, 2008, we began to implement
corrective measures, including the elimination of certain routes offered
on our
exchange. We believe these actions significantly contributed to the decline
in
minutes bought and sold on our exchange during the three months ended September
30, 2008, and will continue to impact volumes during the fourth quarter.
In
addition, we expect volatility in the mix of fixed versus mobile calls and
the
mix of geographic markets traded on our exchange to continue in the
future.
As
a
result of the decrease in trading revenues, cost of trading revenues decreased
10.3% from $368.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 to
$330.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008.
Indirect
cost of trading and fee revenues increased 1.3% from $15.1 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2007 to $15.3 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2008. This increase was primarily due to higher
interconnection costs of $0.7 million and $0.5 million of moving costs relating
to the relocation of our London switch to a co-location facility. These amounts
were partially offset by a decrease in utilities of $0.2 million mainly
attributable to the London and 611 West 6
th
Street
premises that were exited. In addition, compensation related expenses decreased
$0.7 million and certain hardware and software maintenance expenses decreased
$0.1 million.
Fee
revenues
Fee
revenues increased 0.9% from $37.7 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2007 to $38.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008. On
a per
minute basis, fee revenues increased from $0.0035 in the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 to $0.0037 in the nine months ended September 30, 2008.
Average fee revenue per minute increased primarily as a result of changes in
the
mix of both geographic markets and members trading activity on our
exchange. In addition, we experienced increased sales of certain premium service
offerings including increased fees for providing accelerated payments to
members. In the future, we may provide additional incentives to improve
liquidity in our exchange and that, along with members continuing to achieve
higher volume levels, may lead to a decline in average fee revenue per
minute.
Sales
and marketing
Sales
and
marketing expenses increased 13.2% from $7.2 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 to $8.2 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2008. This increase principally reflects $1.0 million of increased
compensation related expenses.
General
and administrative
General
and administrative expenses decreased 19.3% from $10.3 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2007 to $8.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2008. This decrease was primarily related to a reduction in
professional fees of $1.7 million, and decreased compensation related expenses
of $0.3 million.
The
2007
professional fees reflected $1.1 million in costs related to the Company’s
formal review of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value and $0.7
million related to litigation matters settled in 2007.
Depreciation
and amortization
Depreciation
and amortization decreased 2.5% from $5.8 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 to $5.6 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2008.
This decrease is primarily attributable to certain assets that are fully
depreciated.
Severance
charges
During
the third quarter of 2008, we recorded a severance charge of $1.3 million
related to a departure and transition services agreement entered into with
our former Chief Executive Officer, and a workforce reduction of certain
employees in our core Voice and Data business, including the termination without
cause of our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recognized a charge of
approximately $1.0 million, representing severance charges related to a
resignation agreement entered into with our former Chief Executive Officer
and
to a workforce reduction of certain employees
.
Restructuring
During
2001 and 2002, we exited two leased facilities and established a reserve for
the
future lease obligations, net of estimated sub-lease income. In August 2007,
we
decommissioned certain fixed assets at 611 West 6th Street in Los Angeles and
relocated its Los Angeles switch operations to one of the sites that had
been exited in December 2002. As a result, we recognized a gain of $1.0 million
representing the reversal of the remaining liability related to abandoned space
placed back into service. In addition, we recognized a charge of $0.3 million
representing the present value of future lease obligations remaining on the
West
6th Street location. A gain of $0.7 million, representing the net impact of
these two transactions, is reflected as a restructuring benefit in the
accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months
ended September 30, 2007.
Reserve
for Litigation
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recognized a charge of $1.9 million
representing management’s estimate of potential loss exposure in certain
litigation matters.
Interest
and other income/expense
Interest
income decreased 61.3% from $2.1 million for the nine months ended September
30,
2007 to $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2008. This decrease
was primarily due to lower average invested amounts of cash, cash equivalents
and marketable securities in 2008 versus 2007, coupled with lower interest
rates. Interest expense decreased 43.1% from $0.8 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 to $0.4 million for the nine months ended September
30,
2008. This decrease principally reflects lower fees paid by the Company under
its third party credit arrangement, mainly attributable to decreases in the
volume of minutes traded on our exchange and reduced utilization of credit
by
our members. Other income (expense), net decreased $0.2 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2008 compared to September 30, 2007, reflecting
a
decrease of late fees charged to our members.
Foreign
currency exchanges gains (losses)
The
foreign currency exchange gain for the nine months September 2007 was $0.4
million compared to a foreign currency exchange loss of $2.4 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2008. The foreign currency translation gains
(losses) represent the impact of currency fluctuations on U.S. denominated
obligations of our U.K. subsidiary.
Provision
for income taxes
We
recorded an income tax provision of approximately $225 and $511, for the nine
months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, respectively. The income tax provision
in 2007 represented the statutory requirements for state taxes. The income
tax
provision in 2008 is based upon the Company’s 2008 estimated effective annual
tax rate of approximately 13.8%.
On
January 1, 2007, we adopted the provisions of FIN 48, which requires that
we recognize in our financial statements the impact of a tax position if that
position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit based on the
technical merits of the position. A nominal amount of interest relating to
uncertain tax positions has been included in the income tax provision for the
nine months ended September 30, 2008.
Discontinued
operations
Bell
Fax,
Inc.
In
October 1999, the Company ceased the operations of Bell Fax, Inc. (“Bellfax”), a
wholly-owned subsidiary. Bellfax was engaged in the sale and rental of
telecommunication equipment and operating international routes. In the first
quarter of 2008, management determined that the remaining liabilities of Bellfax
were no longer required. Accordingly, $226, net of income tax of $11, has been
recorded as income from discontinued operations for the nine months ended
September 30, 2008.
Digital
Media
In
August
2006, we established a new subsidiary, Arbinet Digital Media Corporation, to
explore and develop products and services to address the market opportunity
presented by the exchange of digital media. As part of our digital media
strategy, in December 2006, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary,
Broad Street Digital Inc., acquired all of the outstanding common stock of
Flowphonics Limited (renamed Broad Street Digital Limited (“Broad Street
Digital”)), a license management platform for intellectual property rights and
digital content distribution. The purchase price was approximately $2.1 million,
including transaction costs.
To
increase resources available for our core businesses, in the first quarter
of 2008, we announced a decision to explore strategic alternatives for Broad
Street Digital. As a result of this decision, we recognized an impairment charge
of approximately $2.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, to write down
the
intangible and long lived assets, including $0.4 million of goodwill, of
Broad Street Digital to their estimated fair value.
During
the second quarter of 2008, we made a decision to cease all activities related
to the digital media market. As a result, the digital media segment has been
presented as a discontinued operation in the accompanying financial statements
for all periods presented.
On
August
5, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of
the
assets of Broad Street Digital. In the second quarter of 2008,we recorded a
charge of $250, to adjust the carrying value of the Broad Street Digital assets
to the estimated net proceeds from the transaction, which was completed on
August 19, 2008. In connection with ceasing digital media activities, we entered
into a separation and release agreement with the Chief Operating Officer of
Arbinet Digital Media Corporation and severed the remaining employees in
this segment. We recognized a severance charge of $0.5 million in the three
months ended September 30, 2008, which is reflected in the loss from
discontinued operations.
Comparison
of Three Months Ended September 30, 2007 and 2008
Trading
revenues and cost of trading revenues
Trading
revenues decreased 18.6% from $116.7 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2007 to $95.0 million for the three months ended September 30,
2008. The decrease in trading revenues was due to both a decrease in the volume
of minutes and a lower average trade rate per minute, traded on our exchange.
A
total
of 3.11 billion minutes were bought and sold on our exchange in the three
months
ended September 30, 2008, a decrease of 14.1% from the 3.62 billion minutes
for the three months ended September 30, 2007. This decline was principally
due
to a 17% decrease in the number of completed calls from 483.3 million in
the
three months ended September 30, 2007 to 401.0 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2008. This decrease in calls was partially offset by
an
increase in the average call duration (ACD) from 3.8 minutes per call on
our
exchange for the three months ended September 30, 2007 to
3.9 minutes per call for the three months ended September 30, 2008.
Average call duration, a recognized measure of call quality within the
telecommunications industry, is influenced by various factors including changes
in geographic markets, the mix of fixed versus mobile calls and the quality
of
the underlying termination. During the three months ended June 30, 2008,
the ACD
for completed calls on our exchange was 3.53 minutes, its lowest level since
the
inception of the Company. In an effort to increase the ACD of calls completed
on
our exchange, during the quarter ended September 30, 2008, we began to implement
corrective measures, including the elimination of certain routes offered
on our
exchange. We believe these actions significantly contributed to the decline
in
minutes bought and sold on our exchange during the three months ended September
30, 2008, and will continue to impact volumes during the fourth quarter.
In
addition, we expect volatility in the mix of fixed versus mobile calls and
the
mix of geographic markets traded on our exchange to continue in the
future.
As
a
result of decreases in trading revenues, cost of trading revenues decreased
18.6% from $116.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007 to
$95.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2008.
Indirect
costs of trading and fee revenues decreased 2.7% from $5.0 million for the
three
months ended September 30, 2007 to $4.8 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2008. This decrease was principally attributed to lower
compensation related expenses.
Fee
revenues
Fee
revenues decreased 6.5% from $12.5 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2007 to $11.7 million for the three months ended September
30, 2008. Fee revenues decreased as a result of a decline in trading activities
on our exchange partially offset by favorable pricing. Average fee revenue
per minute was $0.0038 in the three months ended September 30, 2008, compared
to
$0.0035 in the three months ended September 30, 2007. Average fee revenue per
minute increased primarily as a result of changes in the mix of both geographic
markets and members trading activity on our exchange. In addition, we
experienced increased sales of certain premium service offerings including
increased fees for providing accelerated payments to members. In the future,
we
may provide incentives to improve liquidity in our exchange and that, along
with
members continuing to achieve higher volume levels, may lead to a decline in
average fee revenue per minute.
Sales
and marketing
Sales
and
marketing expenses were approximately $2.4 million for both the three months
ended September 30, 2007 and the three months ended September 30, 2008.
General
and administrative
General
and administrative expenses decreased 25.4% from $2.9 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2007 to $2.2 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2008. This decrease was principally attributable to lower
compensation related expenses.
Depreciation
and amortization
Depreciation
and amortization increased 6.7% from $1.8 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2007 to $1.9 million for the three months ended September 30,
2008. This increase is primarily attributable to additional capital expenditures
made by the Company offset by certain assets that are fully
depreciated.
Severance
charges
During
the third quarter of 2008, the Company recorded a severance charge of $1.3
million related to a departure and transition services agreement entered
into with our former Chief Executive Officer, and a workforce reduction of
certain employees in our core Voice and Data business, including the termination
without cause of our former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing
Officer
Restructuring
During
2001 and 2002, the Company exited two leased facilities and established a
reserve for the future lease obligations, net of estimated sub-lease income.
In
August 2007, we decommissioned certain fixed assets at 611 West 6th Street
in
Los Angeles and relocated its Los Angeles switch operations to one of the
sites that had been exited in December 2002. As a result, we recognized a
gain of $1.0 million representing the reversal of the remaining liability
related to abandoned space placed back into service. In addition, we recognized
a charge of $0.3 million representing the present value of future lease
obligations remaining on the West 6th Street location. A gain of $0.7 million,
representing the net impact of these two transactions, is reflected as a
restructuring benefit in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations
for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007.
Interest
and other income/expense
Interest
income decreased from $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30,
2007
to $0.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2008. This decrease
was
primarily due to lower average balances in 2008 versus 2007 of invested cash
and
marketable securities. Interest expense decreased from $0.2 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2007 to $0.1 million for the three months
ended
September 30, 2008. This decrease was principally due to lower fees paid by
the
Company under its third party credit arrangements, mainly attributable to
decreased in the volume of minutes traded on our exchange and reduced
utilization of credit by our members. Other income (expense), increased $0.1
million for the three months ended September 30, 2008 compared to September
30,
2007. This principally reflects $0.1 million increase in late fees charged
to
our members.
Foreign
currency exchanges gains (losses)
The
foreign currency exchange gain for the three months September 2007 was $0.2
million compared to a foreign currency exchange loss of $2.4 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2008. The foreign currency translation gains
(losses) represent the impact of currency fluctuations on U.S. denominated
obligations of our U.K. subsidiary.
Provision
for income taxes
The
Company recorded an income tax provision of approximately $64 and $331 for
the
three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, respectively. The income
tax provision in 2007 represented the statutory requirements for state taxes.
The income tax provision in 2008 is based upon the Company’s 2008 estimated
effective annual tax rate of approximately 13.8%.
On
January 1, 2007, we adopted the provisions of FIN 48, which require that we
recognize in our financial statements the impact of a tax position if that
position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit based on the
technical merits of the position. Approximately $200 of interest relating to
uncertain tax positions has been included in the income tax provision for the
three months ended September 30, 2008.
Discontinued
operations
Bell
Fax,
Inc.
In
October 1999, the Company ceased the operations of Bell Fax,
Inc., (“Bellfax”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. Bellfax was engaged in the
sale and rental of telecommunication equipment and operating international
routes. In the first quarter of 2008, management determined that the remaining
liabilities of Bellfax were no longer required. Accordingly, $226, net of income
tax of $11, has been recorded as income from discontinued operations in the
first quarter of 2008.
Digital
Media
In
August
2006, we established a new subsidiary, Arbinet Digital Media Corporation, to
explore and develop products and services to address the market opportunity
presented by the exchange of digital media. As part of our digital media
strategy, in December 2006, the Company, through its wholly-owned
subsidiary, Broad Street Digital Inc., acquired all of the outstanding common
stock of Flowphonics Limited (renamed Broad Street Digital (“Broad Street
Digital”)), a license management platform for intellectual property rights and
digital content distribution. The purchase price was approximately $2.1 million,
including transaction costs.
To
increase resources available for our core businesses, in the first quarter
of 2008, the Company announced a decision to explore strategic alternatives
for
Broad Street Digital. As a result of this decision, we recognized an impairment
charge of approximately $2.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, to write
down the intangible and long lived assets, including $0.4 million of goodwill,
of Broad Street Digital to their estimated fair value.
During
the second quarter of 2008, the Company made a decision to cease all activities
related to the digital media market. As a result, the digital media segment
has
been presented as a discontinued operation in the accompanying financial
statements for all periods presented.
On
August
5, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of
the
assets of Broad Street Digital. In the second quarter of 2008, the Company
recorded a charge of $250, to adjust the carrying value of the Broad Street
Digital assets to the estimated net proceeds from the transaction, which was
completed on August 19, 2008. In connection with ceasing digital media
activities, we entered into a separation and release agreement with the Chief
Operating Officer of Arbinet Digital Media Corporation and severed the
remaining employees in this segment. We recognized a severance charge of $0.5
million in the three months ended September 30, 2008, which is reflected in
the
loss from discontinued operations.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Until
2005 our primary source of liquidity had been cash received through the sale
and
issuance of equity and debt securities. We received equity investments between
April 1999 and May 2003 in an aggregate amount of approximately $125.0 million.
Our principal liquidity requirements have been for working capital, capital
expenditures and general corporate purposes. On December 21, 2004, we
completed our initial public offering and raised net proceeds of approximately
$66.6 million.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2008, capital expenditures for
continuing operations were $5.2 million related primarily to amounts paid for
software development, the purchase of telecommunications switching equipment
and
computer equipment. At September 30, 2008, we had cash and cash equivalents
of
$8.4 million and marketable securities of $13.2 million. We also are party
to a
$25.0 million lending facility with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), under which we
can borrow against our accounts receivable and general corporate assets. As
of
September 30, 2008, the full $25.0 million was available to us as no amounts
were outstanding under this facility. Our current credit facility with SVB
expires on November 28, 2008. We expect to extend the expiration date on
this facility.
On
February 28, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had
approved a special one-time cash distribution of $0.40 per share. The aggregate
total distribution of approximately $10.0 million was paid on March 28,
2008 to record holders of our common stock as of the close of business on
March 12, 2008. The special cash distribution replaced the Company’s
existing $15.0 million 2007 Repurchase Plan, previously announced on
June 11, 2007, under which the Company repurchased 836,997 shares. Other
than this one-time cash distribution, we do not currently anticipate paying
any
cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
On
May
22, 2008, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $8.0 million
of the Company’s common stock at anytime and from time to time (the “2008
Repurchase Plan”). Under the 2008 Repurchase Plan, which expired August 27,
2008, 1,918,516 shares were repurchased for an aggregate of approximately $7.1
million. These shares are included as a component of treasury stock in the
accompanying consolidated balance sheet.
We
believe that our current cash balances should be sufficient for us to fund
our
current operations for the foreseeable future. To the extent we require
additional capital to fund our working capital or capital expenditure, we intend
to seek additional financing in the credit or capital markets, although we
may
be unsuccessful in obtaining financing on acceptable terms, if at
all.
The
following table sets forth components of our cash flows for the following
periods:
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
Net
cash (used in) operating activities - continuing
operations
|
|
$
|
(226
|
)
|
$
|
(3,195
|
)
|
Net
cash (used in) provided by operating activities for discontinued
operations
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
748
|
|
Net
cash provided by investing activities - continuing
operations
|
|
|
6,724
|
|
|
2,025
|
|
Net
cash (used in) investing activities for discontinued
operations
|
|
|
(980
|
)
|
|
(461
|
)
|
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
(9,732
|
)
|
|
(19,105
|
)
|
Cash
(used in) provided by operating activities - continuing and discontinued
operations
Cash
used
in operating activities - continuing operations for the nine months ended
September 30, 2008 of $3.2 million was comprised of net loss of $3.7
million, certain adjustments for non-cash charges including depreciation and
amortization of $5.6 million, non-cash compensation of $1.4 million, an
impairment charge of $0.5 million, foreign currency exchange loss of $2.4
million and a net change in operating assets and liabilities of ($7.2) million.
The net change in operating assets and liabilities includes a reduction in
trade
accounts receivable and accounts payable principally due to a decline in trading
volume on our exchange. Accounts payable also decreased due to payments made
in
2008 for certain 2007 expenditures including legal and capital items. The net
change in operating assets and liabilities also reflects prepayments for
insurance and certain hardware and software contracts during 2008 and an
increase in the VAT receivable for our U.K. Subsidiary. Cash provided by
operating activities for discontinued operations was $0.7 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2008.
Cash
used
in operating activities - continuing operations for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 of $0.2 million was principally attributed to a net loss
of $1.3 million, adjusted for non-cash charges including depreciation and
amortization of $6.0 million, non-cash compensation of $1.5 million partially
offset by $0.7 million of restructuring gain on recaptured charges for abandoned
lease property and foreign currency exchange gain of $0.4 million and net change
in operating assets and liabilities of ($3.3) million. The net change in
operating assets and liabilities of ($3.3) million includes a reduction in
accounts receivable due to more timely collections and a reduction of accounts
payable due to payments made in 2007 for legal and capital spending that
occurred during 2006. Net operating assets and liabilities also reflect
prepayments for insurance and certain hardware and software contracts during
2007 and the decommission of certain fixed assets located at the Company’s EDP
in London, which were classified as assets held for sale.
Cash
provided by (used in) investing activities - continuing operations and
discontinued operations
Total
capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 were
$5.2 million related primarily to the purchase of capitalized software and
telecommunications switching equipment. Total purchases of marketable securities
and total proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities for the
nine months ended September 30, 2008 were $18.1 million and $25.2 million,
respectively. We recorded net proceeds from the sale of Broad Street Digital
of
$0.2 million. Total capital expenditures for the nine months ended September
30,
2007 were $3.9 million related primarily to the purchase of computer
equipment and telecommunications switching equipment. Total purchases of
marketable securities and total proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable
securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 were $32.4 million
and
$43.1 million, respectively. Cash used in investing activities for
discontinued operations was $1.0 million and $0.5 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Cash
used in financing activities
Cash
used
in financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 was
primarily attributable to a one time special cash distribution of approximately
$10.0 million. The special cash distribution was paid on March 28, 2008 to
record holders of our common stock as of the close of business on March 12,
2008. In addition, $1.8 million was utilized for the purchase of treasury shares
in accordance with the 2007 Repurchase Plan, which was adopted and announced
on
June 11, 2007 and $7.1 million was utilized for the purchase of treasury shares
in accordance with the 2008 Repurchase Plan, which was adopted and announced
on
May 22, 2008. We also paid $0.5 million in notes payable and received an advance
from SVB under the Non-Recourse Receivable Purchase Agreement of
$0.5 million.
Cash
used
in financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was
primarily attributable to the repayment of $7.5 million in advances from SVB
under the Non-Recourse Receivable Purchase Agreement and the repayment of
approximately $0.1 million in debt and the purchase of treasury shares of
$2.1 million.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not
have any off-balance sheet arrangements or relationships with unconsolidated
entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as
special purpose entities, which are typically established for the purpose of
facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or
limited purposes.
Credit
Risk Management
We
manage
the invoicing, credit risk and settlement of all traffic traded on our exchange.
Since we are obligated to pay the seller regardless of whether we ultimately
collect from the buyer, we assume the credit risk associated with all traffic
traded on our exchange. As part of managing the credit risk associated with
buyers on our exchange, we have an integrated credit risk management program
under which the following arrangements assist in the mitigation of this credit
risk:
|
•
|
Netting
.
We net our members’ buying and selling activity. This enables us to extend
credit to members up to the amount they have sold in a given period.
The
netting also reduces the working capital requirements for our members
and
for us. For the nine months ended September 30, 2008, 26% of our
trading
revenues were offset by selling
activity.
|
|
•
|
Credit
risk assessment and underwriting
.
GMAC Financial Services (“GMAC”) and SVB provide us with credit risk
assessment and credit underwriting services. Under the terms of our
agreements with GMAC and SVB, GMAC and SVB assume the credit risk
of
selected members so that they may purchase voice calls or Internet
capacity on our exchange.
|
|
•
|
Self
underwriting
.
Members can self-finance a credit line with us by prepaying, posting
a
cash deposit or letter of credit or by placing money in
escrow.
|
|
•
|
CreditWatch
system
.
We enter a credit line for each member into our CreditWatch system.
This
credit line is the sum of the GMAC financial services credit line,
SVB
credit line, selling activity, other cash collateral and internal
credit.
The CreditWatch system regularly monitors a member’s net trading balance
and sends email alerts to each member who surpasses 50%, 75% and
90% of
its available credit limit and is able to automatically suspend a
member’s
ability to buy as its net balance reaches its total credit
line.
|
|
•
|
Frequent
settlement
.
We have two trading periods per month. Payments from buyers are
due
typically fifteen days after the end of each trading period. This
frequent
settlement reduces the amount outstanding from our buyers. The
frequent
clearing of trading balances, together with the ability to net
buy and
sell transactions, allows our members to trade large dollar volumes
while
minimizing the outstanding balance that needs to be underwritten
by
additional sources of credit.
|
We
occasionally issue internal credit lines to our members based on our review
of a
member’s financial statements and payment history with us. These internal credit
lines may be in excess of the credit lines issued by our third party
underwriters. We evaluate the credit risk, on a case-by-case basis, of each
member who is not covered by our third-party credit arrangements, our netting
policy, prepayments or other cash collateral. While there are no written
procedures regarding the extension of credit lines, we have adopted written
procedures to determine authority levels for certain of our officers to grant
internal credit lines. In 2008, approximately 82% of our trading revenues were
covered by our third party underwriters, netting, prepayments or other cash
collateral, of which our third party underwriters covered 35%. However, our
credit evaluations cannot fully determine whether buyers can or will pay us
for
capacity they purchase through our exchange. In the event that the
creditworthiness of our buyers deteriorates, our credit providers and we may
elect not to extend credit and consequently we may forego potential revenues
which could materially affect our results of operations.
We
record
the proceeds from the sale of receivables under the SVB Receivable Agreement,
as
a liability until sums received from members are remitted to SVB. Approximately
$0.3 million as of December 31, 2007 and $0.7 million as of September 30,
2008
of proceeds from the sale of receivables are reflected in “Trade Accounts
Receivable” and “Due to Silicon Valley Bank” in the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets.
We
have
certain minimum annual commissions due pursuant to the terms of our agreements
with each of GMAC and SVB. Pursuant to the terms of our agreement with GMAC,
which has been extended until April 30, 2009, and pursuant to the terms of
our agreement with SVB, which terminates on November 28, 2008, we are
required to pay aggregate minimum annual commissions of $370,000.
Subsequent
Events
On
November 4, 2008, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the Company to
purchase up to $5.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock.
Stock
repurchases will be made from time to time in the open market.
This
stock repurchase program may be suspended or terminated at any time without
prior notice, and has no expiration date.
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Foreign
currency exposure
The
financial position and results of operations of our U.K. subsidiary are measured
using GBP as the functional currency. The foreign currency fluctuations have
not
had a material effect on our operating results or financial condition. Our
exposure is mitigated, in part, by the fact that we incur certain operating
costs in the same foreign currencies in which fee revenues are denominated.
The
percentage of trading revenues and fee revenues denominated in GBP were
approximately 0% and 11% for the year ended December 31, 2007 and 0% and 9%
for the nine months ended September 30, 2008.
Interest
rate exposure
We
are
exposed to interest rate fluctuations. We invest our cash in short-term interest
bearing securities. Although our investments are available for sale, we
generally hold such investments to maturity. Our investments are stated at
fair
value, with net unrealized gains or losses on the securities recorded as
accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity. Net
unrealized gains and losses were not material at September 30, 2007 or September
30, 2008. The fair market value of our marketable securities could be adversely
impacted due to a rise in interest rates, but we do not believe such impact
would be material. Securities with longer maturities are subject to a greater
interest rate risk than those with shorter maturities and at September 30,
2008
our portfolio maturity was relatively short. Assuming an average investment
level in short-term interest bearing securities of $10.0 million, a
one-percentage point decrease in the applicable interest rate would result
in a
$100,000 decrease in interest income.
Under
the
terms of our credit agreement with SVB, our borrowings bear interest at the
prime rate. Therefore, a one-percentage point increase in the prime rate would
result in additional annualized interest expense of $10,000 assuming $1.0
million of borrowings. At September 30, 2008, we had no outstanding borrowings
under this agreement.
Item
4.
Controls
and Procedures.
Our
management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and
principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of
September 30, 2008. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and
procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter
how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of
achieving their objectives and management necessarily applied its judgment
in
evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal
financial officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2008, our disclosure
controls and procedures were (1) designed to ensure that material information
relating to us, including our consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to our
principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within
those entities, particularly during the period in which this report was being
prepared, and (2) effective, in that they provide that information required
to
be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange
Act
is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and
forms.
No
change
in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f)
and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the fiscal quarter ended
September 30, 2008 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
PART
1
OTHER
INFORMATION
Item
1.
Legal
Proceedings
The
litigation process is inherently uncertain, and we cannot guarantee that the
outcomes of the following proceedings and lawsuits will be favorable for us
or
that they will not be material to our business, results of operations or
financial position. However, the Company does not currently believe that these
matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations or financial position.
World
Access Proceeding
On
March 18, 2003, World Access, Inc. f/k/a WAXS, Inc., WA Telcom Products
Co., Inc., WorldxChange Communications, Inc., Facilicom International LLC and
World Access Telecommunications Group, Inc. f/k/a Cherry Communications
Incorporated d/b/a Resurgens Communications Group (collectively “the Debtors”),
filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States Bankruptcy Court for
the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The Debtors had previously
filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
The
Debtors seek recovery of certain payments they made to us as a buyer on our
exchange, which total approximately $855. The Debtors claim that such payments
were preferential transfers under the Bankruptcy Code. The Debtors also seek
costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and interest. The Company filed an
answer to the complaint on April 18, 2003, denying the Debtors’ claims for
relief and asserting several affirmative defenses. The parties have agreed
in
principle to settle this matter and are preparing settlement documentation.
We
have accrued an amount equal to the anticipated settlement.
Item
1A.
Risk
Factors
Recent
changes in our senior management may be disruptive to our
business.
On
September 4, 2008, William M. Freeman, our former Chief Executive Officer and
President, departed. Shawn F. O’Donnell, one of our Directors, was appointed to
succeed Mr. Freeman as Chief Executive Officer and President, and Mr. Freeman
remained as Chairman of our Board of Directors. This change in our senior
management may prove disruptive to our business and there may be uncertainty
among our investors, members, employees, and others concerning our future
direction and performance. Further, we cannot be certain how much time will
be
required to make the transition to new management, which may adversely affect
our financial condition or disrupt our business.
Other
than the changes stated above, there have been no material changes in the risk
factors described in Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007.
Item
2.
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
(b)
Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
On
December 21, 2004, we sold 4,233,849 shares of our common stock in
connection with the closing of our initial public offering. The Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (Reg. No. 333-117278) we filed to register our common
stock in the offering was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange
Commission on December 16, 2004.
After
deducting expenses of the offering, we received net offering proceeds of
approximately $66.6 million. We used approximately $15.2 million of our net
proceeds to redeem the outstanding shares of our Series B and Series B-1
preferred stock and approximately $10.0 million to repay principal and interest
outstanding under our credit facility with SVB. Approximately $40.0 million
of
the net proceeds of the offering were invested in investment-grade marketable
securities within the guidelines defined in our investment policy.
The
following table provides information as of and for the quarter ended September
30, 2008 regarding shares of the Company’s common stock that were repurchased
under the Company’s 2008 Repurchase Plan.
Period
|
|
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
|
|
Average
Price Paid
per Share
|
|
Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
|
|
Approximate Dollar
Value of Shares that
May Yet Be
Purchased
Under the Plans
or Programs
|
|
Repurchase
Plans (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at beginning of period
|
|
|
1,933,258
|
|
$
|
4.46
|
|
|
1,933,258
|
|
$
|
4,054,000
|
|
7/1/08
- 7/31/08
|
|
|
487,018
|
|
$
|
3.89
|
|
|
2,420,276
|
|
|
2,160,000
|
|
8/1/08
- 8/31/08
|
|
|
335,237
|
|
|
3.86
|
|
|
2,755,513
|
|
|
-
|
|
9/1/08
- 9/30/08
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
2,755,513
|
|
$
|
4.28
|
|
|
2,755,513
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
(1)
On
May
22, 2008, the Board of Directors authorized the Company, effective May 27,
2008,
to repurchase up to $8.0 million of shares of its common stock (the “2008
Repurchase Plan”). Stock repurchases will be made from time to time in open
market or privately negotiated transactions as market conditions warrant. We
hold the repurchased shares as treasury stock. The 2008 Repurchase Plan expired
on August 27, 2008.
Item
6.
Exhibits
Exhibit
No.
|
|
Description
of Exhibit
|
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Non
Qualified Stock Option Agreement by and between Shawn F. O’Donnell and
Arbinet-thexchange, Inc., dated as of September 2, 2008 (Incorporated
by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K,
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 4,
2008).
|
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
Employment
Agreement by and between Shawn F. O’Donnell and Arbinet-thexchange, Inc.,
dated as of September 2, 2008 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.2
to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on September 4, 2008).
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
Separation
and Transition Services Agreement by and between William M. Freeman
and
Arbinet-thexchange, Inc., entered into as of September 3, 2008
(Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
September 4, 2008).
|
|
|
|
31.1*
|
|
Certification
Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as
Adopted
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Principal
Executive Officer).
|
|
|
|
31.2*
|
|
Certification
Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as
Adopted
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Principal
Financial Officer).
|
|
|
|
32.1*
|
|
Certification
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 (Principal Executive
Officer).
|
|
|
|
32.2*
|
|
Certification
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 (Principal Financial
Officer).
|
|
|
*
Filed herewith
|
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
|
|
ARBINET-THEXCHANGE, INC.
|
|
|
|
Date: November 10, 2008
|
|
/s/ Shawn F. O’Donnell
|
|
|
Shawn F. O’Donnell
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ John B. Wynne, Jr.
|
Date: November 10, 2008
|
|
John B. Wynne, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
|
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