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Form 10-Q CONTROL4 CORP For: Sep 30

November 2, 2018 3:36 PM

Table of Contents

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 


 

(Mark one)

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2018

 

OR

 

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 001-36017

 


 

Control4 Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

    

42-1583209
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

 

 

11734 S. Election Road
Salt Lake City, Utah
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

84020
(Zip Code)

 

(801) 523-3100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 


 

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 ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S‑T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer ☐

Accelerated filer ☒

Non‑accelerated filer ☐

Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging growth company ☒

 

 

 

 

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

 

On October 26, 2018, 26,708,202 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, were outstanding.

 

 

 


 

Table of Contents

Control4 Corporation

 

Index

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part I — Financial Information 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1. 

 

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited) for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

Item 2. 

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

23

 

 

 

 

 

Item 3. 

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

39

 

 

 

 

 

Item 4. 

 

Controls and Procedures

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

Part II — Other Information 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1. 

 

Legal Proceedings

 

41

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1A. 

 

Risk Factors

 

41

 

 

 

 

 

Item 2. 

 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

63

 

 

 

 

 

Item 6. 

 

Exhibits

 

65

 

 

 

 

 

Signatures 

 

66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Table of Contents

Control4 Corporation

 

PART I — Financial Information

 

ITEM 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

CONTROL4 CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

(in thousands, except share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2018

 

2017

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

35,373

 

$

29,761

 

Restricted cash

 

 

264

 

 

273

 

Short-term investments

 

 

54,544

 

 

44,057

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

34,157

 

 

29,925

 

Inventories

 

 

41,621

 

 

37,171

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

5,058

 

 

4,369

 

Total current assets

 

 

171,017

 

 

145,556

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

8,684

 

 

7,337

 

Long-term investments

 

 

1,085

 

 

12,038

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

21,962

 

 

26,081

 

Goodwill

 

 

21,598

 

 

21,867

 

Other assets

 

 

1,330

 

 

1,618

 

Total assets

 

$

225,676

 

$

214,497

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

26,932

 

$

25,654

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

8,431

 

 

10,835

 

Current portion of deferred revenue

 

 

5,121

 

 

4,538

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

40,484

 

 

41,027

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

4,500

 

 

3,942

 

Total liabilities

 

 

44,984

 

 

44,969

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 26,707,025 and 25,832,895 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively

 

 

 3

 

 

 3

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

240,394

 

 

242,281

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(58,908)

 

 

(72,225)

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(797)

 

 

(531)

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

 

180,692

 

 

169,528

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

225,676

 

$

214,497

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

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CONTROL4 CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

Revenue

 

$

71,594

 

$

64,583

 

$

199,971

 

$

176,043

 

Cost of revenue

 

 

34,484

 

 

31,520

 

 

95,760

 

 

86,572

 

Gross margin

 

 

37,110

 

 

33,063

 

 

104,211

 

 

89,471

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

11,144

 

 

10,347

 

 

32,595

 

 

30,246

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

13,520

 

 

12,692

 

 

38,608

 

 

36,082

 

General and administrative

 

 

6,913

 

 

5,109

 

 

19,534

 

 

16,413

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

31,577

 

 

28,148

 

 

90,737

 

 

82,741

 

Income from operations

 

 

5,533

 

 

4,915

 

 

13,474

 

 

6,730

 

Other income (expense), net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest, net

 

 

327

 

 

125

 

 

819

 

 

224

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

(82)

 

 

79

 

 

(864)

 

 

183

 

Total other income (expense), net

 

 

245

 

 

204

 

 

(45)

 

 

407

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

5,778

 

 

5,119

 

 

13,429

 

 

7,137

 

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

67

 

 

85

 

 

112

 

 

(2,459)

 

Net income

 

$

5,711

 

$

5,034

 

$

13,317

 

$

9,596

 

Net income per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.22

 

$

0.20

 

$

0.51

 

$

0.39

 

Diluted

 

$

0.21

 

$

0.19

 

$

0.48

 

$

0.36

 

Weighted-average number of shares:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

26,397

 

 

25,050

 

 

26,116

 

 

24,551

 

Diluted

 

 

27,671

 

 

27,122

 

 

27,489

 

 

26,393

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

 

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CONTROL4 CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

Net income

 

$

5,711

 

$

5,034

 

$

13,317

 

$

9,596

 

Other comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax

 

 

(105)

 

 

(155)

 

 

(263)

 

 

383

 

Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments, net of tax

 

 

32

 

 

 6

 

 

(3)

 

 

 3

 

Total other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

(73)

 

 

(149)

 

 

(266)

 

 

386

 

Comprehensive income

 

$

5,638

 

$

4,885

 

$

13,051

 

$

9,982

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

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CONTROL4 CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

Operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

13,317

 

$

9,596

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation expense

 

 

2,852

 

 

2,703

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

4,286

 

 

3,885

 

Loss (gain) on disposal of fixed assets

 

 

 5

 

 

(1)

 

Provision for doubtful accounts

 

 

760

 

 

491

 

Investment discount and premium amortization

 

 

(349)

 

 

(57)

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

10,085

 

 

9,191

 

Tax benefit from business acquisition

 

 

 —

 

 

(2,415)

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

(5,353)

 

 

(4,890)

 

Inventories

 

 

(5,015)

 

 

(5,347)

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

(644)

 

 

390

 

Other assets

 

 

255

 

 

(1,018)

 

Accounts payable

 

 

1,816

 

 

3,495

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

(1,223)

 

 

(1,675)

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

574

 

 

870

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

622

 

 

171

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

21,988

 

 

15,389

 

Investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of available-for-sale investments

 

 

(51,538)

 

 

(52,472)

 

Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale investments

 

 

1,000

 

 

1,950

 

Proceeds from maturities of available-for-sale investments

 

 

51,350

 

 

34,580

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(3,914)

 

 

(3,003)

 

Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired

 

 

(1,411)

 

 

(7,881)

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(4,513)

 

 

(26,826)

 

Financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of options for common stock

 

 

10,729

 

 

11,290

 

Payments for withholding taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards

 

 

(6,378)

 

 

(4,591)

 

Repurchase of common stock

 

 

(15,957)

 

 

(1,821)

 

Payment of debt issuance costs

 

 

(113)

 

 

 —

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

 

(11,719)

 

 

4,878

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(153)

 

 

397

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

5,603

 

 

(6,162)

 

Unrestricted and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

30,034

 

 

35,060

 

Unrestricted and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

35,637

 

$

28,898

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for interest

 

$

105

 

$

65

 

Cash paid for taxes

 

 

988

 

 

1,120

 

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business acquisitions holdback liability

 

 

 —

 

 

1,068

 

Purchases of property and equipment financed by accounts payable

 

 

689

 

 

396

 

Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments

 

 

(3)

 

 

 3

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

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Control4 Corporation

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

 

1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Control4 Corporation (‘‘Control4’’ or the ‘‘Company’’) is a leading provider of smart home and business solutions that are designed to personalize and enhance how consumers engage with an ever-changing connected world. Our entertainment, smart lighting, comfort and convenience, safety and security, and networking solutions unlock the potential of connected devices, making entertainment systems easier to use and more accessible, homes and businesses more comfortable and energy efficient, and individuals more secure. The Company was incorporated in the state of Delaware on March 27, 2003.

 

Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018, or any other future interim or annual period.

 

These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 15, 2018. The December 31, 2017 condensed consolidated balance sheet included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Segment Reporting

 

Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision-maker, the Chief Executive Officer, in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. To date, the Company has viewed its operations and manages its business as one operating segment.

 

Concentrations of Risk

 

The Company’s accounts receivable are derived from revenue earned from its worldwide network of independent dealers and distributors. The Company’s sales to dealers and distributors located outside the United States are generally denominated in U.S. dollars, except for sales to dealers and distributors located in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the European Union, which are generally denominated in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, and euros, respectively. There were no individual account balances greater than 10% of total accounts receivable as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

 

No dealer or distributor accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.

 

While the Company partners with many manufacturers, generally one manufacturer is our sole source for a particular product or product family. A significant disruption in the operations of one of these manufacturers would

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impact the production of the Company’s products for a substantial period of time, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Use of Accounting Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, sales returns, provisions for doubtful accounts, product warranty, inventory obsolescence, litigation, determination of fair value of stock options, deferred tax asset valuation allowances and income taxes. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

 

Limited Product Warranties

 

The Company provides its customers a limited product warranty of two, three, or ten years depending on product type and brand. The limited product warranties require the Company, at its option, to repair or replace defective products during the warranty period at no cost to the customer or refund the purchase price. The Company estimates the costs that may be incurred to replace, repair or issue a refund for defective products and records a reserve at the time revenue is recognized. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include the cost of the products sold, the Company’s historical experience, and management’s judgment regarding anticipated rates of product warranty returns, net of refurbished products. The Company assesses the adequacy of its recorded warranty liability each period and makes adjustments to the liability as necessary. Warranty costs accrued include amounts accrued for products at the time of shipment, adjustments for changes in estimated costs for warranties on products shipped in the period, and changes in estimated costs for warranties on products shipped in prior periods. It is not practicable for the Company to determine the amounts applicable to each of these components.

 

The following table presents the changes in the product warranty liability for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Warranty Liability

 

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

$

2,032

 

Warranty costs accrued

 

 

2,452

 

Warranty claims

 

 

(2,375)

 

Balance at September 30, 2018

 

$

2,109

 

 

Net Income Per Share

 

Basic net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period that have a dilutive effect on net income per share. Potentially dilutive common shares result from the assumed exercise of outstanding stock options and settlement of restricted stock units.

 

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The following table presents the reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

5,711

 

$

5,034

 

$

13,317

 

$

9,596

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common stock outstanding for basic net income per common share

 

 

26,397

 

 

25,050

 

 

26,116

 

 

24,551

 

Effect of dilutive securities—stock options and restricted stock units

 

 

1,274

 

 

2,072

 

 

1,373

 

 

1,842

 

Weighted average common shares and dilutive securities outstanding

 

 

27,671

 

 

27,122

 

 

27,489

 

 

26,393

 

 

Potentially dilutive securities, including common equivalent shares, in which the assumed proceeds exceed the average market price of common stock for the applicable period, were not included in the calculation of diluted net income per share as their impact would be anti-dilutive. The following weighted-average common stock equivalents were anti-dilutive and therefore were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income per share (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

 

2017

    

2018

 

2017

 

Options to purchase common stock

 

 —

 

23

 

 —

 

881

 

Restricted stock units

 

 7

 

 —

 

122

 

 6

 

Total

 

 7

 

23

 

122

 

887

 

 

Restricted Cash

 

Restricted cash as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 is composed of a guarantee made by the Company’s subsidiary in the United Kingdom to HM Revenue & Customs related to a customs duty deferment account.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2018, the SEC adopted the final rule under SEC Release No. 33-10532, “Disclosure Update and Simplification,” amending certain disclosure requirements that were redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded. In addition, the amendments expanded the disclosure requirements on the analysis of stockholders’ equity for interim financial statements. Under the amendments, an analysis of changes in each caption of stockholders’ equity presented in the balance sheet must be provided in a note or separate statement. This analysis should present a reconciliation of the beginning balance to the ending balance of each period for which a statement of comprehensive income is required to be filed. This final rule is effective as of November 5, 2018. The Company does not expect the adoption of this final rule to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include all share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. This pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to early-adopt this standard in the current period; the adoption of this standard did not impact the consolidated financial statements.

 

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash,” which provides amendments to current guidance to address the classifications and presentation of changes in restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018; the adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

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In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.” The amendments in this update will require recognition of current and deferred income taxes resulting from an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018; the adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)” which introduces new guidance for the accounting for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments. For trade receivables, the Company will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019, including interim periods within those years. Early application of the guidance is permitted for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including the interim periods within those fiscal years. Application of the amendments is through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this update on the consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which supersedes the guidance in ASC 840, “Leases.” The purpose of the new standard is to improve transparency and comparability related to the accounting and reporting of leasing arrangements. The guidance will require balance sheet recognition for assets and liabilities associated with rights and obligations created by leases with terms greater than twelve months. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those years. Although the standard initially required the modified retrospective approach for adoption, in July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-18, allowing companies to initially apply the new lease requirements at the effective date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted.

 

The Company expects the standard will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets but will not have a material impact on the consolidated statements of operations. The most significant impact will be the recognition of right of use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. In connection with the adoption of the new lease accounting standard, the Company has completed scoping reviews and continues to make progress implementing new processes, systems, accounting policies and internal controls relevant to the standard. We anticipate adopting this standard on January 1, 2019 using the prospective adoption approach and electing the practical expedients allowed under the standard. 

 

 

2. Balance Sheet Components

 

Inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2018

 

2017

 

Finished goods

 

$

37,801

 

$

33,050

 

Component parts

 

 

3,773

 

 

4,025

 

Work-in-process

 

 

47

 

 

96

 

 

 

$

41,621

 

$

37,171

 

 

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Property and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2018

 

2017

 

Computer equipment and software

 

$

5,137

 

$

5,030

 

Manufacturing tooling and test equipment

 

 

4,297

 

 

4,894

 

Lab and warehouse equipment

 

 

5,692

 

 

4,869

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

5,059

 

 

3,960

 

Furniture and fixtures

 

 

4,457

 

 

3,698

 

Other

 

 

1,086

 

 

1,086

 

 

 

 

25,728

 

 

23,537

 

Less: accumulated depreciation

 

 

(17,044)

 

 

(16,200)

 

 

 

$

8,684

 

$

7,337

 

 

Accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2018

 

2017

 

Sales returns and current portion of warranty liability

 

$

2,517

 

$

2,872

 

Compensation accruals

 

 

5,014

 

 

5,241

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

900

 

 

2,722

 

 

 

$

8,431

 

$

10,835

 

 

Other long-term liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

2018

 

2017

Deferred revenue

 

$

3,096

 

$

3,143

Warranty

 

 

621

 

 

600

Other

 

 

783

 

 

199

 

 

$

4,500

 

$

3,942

 

 

 

 

3. Financial Instruments

 

Fair Value Measurements

 

The Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of money market funds and available-for-sale investments. The following three levels of inputs are used to measure the fair value of financial instruments:

 

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

 

Level 2: Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

 

Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available.

 

The fair values for substantially all of the Company’s financial assets are based on quoted prices in active markets or observable inputs. For Level 2 securities, the Company uses a third-party pricing service which provides documentation on an ongoing basis that includes, among other things, pricing information with respect to reference data, methodology, inputs summarized by asset class, pricing application and corroborative information.

 

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Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

 

The Company determines realized gains or losses on the sale of marketable securities on a specific identification method. During the three and nine months ended September 30,  2018 and 2017, the Company did not record significant realized gains or losses on the sales of available-for-sale investments.

 

The following tables show the Company’s cash and available-for-sale investments’ adjusted cost, gross unrealized gains, gross unrealized losses and fair value by significant investment category, recorded as cash and cash equivalents or short- or long-term investments as of September 30,  2018 and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted

 

Unrealized

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

Short-term

 

Long-term

 

 

    

Cost

    

Gains

    

Losses

    

Fair Value

    

Equivalents

    

Investments

    

Investments

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash 

 

$

28,687

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

28,687

 

$

28,687

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds 

 

 

5,039

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

5,039

 

 

5,039

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

U.S. government notes

 

 

8,958

 

 

 —

 

 

(29)

 

 

8,929

 

 

 —

 

 

8,929

 

 

 —

 

Subtotal 

 

 

13,997

 

 

 —

 

 

(29)

 

 

13,968

 

 

5,039

 

 

8,929

 

 

 —

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate bonds 

 

 

25,755

 

 

 1

 

 

(37)

 

 

25,719

 

 

 —

 

 

24,634

 

 

1,085

 

Commercial paper 

 

 

22,628

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

22,628

 

 

1,647

 

 

20,981

 

 

 —

 

Subtotal 

 

 

48,383

 

 

 1

 

 

(37)

 

 

48,347

 

 

1,647

 

 

45,615

 

 

1,085

 

Total 

 

$

91,067

 

$

 1

 

$

(66)

 

$

91,002

 

$

35,373

 

$

54,544

 

$

1,085

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted

 

Unrealized

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

Short-term

 

Long-term

 

 

    

Cost

    

Gains

    

Losses

    

Fair Value

    

Equivalents

    

Investments

    

Investments

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash 

 

$

24,367

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

24,367

 

$

24,367

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

 

5,394

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

5,394

 

 

5,394

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

U.S. government notes

 

 

9,060

 

 

 —

 

 

(13)

 

 

9,047

 

 

 —

 

 

4,098

 

 

4,949

 

Subtotal

 

 

14,454

 

 

 —

 

 

(13)

 

 

14,441

 

 

5,394

 

 

4,098

 

 

4,949

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate bonds 

 

 

24,943

 

 

 —

 

 

(49)

 

 

24,894

 

 

 —

 

 

17,805

 

 

7,089

 

Commercial paper 

 

 

22,154

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

22,154

 

 

 —

 

 

22,154

 

 

 —

 

Subtotal 

 

 

47,097

 

 

 —

 

 

(49)

 

 

47,048

 

 

 —

 

 

39,959

 

 

7,089

 

Total

 

$

85,918

 

$

 —

 

$

(62)

 

$

85,856

 

$

29,761

 

$

44,057

 

$

12,038

 

 

As of September 30,  2018, the Company considers the declines in market value of its investment portfolio to be temporary in nature and does not consider any of its investments other-than-temporarily impaired. During the three and nine months ended September 30,  2018 and 2017, the Company did not recognize any significant impairment charges. The Company invests in highly-rated securities, and its investment policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. Fair values were determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. The maturities of the Company’s long-term investments range from one to two years. When evaluating an investment for other-than-temporary impairment the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below its cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and

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any changes thereto, changes in market interest rates, and the Company’s intent to sell, as well as the fact it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment before recovery of the investment’s cost basis, which may be maturity.

 

Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

 

The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate their fair value because of the short-term nature of the accounts.

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

The Company has foreign currency exposure related to the operations in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the European Union, as well as other foreign locations. The Company has entered into forward contracts to help offset the exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates in relation to certain U.S. dollar denominated balance sheet accounts of its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Australia. The foreign currency derivatives are not designated as accounting hedges. The Company recognizes these derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The Company records changes in the fair value (i.e. gains or losses) of these derivative instruments in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations as other income (expense), net.

 

The Company settles its foreign exchange contracts on the last day of every month and enters into a new forward contract for the next month. As a result, there are no assets or liabilities recorded in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets related to derivative instruments as of September 30,  2018. 

 

The following table shows the pre-tax income (losses) of the Company’s derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

Income Statement Location

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

  

Foreign exchange forward contracts

 

Other income (expense), net

 

$

64

 

$

(501)

 

$

10

 

$

(1,433)

 

 

 

 

4. Acquisitions

 

ihiji Acquisition

 

On December 22, 2017, the Company acquired the intellectual property and key operating assets of ihiji, a provider of remote management services for technical integrators servicing connected home customers. Total consideration transferred for this acquisition was immaterial. The majority of the consideration transferred was allocated to a developed technology intangible asset. In accordance with the purchase agreement, a portion of the purchase price was withheld at the acquisition date to cover any of the sellers’ post-closing obligations and was subsequently distributed to the shareholders during the second quarter of 2018.

 

Acquisition of Triad Holdings, Inc.

 

On February 27, 2017, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Triad Holdings, Inc., (“Triad Holdings”), along with its wholly owned subsidiary Triad Speakers, Inc. (“Triad Speakers” and together with Triad Holdings “Triad”) through the purchase of all the outstanding shares of common stock of Triad for a purchase price of $9.2 million, which included cash acquired of $0.3 million. In accordance with the purchase agreement, $1.4 million of the purchase price was to be held for up to 18 months from the acquisition date to cover any of the sellers’ post-closing obligations, including without limitation any indemnification obligations that may arise (the “Holdback”).  Due to customary working capital adjustments after the acquisition date, the Holdback was reduced to $1.1 million and was subsequently distributed during the third quarter of 2018.

 

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The Company determined the Triad acquisition was not a significant acquisition under Rule 3-05 of Regulation S‑X.

 

5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

 

Goodwill

 

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Amount

  

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

$

21,867

 

Measurement period adjustments

 

 

(37)

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

(232)

 

Balance at September 30, 2018

 

$

21,598

 

 

Goodwill represents the excess of consideration transferred over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

 

Amortizable Intangible Assets

 

The Company’s intangible assets and related accumulated amortization consisted of the following as of September 30,  2018 and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2018

 

 

 

 

Gross Carrying

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Amount

    

 

Amortization

    

 

Net

 

Developed technology 

 

$

17,428

 

$

(9,281)

 

$

8,147

 

Customer relationships

 

 

12,009

 

 

(3,677)

 

 

8,332

 

Trademark/trade name

 

 

6,776

 

 

(1,293)

 

 

5,483

 

Non-competition agreements 

 

 

295

 

 

(295)

 

 

 —

 

Total intangible assets 

 

$

36,508

 

$

(14,546)

 

$

21,962

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2017

 

 

 

Gross Carrying

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

    

Amount

    

Amortization

    

Net

  

Developed technology 

 

$

19,626

 

$

(8,914)

 

$

10,712

 

Customer relationships

 

 

12,009

 

 

(2,556)

 

 

9,453

 

Trademark/trade name

 

 

6,776

 

 

(869)

 

 

5,907

 

Non-competition agreements 

 

 

295

 

 

(286)

 

 

 9

 

Total intangible assets 

 

$

38,706

 

$

(12,625)

 

$

26,081

 

 

The weighted average amortization period for developed technology, customer relationships, and trademarks/trade names is 6.9 years, 8.4 years, and 12.0 years, respectively; and 7.3 years for all amortizable intangible assets in total.

 

The Company recorded amortization expense during the three and nine month periods ended September 30,  2018 and 2017 for these intangible assets as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

 

2018

    

2017

  

Cost of revenue

 

$

888

 

$

802

 

 

$

2,733

 

$

2,367

 

Research and development

 

 

17

 

 

50

 

 

 

63

 

 

145

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

496

 

 

482

 

 

 

1,490

 

 

1,373

 

Total amortization of intangible assets 

 

$

1,401

 

$

1,334

 

 

$

4,286

 

$

3,885

 

 

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Amortization of finite lived intangible assets as of September 30,  2018 for the next five years is as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Amount

Remainder of 2018

 

$

1,366

2019

 

 

5,593

2020

 

 

4,611

2021

 

 

2,256

2022

 

 

2,093

Thereafter

 

 

6,043

 

 

$

21,962

 

 

6. Long-Term Obligations

 

Loan and Security Agreement

 

On February 6, 2018, Control4 entered into the 2018 Loan Amendment with SVB, which amends the 2013 Loan Agreement.

 

In the 2018 Loan Amendment, Control4 increased the revolving credit facility from $30.0 million to $40.0 million under the terms of the 2013 Loan Agreement (the “New Credit Facility”). All borrowings under the New Credit Facility are collateralized by the general assets of the Company. Amounts borrowed under the New Credit Facility are due and payable in full on the maturity date, which is January 29, 2020. Advances made pursuant to the New Credit Facility depend on Control4’s leverage ratio and are either: (i) Prime Rate Advances, which bear interest at the Prime Rate plus a Prime Rate Margin of either 0% or 0.25%, or (ii) LIBOR Rate Advances, which bear interest at the LIBOR Rate plus a LIBOR Rate Margin of either 2.50% or 2.75%.    

 

Control4 will be assessed an unused revolving line facility fee of 0.25% in any quarter wherein the amount of advances under the New Credit Facility is less than $15.0 million. As of September 30,  2018, Control4 had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility.

 

The 2018 Loan Amendment contains various restrictive and financial covenants, and the Company was in compliance with each of these covenants as of September 30,  2018.

 

7.  Revenue Recognition

 

ASC 606 Adoption

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” (“ASC 606”) utilizing the full retrospective method of transition, which required a retrospective adjustment of each prior reporting period presented. The Company applied the new standard using a practical expedient where the consideration allocated to the remaining performance obligations or an explanation of when the Company expects to recognize that amount as revenue for all reporting periods presented before the date of the initial application is not disclosed. Upon adoption of ASC 606, the Company implemented internal controls over revenue recognition and related financial statement disclosures.  

 

Adoption of ASC 606 did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements, however, while preparing for the adoption of ASC 606, the Company evaluated the accounting for technical support and unspecified upgrade rights, which the Company considered inconsequential under ASC 605. While the Company determined that these services are immaterial in the context of the contract under ASC 606, the Company believes that as product offerings continue to mature these services will become more material over time. Accordingly, under ASC 606, the Company will account for technical support and unspecified upgrade rights as a performance obligation, distinct from the hardware product and embedded software, with the associated revenue satisfied over time.

 

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The adoption of ASC 606 impacted the Company’s previously reported results as follows (in thousands, except share data):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

2017

 

2017

 

    

As previously reported

    

ASC 606 adjustment

    

As
adjusted

 

As previously reported

    

ASC 606 adjustment

    

As
adjusted

Revenue

 

$

64,742

 

$

(159)

 

$

64,583

 

$

176,386

 

$

(343)

 

$

176,043

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

93

 

 

(8)

 

 

85

 

 

(2,441)

 

 

(18)

 

 

(2,459)

Net income

 

 

5,185

 

 

(151)

 

 

5,034

 

 

9,921

 

 

(325)

 

 

9,596

Basic earnings per share

 

$

0.21

 

$

(0.01)

 

$

0.20

 

$

0.40

 

$

(0.01)

 

$

0.39

Diluted earnings per share

 

$

0.19

 

$

 —

 

$

0.19

 

$

0.38

 

$

(0.02)

 

$

0.36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2017

 

    

As previously reported

    

ASC 606 adjustment

    

As
adjusted

Other assets

 

$

1,576

 

$

42

 

$

1,618

Current portion of deferred revenue

 

 

2,311

 

 

2,227

 

 

4,538

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

882

 

 

3,060

 

 

3,942

Stockholders’ equity

 

 

174,773

 

 

(5,245)

 

 

169,528

 

Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for those products or services. Revenue is recognized net of allowances for returns and any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.

Shipping charges billed to dealers and distributors are included in product revenue and related shipping costs are included in cost of revenue. The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities performed after control has been transferred to the customer as a fulfillment cost and accrues for these costs if revenue is recognized before contractually agreed-upon shipping and handling occurs. 

Solution Products Revenue

The Company sells its solution products through a network of independent dealers, distributors and retailers. These dealers, distributors and retailers generally sell the Company’s products as part of a bundled sale, which typically includes other third‑party products and related services, project design, installation services and on‑going support.

The Company’s products are generally highly dependent on, and interrelated with, the underlying operating system and cannot function without the operating system. In these cases, the hardware and software license are accounted for as a single performance obligation and revenue is recognized at the point in time when ownership is transferred to dealers, distributors, and retailers, which is typically at the time the product is shipped. In cases where revenue is allocated to software updates and technical support, primarily because the updates and technical support are provided at no additional charge, revenue is recognized as the updates and technical support are provided, which is ratably over the estimated life of the related device.

Certain customers may receive cash-based incentives or credits; which are accounted for as variable consideration. The Company records estimated reductions to revenue for dealer incentives at the time of the initial sale. The estimated reductions to revenue are based on the sales terms and the Company’s historical experience and trend analysis. The most common incentive relates to amounts paid or credited to dealers for achieving defined volume levels or growth objectives.

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Subscription Service Revenue

The Company offers a subscription service that allows consumers to control and monitor their homes remotely and allows the consumer’s respective Control4 dealer to perform remote diagnostic services. Subscription revenue is deferred at the time of payment and recognized ratably over the contract period which is typically one year.

Third-Party Product Revenue

The Company recognizes revenue net of cost of revenue for non-inventoried, third‑party products sold through the Company’s online ordering system. The Company’s primary role is to arrange for another entity to provide the goods or services and the Company does not control the promised good or service before it is transferred to the customer.

Significant Judgments

The Company’s contracts with dealers, distributors, and retailers can include promises to transfer multiple products and services. Determining whether multiple products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. 

Judgment is required to determine the stand-alone selling price (“SSP”) for each distinct performance obligation. The Company uses a single amount to estimate SSP for items that are not sold separately, including software updates and technical support provided at no additional charge. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when the Company does not sell the product or service separately, the SSP is determined using information that may include market conditions and other observable inputs. 

The Company’s products are generally sold with a limited right of return and the Company may provide other credits or incentives, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize.

Disaggregated Revenue

 

The Company’s revenue includes amounts earned through sales to dealers and distributors located outside of the United States. There was no single foreign country that accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The following table sets forth revenue from the  United States,  Canada and all other international dealers and distributors combined (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

Revenue-United States

 

$

49,780

 

$

44,728

 

$

139,021

 

$

122,751

 

 

Revenue-Canada

 

 

5,812

 

 

5,386

 

 

16,714

 

 

14,882

 

 

Revenue-all other international sources

 

 

16,002

 

 

14,469

 

 

44,236

 

 

38,410

 

 

Total revenue

 

$

71,594

 

$

64,583

 

$

199,971

 

$

176,043

 

 

International revenue (excluding Canada) as a percent of total revenue

 

 

22

%  

 

22

%  

 

22

%  

 

22

%  

 

 

 Contract Balances 

As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, were $34.2 million and $29.9 million, respectively.

The Company extends credit to some of its dealers and distributors, which consist primarily of small, local businesses. Issuance of credit is based on ongoing credit evaluations by the Company of dealers’ and distributors’ financial condition and generally requires no collateral. Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not generally bear interest. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts to reserve

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for potential uncollectible receivables. The allowance is based upon the creditworthiness of the Company’s dealers and distributors, the dealers’ and distributors’ historical payment experience, the age of the receivables and current market and economic conditions. Provisions for potentially uncollectible receivables are recorded in sales and marketing expenses. The Company writes off accounts receivable balances to the allowance for doubtful accounts when it becomes likely that they will not be collected.

The following table presents the changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Allowance

 

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

$

1,147

 

Provision

 

 

760

 

Write-offs

 

 

(365)

 

Balance at September 30, 2018

 

$

1,542

 

 

Payment terms and conditions vary by contract type, although terms generally include a requirement of payment within 30 days. In instances where the timing of revenue recognition differs from the timing of invoicing, the Company has determined the contracts generally do not include a significant financing component. The primary purpose of invoicing terms is to provide customers with simplified and predictable ways of purchasing products and services, not to receive financing from customers, such as invoicing at the beginning of a subscription term with revenue recognized ratably over the contract period.

Deferred revenue is comprised mainly of unearned revenue related to subscription services as well as revenue deferred on the sale of solution products for software updates and technical support. The following table presents the changes in deferred revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

    

Deferred Revenue

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

$

7,682

Deferred revenue

 

 

6,253

Recognition of deferred revenue

 

 

(5,718)

Balance at September 30, 2018

 

$

8,217

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations represent contracted revenue that has not yet been recognized (“contracted not recognized”), which includes unearned revenue and amounts that will be invoiced and recognized as revenue in future periods. Contracted but not recognized revenue was $9.1 million as of September 30, 2018, of which the Company expects to recognize approximately 42% of the revenue over the next 12 months and the remainder over a period of three to four years.

Assets Recognized from the Costs to Obtain a Contract with a Customer

The Company has elected to immediately expense contract acquisition costs that would be amortized in one year or less. The Company recognizes an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if the benefit of those costs is expected to be longer than one year; these incremental costs were immaterial during both periods presented.

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8. Equity Compensation

 

Stock Options

 

In 2003, the Board of Directors adopted the 2003 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2003 Plan”), which provided for the granting of nonqualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock awards, restricted stock units and restricted stock awards. Under the 2003 Plan, the Company was able to grant nonqualified and incentive stock options to directors, employees and non-employees providing services to the Company. On June 11, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”), which was subsequently approved by the Company’s stockholders. The 2013 Plan became effective as of the closing of the Company’s initial public offering. To the extent that any awards outstanding under the 2003 Plan are forfeited or lapse unexercised after August 1, 2013, the shares of common stock subject to such awards will become available for issuance under the 2013 Plan. The 2013 Plan provides for annual increases in the number of reserved shares of 5% of the outstanding number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock as of the preceding December 31. On January 1, 2018, the number of reserved shares was increased by 1,291,644 in accordance with the provisions of the 2013 Plan.

 

A summary of stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30,  2018 is presented below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

 

 

    

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Shares Subject

 

Weighted

 

Remaining

 

 

 

to Options

 

Average

 

Contractual

 

 

    

Outstanding

    

Exercise Price

    

Life (Years)

  

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

2,069,802

 

 

12.13

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(942,665)

 

 

11.38

 

 

 

Expired

 

(2,809)

 

 

5.72

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

(5,048)

 

 

13.42

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2018

 

1,119,280

 

 

12.77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercisable options at September 30, 2018

 

1,031,009

 

 

12.93

 

4.7

 

Vested and expected to vest at September 30, 2018

 

1,119,280

 

 

12.77

 

4.9

 

 

The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable at September 30,  2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Outstanding

 

Options Exercisable

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

    

Weighted-

    

 

    

Weighted-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Number of

 

Remaining

 

Number of

 

Remaining

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise

 

Underlying

 

Contractual

 

Underlying

 

Contractual

 

Range of Exercise Prices

    

Price

    

Shares

    

Life (in years)

    

Shares

    

Life (in years)

  

$

4.89

-

7.49

 

 

6.12

 

315,730

 

2.8

 

309,965

 

2.7

 

$

8.16

-

12.93

 

 

10.51

 

287,084

 

5.5

 

228,793

 

5.3

 

$

12.98

-

19.56

 

 

15.60

 

284,397

 

6.1

 

260,182

 

6.1

 

$

20.91

-

22.92

 

 

21.15

 

232,069

 

5.4

 

232,069

 

5.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,119,280

 

 

 

1,031,009

 

 

 

 

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For the stock option awards vested during the three and nine months ended September 30,  2018, the total fair value was $0.4 million and $1.6 million, respectively.  The following table summarizes the aggregate intrinsic-value of options exercised, exercisable and vested and expected to vest (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

and as of September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

Options Exercised

 

$

18,077

 

$

8,927

 

Options Exercisable

 

 

22,068

 

 

39,360

 

Options Vested and Expected to Vest

 

 

24,130

 

 

45,152

 

 

Restricted stock units

 

A summary of restricted stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30,  2018 is presented below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of

 

Weighted Average

 

 

    

Shares

    

Grant Date Fair Value

 

Non-vested balance at December 31, 2017

 

1,290,660

 

$

9.75

 

Awarded

 

461,350

 

 

28.46

 

Vested

 

(743,514)

 

 

10.04

 

Forfeited

 

(53,880)

 

 

11.18

 

Non-vested balance at September 30, 2018

 

954,616

 

 

18.49

 

 

During the nine months ended September 30,  2018,  743,514 restricted stock units vested of which 242,531 shares were withheld for tax purposes resulting in the issuance of 500,983 shares of common stock.

 

Company Matching Contribution to our 401(k) Plan

 

The Company offers a 401(k) Plan and in November 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a matching contribution by the Company starting in 2017. Matching contributions are as follows: the Company will match 100% of the first 1% of salary contributed by a participant, and 50% of the next 5% of salary contributed by a participant, for a maximum matching contribution of 3.5% of the salary of a participant up to the limit on contributions imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).  Currently, the Company funds its match in contribution with shares of Control4’s common stock.  During the nine months ended September 30,  2018, the Company contributed 30,482 shares of stock to employees under this plan and recorded $1.1 million of expenses associated with this contribution.

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

Total stock-based compensation expense has been classified as follows in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

Cost of revenue

 

$

59

 

$

66

 

$

182

 

$

185

 

Research and development

 

 

1,115

 

 

1,031

 

 

3,233

 

 

3,210

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

941

 

 

883

 

 

2,877

 

 

2,831

 

General and administrative

 

 

1,314

 

 

1,048

 

 

3,793

 

 

2,965

 

Total stock-based compensation expense

 

$

3,429

 

$

3,028

 

$

10,085

 

$

9,191

 

 

At September 30,  2018, there was $1.0 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock option awards that will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.5 years. At September 30,  

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2018, there was $13.4 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock units that will be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years if all vesting conditions are met.

 

9. Share Repurchases

 

In February 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20.0 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company repurchased 600,000 shares for $16.0 million compared to 119,007 shares for $1.8 million in the same period in 2017.

 

In October 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the expansion of the repurchase program providing approval for the Company to repurchase an additional $20 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market until December 31, 2019. As a result, the Company has $24.0 million remaining under the share repurchase program.

 

10. Income Taxes

 

On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted tax reform legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“the Tax Act”). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including, but not limited to, a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018. The Company is required to recognize the effect of the tax law changes in the period of enactment. In order to calculate this effect, the Company must determine the transition tax amount and remeasure U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“SAB 118”), which allows the Company to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. Where the Company has been able to make reasonable estimates of the effects of the Tax Act for which its analysis is not yet complete, the Company has recorded provisional amounts in accordance with SAB 118. Where the Company has not yet been able to make reasonable estimates of the impact of certain elements of the Tax Act, the Company has not recorded any amounts related to those elements and has continued accounting for them in accordance with the tax laws in effect immediately prior to the enactment of the Tax Act.

 

Although the accounting for the Tax Act is incomplete, the Company was able to make reasonable estimates of certain effects of the Tax Act and record provisional amounts at December 31, 2017. The Tax Act reduces the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 34% to 21% for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The Company evaluated the decrease in the tax rate and in 2017 recorded a provisional, one-time tax expense of approximately $9.0 million. This expense was offset by an equal change in the valuation allowance, resulting in a net tax expense or benefit of $0.  The Company also recorded a one-time tax benefit and corresponding reduction to the valuation allowance of $0.4 million related to Alternative Minimum Tax credit carryforwards that are expected to be refundable; the Tax Act contributed to $0.2 million of this tax benefit.

 

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company recorded the federal income tax impact of the one-time mandatory transition tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings resulting in a one-time deferred tax expense of $0.4 million. As anticipated, the Company fully offset the one-time deferred tax expense with a corresponding reduction to the valuation allowance of $0.4 million. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company recorded an additional $0.1 million expense for the transition tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings due to new regulations the Treasury Department issued during the third quarter.  This additional expense was also fully offset by a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance of $0.1 million. The total impact of the one-time mandatory transition tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings reduced the Company’s net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes by $2.2 million, from $66.7 million to $64.5 million at December 31, 2017.

 

The financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 do not reflect the impact of certain aspects of the Tax Act as the Company did not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in sufficient detail to determine an actual or provisional amount for the tax effects of the Tax Act. Although the Company completed its accounting for the federal income tax impact of the one-time tax on unrepatriated foreign earnings as of September 30, 2018, it was not able to complete the accounting for state income

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tax items related to this one-time tax. As a result, no provisional amounts have been recorded for the state tax impact of the one-time tax. Additionally, the Company is still evaluating the unrecognized deferred tax liability related to investment in foreign subsidiaries that will remain indefinitely reinvested subsequent to the one-time transition tax. The Company anticipates that this will not impact tax expense, as the Company intends to continue indefinitely reinvesting its unremitted foreign earnings in Australia and the U.K.

 

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company concluded a U.S. federal income tax examination with the IRS for the tax years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2016.  The examination resulted in reductions to U.S. federal NOL carryovers of $0.6 million.  The Company recognized a deferred tax expense of $0.1 million as a result of the IRS exam, which was offset by a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance and a deferred tax benefit of $0.1 million, for a net tax impact of $0.

 

The Tax Act also creates a new requirement on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) earned by foreign subsidiaries. The GILTI provisions require foreign subsidiary earnings in excess of an allowable return on the foreign subsidiary’s assets to be included in the Company’s U.S. income tax return. Under U.S. GAAP, the Company is permitted to make an accounting policy election to either treat taxes due on future inclusions in U.S. taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred or to factor such amounts into the Company's measurement of its deferred taxes. The Company is estimating a taxable income inclusion related to GILTI for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and has made the election to account for GILTI as a component of current taxes incurred rather than as a component of deferred taxes.

 

In order to determine the quarterly provision for income taxes, the Company considers the estimated annual effective tax rate, which is based on expected annual taxable income and statutory tax rates in the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Certain significant or unusual items are separately recognized in the quarter during which they occur and can be a source of variability in the effective tax rates from quarter to quarter.

 

Income tax expense was $0.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018, compared to $0.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, or approximately 1% and 2% of income before income taxes, respectively. Income tax expense was $0.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to income tax benefit of $2.5 million for the nine months ended September 30,  2017, or approximately 1% and 34% of income before taxes, respectively. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the domestic valuation allowance offsetting most of the statutory rate. The rate is increased by foreign income taxes, state income taxes or taxes in states for which net operating loss carryforwards are not available, and the impact of incentive stock options as well as other permanent differences. As of December 31, 2017, the Company’s NOL carryforward amounts for U.S. federal income and state tax purposes were $63.9 million and $67.8 million, respectively. The NOL carryforwards will expire between 2020 and 2037. In addition to the NOL carryforwards, as of December 31, 2017, the Company had U.S. federal and state research and development credit carryforwards of $6.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively, which will expire between 2018 and 2034.

 

Significant judgment is required in determining the Company’s provision for income taxes, recording valuation allowances against deferred tax assets and evaluating the Company’s uncertain tax positions. In evaluating the ability to recover its deferred tax assets, in full or in part, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including past operating results, forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Due to historical net losses incurred and the uncertainty of realizing the deferred tax assets, for all the periods presented, the Company has a full valuation allowance against domestic deferred tax assets. To the extent that the Company generates positive income and expects, with reasonable certainty, to continue to generate positive domestic income, the Company may release the valuation allowance in a future period. This release would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets, resulting in a decrease to income tax expense for the period such release is made. In addition, the effective tax rate in subsequent periods would increase, and more closely approximate the federal statutory rate of 21%, after giving consideration to state income taxes, foreign income taxes, tax credits, the effect of stock-based compensation windfalls or shortfalls, and the exercise of incentive stock options.

 

The Company files income tax returns in the United States, including various state and local jurisdictions. The Company’s subsidiaries file income tax returns in the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Germany, India and

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Serbia. We are subject to federal income tax as well as income tax of multiple state and foreign jurisdictions. We are no longer subject to income tax examinations for the following jurisdictions and years: federal, for years before 2015; state and local, for years before 2013; or foreign, for years before 2012. However, federal net operating loss and credit carryforwards from all years are subject to examination and adjustments for at least three years following the year in which the attributes are used.

 

11. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Operating Leases

 

The Company leases office and warehouse space under operating leases that expire between 2019 and 2025. The terms of the leases include periods of free rent, options for the Company to extend the leases (three to five years) and increasing rental rates over time. The Company recognizes rental expense under these operating leases on a straight-line basis over the lives of the leases and has accrued for rental expense recorded but not paid.

 

Rental expense was approximately $1.0 million and $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $2.7 million and $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Future minimum rental payments required under non-cancelable operating leases with initial or remaining terms in excess of one year consist of the following as of September 30, 2018 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remainder of 2018

    

$

1,166

 

2019

 

 

4,860

 

2020

 

 

4,598

 

2021

 

 

2,391

 

2022

 

 

866

 

Thereafter

 

 

1,313

 

 

 

$

15,194

 

 

Purchase Commitments

 

The Company had non-cancellable purchase commitments for the purchase of inventory, which extend through August 2019 totaling approximately $54.2 million as of September 30, 2018.

 

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

The Company has agreed to indemnify its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is or was serving at the Company’s request in such capacity. The maximum amount of potential future indemnification is unlimited; however, the Company has a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy that provides corporate reimbursement coverage that limits its exposure and enables it to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. The Company has no liabilities recorded for these agreements as of September 30, 2018, as there were no outstanding claims.

 

Legal Matters

 

From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings, that if determined adversely to us, we believe would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

 

 

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ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion and analysis is intended to provide greater details of our results of operations and financial condition and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 15, 2018, and our condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this document, as well as other documents we file with the SEC from time to time. Certain statements in this Quarterly Report constitute forward-looking statements and as such, involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include any expectation of earnings, revenues or other financial items including without limitation statements about the anticipated effect of any acquisitions on our business or financial performance; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations or growth; factors that may affect our operating results; statements related to future capital expenditures; statements related to future economic conditions or performance; statements as to industry trends or market opportunities and other matters that do not relate strictly to historical facts or statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may” or “will,” and similar expressions or variations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A of Part II of this Quarterly Report, and the risks discussed in our other SEC filings.

 

We urge you to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report and not give undue reliance to these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management based on information currently available to management. The forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report are made only as of the date of this Quarterly Report. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to our company or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. We do not undertake, and specifically disclaim, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements, except as required by law.

 

Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (the “MD&A”) is provided in addition to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and notes to assist readers in understanding our operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our MD&A is organized as follows:

 

·

Overview. Discussion of our business and overall analysis of financial and other highlights affecting our business in order to provide context for the remainder of the MD&A.

·

Factors and Trends Affecting our Performance. A summary of certain market factors and trends that we believe are important to our business that we must successfully address in order to continue to grow our business.

·

Key Operating and Financial Metrics. Key operating and financial metrics that we use to evaluate and manage our business.

·

Results of Operations. An analysis of our financial results comparing 2018 to 2017.

·

Liquidity and Capital Resources. An analysis of changes in our balance sheets and cash flows, and discussion of our financial condition and potential sources of liquidity.

·

Non-GAAP Financial Measures. A reconciliation of certain non-GAAP financial measures used by management to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget, and to develop short- and long-term operational plans.

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·

Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements. An overview of our contractual obligations, contingent liabilities, commitments and off-balance sheet arrangements outstanding as of September 30, 2018, including an expected payment schedule.

·

Critical Accounting Estimates. Accounting estimates that we believe are most important to understanding the assumptions and judgments incorporated in our reported financial results and forecasts.

Overview

 

Control4 is a leading provider of smart home and business solutions that are designed to personalize and enhance how consumers engage with an ever-changing connected world. Our entertainment, smart lighting, comfort and convenience, safety and security, and networking solutions unlock the potential of connected devices, making entertainment systems easier to use and more accessible, homes and businesses more comfortable and energy efficient, and individuals more secure. Our premium smart home and small business solutions provide consumers with the ability to integrate audio, video, lighting, temperature, security, communications, network management and other functionalities into a unified automation solution, customized to match their lifestyles and business needs. Our advanced software, delivered through our controller products, cloud services and user-interface products, power this customized experience, enabling cohesive interoperability with thousands of connected Control4 and third-party devices.

 

Consumers purchase our smart solutions from our worldwide network of certified independent dealers, distributors, and retailers. These dealers, distributors and retailers design and install customized solutions to fit the specific needs of each consumer, whether it is a one-room home theater set-up or a whole-home automation system that features the integration of audio, video, lighting, temperature, security, network management and communications devices. Our products are installed in both new and existing residences, multi-dwelling units and small commercial facilities. We refer to revenue from sales of our products through these dealers, distributors and retailers as our Core revenue (“Core revenue”). In addition, a portion of our revenue is attributable to sales in the hospitality industry, primarily related to products installed in hotels, which is excluded from our calculation of Core revenue as well as certain specialty display products and associated installation sales in Australia. Our revenue from sales to hotels is generally project-based and has been significant in some periods and insignificant in other periods. In the future, we expect revenue from hospitality to continue to be project-based and uneven from period to period. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, over 4,440 active direct dealers were authorized to sell and install the full Control4 line of products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Germany and  57 other countries, and 32 distributors were authorized to cover an additional 44 countries where we do not have direct dealer relationships. These distributors sell our solutions through dealers and provide warehousing, training, technical support, and billing for dealers in each of those countries. We have approximately 980 additional active dealers and 16 distributors that are currently authorized to sell only our Pakedge and Triad product lines. 

 

We derive the majority of our revenue from the sale of products that contain our proprietary software, which functions as the operating system of the home or business and other related ancillary products used in automation projects. We also generate revenue from the sale of annual subscriptions to our 4Sight subscription service. Our 4Sight services give homeowners the ability to (1) personalize their automation system through simple programming, referred to as “When >> Then”; (2) remotely monitor and control their smart home solutions from their mobile devices; (3) receive e-mail and push notification alerts regarding their home; (4) communicate through our audio/video application, Intercom Anywhere;  and (5) enable voice recognition services.

 

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We were founded in 2003 and began shipping our products and generating revenue in 2005. Our revenue growth rates for the last five complete calendar years are shown in the following table (dollars in millions):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

    

2017

* As adjusted

    

2016

* As adjusted

    

2015

    

2014

    

2013

 

 

Core revenue

 

$

238.8

 

$

203.2

 

$

160.7

 

$

144.7

 

$

126.4

 

 

Core revenue growth over prior year

 

 

18

%  

 

26

%  

 

11

%  

 

14

% 

 

20

% 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Other revenue

 

$

5.4

 

$

4.9

 

$

2.5

 

$

4.1

 

$

2.1

 

 

Other revenue changes over prior year

 

 

10

%  

 

96

%  

 

(39)

%  

 

95

 

(46)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenue

 

$

244.2

 

$

208.1

 

$

163.2

 

$

148.8

 

$

128.5

 

 

Total revenue growth over prior year

 

 

17

%  

 

28

%  

 

10

%  

 

16

 

17

 

*The revenue growth rate data for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 reflects the adoption of ASC 606. The revenue growth rate data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 does not reflect the adoption of ASC 606.

Over the past five years, we have experienced double-digit annual growth in Core revenue. Our Core revenue growth during that period has been the result of a combination of the net addition of new independent dealers and distributors to our sales channels, an increase in the number of projects performed by our existing network of independent dealers and distributors, and the addition of new products developed internally and acquired through business combinations. We believe our ability to grow our core sales channel has been enhanced through product innovation, expansion of our product offerings and helping our independent dealers and distributors grow their business. Some recent developments that we believe may enhance our offerings and help drive growth include, but are not limited to, the following: 

·

Added BakPak remote management capability to all Pakedge WK and WX access points, as well as PowerPak power distribution units, allowing our Dealers to easily reboot their customers’ devices, update firmware, or change WiFi passwords remotely;

·

Released OS 2.10.4, featuring expanded music streaming service integration with Amazon Music and Deezer HiFi as well as added hands-on personalization choices for homeowners with our “When >> Then” automation;

·

Released Intercom Anywhere, a modern video doorbell enabling homeowners to see and communicate with visitors at the front door, whether they’re home or away, in addition to allowing the homeowner to see who’s at the door prior to answering;

·

Unveiled over 150 Control4 Certified Showrooms built by Control4 Authorized Dealers at their locations across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China, and Australia, revolutionizing how people learn about, experience, and interact with Control4 smart home solutions. The Control4 Certified Showroom program is designed to direct homeowners, architects, and designers in the market for smart home solutions to a location where they can experience Control4 solutions in a showroom environment;

·

Introduced our new CA-1 controller, an entry level controller for projects that only include lighting, temperature control, and security integration, and do not require additional entertainment features found in our EA series of controllers; and

·

Launched an extensive line of Triad high-resolution multi-room audio products featuring a single-zone streaming amplifier, a power amplifier, and two audio matrix switches, designed to deliver high-resolution audio in every corner of the home, from the source to the listener’s ears.

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While our historical revenue growth has been primarily organic, we have completed several recent acquisitions that we believe enhance our product offerings and position us for continued growth in the future. Recent acquisitions that have impacted our growth include the acquisition of Pakedge in 2016 and Triad in 2017.

 

Historically, we have experienced seasonal variations in our revenue as a result of holiday-related factors that are common in our industry. Our revenue is generally highest in the fourth quarter due to consumers’ desires to complete their home installations prior to the holiday season. We generally see decreased sales in the first quarter due to seasonal purchase tendencies of consumers as well as the impact of winter weather on new construction and travel in certain geographies. In addition, our year-over-year revenue growth on a quarterly basis is not always linear for a variety of reasons including: the timing of new product releases, the use of marketing programs to accelerate intra-quarter sales of certain products or product families, the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and the impact of general regional economic conditions on consumer buying decisions and harsh weather that delayed or canceled building projects. We generally expect these seasonal and other trends to continue in the future, which may cause quarterly fluctuations in our results of operations and certain financial metrics.

 

Factors and Trends Affecting Our Performance

 

A number of industry trends have facilitated our growth over the past several years, including the proliferation of connected devices and the constant growth of network-enabled homes and businesses. From smartphones to smart watches to smart cars, technology is transforming nearly every aspect of our lives, streamlining daily routines and providing quick, easy access to the capabilities and content we want most. Not only are new technologies providing convenience on-the-go, but they are becoming increasingly accessible. Voice services are a recent example of an emerging technology in our connected world, and our integration with Amazon Alexa helps keep us at the forefront of our industry in our adoption of voice-activated solutions. We remain committed to embracing emerging technologies through our open platform and broad ecosystem.

 

Our open platform makes it easy for a broad community of original equipment manufacturer partners to participate in our smart home ecosystem, which includes over 12,500 drivers and approximately 5,800 Simple Device Discovery Protocol enabled (“SDDP”-enabled) products, compared to 3,300 SDDP-enabled products reported in Q1 2018.  The increase in SDDP-enabled products is due to the implementation and shipment of hundreds of new SDDP-enabled television models worldwide by manufacturers such as LG, Samsung and Sony. We believe that these and other companies are increasingly recognizing the value of including SDDP with their new releases to simplify integration of their products into Control4 installations. Our broad ecosystem, which includes audio, video, lighting, temperature, network, security and communication device categories, gives consumers flexibility to integrate nearly any connectable device into their smart home. In addition, our partners are constantly contributing new device integrations. As such, our dynamic ecosystem remains current with the latest product innovations and allows our smart home platform to grow alongside emerging technologies to meet our consumers’ changing needs and preferences. We believe that our open platform and the resulting ecosystem is a key competitive advantage that will continue to facilitate our growth.

 

Our products leverage both wired and wireless technologies and are designed to be installed in both new construction and existing homes. We expect that future increases in both new home construction and existing home renovations will have a positive impact on our revenue. In new home construction, we continue to engage builders to introduce entry- to mid-level Control4 systems as a standard feature in new home projects, and we believe that the release of our new CA-1 controller, at the lowest price point of any Control4 controller, will help with adoption of our solutions in these types of projects. We further believe home automation is increasingly becoming a higher priority for home buyers, and this is one of the reasons for our investment in national and regional builder programs.

 

We believe that the growth of our business and our future success are dependent upon many factors, including the rates at which consumers adopt our products and services, our commitment to growing the awareness of our brands, our ability to optimize and expand our dealer and distributor network, our ability to expand internationally, our ability to meet competitive challenges, and our ability to respond to worldwide economic events. While each of these areas presents significant opportunities for us, they also pose important challenges that we must successfully address to sustain or expand the growth of our business and improve our results of operations. These challenges include:

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·

Increasing Adoption Rates of Our Products and Services. We are focused on increasing adoption rates of our products and services through enhancements to our software platform and product offerings. We intend to accomplish these enhancements through both continued investments in research and development activities and acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies.

·

Growing Our Leadership Position in the Industry. We are committed to growing awareness of the Control4, Pakedge, and Triad brands among our dealers, distributors and partners. We believe that our investments in creating brand awareness in the industry have contributed to dealer recruitment, product adoption, and revenue growth. We are proud of the many awards we received from various industry groups and dealer consortiums, formally recognizing our commitment to excellence. For example, Control4 was named the top home automation provider in seven of the 2018 CE Pro Brand Analysis categories. Notably, Control4 was named the Brand Leader in Whole-House Automation for the fourth consecutive year, and Pakedge was named the Brand Leader for Home Networks for the sixth year in a row.

·

Accelerating and Enhancing Consumer Lead Generation. We remain focused on generating and pursuing leads received from our marketing efforts. We are continuing to invest in new online tools and inside sales representatives to qualify inbound inquiries and direct them to qualified independent dealers. To date, our enhanced lead generation strategies continue to increase consultations, bids and project installations. Through the continual optimization of our marketing efforts and investment, we believe we can improve lead conversion rates and increase the amount of revenue per lead.

 

·

Optimizing and Expanding Our North America Dealer Network. We intend to continue to optimize the performance of and expand our network of dealers in North America to ensure that we have geographic coverage and technical expertise to address our existing markets and new markets into which we plan to expand. We continue to work with all appropriately qualified dealers to explore our home control, networking, and audio solutions, and we continue to cross-train and cross-certify dealers in accordance with our existing standards of technical proficiency and business practices.

 

·

Expanding our International Dealer and Distributor Network. We believe that our future growth will depend in part on our ability to expand our dealer and distributor network outside of North America, to adapt our products and services to foreign markets, and to increase awareness of our brands internationally. We continue to add field sales and service personnel to assist in the optimization of our international channels. We have adopted a direct-to-dealer model in specific international regions, namely in the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Australia, and we will continue to evaluate opportunities in other countries.

 

·

Managing Competition. The market for home automation is fragmented, highly competitive and continually evolving. In addition to competing with traditional players in the luxury segment of the home automation market, including Crestron, Elan, and Savant, a number of large technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung offer device control capabilities within some of their products, applications and services, and are engaged in ongoing efforts to address the broader home automation market. In addition, managed service companies such as ADT, Alarm.com, Comcast, and Vivint, have broadened their service offerings to include control of devices such as door locks, lights, and cameras. Our ability to compete in the growing home automation market over the next several years will be a key factor in our ability to continue to grow our business and meet or exceed our future expectations.

 

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Key Operating and Financial Metrics

 

We use the following key operating and financial metrics to evaluate and manage our business.

 

North America Direct Dealers(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

Authorized dealers at the beginning of the period

 

3,280

 

3,085

 

3,174

 

2,994

 

Additions

 

90

 

69

 

254

 

233

 

Terminations

 

(14)

 

(15)

 

(72)

 

(88)

 

Authorized dealers at the end of the period

 

3,356

 

3,139

 

3,356

 

3,139

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of active dealers(2)

 

3,217

 

3,019

 

3,217

 

3,019

 

Active dealers as a % of authorized dealers(2)

 

96

%  

96

%  

96

%  

96

%  

 

International Direct Dealers(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

Authorized dealers at the beginning of the period

 

1,410

 

1,242

 

1,315

 

1,147

 

Additions

 

59

 

61

 

183

 

178

 

Terminations

 

(7)

 

(20)

 

(36)

 

(42)

 

Authorized dealers at the end of the period

 

1,462

 

1,283

 

1,462

 

1,283

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of active dealers(2)

 

1,226

 

1,148

 

1,226

 

1,148

 

Active dealers as a % of authorized dealers(2)

 

84

%  

89

%  

84

%  

89

%  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

Number of controllers sold

 

31,017

 

26,814

 

83,301

 

74,297

 

Core revenue growth

 

12

%  

17

%  

14

%  

17

%  

International core revenue as a percentage of total revenue

 

22

%  

22

%  

22

%  

21

%  


(1)

These dealer figures only include dealers authorized to sell and install the full Control4 line of products and exclude the approximately 980 dealers that are currently authorized to sell only the Pakedge and Triad line of products.

(2)

An “active dealer” is an authorized dealer that has placed an order with us in the trailing 12-month period.

 

Number of North America and Direct International Dealers

 

Because our dealers promote, sell, install and support our products, a broader dealer network allows us to reach more potential consumers across more geographic regions. We expect our dealer network to continue to grow, both in North America and internationally. While we have historically focused on dealers affiliated with CEDIA, our sales team focus includes adding new dealers outside of CEDIA, including non-traditional A/V dealers, electrical contractors, and security system installers.

 

Strengthening our worldwide dealer channel through business and installation tools, education programs, and new dealer recruitment also remains an ongoing priority. Our goal is to continuously increase our dealers’ productivity and growth. Enabling our dealers to increase productivity will ultimately drive our revenue growth.

 

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In conjunction with the broad availability of our newest generation products and software, we periodically review each of our current dealers with regard to their ability to successfully market, sell and install our current solutions. Part of developing a productive, capable dealer network, requires us to regularly review individual dealer performance and as necessary, terminate dealer licenses where volume, technical training and performance requirements are not fulfilled. We view this as a healthy part of growing our dealer channel worldwide.

 

As a result of our traditional efforts to expand our channel, the number of active international dealers for our full Control4 line of products increased 7% from September 30, 2017 to September 30, 2018, and we saw an increase of 7% in the number of active North American direct dealers during the same period.  

 

Number of Controllers Sold

 

Our controllers contain our proprietary software and provide consumers with the essential technology to enable home control, automation and personalization. The number of controllers we sell in a given period provides us with an indication of consumer adoption of our technology, though a variety of other factors may also impact controller sales variability from period to period. Our sales of controllers also create significant opportunity to sell our other products and services. Once a consumer has deployed our controller, we believe that the consumer is more likely to remain committed to our technology platform and purchase more of our products, applications and services in the future.

 

In February 2018, we released our CA-1 controller, which is designed for entry-level projects for homeowners interested in lighting, temperature control, and security. Our Entertainment and Audio (“EA”) and Controller and Automation (“CA”) controllers, together, better address a broad range of solutions from simple single room projects to large, elegant whole-home deployments. Our EA-1 and CA-1 controllers broaden the addressable market for our solutions by providing single-room and lower cost solutions which typically involve more narrowly defined use cases with fewer connected devices. During the nine months ended September 30,  2018,  24% of the Control4 automation projects our dealers sold were single-room or low-cost projects consisting only of a controller or controller paired with a remote. 

 

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we sold 31,017 and 83,301 controllers, respectively, compared to 26,814 and 74,297 controllers sold in the same period in 2017, respectively, an increase of 16% and 12%, respectively.

 

Core Revenue Growth

 

The majority of our revenue comes from sales of our products through our distribution channels comprised of independent dealers in the United States and Canada, and independent dealers and distributors located throughout the rest of the world. We refer to revenue attributable to sales through dealers located in the United States and Canada as “North America Core revenue,” and revenue attributable to sales through dealers and distributors located throughout the rest of the world as “International Core revenue.” Core revenue does not include revenue from sales to hotels or certain specialty display products and associated installation sales in Australia.

 

International Revenue as a Percentage of Total Revenue

 

We believe that the international market represents a large and underpenetrated opportunity for us. We have established or acquired sales support offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, China, and India. We have formed relationships with independent international dealers and distributors, and we have expanded foreign language support for our solutions. We track international revenue as a percentage of total revenue as a key measure of our success in expanding our business internationally.

 

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Results of Operations

 

Revenue

 

The following is a breakdown of our revenue between North America and International Core revenue and other revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

North America Core Revenue

 

$

54,030

 

$

48,601

 

$

152,087

 

$

135,074

 

 

International Core Revenue

 

 

15,815

 

 

13,973

 

 

43,756

 

 

37,308

 

 

Other Revenue

 

 

1,749

 

 

2,009

 

 

4,128

 

 

3,661

 

 

Total Revenue

 

$

71,594

 

$

64,583

 

$

199,971

 

$

176,043

 

 

North America Core Revenue as a % of Total Revenue

 

 

75

%  

 

75

%  

 

76

%  

 

77

%  

 

International Core Revenue as a % of Total Revenue

 

 

22

%  

 

22

%  

 

22

%  

 

21

%  

 

 

North America Core revenue increased $5.4 million, or 11%, and $17.0 million, or 13%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017. International Core revenue increased $1.8 million, or 13%, and $6.4 million, or 17%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017.

 

Revenue growth in both North America and internationally is driven by a variety of factors.  We continue to see growth from net new dealer additions as well as growth from existing dealers driven by an increase in the number of projects that are being performed and increased project share, which is a derivative of our new product innovation and our acquisition strategy.

 

Our international sales model includes both direct-to-dealer and distribution channels. In targeted international regions and countries, we generally invest in some combination of local technical support, training personnel and facilities, warehousing and fulfillment, and sales support personnel.  We have made these types of investments in the regions serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India and these are markets where we see our greatest opportunity for international growth and expansion.

 

The following table further breaks out our International Core revenue and illustrates the relative revenue growth we are experiencing in the regions serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India compared to other international regions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

 

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

Targeted International Regions (1)

 

$

12,298

 

$

10,692

 

$

35,549

 

$

29,258

 

 

Other International Regions

 

 

3,517

 

 

3,281

 

 

8,207

 

 

8,050

 

 

Total International Core Revenue

 

$

15,815

 

$

13,973

 

$

43,756

 

$

37,308

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Serviced by our offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China, and India.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Core revenue in the targeted international regions grew 15% and 22% during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017, while International Core revenue in the other international regions increased 7% and 2% during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017. 

 

Improvements in foreign currency exchange rates and general economic conditions in our targeted international regions have generally contributed to an increase in revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same periods in 2017. A higher percentage of sales were made direct-to-dealer in our other international regions during the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in

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2017. The revenue growth in our other international regions was negatively impacted by ownership changes and unfavorable geo-political conditions during the first half of 2018.

 

We continue to make investments internationally to improve our dealers’ ability to sell and install our products and believe that these investments will enable us to grow our key international markets. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we sell broadly throughout the world and we believe that regional, adverse international economic conditions may create challenges and slow growth in certain geographies in the future.

 

Gross Margin

 

As a percentage of revenue, our gross margin has been, and will continue to be, affected by a variety of factors. Our gross margin is relatively consistent across our products. Our gross margin on third-party products that we sell through our online distribution platform is higher than our gross margin on our other product sales because we only recognize our net profit on these sales as revenue. While software licensing and subscription revenue is not material for all periods presented, our gross margin is higher on software licensing and subscription revenue than it is on product sales. Our gross margin is also higher on our sales made directly through dealers than it is on our sales made through distributors. Gross margin may be negatively affected by price competition in our target markets, associated promotional or volume incentive rebates offered to our independent dealers and distributors, as well as import and export tariffs.

 

In addition, in conjunction with our acquisition of Triad in 2017, we were required to record acquired inventory at fair value, as determined under ASC 805, Business Combinations, resulting in a step-up in the inventory value. Such step-up is recorded through cost of goods sold when the specific inventory is sold, resulting in a negative impact to our gross margin. Also, cost of goods sold includes ongoing, periodic amortization of the acquired technology.

 

Gross margin for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

Gross margin

 

$

37,110

 

$

33,063

 

$

104,211

 

$

89,471

 

 

Percentage of revenue

 

 

51.8

%  

 

51.2

%  

 

52.1

%  

 

50.8

%  

 

 

As a percentage of revenue, our gross margin was 51.8% and 52.1% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to 51.2% and 50.8% for the same periods in 2017, respectively. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to favorable fluctuations in exchange rates in markets where we sell our products in the local currency, lower programmatic price reductions, and an increase in 4Sight subscriptions due to enabling end customers with the ability to self-renew their subscriptions online.  

 

Our sales in Europe, Australia and Canada are generally priced in the pound sterling or the euro, the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar, respectively, while our cost of goods sold is denominated in the U.S. dollar. The changing value of the pound sterling, the euro, and the Australian and Canadian dollars relative to the U.S. dollar will continue to contribute to variability in our gross margin for sales in Europe, Australia and Canada.

 

The impact of distribution and other overhead expenses as a percentage of revenue on our gross margin percentage varies depending on total revenue and overhead spending in a given period.

 

Beginning in the second quarter of 2018, we began making incremental investments in our global fulfillment centers to accommodate growth and improve delivery times to our dealers, which will moderate our gross margin improvements during the remainder of 2018 but should enable us to continue to scale and improve gross margins in future years. These expenses will continue to increase during the fourth quarter as we begin shipping out of our new domestic east coast fulfillment center.  

 

Recently, the U.S. government announced new tariff rules on goods imported from China. The first of these new tariffs went into effect on July 6 and August 23, 2018 for certain classes of imported goods, while further tariffs

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are currently under consideration. During the fourth quarter of 2018, we expect to absorb the impact of the currently announced new tariffs. We will continue to monitor developments and changes to import tariffs so that we can plan and address these developments and changes, as well as explore all options to reduce the impact of any further rule changes. 

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of compensation for our engineers and product managers, including non-cash stock compensation expense. Research and development expenses also include prototyping and field-testing expenses incurred in the development of our products. We also include fees paid to agencies to obtain regulatory certifications. Finally, research and development expenses include ongoing, periodic amortization of acquired intangible assets.

 

Research and development expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

2018

    

2017

 

 

Research and development

 

$

11,144

 

$

10,347

 

$

32,595

 

$

30,246

 

 

Percentage of revenue

 

 

16

%  

 

16

%  

 

16

%  

 

17

%  

 

 

Research and development expenses increased $0.8 million, or 8%, and $2.3 million, or 8%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017. The increase in absolute dollars primarily relates to personnel costs, which in part can be attributed to increased headcount from our recent business acquisitions as well as support for existing product lines and ongoing innovations, as well as product development, tooling and contract labor costs.

 

Our research and development expenses both as a percentage of revenue and in absolute dollars fluctuate depending on our investments in the development of new solutions. For example, the timing of new hardware releases and the expense associated with prototyping, beta testing and compliance and regulatory fees can have an impact on total research and development expenses from period to period.

 

For the remainder of 2018, we expect research and development expenses to increase year over year in absolute dollars, as we continue to invest in new product development to drive future revenue growth, but to remain flat or decrease slightly as a percentage of revenue.

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation and related travel expenses for our sales, technical support and marketing personnel, including non-cash stock compensation expense. Sales and marketing expenses also include expenses associated with trade shows, marketing events, advertising and other marketing-related programs. We also include the amortization of certain intangible assets such as those related to our dealer network as well as those related to trademarks/trade names.

 

Sales and marketing expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

Sales and marketing

 

$

13,520

 

$

12,692

 

$

38,608

 

$

36,082

 

 

Percentage of revenue

 

 

19

%  

 

20

%  

 

19

%  

 

20

%  

 

 

Sales and marketing expenses increased $0.8 million, or 7%, and $2.5 million, or 7%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017. The increase in absolute dollars primarily relates to increased personnel costs, which can be attributed to expanding our support for our

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growing channel including additional staffing to support marketing and sales services provided on behalf of our dealers, as well as credit card processing fees associated with revenue growth and offsite events related to the release of the CA-1 controller.

 

We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase year over year in absolute dollars as we work to grow our global sales channels, but to decrease slightly as a percent of revenue in future periods.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for our employees in our executive administration, finance, information systems, human resource and legal departments, including non-cash stock-based compensation expense. Also included in general and administrative expenses are outside legal fees, audit fees, facilities expenses and insurance costs. Finally, during a period with an acquisition, we also include acquisition-related costs in general and administrative expenses.

 

General and administrative expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

General and administrative

 

$

6,913

 

$

5,109

 

$

19,534

 

$

16,413

 

 

Percentage of revenue

 

 

10

%  

 

8

%  

 

10

%  

 

9

%  

 

 

General and administrative expenses increased $1.8 million, or 35%, and $3.1 million, or 19%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2017. The increase in absolute dollars for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 primarily relates to personnel costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense, and professional fees, including costs associated with revised customs tariff rules and the audit of internal controls as we transition from being an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act as of December 31, 2018.

 

We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase year over year in absolute dollars as a result of growth in the business, increasing facilities costs associated with our various offices throughout the world, incremental professional fees related to the audit of internal controls, and increases in administrative expenses and fees that typically occur over time.

 

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

 

Income tax expense (benefit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 was as follows (in thousands, except percentages):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

$

67

 

$

85

 

$

112

 

$

(2,459)

 

 

Percentage of revenue

 

 

0

%  

 

0

%  

 

0

%  

 

1

%  

 

 

We recognized income tax expense of $0.1 million and $0.1 million, or approximately 1% and 1% of income before income taxes, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to income tax expense of $0.1 million and income tax benefit of $2.5 million, or approximately 2% and 34% of income before income taxes, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% in 2018 and 35% in 2017 primarily due to the domestic valuation allowance offsetting most of the statutory rate, partial reversal of the valuation allowance due to the deferred tax liabilities that were recorded as part of the Triad acquisition in 2017, state income taxes, foreign income taxes, and tax credits related to the exercise of incentive stock options.

 

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Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and evaluating our uncertain tax positions. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets, in full or in part, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including our past operating results, our forecast of future market growth, forecasted earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Due to historical net losses incurred and the uncertainty of realizing the deferred tax assets, for all the periods presented, we have a full valuation allowance against our domestic deferred tax assets. To the extent that we generate positive domestic income and expect, with reasonable certainty, to continue to generate positive income, we may release our valuation allowance in a future period. This release would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets and a decrease to income tax expense for the period such release is made.

 

On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted the Tax Act. The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among others. We are required to recognize the effect of the tax law changes in the period of enactment, such as determining the transition tax and remeasuring U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“SAB 118”), which allows us to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. Where we have been able to make reasonable estimates of the effects of the Tax Act for which our analysis is not yet complete, we have recorded provisional amounts in accordance with SAB 118. Where we have not yet been able to make reasonable estimates of the impact of certain elements of the Tax Act, we have not recorded any amounts related to those elements and have continued accounting for them in accordance with the tax laws in effect immediately prior to the enactment of the Tax Act.

 

For additional information with respect to our accounting for the Tax Act, see Note 10 “Income Taxes” in the notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Primary Sources of Liquidity

 

As of September 30, 2018, we had $91.2 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and net marketable securities, an increase of $5.1 million from December 31, 2017. The overall change in cash and cash equivalents and net marketable securities was primarily due to the following:

 

 

·

We generated $22.0 million in cash from operations during the period;

 

·

We received $10.7 million in proceeds from the exercise of options for common stock;

 

·

In February 2018, our Board of Directors authorized the expansion of the repurchase program providing approval to repurchase up to $20 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market; and in October 2018, the Board of Directors amended this amount by an additional $20 million and extended the repurchase period to December 31, 2019. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we have repurchased a total of 600,000 shares for approximately $16.0 million;

 

·

We made $6.4 million in payments for withholding taxes in lieu of issuing an additional 242,531 shares related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units that lapsed during the period;

 

·

We made capital purchases of approximately $3.9 million; and

 

·

We paid the $1.1 million Holdback to Triad in accordance with the purchase agreement.

 

We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy generally limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. Our investment policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss. The maturities of our long-term investments range from

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one to two years, with the average maturity of our investment portfolio less than one year. Cash equivalents and marketable securities are comprised of money market and other funds, highly liquid debt instruments of the U.S. government and its agencies, debt instruments issued by municipalities in the United States., corporate securities, and asset-backed securities.

 

The following table shows selected financial information as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30, 2018

    

December 31, 2017

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

35,373

 

$

29,761

 

Investments, net(1)

 

 

55,779

 

 

56,254

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

34,157

 

 

29,925

 

Inventories

 

 

41,621

 

 

37,171

 

Working capital

 

 

130,533

 

 

104,529

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Includes accrued investment balances not included in the investments line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

 

 

We closely monitor accounts receivable and inventory because of their significant impact on cash and working capital. Our accounts receivable balance at September 30, 2018 has increased by $4.2 million, or 14%, since December 31, 2017, due to our revenue growth. Furthermore, inventory has increased by $4.5 million from December 31, 2017 to September 30, 2018. The increase in inventory was due primarily to normal inventory buildup associated with revenue growth and the introduction of new products.

 

We have an asset-based, revolving credit facility of $40.0 million and at September 30, 2018 we had no outstanding borrowings under the credit facility.

 

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, as well as our borrowing capacity on our revolving credit facility, will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months.

 

Cash Flow Analysis

 

A summary of our cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 is set forth below (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

Unrestricted and restricted cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

 

$

30,034

 

$

35,060

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

21,988

 

 

15,389

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(4,513)

 

 

(26,826)

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

 

(11,719)

 

 

4,878

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(153)

 

 

397

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

5,603

 

 

(6,162)

 

Unrestricted and restricted cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

 

$

35,637

 

$

28,898

 

 

Operating Activities

 

Cash provided by operating activities is net income adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in certain assets and liabilities.

 

The increase in cash provided by operating activities of $6.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 is due to the differences in working capital account changes such as accounts receivable, inventory, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities partially offset by net

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income after adjusting for the non-cash effects of the amortization of intangible assets and tax benefits recorded in 2017 from business acquisitions.

 

Investing Activities

 

Cash used in investing activities primarily consist of purchases, maturities, and sales of marketable securities, business acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and purchases of property and equipment.

 

Cash used in investing activities decreased to $4.5 million in 2018 from $26.8 million in 2017. The year-over-year decrease in cash used in investing activities is due to cash used for business acquisitions in 2017.

 

Financing Activities

 

Financing cash flows consist primarily of the repurchase of common stock on the open market, proceeds from the exercise of options to acquire common stock, and tax payments related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we repurchased 600,000 shares of our stock in the open market for $16.0 million compared to 119,007 shares for $1.8 million in the same period in 2017.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, we received proceeds of $10.7 million and $11.3 million, respectively, from the exercise of options to purchase common stock.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, we made withholding tax payments of $6.4 million and $4.6 million, respectively, related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units that lapsed during the period.

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In addition to our GAAP operating results, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget, and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. These measures, which we refer to as our non-GAAP financial measures, are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP income from operations, and non-GAAP net income exclude non-cash expenses related to stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related costs, as well as expenses related to executive severance and litigation settlements.

 

Management believes that it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation expense because the amount of such expense in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations.

 

We have recently completed acquisitions which resulted in operating expenses that would not have otherwise been incurred. Management has provided supplementary non-GAAP financial measures, which exclude acquisition-related expense items, to allow more accurate comparisons of the financial results to historical operations, forward-looking guidance and the financial results of less acquisitive peer companies. Management considers these types of costs and adjustments to be largely unpredictable and dependent on a significant number of factors that are outside of our control. Furthermore, we do not consider these acquisition-related costs and adjustments to be related to the organic continuing operations of the acquired businesses and are generally not relevant to assessing or estimating the long-term performance of the acquired assets. In addition, the size, complexity and/or volume of past acquisitions, which often drives the magnitude of acquisition-related costs, may not be indicative of the size, complexity and/or volume of future acquisitions. By excluding acquisition-related costs and adjustments from our non-GAAP measures, management is better able to evaluate our ability to utilize its existing assets and estimate the long-term value that acquired assets will generate for us. We believe that providing a supplemental non-GAAP measure which excludes these items allows management and investors to consider the ongoing operations of the business both with, and without, such expenses.

 

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These acquisition-related costs are included in the following categories: (i) professional service fees, recorded in operating expenses, which include third-party costs related to the acquisition, and legal and other professional service fees associated with diligence, entity formation and corporate structuring, disputes and regulatory matters related to acquired entities; (ii) transition and integration costs, recorded in operating expenses, which include retention payments, transitional employee costs, earn-out payments treated as compensation expense, as well as the costs of integration-related services provided by third parties; and (iii) acquisition-related adjustments, which include adjustments to acquisition-related items such as being required to record inventory at its fair value, resulting in a step-up in the inventory value, and having to reverse part of our valuation allowance in order to offset the deferred tax liability that was recorded based on differences between the book and  tax  basis  of  assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The step-up in inventory is recorded through cost of goods sold when the inventory is sold, resulting in a negative impact to our gross margin. Although these expenses are not recurring with respect to past acquisitions, we will generally incur these types of expenses in connection with any future acquisitions.

 

We exclude the amortization of acquired intangible assets from non-GAAP measures. These amounts are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and size of acquisitions. Providing a supplemental measure that excludes these charges allows management and investors to evaluate results “as-if” the acquired intangible assets had been developed internally rather than acquired. Although we exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets from non-GAAP measures, we believe that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets contribute to revenue generation. Amortization of intangible assets that relate to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Future acquisitions may result in the amortization of additional intangible assets.

 

Furthermore, we believe it is useful to exclude expenses related to litigation settlements and executive severance because of the variable and unpredictable nature of these expenses which are not indicative of past or future operating performance. We believe that past and future periods are more comparable if we exclude these expenses.

 

We believe these adjustments provide useful comparative information to investors. Non-GAAP results are presented for supplemental informational purposes only for understanding our operating results. The non-GAAP results should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Our non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information that is directly comparable to that provided by other companies in our industry, as other companies in our industry may calculate non-GAAP financial results differently, particularly related to non-recurring, unusual items. We urge our investors to review the reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures included below, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

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Three Months Ended

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

    

2018

    

2017

 

 

(in thousands, except percentages and per share data)

Reconciliation of Gross Margin to Non-GAAP Gross Margin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin

 

$

37,110

 

$

33,063

 

 

$

104,211

 

$

89,471

 

Stock-based compensation expense in cost of revenue

 

 

59

 

 

66

 

 

 

182

 

 

185

 

Amortization of intangible assets in cost of revenue

 

 

888

 

 

802

 

 

 

2,733

 

 

2,367

 

Acquisition-related costs in cost of revenue

 

 

 —

 

 

37

 

 

 

 —

 

 

165

 

Non-GAAP gross margin

 

$

38,057

 

$

33,968

 

 

$

107,126

 

$

92,188

 

Revenue

 

$

71,594

 

$

64,583

 

 

$

199,971

 

$

176,043

 

Gross margin percentage

 

 

51.8

%  

 

51.2

%  

 

 

52.1

%  

 

50.8

%  

Non-GAAP gross margin percentage

 

 

53.2

%  

 

52.6

%  

 

 

53.6

%  

 

52.4

%  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reconciliation of Income (Loss) from Operations to Non-GAAP Income (Loss) from Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

 

$

5,533

 

$

4,915

 

 

$

13,474

 

$

6,730

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

3,429

 

 

3,028

 

 

 

10,085

 

 

9,191

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

1,401

 

 

1,334

 

 

 

4,286

 

 

3,885

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

 —

 

 

17

 

 

 

16

 

 

446

 

Non-GAAP income (loss) from operations

 

$

10,363

 

$

9,294

 

 

$

27,861

 

$

20,252

 

Revenue

 

$

71,594

 

$

64,583

 

 

$

199,971

 

$

176,043

 

Operating margin percentage

 

 

7.7

%  

 

7.6

%  

 

 

6.7

%  

 

3.8

%  

Non-GAAP operating margin percentage

 

 

14.5

%  

 

14.4

%  

 

 

13.9

%  

 

11.5

%  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Non-GAAP Net Income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

5,711

 

$

5,034

 

 

$

13,317

 

$

9,596

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

3,429

 

 

3,028

 

 

 

10,085

 

 

9,191

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

1,401

 

 

1,334

 

 

 

4,286

 

 

3,885

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

 —

 

 

17

 

 

 

16

 

 

(1,969)

 

Non-GAAP net income (loss) (1)

 

$

10,541

 

$

9,413

 

 

$

27,704

 

$

20,703

 

Non-GAAP net income (loss) (1) per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.40

 

$

0.38

 

 

$

1.06

 

$

0.84

 

Diluted

 

$

0.38

 

$

0.35

 

 

$

1.01

 

$

0.78

 

Weighted-average number of shares:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

26,397

 

 

25,050

 

 

 

26,116

 

 

24,551

 

Diluted

 

 

27,671

 

 

27,122

 

 

 

27,489

 

 

26,393

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Excludes the calculated effect of non-GAAP adjustments on income tax expense of $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively.

 

 

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in SEC Regulation S-K- 303(a)(4)(ii).

 

Contractual Obligations

 

We enter into long-term contractual obligations in the normal course of business, primarily purchase commitments and non-cancellable operating leases.

 

Our contractual cash obligations as of September 30, 2018 are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

Less than

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

More than

 

 

    

Total

    

1 year

    

1 - 3 years

    

3 - 5 years

    

5 years

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Operating lease obligations

 

 

15,194

 

 

4,853

 

 

7,940

 

 

1,612

 

 

789

 

Purchase commitments

 

 

54,164

 

 

54,164

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

Total contractual obligations

 

$

69,358

 

$

59,017

 

$

7,940

 

$

1,612

 

$

789

 

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. These estimates and assumptions are often based on judgments that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time made, but all such estimates and assumptions are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions, and it is possible that other professionals, applying their own judgment to the same facts and circumstances, could develop and support alternative estimates and assumptions that would result in material changes to our operating results and financial condition. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.

 

Our critical accounting policies and estimates are detailed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2018. None of our critical accounting policies and estimates have changed significantly since that filing.

 

Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

 

For information with respect to recent accounting pronouncements and the impact of these pronouncements on our condensed consolidated financial statements, see Note 1 “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in the notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Our market risk disclosures are detailed in Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2018. Other than our interest rate risk described below, our market risk has not changed significantly since that filing.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Changes in interest rates could affect the interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investments as well as the fair value of our investments. Our investment policy and strategy are focused on preservation of capital and supporting our liquidity requirements. A portion of our cash is managed by external managers within the guidelines of our investment policy.

 

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Our exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio. We invest in highly-rated securities, and our investment policy generally limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy requires investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss.

 

We performed a sensitivity analysis on the value of our investment portfolio assuming a hypothetical change in rates of 100 basis points. Based on investment positions as of September 30,  2018, a hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates across all maturities would result in a $0.2 million incremental decline in the fair market value of the portfolio. Such losses would only be realized if we sold the investments prior to maturity.

 

ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has 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 the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. The adoption of ASC 606 required the implementation of new controls and the modification of certain accounting processes related to revenue recognition. The impact of these changes was not material to our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Inherent Limitations of Internal Controls

 

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

 

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PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. Legal Proceedings

 

From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings, that if determined adversely to us, we believe would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

 

A description of certain risks and uncertainties associated with our business is set forth below. You should carefully consider such risks and uncertainties, together with the other information contained in this report, and in our other public filings. Factors that could cause our business, financial condition or operating results to differ materially from the plans, projections and other forward-looking statements included in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report and in our other public filings include, but are not limited to, the following risks and uncertainties, which could cause substantial harm to our business, financial condition or operating results and the market price of our stock to decline, perhaps significantly.

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

 

The markets in which we participate are highly competitive and many companies, including large technology companies, retailers, broadband and security service providers, as well as other managed service providers, are actively targeting the home automation market. Our failure to differentiate ourselves and compete successfully against these companies would make it difficult for us to add and retain consumers, and our sales and profitability could be adversely affected.

 

The market for home automation is fragmented, highly competitive and continually evolving. A number of technology companies, including industry leaders such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Honeywell, Lutron and Samsung, offer device control capabilities in some of their products, applications and services and are engaged in ongoing development efforts to address even broader segments of the home automation market. These large technology companies already have broad consumer awareness and sell a variety of devices for the home, and consumers may choose their offerings instead of ours, even if we offer broader interoperability or superior products and services. Additionally, these and other companies may further expand into our industry by developing additional solutions or by acquiring other providers. Similarly, many managed service providers, such as cable TV, telephone and security companies, are offering services that provide device control capability within the home for an additional monthly service fee. For example, Comcast’s Xfinity service offers residential security, energy and automation services, and Vivint and ADT have made significant efforts to market smart home services that incorporate these companies’ traditional security offerings. These managed service providers have the advantage of leveraging their existing consumer base, network of installation and support technicians and name recognition to gain traction in the home automation market. In addition, consumers may prefer the monthly service fee with little to no upfront cost offered by some of these managed service providers over a larger upfront cost with little to no monthly service fees.

 

We expect competition from these large technology companies, retailers and managed service providers to increase in the future. This increased competition could result in pricing pressure, reduced sales, lower margins or the failure of our solutions to achieve or maintain broad market acceptance. To remain competitive and to maintain our position as a leading provider of professionally installed automation and control solutions for the connected home, we will need to invest continuously in product development, marketing, dealer and distributor service and support, and product delivery infrastructure. We may not have sufficient resources to continue to make the investments in all of the areas needed to maintain our competitive position. In addition, many of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger consumer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than us, which may provide them with an advantage in developing, marketing or servicing new solutions. Increased competition could reduce our market share, revenue and operating margins, increase our operating costs, harm our competitive position or otherwise harm our business and results of operations.

 

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Consumers may choose to adopt point products that provide control of discrete home functionality or do-it-yourself (“DIY”) home automation solutions rather than adopt our unified, professionally-installed home automation solution. If we are unable to increase market acceptance of the benefits of our unified solution, our revenue may not continue to grow, or it may decline.

 

Many vendors have emerged, and may continue to emerge, to provide point products with advanced functionality for use in the home, such as a thermostat, lighting, doorbell or alarm system that can be controlled by an application on a smartphone or control panel. We expect more and more consumer electronic and consumer appliance products to be network-aware and connected—each very likely to have its own smart device (phone or tablet) application. Consumers may be attracted to the relatively low costs and ease of installation of these point products and the ability to expand their home control solution over time with minimal upfront costs, despite the disadvantages of this approach. While we have built our solution to be flexible and support many third-party point products, the adoption of these products may reduce the revenue we receive for each installation. It is therefore important that we provide attractive top-quality products in many areas, such as networking, lighting, audio, video, thermostats and security, and establish broad market awareness and acceptance of these solutions as well as the advantages of integrating them in a unified solution. If a significant number of consumers in our target market choose to rely solely on the functionality included in point products or DIY solutions rather than acquiring our unified automation solution, then our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed, and we may not be able to achieve sustained growth or our business may decline.

 

Providers of luxury integrated installations with long operating histories, established markets, broad user bases and proven consumer acceptance, may be successful in expanding their offerings in the mainstream home automation market, or otherwise compete against our solutions, which may reduce our market share and harm our growth and future prospects.

 

Many companies with which we directly compete have been operating in this industry for many years, and as a result, have established significant name recognition in the home automation industry. For example, Crestron, a provider of luxury integrated installations, has been in business for over 40 years and has become an established presence in the home and commercial automation industry.

 

New entrants may be successful in penetrating the home automation market, which may reduce our market share and harm our growth and future prospects.

 

Given the growth potential of the market, we expect there may be many new entrants in the future. To the extent these providers are able to develop more affordable or attractive products or otherwise compete with our solutions across any of our target demographics, our growth may be constrained and our business could suffer.

 

 

We have incurred operating losses in the past, may incur operating losses in the future, and may not achieve or maintain profitability.

 

We began our operations in 2003. For most of our history, we have experienced net losses and negative cash flows from operations. As of September 30, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of $58.9 million. We expect our operating expenses to increase in the future as we expand our operations. If our revenue does not continue to grow to offset any increased expenses, we will not continue to be profitable. After achieving profitability in 2013 and 2014 of $3.5 million and $8.2 million respectively, we sustained a net loss of $1.7 million in 2015. Our net income for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 was $13.0 million and $16.0 million, respectively, but we may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including without limitation the other risks and uncertainties described herein. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen operating or legal expenses, difficulties, complications, delays in manufacturing and selling our products and other unknown factors that may result in losses in future periods. If these losses exceed our expectations or our revenue growth expectations are not met in future periods, our profitability will be harmed and our stock price may fall.

 

Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate. As a result, we may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of investors or securities analysts, which could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Our quarterly revenue and results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. In the past when our quarterly revenue or results of operations have fallen below the consensus expectations of securities analysts, the price of our common stock has declined. If our quarterly revenue or results of operations fall below the consensus expectations of investors or securities analysts in the

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future, the price of our common stock could decline again, perhaps substantially. Fluctuations in our results of operations may be due to a number of factors, including but not limited to:

 

·

Demand for and market acceptance of our solutions;

 

·

Our ability to continue to develop and maintain relationships with productive independent dealers and distributors and incentivize them to continue to market, sell, install and support our solutions;

 

·

The ability of our contract manufacturers to continue to manufacture high-quality products, and to supply sufficient products to meet our demands;

 

·

The timing and success of acquisitions, new product introductions or upgrades by us or by our competitors;

 

·

The strength of regional, national and global economies;

 

·

The strength of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies and the impact this has on dealer and distributor margins and their ability to competitively sell our products to consumers;

 

·

The impact of harsh seasonal weather, natural disasters or manmade problems such as terrorism;

 

·

Changes in our business and pricing policies, or those of our competitors;

 

·

Competition, including entry into the industry by new competitors and new offerings by existing competitors;

 

·

The impact of seasonality on our business;

 

·

A systemic impairment or failure of one or more of our products that erodes dealer and/or end user confidence;

 

·

Changes in applicable tax and tariff rates;

 

·

Political or regulatory changes in the markets in which we operate;

 

·

The cost and availability of component parts used in our products;

 

·

Aggressive business tactics by our competitors, including: selling at a discount, offering products on a bundled basis at no charge, extensive marketing efforts, and providing financing incentives;

 

·

The amount and timing of expenditures, including those related to expanding our operations, increasing research and development, introducing new solutions or costs related to disputes and litigation; and

 

·

Temporary discounts or permanent changes in the price or payment terms for our solutions.

 

Due to the foregoing factors and the other risks discussed herein, you should not rely on quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our results of operations as an indication of our future performance, nor should you consider any revenue growth or results of operations in any quarter to be indicative of our future performance.

 

If we are unable to develop new solutions, sell our solutions into new markets, or further penetrate our existing markets, our revenue may not grow as expected or it may decline.

 

Our ability to increase sales will depend in large part on our ability to enhance and improve our solutions, to introduce new solutions in a timely manner, to sell into new markets, and to further penetrate our existing markets. The success of any enhancement or new product or solution depends on several factors, including the timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of enhanced or new solutions, the ability to attract, retain and effectively train product development, sales and marketing personnel (among others), the ability to develop relationships with independent dealers and distributors and the effectiveness of our marketing programs. Any new product or solution we develop or acquire may not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner, and may not achieve the broad market acceptance necessary to

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generate significant revenue. Any new markets into which we attempt to sell our solutions, including new vertical markets and new countries or regions, may not be receptive. Our ability to further penetrate our existing markets depends on the quality of our solutions and our ability to design our solutions to meet consumer demand. Moreover, we are frequently required to enhance and update our solutions as a result of changing standards and technological developments, which makes it difficult to recover the cost of development and forces us to continually qualify new solutions with our consumers. If we are unable to successfully develop or acquire new solutions, enhance our existing solutions to meet consumer requirements in a timely manner, sell solutions into new markets, or sell our solutions to additional consumers in our existing markets, our revenue may not grow as expected or it may decline.

 

We rely on our independent dealers and distributors to sell our solutions, and if our dealers and distributors fail to perform, our ability to sell and distribute our products and services will be limited, and our results of operations may be harmed.

 

Substantially all of our revenue is generated through the sales of our solutions by our authorized dealers and distributors. Our dealers and distributors are independent businesses that voluntarily sell our products as well as the products of other companies to consumers. We provide our dealers and distributors with specific training programs to assist them in selling, installing and servicing our products, and we also provide our dealer-network with leads to potential customers which we generate through our internal marketing efforts, but we cannot assure that these steps will be effective. We have observed, and expect to continue to observe, high volatility in the monthly, quarterly and annual sales performance of individual dealers and distributors. Although we can make estimated forecasts of cumulative sales of large numbers of dealers and distributors, we cannot assure their accuracy collectively or individually. Accordingly, we may not be able to reduce or slow our spending quickly enough if our actual sales fall short of our expectations. As a result, we expect that our revenues, results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our revenues, results of operations and cash flows should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.

 

Our independent dealers and distributors may be unsuccessful in marketing, selling, installing and supporting our products and services. If we are unable to provide high-quality products in a timely manner at competitive prices and to develop and maintain effective sales incentive programs for our dealers and distributors, we may not be able to incentivize them to sell our products to consumers. Our dealers and distributors may also market, sell and support products and services that are competitive with ours, and may devote more resources to the marketing, sales, and support of such competitive products. Our dealers and distributors may have incentives to promote our competitors’ products to the detriment of our own, or may cease selling our products altogether. Our agreements with our dealers and distributors may generally be terminated for any reason by either party with advance notice. We cannot assure that we will retain these dealers and distributors, or that we will be able to secure additional or replacement dealers and distributors.

 

In addition, while we take certain steps to protect ourselves from liability for the actions of our dealers and distributors, such as including contractual provisions limiting our liability with both consumers and dealer/distributors, consumers may seek to recover amounts from us for any damages caused by independent dealers in connection with system installations, or the failure of a system to perform properly due to an incorrect installation by a dealer, and, in the event of litigation with respect to these matters, we cannot guarantee that our contractual protections will be enforced. Furthermore, dealers and distributors may initiate claims against us related to any failure or perceived failure to operate our business in accordance with our contracts and the law. In addition, our independent dealers and distributors may use our name and our brand in ways we do not authorize, and any such improper use may harm our reputation or expose us to liability for their actions.

 

If we fail to effectively manage our existing sales channels then our results of operations may be harmed.

 

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and expand our global network of independent dealers and distributors.

 

As of September 30, 2018, we have over 5,420 active direct dealers and 48 distributors authorized to sell, install and support our solutions. We rely on our independent dealers and distributors to provide consumers with a successful Control4 home automation experience. In some cases, dealers may choose not to offer our solution and instead offer a product from one of our competitors or, in other cases, the dealer may simply discontinue its operations. In order to continue our growth and expand our business, it is important that we continue to add new dealers and distributors and ensure that most of our existing relationships remain productive. We must also work to expand our network of dealers and distributors to ensure that we have sufficient geographic coverage and technical expertise to address new markets and technologies. While it is difficult to estimate the total number of available dealers in our markets, there are a finite number

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of dealers that are able to perform the types of technical installations required for home automation systems. In the event that we saturate the available dealer pool, or if market or other forces cause the available pool of dealers to decline, it may be increasingly difficult to grow our business. As consumers’ home automation options grow, it is important that we enhance our dealer footprint by broadening the expertise of our dealers, working with larger and more sophisticated dealers and distributors and expanding our line of mainstream consumer products that our dealers and distributors offer. If we are unable to expand our network of independent dealers and distributors, or maintain the relationships with our existing dealers and distributors, our business could be harmed.

 

Since we rely on third-party dealers and distributors to sell and install our solutions, we do not have a direct sales pipeline, which makes it difficult for us to accurately forecast future sales and correctly predict manufacturing requirements.

 

We depend on our independent dealer and distributor network to sell and install our solution. As a result, we do not directly develop or control our sales pipeline, making it difficult for us to accurately predict future sales. In addition, because the production of certain of our products requires long lead times, we enter into agreements for the manufacture and purchase of certain of our products well in advance of the time in which those products will be sold. These contracts are based on our best estimates of our near-term product needs. If we underestimate consumer demand, we may forego revenue opportunities, lose market share and damage our relationships. Conversely, if we overestimate consumer demand, we may purchase more inventory than we are able to sell at any given time, or at all. If we fail to accurately estimate demand for our products, we could have excess or obsolete inventory, resulting in a decline in the value of our inventory, which would increase our costs of revenues and reduce our liquidity. Our failure to accurately manage inventory relative to demand would adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We have relatively limited visibility regarding the consumers that ultimately purchase our products, and we often rely on information from third-party dealers and distributors to help us manage our business. If we are unable to obtain timely or accurate information, our ability to quickly react to market changes and effectively manage our business may be harmed.

 

We sell our solutions through independent dealers and distributors. These dealers and distributors work with consumers to design, install, update and maintain their home automation installations. While we are able to track orders from dealers and distributors and have access to certain information about the configurations of the Control4 systems they install that we receive through our controllers, we also rely on these dealers and distributors to provide us with information about consumer behavior, product and system feedback, consumer demographics, buying patterns and information about our competitors. We use this channel sell-through data, along with other metrics, to assess consumer demand for our solutions, develop new products, adjust pricing and make other strategic business decisions. Our channel sell-through data is subject to limitations due to collection methods and the third-party nature of the data and thus may not be complete or accurate. In addition, from time to time we collect information directly from consumers through surveys that we conduct and other methods, but the consumers who chose to participate self-select and vary by geographic region and from period to period, which may impact the usefulness of the results. If we do not receive consumer information on a timely or accurate basis, or if we do not properly interpret this information, our ability to quickly react to market changes and effectively manage our business may be harmed.

 

We have entered into several strategic arrangements and intend to pursue additional strategic opportunities in the future. If the intended benefits from our strategic relationships are not realized, our results of operations may be harmed.

 

We are working to develop relationships with strategic partners in order to increase awareness of our solutions and to attempt to reach markets that we cannot currently address cost-effectively. If these relationships do not develop in the manner we intend, our future growth could be impacted. Any loss of a major partner or distribution channel or other channel disruption could harm our results of operations and make us more dependent on alternate channels, damage our reputation, increase pricing and promotional pressures from other partners and distribution channels, increase our marketing costs, or harm buying and inventory patterns, payment terms or other contractual terms.

 

If we do not maintain the compatibility of our solutions with third-party products and applications that our consumers use, demand for our solutions could decline.

 

Our solutions are designed to interoperate with a wide range of other third-party products, including products in the areas of audio, video, lighting, temperature, and security, and we benefit from our relationships with partners that allow our system to provide integrated and extensible control of over 12,500 third‑party devices and services. If we do not

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support the continued integration of our solutions with third-party products and applications, including new and additional products, demand for our solutions could decline and we could lose sales. In addition, companies that provide certain point solutions have eliminated or restricted, and may in the future, eliminate or restrict, our ability to integrate with, control and otherwise be compatible with these products. As a result, we may not be successful in making our solutions compatible with these third-party products and applications or lose functionality in existing systems to the extent that they depend on the ability to integrate with third-party products, which could reduce demand for our solutions. In addition, if prospective consumers require customized features or functions that we do not offer, then the market for our solutions may be harmed.

 

If we are unable to adapt to technological change and implement technological and aesthetic enhancements to our products, this could impair our ability to remain competitive.

 

The market for home automation and control solutions is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent introductions of new products and evolving industry standards. However, product development often requires significant lead-time and upfront investment and our ability to attract new consumers and increase revenue from existing consumers will depend in significant part on our ability to accurately anticipate changes in industry standards and to continue to appropriately fund development efforts to enhance existing solutions or introduce new solutions in a timely basis to keep pace with technological developments. This is true of all our products but is particularly important with respect to our user interface and other direct consumer interface products. Similarly, if any of our competitors implement new technologies before we are able to implement them, those competitors may be able to provide more effective products than ours, possibly at lower prices, which could impact sales and decrease our market share. Any delay or failure in the introduction of new or enhanced solutions could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We currently rely on contract manufacturers to manufacture our products and on component vendors to supply parts used in our products. Any disruption in our supply chain, or our failure to successfully manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers or component vendors could harm our business.

 

Our reliance on contract manufacturers reduces our control over the assembly process, exposing us to risks, including reduced control over quality assurance, production costs and product supply. We rely on a limited number of contract manufacturers to manufacture most of our products and components, and in many cases one of these manufacturers is our only source for a particular product or product family. We also do business with a number of component vendors, and the parts they supply may not perform as expected. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, three contract manufacturers, iLife, RCS and Sanmina, manufactured approximately 51% of our inventory purchases. Most of our contract manufacturers and component vendors are located outside of the United States, and all of them may be subject to political, economic, social, regulatory and legal uncertainties that may harm our relationships with them. If we fail to manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers, component vendors or shipping partners effectively, or if our contract manufacturers, component vendors or shipping partners experience delays, disruptions, capacity constraints or quality control problems in their operations, our ability to ship products may be impaired and our competitive position and reputation could be harmed. In addition, any adverse change in our contract manufacturers’, component vendors’ or shipping partners’ financial or business condition could disrupt our ability to supply quality products to our dealers and distributors. If we are required to change contract manufacturers, component vendors, or shipping partners we may lose revenue, incur increased costs or damage our relationships, or we might be unable to find a new contract manufacturer or component vendor on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, qualifying a new contract manufacturer or component vendor could be an expensive and lengthy process. If we experience increased demand that our contract manufacturers or component vendors are unable to fulfill, or if they are unable to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality products for any reason, we could experience a delay in our order fulfillment, and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed.

 

Changes in import/export regulatory regimes and duties could negatively impact our business.

 

In 2018, the United States. implemented a number of new tariffs on the importation of materials, which prompted some affected nations to respond with new tariffs on U.S. exports.  Of particular note, are the recently imposed and proposed tariffs on a number of goods from China.  China has responded by imposing reciprocal tariffs on U.S. exports to China, and both countries have indicated that there could be continued escalation of protectionist policies. These recently enacted tariffs have not had a material impact on our overall production costs and at this point we have opted not to increase the prices of any of our products so as to minimize the impact on sales; however, the international trade landscape is changing, and increased import taxes or duties could negatively impact our cost structures in future periods.  We continue to evaluate the impact of these policies on our supply chain and consider appropriate responses in our sourcing of products and components while exploring certain government affairs initiatives to help shape future policies.  In addition, if any of our products are found to have been misclassified under various tariff codes, we could be subject to higher duties

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and/or fines.  If the United States or other countries in which we do significant business were to withdraw from or materially modify certain international trade agreements, further change tariff or tax provisions related to the global manufacturing and sales of our products, or otherwise alter regulations impacting our existing business, or if these changes negatively affect us disproportionately to our competitors, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Growth of our business may depend on market awareness and a strong brand, and any failure to develop, broaden, protect and enhance market awareness of our products could hurt our ability to retain or attract consumers.

 

Because of the competitive nature of the mainstream home automation market, we believe that building and maintaining market awareness, brand recognition and goodwill may be material to our success. This will depend largely on our ability to continue to provide high-quality solutions, and we may not be able to do so effectively. We may choose to engage in a broader marketing campaigns to further promote our brand, but this effort may not be successful. Our efforts in developing our brand may be affected by the marketing efforts of our competitors, negative publicity and social media commentary, and our reliance on our independent dealers, distributors and strategic partners to install our products and promote our brand effectively. If we are unable to cost-effectively maintain and increase positive awareness of our brand, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.

 

We operate in the emerging and evolving home automation market, which may develop more slowly or differently than we expect. If the mainstream home automation market does not grow as we expect, or if we cannot expand our solutions to meet the demands of this market, our revenue may decline, fail to grow or fail to grow at an accelerated rate, and we may incur operating losses.

 

The market for home automation and control solutions is evolving, and it is uncertain whether our solutions will achieve and sustain high levels of demand and market acceptance. Some consumers may be reluctant or unwilling to use our solutions for a number of reasons, including satisfaction with other solutions, concerns about cost, and lack of awareness of our solutions. Unified home automation solutions such as ours have traditionally been luxury purchases for the high end of the residential market, and while our solutions target the high end of the market, we also have solutions that target middle- and entry-level home owners, including our EA-1 that is designed to control smaller, single room projects with an entertainment component and the CA-1 controller for smaller projects that only include lighting, comfort, and/or security. Our ability to expand the sales of our solutions to a broader consumer base depends on several factors, including market awareness of our solutions, the timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of our solutions, the ability to attract, retain and effectively train sales and marketing personnel, the effectiveness of our marketing programs, the ability to develop effective relationships with independent dealers and distributors and other strategic partners, the cost and functionality of our solutions and the success of our competitors. If we are unsuccessful in developing and marketing our home automation solutions to mainstream consumers, or if these consumers do not perceive or value the benefits of our solutions, the market for our solutions might not continue to develop or might develop more slowly than we expect, either of which would harm our revenue and growth prospects.

 

Our consumers may experience service failures or interruptions due to defects in the software, products, infrastructure, third-party components or processes that comprise our solutions, or due to errors in product installation or servicing by our independent dealers, any of which could harm our business.

 

Our solutions may contain undetected defects in the software, products, infrastructure, third-party components or processes. If these defects lead to service failures, we could be subject to liability for such failures and we could experience harm to our branded reputation. Such defects could also result in a loss of, or delay in, market acceptance of our solutions, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

In addition to failures due to product defects, because our solutions are installed by independent dealers, if they do not install or maintain our solutions correctly or if the underlying network or infrastructure in a home or business is not sufficiently robust, our solutions may not function properly. If the improper installation or maintenance of our solutions leads to service failures of a product or solution, we could experience harm to our branded reputation, claims by our consumers, dealers, distributors, strategic partners or developers and we may incur increased expense during the period required to address the cause of the problem, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Any defect in, or disruption to, our solutions could cause consumers to remove their products, not to purchase additional products from us, prevent other potential consumers from purchasing our solutions, or harm our reputation. The nature of the solutions we provide, including our interface with home security solutions, may expose us to greater risks of liability for system failure or even installation errors by our independent dealers than may be inherent in other businesses.

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Substantially all of our dealer agreements contain provisions limiting our liability to dealers and our consumers in an attempt to reduce this risk. However, in the event of litigation with respect to these matters, we cannot be sure that these limitations will be enforced, and defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management’s attention, affect our ability to obtain or maintain liability insurance on acceptable terms and could harm our business. In addition, there can be no assurance that we are adequately insured for these risks. Certain of our insurance policies and the laws of some jurisdictions may limit or prohibit insurance coverage for punitive or certain other types of damages or liability arising from gross negligence. Although we currently maintain some warranty reserves, we cannot be sure that these warranty reserves will be sufficient to cover future liabilities. Furthermore, we may be required to indemnify our dealers, distributors and other partners against certain liabilities they may incur as a result of defects of our products or third-party intellectual property claims related to our products or other materials we provide to them.

 

Our networking solutions business may be harmed if users perceive our solution as the cause of a slow or unreliable network connection, or in the event of a high-profile network failure, even though certain technical problems experienced by users may not be caused by our products.

 

Our networking solutions have been deployed in many different locations and user environments and are capable of providing connectivity to many different types of Wi-Fi-enabled devices operating a variety of applications. The ability of our products to operate effectively can be negatively impacted by many different elements unrelated to our products. For example, a user’s experience may suffer from an incorrect setting in a Wi-Fi device. Although certain technical problems experienced by users may not be caused by our products, users often may perceive the underlying cause to be a result of poor performance of the wireless network. This perception, even if incorrect, could harm our business and reputation. Similarly, a high-profile network failure may be caused by improper operation of the network or failure of a network component that we did not supply, but users and other service providers may perceive that our products were implicated, which, even if incorrect, could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Failure to maintain the security of our information and technology networks, including information relating to our dealers, distributors, partners, consumers and employees, could adversely affect our business. Furthermore, without limiting the preceding sentence, if security breaches in connection with the delivery of our products and services allow unauthorized third parties to obtain control of or otherwise access consumers’ networks or appliances, our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.

 

The legal, regulatory and contractual environment surrounding information security, privacy and fraud is constantly evolving and companies that collect and retain information are under increasing attack by cyber- criminals around the world. We are dependent on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information and, in the normal course of our business, we collect and retain certain information, including financial information, from and pertaining to our dealers, distributors, partners, consumers and employees. The protection of dealer, distributor, partner, consumer and employee data is important to us, and we devote significant resources to addressing security vulnerabilities in our products and information technology systems, including encrypting some data repositories and engaging security experts to conduct penetration testing to help us uncover vulnerabilities in our systems. However, the policies and security measures that we put in place cannot guarantee security, and our information technology infrastructure may be vulnerable to criminal cyber-attacks or data security incidents due to employee or dealer negligence, error, malfeasance, or other vulnerabilities. Cyber security attacks are increasingly sophisticated, change frequently, and often go undetected until after an attack has been launched. We may fail to identify these new and complex methods of attack or fail to invest sufficient resources in security measures. We have and will continue to experience cyber-attacks, and we cannot be certain that advances in cyber-capabilities or other developments will not permit compromise or breach the technology protecting the networks that access our products and services and repositories where we store this information.

 

We have acquired a number of companies over the years and may continue to do so in the future. While we make significant efforts to address any information technology security issues with respect to our acquisitions, we may still inherit such risks when we integrate the acquired products and systems.

 

In addition, consumers can use our tools for authorized, remote access to their automation systems, and certain of our employees and independent dealers can be provided authorized access to monitor and update certain of our products and services remotely. Security breaches by third parties or by, or originating from, one or more of our dealers, distributors or employees, that allow unauthorized access or control of our consumers’ appliances through our products or to obtain, collect, use or disclose any personal data of consumers, could harm our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, although we do not recommend or approve of port forwarding for remote access to our

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solutions, certain of our dealers have in the past and may in the future enable port forwarding, which could create security vulnerabilities in their customers’ home networks.

 

It is difficult to determine what harm may result from any specific interruption or security breach. Any failure or perceived failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of systems or the actual or potential theft, loss, fraudulent use or misuse of our products or associated confidential information, including personally identifiable data of a dealer, distributor, partner, consumer, and employee, could result in:

 

·

harm to our reputation or brand, which could lead some consumers to stop using certain of our products or services, reduce or delay future purchases of our products or services, use competing products or services, or materially and adversely affect the overall market perception of the security and reliability of our services and home automation products generally;

 

·

individual and/or class action lawsuits, which could result in financial judgments against us and that would cause us to incur legal fees and costs;

 

·

legal or regulatory enforcement action, which could result in fines and/or penalties and which would cause us to incur legal fees and costs; and/or

 

·

additional costs associated with responding to the interruption or security breach, such as investigative and remediation costs, the costs of providing individuals and/or data owners with notice of the breach, legal fees, the costs of any additional fraud detection activities, or the costs of prolonged system disruptions or shutdowns.

 

Any of these actions could materially adversely impact our business and results of operations.

 

Because we store, process, and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in investigations, claims, changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, and declines in user growth, retention, or engagement, any of which could seriously harm our business.

 

We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations that involve matters central to our business, including user privacy, rights of publicity, data protection, content, intellectual property, distribution, electronic contracts and other communications, competition, protection of minors, consumer protection, taxation, and online-payment services. Because we store, process, and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. Both in the United States and abroad, these laws and regulations constantly evolve and are subject to significant change. In addition, in the United States each state has a separate statutory approach to privacy regulation, and recently states such as California have been very active in pursuing new regulations that are typically more restrictive than other jurisdictions.  The application and interpretation of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industry in which we operate. Continually implementing up-to-date data security tools and procedures and maintaining privacy standards that comply with ever-changing privacy regulations in multiple jurisdictions is challenging. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, which went into effect on May 25, 2018, has not yet been fully interpreted by legal and regulatory bodies, and while we have invested significant resources in compliance efforts, there is no guarantee that our efforts to date will be found to be adequate.

 

In addition, on July 12, 2016 the European Commission formally adopted the new EU – U.S. Privacy Shield, which provides a safe harbor for the transfer of personal information, by U.S. companies doing business in Europe from the European Economic Area to the United States provided that such U.S. companies self-certify under this framework. We have submitted our self-certification application pursuant to the Privacy Shield, and as part of this self-certification, we have committed to abide by the Privacy Shield principles with respect to any personal information transferred.  However, the Privacy Shield is subject to an annual review by the European Commission, and on July 5, 2018 members of the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the Privacy Shield to be suspended at the European Commission’s next review in September.  Thus far the Privacy Shield has not been suspended, but if it is suspended in the future, we will need to find other ways to lawfully transfer personal data that is required for our business and operations from the EU to the U.S., and there is no guarantee that we will be able to adequately implement such alternative compliance methodologies, such as implementing binding corporate rules, before the suspension goes into effect. 

 

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We publicly post our privacy policies and practices concerning our processing, use and disclosure of personal information. Our privacy policy and other statements we publish provide promises and assurances about privacy and security that could subject us to potential regulatory action or other liabilities if: (a) such statements are found to be deceptive or misrepresentative of our practices, (b) we fail to take adequate measures to ensure that we adhere to applicable regulations, or (c) our third-party data processors fail to adequately protect personal information that they process on our behalf.

 

We encounter seasonality in sales, which could harm the amount, timing and predictability of our revenue and cause our stock price to fluctuate.

 

We have little recurring revenue or backlog, and our revenue is generated from orders of our solutions from new and existing consumers, each of which may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate. In addition, we may experience seasonality in the sales of our solutions. Historically, our revenue is generally highest in the fourth quarter and lowest in the first quarter. Seasonal variations in our sales may lead to significant fluctuations in our cash flows and results of operations on a quarterly basis and this may cause our stock price to fluctuate.

 

We may not generate significant revenue as a result of our current research and development efforts.

 

We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in research and development and related product opportunities. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we spent $32.6 million on research and development expenses. High levels of expenditures for research and development could harm our results of operations, especially if not offset by corresponding future revenue increases. We believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our research and development efforts to maintain our competitive position. However, it is difficult to estimate when, if ever, we will generate significant revenue as a result of these investments.

 

Our strategy includes pursuing acquisitions and our potential inability to identify good opportunities and to successfully integrate newly-acquired technologies, assets, businesses, or personnel may harm our financial results.

 

We believe part of our growth will be driven by acquisitions of other companies or their technologies, assets and businesses, but we may not be able to acquire the targeted technologies, assets and businesses we identify as desirable for a price we consider to be reasonable or at all. Recent acquisitions include Pakedge in January 2016, Triad in February 2017 and substantially all the assets of ihiji in December 2017. These acquisitions and any future acquisitions we evaluate and complete will give rise to risks, including:

 

·

Incurring higher than anticipated capital expenditures and operating expenses;

 

·

Failing to assimilate the operations and personnel, or failing to retain the key personnel of the acquired company or business;

 

·

Failing to integrate the acquired technologies, or incurring significant expense to integrate acquired technologies into our solutions;

 

·

Disrupting our ongoing business;

 

·

Dissipating or diverting our management resources;

 

·

Failing to maintain uniform standards, controls and policies;

 

·

Incurring significant accounting charges;

 

·

Impairing relationships with employees, dealers, distributors, partners or consumers;

 

·

Finding that the acquired technology, assets or business does not further our business strategy, that we overpaid for the technology, assets or business, or that we may be required to write off acquired assets or investments partially or entirely;

 

·

Failing to realize the expected synergies of the transaction;

 

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·

Being exposed to unforeseen liabilities and contingencies that were not identified and mitigated during diligence conducted prior to acquiring the company, including but not limited to the risk that the products or services of the acquired company violate third-party intellectual property rights or regulatory standards or contain other vulnerabilities; and

 

·

Being unable to generate sufficient revenue from acquisitions to offset the associated acquisition costs.

 

Fully integrating acquired technology, asset, business, or personnel into our operations may take a significant amount of time and resources. We may not be successful in overcoming these risks or any other problems encountered with such acquisitions. To the extent we do not successfully avoid or overcome the risks or problems related to any such acquisitions, our results of operations and financial condition could be harmed. Acquisitions also could impact our financial position and capital needs, or could cause fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results of operations.

 

Acquisitions could include significant goodwill and intangible assets.  The amortization of such intangible assets would reduce our profitability and there may be future impairment charges that would reduce our stated earnings. We may incur significant costs in our efforts to engage in strategic transactions and these expenditures may not result in successful acquisitions.

 

Future acquisitions of technologies, assets or businesses, that are paid for partially or entirely through the issuance of stock or stock rights, could dilute the ownership of our existing stockholders.

 

We expect that the consideration we might pay for any future acquisitions of technologies, assets or businesses could include stock, rights to purchase stock, cash or some combination of the foregoing. If we issue stock or rights to purchase stock in connection with such future acquisitions, net income (loss) per share and then-existing holders of our common stock may experience dilution.

 

We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, which may cause our business to suffer.

 

We may pursue business opportunities that diverge from our current business model, including expanding our solutions into lines of business with which we have no experience, investing in new and unproven technologies, and expanding our existing sales channels or adding new sales channels, including through acquisitions such as our recent acquisition of Triad and its speaker lines. We can offer no assurance that any such new business opportunities will prove to be successful. Among other negative effects, our pursuit of such business opportunities could reduce operating margins and require more working capital, or materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our gross margins can vary significantly depending on multiple factors, which can result in fluctuations in our results of operations.

 

Our gross margins are likely to vary due to consumer demand, product mix, new product introductions, unit volumes, commodity and supply chain costs, product delivery costs, geographic sales mix, excess and obsolete inventory and the complexity and functionality of new product innovations. In particular, if we are not able to introduce new solutions in a timely manner at the cost we expect, or if consumer demand for our solutions is less than we anticipate, or if there are product pricing, marketing and other initiatives by our competitors to which we need to react that lower our margins, then our overall gross margin will be less than we project. The impact of these factors on gross margins can create unanticipated fluctuations in our results of operations, which may cause volatility in our stock price.

 

If we are unable to substantially utilize our net operating loss or tax credit carryforwards, our financial results will be harmed.

 

As of December 31, 2017, our net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward amounts for U.S. federal income and state tax purposes were $63.9 million and $67.8 million, respectively. In addition to the NOL carryforwards, as of December 31, 2017, we had U.S. federal and state tax credit carryforwards of $6.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively. While we have generated profits at times in the past, there is no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient taxable income to utilize our NOLs or tax credits before they expire. Our NOL carryforwards were fully reserved for as of December 31, 2017.

 

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If we are unable to manage our business growth and diverse and complex operations, our reputation in the market and our ability to generate revenue from new or existing consumers may be harmed.

 

Because our operations are geographically diverse and complex, our personnel resources and infrastructure could become strained and our reputation in the market and our ability to successfully implement our business plan may be harmed. The growth in the size, complexity and diverse nature of our business and the expansion of our product lines and consumer base, including through acquisitions, have placed increased demands on our management and operations, and further growth, if any, may place additional strains on our resources in the future. Our ability to effectively compete and to manage our plan to continue to expand our headcount and operations may depend on, among other things:

 

·

Maintaining institutional knowledge by retaining and expanding the core competencies critical to our operations in our senior management and key personnel;

 

·

Increasing the productivity of our existing employees and attracting new talent;

 

·

Maintaining existing productive relationships and developing new productive relationships with independent contract manufacturers, dealers and distributors;

 

·

Improving our operational, financial and management controls; and

 

·

Improving our information reporting systems and procedures.

 

If we do not manage the size, complexity and diverse nature of our business effectively, we could experience delayed product releases and longer response times by our dealers in assisting our consumers in implementing our solutions, and could lack adequate resources to support our consumers on an ongoing basis, any of which could harm our reputation in the market, our ability to successfully implement our business plan and our ability to generate revenue from new or existing consumers.

 

If we fail to retain our key employees and attract talented new personnel as needed, our business would be harmed and we might not be able to implement our business plan successfully.

 

Given the complex nature of the technology on which our business is based and the speed with which such technology advances, our future success is dependent, in large part, upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified executive, managerial, engineering, and sales and marketing personnel. Competition for talented personnel is intense, and we cannot be certain that we can retain our executive, managerial, engineering, and sales and marketing personnel, or that we can attract, assimilate or retain such personnel in the future. Our inability to attract and retain such personnel could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Downturns in general economic and market conditions, including but not limited to downturns in housing markets and reductions in consumer spending, may reduce demand for our solutions, which could harm our revenue, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

 

Our revenue, results of operations and cash flows depend on the overall demand for our solutions, which can be significantly reduced in economic environments characterized by market and interest rate volatility, decreased consumer confidence, high unemployment, declines in residential remodeling and housing starts, fluctuating exchange rates, and diminished growth expectations in the U.S. economy and abroad. During periods of weak or unstable economic and market conditions, providers of products and services that represent discretionary purchases, such as our home automation products, are disproportionately affected. In addition, during these periods, the number of independent dealers and distributors may decline as the prospects for home building and home renovation projects diminish, which may have a corresponding impact on our growth prospects. Furthermore, during challenging economic times consumers may face issues in gaining timely access to sufficient credit, which could impair their ability to make timely payments. There is also an increased risk during these periods that an increased percentage of our dealers will file for bankruptcy protection, which may harm our reputation, revenue, profitability and results of operations. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown, instability or recovery, generally or within any particular geography or industry. Any downturns in the general economic conditions of the geographies and industries in which we operate, or any other factors negatively impacting housing markets or consumer spending, could materially and adversely impact our revenue, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

 

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If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could fall below expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include, or may in the future include, those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventories, product warranties, income taxes and stock-based compensation expense. Our results of operations may be harmed if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

 

Changes in existing financial accounting standards or practices, or taxation rules or practices, may harm our results of operations.

 

Changes in existing accounting or taxation rules or practices, new accounting pronouncements or taxation rules, or varying interpretations of current accounting pronouncements or taxation practice could harm our results of operations or the manner in which we conduct our business. For example, on December 22, 2017, “H.R.1”, known as the “Tax Cuts and JOBS Act”, (the “Tax Act”) was signed into U.S. law, which among other changes reduces the corporate income tax rate to 21%, creates a territorial tax system (with a one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings), and requires companies to pay minimum taxes on foreign earnings and subjects certain payments from U.S. corporations to foreign related parties to additional taxes. While the Tax Act will result in a lower domestic income tax rate once we fully utilize our net operating losses and other accumulated tax credits, we will be subject to the one-time mandatory tax on previously deferred foreign earnings. In addition, the Tax Act is subject to further interpretation from the United States federal and state governments and regulatory organizations, such as the Treasury Department and/or Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and this could change our United States tax liabilities based on updated guidance and interpretations.  The guidance and notices may have a material impact on us.  In addition, the IRS has already issued and stated that it intends to continue to issue notices of intent to amend certain regulations and also institute new regulations with respect to the Tax Act. These proposed regulations either clarify certain tax positions or provide new regulations. We have not taken these notices into account as they are yet to be become final regulations and may or may not have a material impact on us. Also, because there may be additional state income tax implications, we will continue to monitor changes in state and local tax laws to determine if state and local taxing authorities intend to conform or deviate from changes to United States federal tax legislation as a result of the Tax Act.

 

We also earn a portion of our operating income from outside the United States, and any repatriation of funds currently held in foreign jurisdictions that are not permanently reinvested may result in higher effective tax rates for us. In addition, the Tax Act will significantly impact how U.S. multinational corporations are taxed on foreign earnings. Numerous countries are evaluating their existing tax laws in response to the changes in U.S. tax laws. Although we cannot predict whether or in what form any legislation based on such proposals may be adopted by the countries in which we do business, future tax reform based on such proposals may increase the amount of taxes we pay and adversely affect our operating results and cash flows. We will continue to monitor the impact of this and further changes to applicable tax laws to our overall business strategy.     

 

Mergers or other strategic transactions involving our competitors could weaken our competitive position, which could harm our results of operations.

 

Our industry is highly fragmented, and we believe it is likely that some of our existing competitors will consolidate or be acquired. In addition, some of our competitors may enter into new alliances with each other or may establish or strengthen cooperative relationships with systems integrators, third-party consulting firms or other parties. For example, Amazon acquired Ring, a manufacturer of video doorbells; Google acquired Nest Labs, a manufacturer of thermostats and smoke detectors; Nest Labs acquired Dropcam, a home-monitoring camera company; and Samsung Electronics acquired SmartThings and Harman International Industries. Transactions such as these, as well as any additional consolidations, acquisitions, alliances or cooperative relationships, or new product introductions by companies

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in our industry, could lead to pricing pressure, reduce our market share or result in a competitor with greater financial, technical, marketing, service and other resources than ours, all of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” and any decision on our part to comply with certain reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding an annual non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and nonbinding stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If we choose not to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as we have in the past, our auditors will not be required to opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. As a result, investors may be less comfortable with the effectiveness of our internal controls and the risk that material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our internal controls go undetected may increase. If we choose to provide reduced disclosures in our periodic reports and proxy statements while we are an emerging growth company, as we have in the past, investors will have access to less information and analysis about our executive compensation, which may make it difficult for investors to evaluate our executive compensation practices. Our “emerging growth company” status will expire on December 31, 2018, the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering.  We cannot predict if investors find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions and provide reduced disclosure. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be harmed.

 

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in our failure to accurately report our financial results. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our business and adversely impact investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

 

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our stock could drop significantly. We are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we continue to take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act. We expect that our auditors will be required to formally opine on the effectiveness of our internal controls no later than our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

 

Our compliance with Section 404 may require us to continue to incur substantial expense and expend significant management efforts. We may not be able to remediate any future material weaknesses, or to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls when they are required to issue such opinion, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.

 

Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations, invest in new technologies and otherwise respond to business opportunities or unforeseen circumstances in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our results of operations.

 

While we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next 12 months, at some point we may need to raise additional funds, and we may not be able

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to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise additional equity financing, our security holders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the value of shares of our common stock could decline. If we engage in debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, if at all, we may not be able to, among other things:

 

·

Develop and enhance our solutions;

 

·

Continue to expand our research and development, sales and marketing organizations;

 

·

Hire, train and retain employees;

 

·

Respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements; or

 

·

Pursue acquisition opportunities.

 

Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our results of operations.

 

We may be subject to additional tax liabilities, which would harm our results of operations.

 

We are subject to income, sales, use, value added, tariffs and other taxes in the United States and other countries in which we conduct business, which laws and rates vary greatly by jurisdiction. Certain jurisdictions in which we do not collect sales, use, value added, tariffs or other taxes on our sales may assert that such taxes are applicable, which could result in tax assessments, penalties and interest, and we may be required to collect such taxes in the future. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and evaluating our uncertain tax positions. These determinations are highly complex and require detailed analysis of the available information and applicable statutes and regulatory materials. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits and any related litigation could be different from our historical tax practices, provisions and accruals. If we receive an adverse ruling as a result of an audit, or we unilaterally determine that we have misinterpreted provisions of the tax regulations to which we are subject, our tax provision, results of operations or cash flows could be harmed. In addition, liabilities associated with taxes are often subject to an extended or indefinite statute of limitations period. Therefore, we may be subject to additional tax liability (including penalties and interest) for any particular year for extended periods of time depending on the specific statute of limitations in the relevant jurisdiction.

 

Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, hurricanes, fire, power outages, floods and other catastrophic events, and to interruption by man-made problems such as terrorism.

 

A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, hurricane, fire or a flood, or a significant power outage could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Natural disasters could affect our manufacturing vendors’ or logistics providers’ ability to perform services such as manufacturing products or assisting with shipments on a timely basis. Our three largest contract manufacturers, which manufactured 51% of our inventory purchases for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, have manufacturing facilities located in China and Korea. In the event our manufacturing vendors’ information technology systems or manufacturing or logistics abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, shipments could be delayed or cancelled, resulting in missing financial targets, such as revenue and shipment targets, for a particular quarter. Further, if a natural disaster occurs in a region from which we derive a significant portion of our revenue, such as metropolitan areas in North America, consumers in those regions may delay or forego purchases of our solutions from dealers and distributors, which may harm our results of operations for a particular period. In addition, acts of terrorism, including cyber terrorism or crime, acts of war, financial crises, trade friction or geopolitical and social turmoil in those parts of the world that serve as markets for our solutions, such as Europe, Asia or elsewhere, could cause disruptions in our business or the business of our manufacturers, logistics providers, dealers, distributors, consumers or the economy as a whole. These uncertainties may cause our consumers to reduce discretionary spending on their home and make it difficult for us to accurately plan future business activities. Given our typical concentration of sales at the end of each month and quarter, any disruption in the business of our manufacturers, logistics providers, dealers, distributors and consumers that impacts sales at the end of our quarter could have a greater impact on our quarterly results. All of the aforementioned risks may be augmented if the disaster recovery plans for us and our suppliers prove to be inadequate. To the extent that any of the above results in delays or cancellations of orders, or delays

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in, or cancellations of the manufacture, deployment or shipment of our products, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.

 

Failure to comply with laws and regulations could harm our business.

 

Our business is subject to regulation by various federal, state, local and foreign governmental agencies, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing employment and labor laws, workplace safety, product safety, environmental laws, consumer privacy and protection laws, anti-bribery laws, import/export controls, federal securities laws and tax laws and regulations. Furthermore, existing regulations are subject to change, and such changes may require among other things, additional testing, development, and certification. As we continue to develop new products, acquire companies with new product lines and expand our geographical footprint to market and sell products directly in new jurisdictions, we may become subject to additional rules and regulations, and these regulatory requirements may be different from or more stringent than those in the United States and Europe. While we have obtained these certifications for many of our products currently sold in expanded jurisdictions, we continue to work towards full and continued compliance for all of our products sold. Delays in meeting, or failure to meet, these certification standards may cause us to miss market opportunities and may hinder us from entering and selling our products in those markets. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to investigations, sanctions, enjoinders of future shipments, mandatory product recalls, seizures, enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, fines, damages, civil and criminal penalties or injunctions. If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could further harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Governmental regulations affecting the import or export of our products could harm our revenues.

 

The United States and various foreign governments have imposed controls, export license requirements and restrictions on the import or export of some technologies, especially encryption technology, and may impose additional or broader controls, export license requirements and restrictions on the import or export of some technologies in the future. In addition, from time to time, governmental agencies have proposed additional regulation of encryption technology, such as requiring the escrow and governmental recovery of private encryption keys. Although we do not believe that any of our products currently require an export license, if our products or components of our products become subject to governmental regulation of encryption technology or other governmental regulation of imports or exports, we may be required to obtain import or export approval for such products, which could increase our costs and harm our international and domestic sales and our revenue. In addition, failure to comply with such regulations could result in penalties, costs and restrictions on export privileges, which would harm our results of operations.

 

Regulations related to “conflict minerals” may force us to incur additional expenses, may result in damage to our business reputation and may adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.

 

Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), we are required to adhere to certain reporting and other requirements regarding the use of certain minerals and derivative metals (referred to as “conflict minerals,” regardless of their actual country of origin) in our products. Some of these metals are commonly used in electronic equipment and devices, including our products. These requirements require that we investigate, disclose and report whether or not any such metals in our products originated from the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries. We do not directly source any of our own raw conflict minerals, rather we have an extremely complex supply chain, with numerous suppliers, many of whom may not be obligated to investigate their own supply chains, for the components and parts used in each of our products. As a result, we may incur significant costs to comply with the diligence and disclosure requirements, including costs related to determining the source of any of the relevant metals used in our products and other potential changes to products or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. In addition, because our supply chain is so complex, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origin of all relevant metals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we implement, which may harm our business reputation. We may incur reputational damage if we determine that any of our products contain minerals or derivative metals that are not conflict free or if we are unable to sufficiently verify the source for all conflict minerals used in our products through the procedures we may implement. Furthermore, key components and parts that can be shown to be “conflict free” may not be available to us in sufficient quantity, or at all, or may only be available at significantly higher cost to us. If we are not able to meet customer requirements, customers may choose to disqualify us as a supplier. Any of these outcomes could adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results.

 

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Health care reform could increase our cost of labor

 

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) was signed into U.S. law. The ACA is comprehensive U.S. health care legislation that includes provisions that subject us to potential penalties unless we offer certain employees minimum essential health care coverage that is affordable and provides minimum value. Recent changes, especially the employer mandate and employer penalties that became effective January 1, 2015. In order to comply with the employer mandate provision of the ACA, we offer health care coverage to all applicable employees eligible for coverage under the ACA. Designating employees as eligible is complex, and is subject to challenge by employees and the Internal Revenue Service. While we believe we have properly identified eligible employees, a later determination that we failed to offer the required health coverage to eligible employees could result in penalties that may harm our business or reputation. We cannot be certain that compliant insurance coverage will remain available to us on reasonable terms, and we could face additional risks arising from future changes to the ACA or other legislation or executive orders that repeal and replace in whole or in part the ACA.

 

We incur increased costs and demands upon management as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting public companies, which could harm our results of operations and our ability to attract and retain qualified executives and board members.

 

As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting and corporate governance requirements. These requirements include compliance with Section 404 and other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, and other applicable securities or exchange-related rules and regulations. In addition, our management team has also had to adapt to the requirements of being a public company. Complying with these rules and regulations substantially increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more difficult, time consuming or costly. These compliance requirements and costs will increase once we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, which will occur on December 31, 2018.

 

Government regulations of wireless networking in the United States or internationally may result in unanticipated costs and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could harm our business.

 

Our wireless communication and networking products operate through the transmission of radio signals and radio emissions are subject to regulation in the United States and in other countries in which we do business. In the United States, various federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), and various state agencies have promulgated regulations that concern the use of radio/electromagnetic emissions standards. Member countries of the European Union have enacted similar standards concerning electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility and emissions.  As these regulations and standards evolve, and if new regulations or standards are implemented, we will be required to modify our products or develop and support new versions of our products, and our compliance with these regulations and standards may become more burdensome. The failure of our products to comply, or delays in compliance, with the various existing and evolving industry regulations and standards could prevent or delay introduction of our products, which could harm our business. Our inability to alter our products to address these requirements and any regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.  In addition, dealer and end user uncertainty regarding future policies may also affect demand for wireless networking products, including our products.

 

Risks Related to Our International Operations

 

In recent years, a significant amount of our revenue has come from sales outside of the United States, and we are therefore subject to a number of risks associated with international sales and operations.

 

We have a limited history of marketing, selling, and supporting our products and services internationally. However, international revenue (excluding Canada) accounted for 22% of our total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, and that percentage may grow in the future.  As a result, we must hire and train experienced personnel to staff and manage our foreign operations. To the extent that we experience difficulties in recruiting, training, managing, and retaining international dealers, distributors, and international staff, and specifically staff related to sales management and sales personnel, we may experience difficulties in productivity in foreign markets.

 

If we are not able to increase the sales of our solutions to consumers located outside of North America, our results of operations or revenue growth may be harmed. In addition, in connection with our expansion into foreign

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markets, we are a receiver of currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, changes in exchange rates, and in particular a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, will negatively affect our net sales as expressed in U.S. dollars. There is also a risk that we will have to adjust local currency product pricing due to competitive pressures when there has been significant volatility in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

Conducting and launching operations on an international scale requires close coordination of activities across multiple jurisdictions and time zones and consumes significant management resources. Our limited experience in operating our business in certain countries outside of the United States increases the risk that our current and any future international expansion efforts will not be successful. Conducting international operations subjects us to risks that, generally, we do not face in the United States, including:

 

·

Fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

·

Unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements;

 

·

Longer accounts receivable payment cycles and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;

 

·

Difficulties in managing and staffing international operations, including differences in labor laws, which may result in higher personnel-related liabilities and expenses;

 

·

Potentially adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of foreign value added tax systems and restrictions on the repatriation of earnings;

 

·

Localization of our solutions and other materials, including translation into foreign languages and associated expenses;

 

·

Localization of applicable agreements under applicable foreign law and differing legal standards and risks;

 

·

The burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and different legal standards, including laws and regulations related to import/export, privacy, the transfer of personal information across borders, and data security and limitations on liability;

 

·

Increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities;

 

·

Political, social and economic instability abroad, terrorist attacks and security concerns in general, including crime and cyber security; and

 

·

Reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries.

 

The impact of any one of these could harm our international business and, consequently, our results of operations generally. Additionally, operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required in establishing, acquiring or integrating operations and personnel in other countries will produce desired levels of revenue or profitability.

 

We conduct a significant amount of business in the European Union, including through our office located in England, and our operations may be affected by the results of the referendum vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

 

On June 23, 2016, the citizens of the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“Brexit”), which led to significant political, economic and legal uncertainty. In addition, the Brexit vote triggered a devaluing of the pound sterling relative to the euro and the U.S. dollar, and in Europe we generally sell our products and incur expense in local currencies including the pound sterling and the euro, but we incur exchange rate gains and losses for U.S. dollar denominated assets and liabilities including intercompany and third-party accounts receivables and payables. The pound has subsequently recovered some of its value against the dollar, and we enter into forward contracts to help offset our exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates relative to some of these U.S. dollar denominated balances; however, there is no guarantee that we will correctly anticipate the optimal amounts of such offsets in the future.

 

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On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom provided its official notice to the European Council that it intends to leave the European Union, triggering the two-year transitionary period. The long-term nature of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union after Brexit is completed is still unclear and there is considerable uncertainty how the new relationship will be implemented. During this transitionary period, the United Kingdom and the European Union are negotiating processes to unravel all of the existing legal, political and financial frameworks and obligations, and put new structures in place. At this stage, it is uncertain what the final results of these negotiations will be and, given the lack of comparable precedent, it is unclear how Brexit will affect economic conditions in the United Kingdom, the European Union, or globally, and Control4 specifically. Because we have sales throughout the European Union and offices in England and Germany, it is possible that Brexit may require us to restructure some or all of our operations, and depending on what is negotiated, could impair our ability to transact business in other countries in the European Union. In addition, the fluctuation in currencies and market conditions may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Due to the global nature of our business, we could be harmed by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act or similar anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions in which we operate, or various international trade and export laws.

 

The global nature of our business creates various domestic and local regulatory challenges. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 (the “U.K. Bribery Act”), and similar anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. In addition, U.S.-based companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. We operate in areas of the world that experience corruption by government officials to some degree and, in certain circumstances, compliance with anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Although we periodically train our employees and agents about these anti-corruption laws, we cannot assure that our training is effective in reducing the risks attendant to such anti-corruption laws. Our global operations require us to import from and export to several countries, which geographically stretches our compliance obligations. In addition, changes in such laws could result in increased regulatory requirements and compliance costs, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our employees or other agents may engage in prohibited conduct and render us responsible under the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act or similar anti-corruption laws. If we are found to be in violation of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act or other anti-corruption laws (either due to acts or inadvertence of our employees, or due to the acts or inadvertence of other parties), we could suffer criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could harm our business.

 

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

 

If we fail to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights adequately, our business could be harmed.

 

We believe that proprietary technology is essential to establishing and maintaining our leadership position. We seek to protect our intellectual property through trade secrets, confidentiality, non-compete, non-solicitation and nondisclosure agreements, and by registering numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, and/or domain names in various justifications, as well as using other measures, some of which afford only limited protection. We also rely on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws to protect our intellectual property. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our technology or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Our means of protecting our proprietary rights may not be adequate or our competitors may independently develop similar or superior technology, or design around our intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as the laws of the United States. Intellectual property protections may also be unavailable, limited or difficult to obtain and enforce in some countries, which could make it easier for competitors to capture market share. Our failure or inability to adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

To prevent substantial unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, it may be necessary to prosecute actions for infringement and/or misappropriation of our proprietary rights against third parties. Any such action could result in significant costs and diversion of our resources and management’s attention, and we cannot assure that we will be successful in such action. Furthermore, many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights than we do. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property.

 

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An assertion by a third party that we are infringing its intellectual property could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation and lead to expensive licenses or significant liabilities in the event of an adverse judgment.

 

The industries in which we compete are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, and by frequent litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have been subject to patent litigation in the past and we may be subject to similar litigation in the future. Given that our solution integrates with almost all network aware products, the risk that our solution may be subject to these allegations is exacerbated. As we seek to extend our solutions, we could be constrained by the intellectual property rights of others, including patent holding companies.

 

We are defendants in legal proceedings related to intellectual property rights from time to time (a summary of current litigation and outstanding claims that if determined adversely to us, we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, if any, is set forth in Item 1 of Part II, Legal Proceedings), and in the past, we have entered into settlement agreements relating to contractual claims and alleged patent infringements, which have included future royalty payments on certain products, the payment of a lump sum amount for alleged past damages, and/or the payment of a fixed amount in exchange for a covenant not to sue.

 

We might not prevail in any current or future intellectual property infringement litigation given the complex legal and technical issues and inherent uncertainties in such litigation. Defending such claims, regardless of their merit, could be time-consuming and distracting to management, result in costly litigation or settlement, cause development delays or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. In addition, we currently have a limited portfolio of issued patents compared to our larger competitors, and therefore may not be able to effectively utilize our intellectual property portfolio to assert defenses or counterclaims, or negotiate cross-licenses in response to patent infringement claims or litigation brought against us by third parties. Further, litigation may involve patent holding companies or other adverse patent owners who have no relevant products or revenues and against which our potential patents provide no deterrence, and many other potential litigants have the capability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights and to defend claims that may be brought against them. If our solutions exceed the scope of in-bound licenses or violate any third-party proprietary rights, we could be required to withdraw those solutions from the market, re-develop those solutions or seek to obtain licenses from third parties, which might not be available on reasonable terms or at all. Any efforts to re-develop our solutions, obtain licenses from third parties on favorable terms or license a substitute technology might not be successful and, in any case, might substantially increase our costs and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we were compelled to withdraw any of our solutions from the market, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

 

We are generally obligated to indemnify our independent dealers, distributors and partners for certain expenses and liabilities resulting from intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products, which could force us to incur substantial costs.

 

We have agreed to indemnify our independent dealers, distributors and other partners for certain intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products and other materials we provide to them. As a result, in the case of infringement claims against these dealers, distributors and partners, we could be required to indemnify them for losses resulting from such claims. We expect that some of our dealers, distributors and partners may seek indemnification from us in connection with infringement claims brought against them. We evaluate each such request on a case-by-case basis and we may not succeed in refuting any such claim we believe to be unjustified. If a dealer, distributor or partner elects to invest resources in enforcing a claim for indemnification against us that we believe is unjustified, we could incur significant costs disputing it. If we do not succeed in disputing it, we could face substantial liability.

 

The use of open source software in our solutions may expose us to additional risks and harm our intellectual property.

 

Some of our solutions use or incorporate software that is subject to one or more open source licenses. Open source software is typically freely accessible, usable and modifiable. Certain open source software licenses require a user who intends to distribute the open source software as a component of the user’s software to disclose publicly part or all of the source code to the user’s software. In addition, certain open source software licenses require the user of such software to make any derivative works of the open source code available to others on potentially unfavorable terms or at no cost.

 

The terms of many open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and accordingly there is a risk that those licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our solutions. In that event, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our solutions, to re-develop our solutions, to discontinue sales of our

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solutions or to release our proprietary software code under the terms of an open source license, any of which could harm our business. Further, given the nature of open source software, it may be more likely that third parties might assert copyright and other intellectual property infringement claims against us based on our use of these open source software programs. Litigation could be costly for us to defend, have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition, or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our solutions.

 

We monitor the use of all open source software in our products, solutions, processes and technology, and seek to ensure that no open source software is used in such a way as to require us to disclose the source code to the related product or solution when we do not wish to do so. Despite these precautions, if a third-party software provider has incorporated certain types of open source software into software we license from such third-party provider for our solutions without our knowledge or if we have otherwise incorporated unfavorable open source software into our solutions, we could, under certain circumstances, be required to disclose the related source code to our solutions. This could harm our intellectual property position and our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We rely on the availability of third-party licenses. If these licenses are available to us only on less favorable terms or not at all in the future, our business and results of operations may be harmed.

 

We have incorporated third-party licensed technology into our products. It may be necessary in the future to renew licenses relating to various aspects of these products or to seek additional licenses for existing or new products. The necessary licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain certain licenses or other rights, or to obtain those licenses or rights on favorable terms, or the need to engage in litigation regarding these matters, could result in our inability to include certain features in our products or delays in product releases until such time, if ever, as equivalent technology could be identified, licensed or developed and integrated into our products, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, the inclusion in our products of intellectual property licensed from third parties on a nonexclusive basis could limit our ability to protect our proprietary rights in our products.

 

Risks Related to Owning Our Common Stock

 

Our share price may be volatile, which may result in securities class action litigation against us.

 

The market price of our common stock has been and again could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section and other factors beyond our control, including but not limited to:

 

·

Actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations;

 

·

Overall conditions in our industry and market;

 

·

Addition or loss of independent dealers, distributors or consumers;

 

·

Changes in laws or regulations applicable to our solutions;

 

·

Actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;

 

·

Announcements by us, our competitors or strategic buyers of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

·

Additions or departures of key personnel;

 

·

Competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;

 

·

Issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts, activist investors and those who short our stock;

 

·

Fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;

 

·

Disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our technologies;

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·

Actual or threatened litigation or adverse regulatory action against us;

 

·

Trading of our common stock by us or our stockholders, or issuance of new shares;

 

·

Share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; and

 

·

General economic, geopolitical and market conditions.

 

Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, geopolitical and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency and capital markets fluctuation, may harm the market price of our common stock. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could harm our business.

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our business. We do not have any control over these analysts, activist investors, or those who short our stock. If one or more of the foregoing analysts who cover us, activist investors, or those who short our stock downgrade our shares, change their opinion of our shares, or publish negative or false reports for their own purposes, our share price will likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish research or reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

 

The concentration of ownership of our capital stock limits your ability to influence corporate matters.

 

As of September 30, 2018, our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own, in the aggregate, 21% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, may have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, control or significantly influence most matters related to the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership and managerial authority might harm the market price of our common stock by:

 

·

Delaying, deferring or preventing a change in corporate control;

 

·

Impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us; or

 

·

Discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.

 

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

 

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated include provisions that:

 

·

Authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 25,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock;

 

·

Require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

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·

Specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President;

 

·

Establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;

 

·

Provide that directors may be removed only for cause;

 

·

Provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;

 

·

Establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes—Class I, Class II and Class III—with each class serving staggered terms; and

 

·

Require a super-majority of votes to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions.

 

These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control. These provisions may also frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.

 

As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation law, which prevents some stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of our outstanding common stock.

 

Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change of control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

 

ITEM 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

 

During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, we did not issue or sell any shares of our common stock or other equity securities pursuant to unregistered transactions in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Share Repurchases

 

In February 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20.0 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market.. During the three months ended September 30, 2018, the Company repurchased 150,000 shares for $4.9 million.

 

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In October 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the expansion of the repurchase program providing approval for the Company to repurchase an additional $20 million in Control4 common stock from time to time on the open market until December 31, 2019. As a result, the Company has $24.0 million remaining under the share repurchase program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

Dollar Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of

 

of Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

that May

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchased as

 

Yet Be

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

Part of

 

Purchased

 

 

Number of

 

 

Average

 

Publicly

 

Under the

 

 

Shares

 

 

Price Paid

 

Announced

 

Plan

Period

 

Purchased

 

 

Per Share(1)

 

Plan

 

(in thousands)

August 1 - August 31, 2018

 

150,000

 

$

32.71

 

150,000

 

 

 

 

150,000

 

 

 

 

150,000

$

24,043

 

(1) These amounts include fees and commissions associated with the share repurchase

 

 

 

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ITEM 6. Exhibits

 

The exhibits listed below are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit
Number

   

Description of Exhibits

   

Incorporated by
Reference from Form

   

Incorporated by
Reference from
Exhibit Number

   

Date Filed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. 

 

10-Q

 

3.1 

 

August 30, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.2

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws.

 

S-1

 

3.4 

 

July 1, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.1

 

Form of Common Stock certificate of the Registrant.

 

S-1/A

 

4.1 

 

July 18, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.1

 

Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.2

 

Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32.1*

 

Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

Furnished herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS

 

XBRL Instance Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.LAB

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.PRE

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

Filed herewith

 

 

 

 


*The certifications furnished in Exhibit 32.1 hereto are deemed to accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10‑Q and will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: November 2, 2018

 

 

CONTROL4 CORPORATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Mark Novakovich

 

 

 

Mark Novakovich

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

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Exhibit 31.1

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OR 15d-14(a) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Martin Plaehn, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Control4 Corporation;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: November 2, 2018

 

By:

/s/ Martin Plaehn

 

 

Martin Plaehn

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 


Exhibit 31.2

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) OR 15d-14(a) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Mark Novakovich, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Control4 Corporation;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

 

Date: November 2, 2018

By:

/s/ Mark Novakovich

 

Mark Novakovich

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 


Exhibit 32.1

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Control4 Corporation for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2018 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Martin Plaehn, as Chief Executive Officer of Control4 Corporation, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of his knowledge, the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Control4 Corporation.

 

 

 

 

 

Date: November 2, 2018

 

By:

/s/ Martin Plaehn

 

 

 

Martin Plaehn

 

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Control4 Corporation for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2018 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Mark Novakovich, as Chief Financial Officer of Control4 Corporation, hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of his knowledge, the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Control4 Corporation.

 

Uly 31u

 

 

 

Date: November 2, 2018

 

By:

/s/ Mark Novakovich

 

 

 

Mark Novakovich

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

 


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