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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


Form 10-Q

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended November 30, 2003

OR

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

For the transition period from ________ to ___________

Commission file number: 0-1460 

ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 06-0659863
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
   
405 Park Avenue, Suite 1202, New York, New York 10022
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 826-8942
(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 
x  No ____

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). 
Yes ____   No x 

As of January 14, 2004 there were 2,099,908 shares of the Registrant's $0.01 par value common stock outstanding.
 

Title

Outstanding

Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share

Authorized 15,000,000 shares; Issued 2,099,908



ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
FORM 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.

Part I.      Financial Information

Item 1:    Financial Statements:

                Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets as of November 30, 2003 and February 28, 2003

3

                Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations for the Three and Nine Months
                Ended November 30, 2003 and 2002


4

                Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended
                November 30, 2003 and 2002

 
5

                Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

6

 

Item 2:    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

10

 

Item 3:    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

15

 

Item 4:    Controls and Procedures

16

 

Part II.  Other Information

 

Item 1:  Legal Proceedings

17

   
Item 4:  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

17

   

Item 6:    Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

17

   

Signatures

18


2


Part I.  Financial Information
Item 1.  Financial Statements

 ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets
(In thousands)

November 30, 2003

February 28, 2003

 

(unaudited)

 

ASSETS

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 Cash and cash equivalents

$                         1,153 

$                         6,279 

 Marketable securities

3,841 

1,809 

 Accounts and other receivables less allowances of $40 and  $25, respectively

202 

48 

 Prepaid expenses and other assets

34 

242 

 

Total current assets

5,230 

  8,378 

Property, plant and equipment, net

3,266 

3,403 

Prepaid pension expense

4,717 

4,591 

Investment in ComCor-TV

3,500 

Investment in Moscow Broadband Communication Ltd.

1,483 

1,971 

Other assets

297 

702 

 

$                       18,493 

$                       19,045 



LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 Current maturities of long-term debt

$                            598 

$                            407 

 Accounts payable

232 

288 

 Other current liabilities

700 

907 

 Deferred income taxes

538 

132 

 

  Total current liabilities

2,068 

1,734 

 

 

Long-term debt, less current maturities

2,983 

1,674 

Other liabilities

456 

867 

Deferred income taxes

1,551 

1,668 



  Total liabilities

7,058 

5,943 



Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 Cumulative convertible preferred stock

3,497 

3,497 

 Common stock

21 

21 

 Additional paid-in capital

6,653 

6,653 

 Retained earnings

1,264 

2,931 



  

11,435 

13,102 

 

   Total stockholders' equity

$                       18,493 

$                       19,045 



The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed financial statements.

3


ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
 

Three months ended November 30,

 

Nine months ended November 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002



 



Revenues

$                     - 

$                     - 

 

$                  - 

$                    - 

 

 

 

 

 

Costs and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

General and administrative

658 

693 

 

2,129 

1,989 

Interest expense

65 

65 

 

184 

201 



 



723 

758 

 

2,313 

2,190 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment income and other income

473 

322 

 

1,418 

608 



 



Loss from continuing operations before equity in  losses of Moscow Broadband
 Communication Ltd., and income taxes



(250)



(436)

 



(895)



(1,582)

Equity in losses of Moscow Broadband
 Communication Ltd.


(167)


(172)

 


(488)


(512)



 



Net loss from continuing operations before
 income taxes


(417)


(608)

 


(1,383)


(2,094)

Income tax (benefit) expense

(32)

(135)

 

72 

(551)



 



Net loss from continuing operations

(385)

(473)

 

(1,455)

(1,543)


Discontinued operations:

 

 

 

 

 

Income from discontinued segment, net of
 income taxes of $80



 



132 

Gain on sale of discontinued segment, net of
 income taxes of $686



 



1,472 



 



Net (loss) income

(385)

(473)

 

(1,455)

61 

Preferred dividends

(71)

(71)

 

(212)

(212)



 



Loss applicable to common shares

$               (456)

$               (544)

 

$         (1,667)

$             (151)



 



(Loss) Earnings per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted

 

 

 

 

 

 Net loss from continuing operations

$              (0.22)

$              (0.26)

 

$           (0.80)

$            (0.83)

 Income from discontinued operations

 

0.06 

 Gain on sale of discontinued operations

 

0.70 



 



               

$              (0.22)

$              (0.26)

 

$           (0.80)

$           (0.07) 

 



 



 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed financial statements.

4


 

ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(unaudited)

Nine Months ended

 

 

November 30, 2003

November 30, 2002

 



Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

Net (loss) income

$                  (1,455)

$                             61 

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

 

 

  Equity in losses of Moscow Broadband Communication Ltd.

488 

512 

  Gain on sale of JM Ney's operating assets

(1,472)

  Gain on settlement of retiree healthcare liability

(142)

  Depreciation, amortization and accretion

182 

235 

  Deferred income taxes

289 

(75)

  Pension income

(126)

(149)

  Net gains from marketable securities and investments

(1,032)

 (319)

  Purchases of marketable securities

(1,000)

(700)

  Proceeds from sales of marketable securities

141 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities net of charges from sale of JM Ney's net assets:

 

 

  Accounts and other receivables

(154)

3,780 

  Inventories

(419)

  Prepaid expenses and other assets

203 

639 

  Accounts payable

(56)

(640)

  Accrued expenses and other long-term obligations

(177)

(1,448)



  Net cash provided by operating activities

(2,838)

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

  Investment in ComCor-TV

(3,500)

  Purchases of property and equipment, net

(42)

(9)

  Proceeds from sale of JM Ney, net of escrow

10,390 

  Transaction expenses paid

(1,172)



  Net cash used in investing activities

(3,542)

9,209 



Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

  Principal payments on long-term debt

(500)

(499)

  Proceeds from mortgage loan, net

1,966 

  Repayment of short-term debt, net

(2,366)

  Purchase of subsidiary warrants

(160)

  Stock options exercised

34

  Preferred dividends paid

(212)

(212)



  Net cash used in financing activities

1,254 

(3,203)



  Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(5,126)

6,010 

  Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period

6,279 

1,152 



  Cash and cash equivalents - end of period

$                   1,153 

$                        7,162 

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

5


ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.
Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements (unaudited)

(1)                Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Andersen Group, Inc. (the "Company") and related notes as contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2003.  The interim financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) and accruals necessary in the judgment of management for a fair presentation of such statements.  The Company has incurred and expects in the near future to continue to incur operating losses.  Management believes that unless the Company is able to secure additional financing, its cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments will not be sufficient to enable it to meet its operating expense and debt service requirements for the next twelve months and also the funding requirements into ZAO ComCor-TV ("CCTV") as set forth in the Subscription Agreement with Moscow Telecommunications Corporation ("COMCOR") (see note 5) which it expects to enter into during the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year.  Accordingly, if this contingency has not been resolved prior to August 31, 2004, the Company expects that it may not make all of the capital contributions to CCTV which the Company will be committed to make upon the closing of the acquisition of CCTV. 

The accompanying interim consolidated financial statements reflect the Company's belief that it can continue as a going concern, and its belief that CCTV can continue as a going concern which are, in turn, based on the belief that both the Company and CCTV can continue with its existing resources or upon the likelihood that additional capital resources can be obtained to support both the Company's and CCTV's operating plans.  If management's assessments are incorrect, the Company may be required to reduce the reported values of certain assets and incur additional expenses.  The accompanying interim consolidated financial statements do not provide for such loss contingencies. 

Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (VIE), an interpretation of ARB No. 51, which requires all VIEs to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary.  The primary beneficiary is the entity that holds the majority of the beneficial interests in the VIE.  In addition, the interpretation expands disclosure requirements for both VIEs that are consolidated as well as VIEs from which the entity is the holder of a significant amount of the beneficial interests, but not the majority.  The disclosure requirements of this interpretation are effective for all financial statements issued after January 31, 2003.  The consolidation requirements of this interpretation have recently been deferred and are now effective for all periods ending no later than March 15, 2004.  Because the Company believes it has no variable interest entities, it does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have an effect on the consolidated financial position or results of operations. 

In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 149 ("SFAS 149"), "Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities."  SFAS 149 amends Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 to provide clarification on the financial accounting and reporting of derivative instruments and hedging activities and requires that contracts with similar characteristics be accounted for on a comparable basis.  The provisions of SFAS 149 are effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, and for hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003.  SFAS 149 has no material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of or for the period ended November 30, 2003. 

In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 150 ("SFAS 150"), "Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity."  SFAS 150 establishes standards on the classification and measurement of certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity.  The provisions of SFAS 150 are effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003 and to all other instruments that exist as of the beginning of the first interim financial reporting period beginning after June 15, 2003.  SFAS 150 has no material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of or for the period ended November 30, 2003. 

Stock-based Compensation Plans
The Company follows Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" and related Interpretations, in accounting for its stock-based compensation plans and has elected to continue to use the intrinsic value-based method to account for stock option grants.  The Company adopted the disclosure-only provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148 ("SFAS 148"), "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation - - Transition and Disclosure", an amendment of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 ("SFAS 123").  Accordingly, no compensation expense has been recognized for the Company's stock-based compensation plans.  Had the Company elected to recognize compensation expense based upon the fair value at the grant dates for awards under these plans, net loss and 

6


loss per share would have been unchanged from amounts as presented because the Company has not granted any stock based compensation awards since FY01. 

(2)                Investment in ComCor-TV

On May 30, 2003, the Company invested $3,500,000 into CCTV to the terms of the agreements reached with COMCOR under which the Company plans to acquire 100% of the equity interests of CCTV through the issuance of common stock to COMCOR in exchange for COMCOR's equity interest in CCTV, and the exchange of its common stock for the outstanding stock of Moscow Broadband Communication Ltd ("Moscow Broadband") that it does not already own.  The Company has recorded this investment at its cost basis.  See Note 4 for additional discussion of the proposed transactions. 

(3)                Investment in Moscow Broadband Communication Ltd. 

The Company records its investment in Moscow Broadband using the equity method of accounting.  The Company's fiscal year ends on February 28/29, while Moscow Broadband has a December 31 year end.  As a result, the Company's equity in Moscow Broadband's results is reported on a two-month lag.  For the nine-month periods ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, the Company recorded losses of $488,000 and $512,000, respectively, which represent its 25% interest in Moscow Broadband's losses of $1,952,000 and $2,047,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively.  These losses include Moscow Broadband's 50% equity interest in the losses of CCTV for the same periods.

At November 30, 2003, the carrying value of the Company's investment in Moscow Broadband was $1,483,000, and the Company's 25% equity interest in the net assets of Moscow Broadband was $1,864,000.  The $381,000 difference is attributed to a non-depreciable asset that was contributed to CCTV and will not result in the Company accreting the difference into its consolidated results of operations.

The following presents summarized financial information for Moscow Broadband as of September 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002 and its results of operations for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 (in thousands): 

September 30, 2003

December 31, 2002

 

Balance Sheet Data:

   

  Current assets

$                               315

$                              557

  Noncurrent assets

7,181

8,903



  Total assets

$                            7,496

$                           9,460



  Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$                                 40

$                                52

  Stockholders' equity

7,456

9,408



  Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$                            7,456

$                           9,460



 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002

 

 

Statement of Operations Data:

   

 

   

  Net loss before equity in losses of ComCor-TV

$               (96)

$              (60)

 

$          (232)

$          (340)

  Equity in losses of ComCor-TV

(574)

(627)

 

(1,720)

(1,707)



 



  Net loss

$             (670)

$            (687)

 

$       (1,952)

$       (2,047)

 

 

  7


The following presents summarized financial information for CCTV as of September 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002 and for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 (in thousands): 

  September 30, 2003 December 31, 2003
 

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

  Current assets

$                              6,542

$                              6,104

  Non-current assets

28,649

28,496



  Total assets

$                            35,191

$                            34,510



  Current liabilities

$                              3,957

$                              3,124

  Non-current liabilities and minority interest

1,632

1,844

  Stockholder's equity

29,602

29,542



  Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$                            35,191

$                            34,510



 

Three months ended September 30,

 

Nine months ended September 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002

 

 

Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

  Subscription fees

$                   645 

$                317 

 

$              1,781 

$                930 

  Connection fees and equipment and other sales

200 

126 

 

628 

378 



 



  Total revenues

845 

443 

 

2,409 

1,308 

  Cost of revenues, including
   amortization of intangibles


(1,188)


(882)

 


(3,500)


(2,535)

  Operating expenses

(701)

(823)

 

(2,238)

(2,259)

 

 

  Loss from operations

(1,044)

(1,262)

 

(3,329)

(3,486)

  Equity in losses of unconsolidated subsidiary

(167)

(42)

 

(251)

(42)

  Other non-operating items, net

(7)

(12)

 

(6971)

(77)





  Net loss before income taxes

(1,218)

(1,316)

 

(3,649)

(3,605)

  Income tax benefit

71 

64 

 

209 

193 





   Net loss

$             (1,147)

$           (1,252)

 

$             (3,440)

$            (3,412)





 (4)           ComCor-TV and Moscow Broadband Transactions 

In May 2003, the Company entered into agreements with COMCOR pursuant to which the Company expects to acquire control over 100% of the equity ownership of CCTV through (i) the purchase of CCTV equity held and to be acquired by COMCOR and (ii) the acquisition of the 75% of Moscow Broadband which the Company had not previously owned.  The agreements with COMCOR call for the Company to issue 4,220,879 shares of its common stock to COMCOR in exchange for the equity of CCTV to be held by COMCOR, including the equity of CCTV to be acquired by COMCOR in exchange for the extinguishment of approximately $1,380,500 of amounts owed or expected to be owed to COMCOR from CCTV. On October 27, 2003, the Company's stockholders approved the issuance of the shares of the Company's common stock to effect the transactions, and in December 2003, the Ministry of the Russian Federation on Anti-monopoly Policy granted its approval of the transaction.  COMCOR is presently awaiting approval to allow it to directly own shares of the Company's stock, after which, if received, the company expects to be able to complete the acquisition within a matter of days. 

8


In connection with the COMCOR agreements, the Company made a $3.5 million investment into CCTV on May 30, 2003 and upon closing the agreements, it will be committed to making; i) a $1.0 million investment in CCTV within 20 days of the closing of the acquisition of the CCTV shares; and ii) a $1.5 million investment into CCTV at the earlier of the closing of a rights offering or August 31, 2004.  The COMCOR agreements also provide for an additional  $5,829,000 of capital contributions to CCTV from the Company prior to March 31, 2005. If such contributions are not made, then the Company will be obligated to issue up to 477,994 additional shares of its common stock to COMCOR. 

Pursuant to agreements signed effective April 1, 2003, COMCOR also agreed to eliminate the fee it charged CCTV for transportation network services from CCTV's utilization of the Moscow Fiber Optic Network that had been charged at the rate of 10% of CCTV's television service revenue. COMCOR also agreed to limit CCTV's payment obligations for the lease of secondary node switching stations to the lesser of i) $350 per secondary node per month as invoiced by COMCOR and ii) 20% of CCTV's television service revenues, calculated on a cumulative basis beginning January 1, 2003. At September 30, 2003, CCTV was utilizing 225 of COMCOR's secondary nodes.  To make this existing network more cost efficient, CCTV plans to reduce the use of up to 37 of these nodes within the next few months.  CCTV also plans to lease additional secondary nodes from COMCOR as further buildout of its access network occurs. 

Concurrent with the closing of the proposed acquisition of CCTV equity from COMCOR, the Company intends to acquire the 75% of the MBC equity that it does not currently own in exchange for 2,250,000 shares of Company common stock. In addition to the planned $1.0 million cash investment into CCTV to be made after the closing of the transactions, to partially satisfy its additional funding requirements discussed above,  the Company also intends to contribute approximately $1,250,000 to CCTV, which is comprised of (i) the contribution of Moscow Broadband's loans and advances to CCTV; (ii) 4,402 shares of the stock of the Institute for Automated Systems; and (iii) the extinguishment of a $138,144 liability of CCTV through the issuance of 33,427 shares of the Company's common stock. Such contributions would reduce the number of shares of the Company's common stock that the Company would be obligated to issue to COMCOR, in the absence of any other qualifying contributions made by the Company to CCTV, from 477,994 to 374,941. The agreements further call for the Company to maintain the right to name four of the seven members of the Company's Board of Directors and for COMCOR to name the remaining three pursuant to the terms of a Voting Agreement to be entered into upon the closing of the transactions among COMCOR, Oliver R. Grace, Jr., the Company's President, and Francis E. Baker, the Company's Chairman, to support the continuation of the Company's control over the corporate governance of the Company for an 18-month period. 

(5)           Mortgage Loan  

In June 2003, Andersen Land Corp. ("Andersen Land"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company formerly known as The J.M. Ney Company, entered into a seven-year $2.0 million mortgage agreement secured by Andersen Land's real estate property and an assignment of rents from the lease agreement entered into with the buyer of JM Ney's operating assets.  Andersen Land provided the proceeds of this loan to the Company to assist the Company in meeting its cash flow obligations. 

(6)           Income Taxes

Income tax benefit represents an estimate of the effective income tax rate for the current fiscal year after considering valuation allowances with respect to the Company's ability to realize a tax benefit from its equity in the losses of Moscow Broadband and the extent of the Company's ability to utilize current year losses to recover previously paid income taxes.

(7)           Loss Per Share

Loss per share is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock and common stock equivalents outstanding.  Diluted loss per share assumes full conversion of all convertible securities into common stock at the later of the beginning of the year or date of issuance, unless antidilutive.   For the three and nine month periods ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, the effect of the assumed conversion of the Company's dilutive securities had an antidilutive effect on the Company's per share results from continuing operations. 

9


Three months ended November 30,

 

Nine months ended November 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002

 

 

Calculation of basic loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator for basic and diluted loss per share:

 

Net loss

$              (456) 

$               (544)

 

$          (1,667)

$              (151) 



 



Denominator for basic loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period


2,100 


2,100 

 


2,100 


2,100 

Effect of dilutive securities

 



 



Denominator for diluted loss per share

2,100 

2,100 

 

2,100 

2,100 



 



Basic loss per share

$              (0.22)

$              (0.26)

 

$            (0.80)

$              (0.07)



 



Diluted loss per share

$              (0.22)

$              (0.26)

 

$            (0.80)

$              (0.07)

 

 

Item. 2  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The accompanying Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") should be read in conjunction with the MD&A in the Company's Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2003. 

Overview

The Company is a holding company which holds a 25% ownership interest in Moscow Broadband which in turn holds 50% voting control over CCTV, a Russian company that delivers cable television, high speed data transmission and Internet services to its customers in Moscow, Russia.  CCTV is a start-up business that is currently expanding its network and attempting to increase its customer base.

In May 2003, the Company entered into agreements with COMCOR, that, upon closing, will result in CCTV becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.  These agreements call for the issuance of 6,470,879 shares of the Company's common stock in exchange for the equity interest of CCTV to be held by COMCOR, and for the 75% of Moscow Broadband not presently owned by the Company.  On October 27, 2003, the Company obtained the approval of the Company's stockholders to issue shares of its common stock to effect the transactions.  In addition, the Company will be contingently liable to issue up to an additional 477,994 shares of its common stock if certain financing commitments are not made.

The Company also has a trading portfolio of equity investments of domestic and foreign-based companies, which at November 30, 2003 was valued at $3,841,000.

From 1991 until March 22, 2002, the Company owned and operated JM Ney as its primary operating subsidiary.  The operating assets of JM Ney were sold during the first quarter of FY03 and the net current assets of JM Ney which were not sold were substantially liquidated.  The Company retained ownership of JM Ney's facility which it leases to the buyer of JM Ney's operating assets under terms of an eight-year lease which was negotiated in connection with the sale of JM Ney's net assets.

Due to the proposed acquisition of CCTV, and the sale of JM Ney, the following discussion and analysis of the results of operations and the financial condition of the Company is not indicative of the Company's expectations of its future results of operations.

10


Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The MD&A discusses the Company's consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates and judgments, including those related to bad debts, investments, income taxes, financing operations, retirement benefits, and contingencies and litigation.  Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.  Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. 

Management believes the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements:   

Deferred Tax Assets

The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that it believes is more likely than not to be realized. The Company considers future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance.  When the Company determines that it may not be able to realize all or part of its net deferred tax assets, a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets to estimated recoverable amounts is charged to income in the period such determination is made.  Likewise, should the Company determine that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of its net recorded amount, a reduction in the valuation allowance would increase income in the period such determination is made.

Investments in Moscow Broadband and CCTV
The Company records its investment in Moscow Broadband using the equity method which also requires that the carrying value of the investment be evaluated for impairment.   The Company records its investment in CCTV at cost until the closing of the transactions, at which time both investments will be included within the cost basis of CCTV as a consolidated subsidiary of the Company.  The ability for the Company to consummate the proposed transactions and the ability of CCTV to meet its obligations and to continue to grow its revenues will be determining factors in continuing impairment evaluations.  At this time, Company management believes that there should not be an impairment of these assets recorded as of November 30, 2003.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2003 VS. THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2002

For the nine months ended November 30, 2003 and 2002 the Company reported net loss as follows (in thousands except per share amounts):

November 30, 2003

November 30, 2002

 

Amount

Per Share

Amount

Per Share

 



Net loss from continuing operations

$          (1,667)

$            (0.80)

$          (1,755)

$            (0.83)

Net income from discontinued operations

-

132 

0.06 

Gain on sale of JM Ney

-

1,472 

0.70 





$          (1,667)

$            (0.80)

$             (151)

$            (0.07)

 



11


General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses from continuing operations increased 7.0% to $2,129,000 for the nine months ended November 30, 2003, from $1,989,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. For the three months ended November 30, 2003, these expenses totaled $658,000, which was 5.1% less than the $693,000 of general and administrative expenses incurred in the comparable three-month period in the prior fiscal year.  The year-to-date increase is due to higher deferred compensation costs attributable to increases in the value of assets in trust accounts which has also resulted in higher investment income and other income as noted later.  In addition, a gain on the settlement of post retirement liabilities realized in the prior year did not recur in the current fiscal year.  The three-month expense decrease is primarily due to lower professional fees as a result of less effort to negotiate and document the transactions which were reached in final form in May 2003, which were partially offset by increases in compensation expense.

Interest Expense
Interest expense for the nine months ended November 30, 2003 decreased 8.5% to $184,000 from $201,000 during the comparable period in the prior fiscal year.  For the three months ended November 30, 2003, interest expense totaled $65,000, which was essentially unchanged from the interest expense incurred in the comparable three-month period in the prior fiscal year.  Annual sinking fund payments of the Company's 10 1/2% convertible subordinated debenture have served to lower interest costs, which have been offset by interest on a mortgage loan which was entered into in June 2003. 

Investment Income and Other Income
For the nine months ended November 30, 2003, investment income and other income totaled $1,418,000, as compared to $608,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year.  For the three months ended November 30, 2003, investment income and other income totaled $473,000, as compared to $322,000 in the comparable period in the prior fiscal year.  Significant components of investment income and other income are as follows (in thousands): 
 

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

 
 

November 30, 2003

November 30, 2002

 

November 30, 2003

November 30, 2002

 

 

Net gains from domestic trading portfolio

$                        348 

$                     206 

 

$                    1,032 

$                      311 

Rental income

78 

78 

 

233 

214 

Interest and dividends

27 

44 

 

53 

113 

Ultrasonic royalties

19 

13 

 

54 

37 

Change in deferred compensation accounts

(19)

 

46 

(67)



 



$                        473 

$                     322 

 

$                     1,418 

$                      608 

 

 

Equity in Losses of Moscow Broadband
The Company's equity in the losses of Moscow Broadband decreased 2.9% to $167,000 for the three months ended November 30, 2003 from $172,000 in the comparable period of the prior fiscal year, and decreased 4.7% to $488,000 for the nine months then ended from $512,000 recorded in the prior fiscal year.  These represent the Company's equity in MBC's results of operations for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, as follows (in thousands):   

Three months ended September 30,

 

Nine months ended September 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002

 

 

MBC's operating losses

$                  (96)

$                  (60)

 

$                 (232)

$                 (340)

MBC's equity in CCTV's losses

(574)

(627)

 

(1,720)

(1,707)



 



  Total MBC loss

$                (670)

$                (687)

 

$              (1,952)

$              (2,047)



 



Andersen equity portion - 25%

$                (167)

$                (172)

 

$                 (488)

$                 (512)

 

 

  12


MBC's year-to-date net operating loss declined primarily due to a decrease of $75,000 in consulting costs which had been incurred during 2002 in connection with the process to try to raise additional equity for MBC.  Such cost savings were partially offset by a $35,000 decrease in interest income, due to lower cash being available for short term investments as a result of the May 2002 investment of $5 million into CCTV, and the use of cash for MBC's operating expenses.  MBC's equity in the losses of CCTV for the three months ended September 30, 2003 were reduced by 8.5% from the prior year's third quarter and were approximately 0.8% higher for the nine-month period from the prior year's comparable period. 

CCTV's results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002, and MBC's equity in these results were comprised as follows (in thousands): 

Three months ended September 30,

 

Nine months ended September 30,

 
 

2003

2002

 

2003

2002

 

 

Subscription fees

$                   645 

$                318 

 

$               1,781 

$                  930 

Connection fees, equipment and other
 revenue


200 


125 

 


628 


378 

 

 

  Total revenues

845 

443 

 

2,409 

1,308 

Cost of sales

1,188 

1,010

 

3,500 

2,669

 

 

Gross margin deficit

(343)

(567)

 

(1,091)

(1,361)

Operating expenses

701 

695

 

2,238 

2,125

 

 

Loss from operations

(1,044)

(1,262)

 

(3,329)

(3,486)

Equity in losses of unconsolidated
 subsidiary


(167)


(44)

 


(251)


(44)

Other non-operating items, net

(7)

(10)

 

(69)

(75)

 

 

Net loss before income taxes

(1,218)

(1,316)

 

(3,649)

(3,605)

Income tax benefit

71 

64 

 

209 

193 



 



Net loss

$               (1,147)

$           (1,252)

 

$                  (3,440)

$             (3,412)



 



MBC equity portion - 50%

$                  (574)

$              (627)

 

$             (1,720) 

$             (1,707)





 

CCTV's subscription fees for television and Internet access services for the three months ended September 30, 2003 increased by 104.0% over the comparable period in the prior year as a result of increased subscription levels both from increased market penetration in areas which it had access to in the prior year, and from new subscribers in areas to which it has expanded in the last year.  Year-to-date, such revenues were 91.5% higher than the prior year for the same reasons. 

At September 30, 2003, CCTV reported that it had 52,643 subscribers from its broadcasting and premium television services and 7,932 subscribers for its Internet access services.  These represent increases of 38.4% and 92.9% respectively over the number of subscribers it had reported as of September 30, 2002.  As a result, subscription fees for television services for three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2003 increased 69.3% and 55.8% respectively over the comparable periods in the prior year, and revenues from Internet access services for the three and nine-month periods increased 126.3% and 115.2%, respectively, over the prior year's comparable periods.  Growth of subscription fee revenues for television services and Internet access services increased only 10.3% and 2.6%, respectively, from the second quarter levels, primarily due to a higher level of seasonal disconnections in July and August, which was offset by strong subscriber growth and reconnections of inactive customers in the month of September. 

13


CCTV's cost of sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, increased 17.6% and 31.1%, respectively over the comparable periods in the prior year primarily as a result of utilization fees and lease of secondary node fees from COMCOR which were not present in the prior year until August 2002 and to increased depreciation expense relating to assets contributed by COMCOR in July 2002 and additional network buildout. 

CCTV's general and administrative expenses for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2003 increased 0.9%  and 5.3% respective in over the comparable year period due to depreciation on assets contributed by COMCOR in July 2002.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense
Income tax (benefit) expense has been accrued based upon estimated effective tax rates for the fiscal year, after considering valuation allowances related to the Company's ability to realize a tax benefit from its equity in the losses of Moscow Broadband.

Income from Discontinued Operations
During the nine month period ended November 30, 2002, the Company owned JM Ney for only 22 days until its sale effective March 22, 2002.  JM Ney's results for that period produced net income of $132,000 after income taxes. 

Gain on Sale of JM Ney
The sale of JM Ney's net assets in March 2002 produced a gain of $1,472,000 after a provision for income taxes of $686,000.  The components of the selling price resulted in proceeds which were higher than book value for inventory and fixed assets, which were partially offset by expenses of the transaction.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

At November 30, 2003, consolidated cash and marketable securities totaled $4,994,000 as compared to $8,088,000 as of February 28, 2003.  The decrease of $3,094,000 is primarily attributable to the use of cash to fund the Company's $3,500,000 investment in CCTV and from the use of $806,000 of cash in its operating activities, net of new investments in,  and appreciation of the values of marketable securities.  In addition, $1,254,000 of cash was provided by financing activities from the proceeds of a mortgage loan less principal payments of this loan and the annual sinking fund payment of the Company's 10 ½% Subordinated Debentures and the payment of $212,000 of preferred dividends.   

The agreements which the Company entered into in May 2003 under which it proposes to acquire 100% of CCTV, require the Company to make additional cash investments in CCTV totaling $2.5 million by August 31, 2004, of which $1.0 million is expected to be made at the closing of the acquisition, which the Company expects will occur during its fourth fiscal quarter. 

The Company's present resources, including the trading portfolio of equity securities, are not expected to be adequate for the Company to meet the defined CCTV funding requirements and its continuing operating expense, debt service and preferred dividend payment obligations for more than 12 months.   

The agreements entered into with COMCOR contemplate the use of proceeds of a private placement or other offering of Company debt or equity securities.  Such events, if they were to occur, would provide the Company with additional liquidity to support its and CCTV's business objectives.  The Company has plans to undertake capital raising activities, but there can be no assurance that such activities will be successful.  If such activities are not successful, and absent alternate sources of capital or liquidation of other assets, it is more likely than not that the additional investment into CCTV will not be made, or will be made in an amount that is materially lower than provided for in the acquisition agreements. 

At September 30, 2003, CCTV had approximately $1,104,000 in cash and current liabilities of approximately $3,942,000.  However, CCTV is still generating cash flow losses and it has plans to expand its access network by an additional approximately 50,000 homes, which will require capital expenditures estimated to be in excess of $2,000,000.  Accordingly, CCTV will remain dependent upon outside sources of cash, including the planned capital contributions to be made by the Company.  The Company's ability to make such contributions cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the adequacy of any such additional cash contribution into CCTV, to meet CCTV's planned cash flow obligations cannot be assured.   

Accordingly, in the absence of new sources of capital, CCTV may have to reduce portions of its planned expansion of its access network, or could fail to meet its obligations which could result in the loss of value of the Company's current and planned investment in CCTV.  

14


The following table presents the Company's contractual obligations as of November 30, 2003. These obligations exclude requirements to provide funding to CCTV which the Company will be contractually obligated to make once it has consummated the acquisition of CCTV:

 Payments Due By Period


Contractual Obligation


Total

Less Than
One Year


1-3 Years


4-5 Years


After 5 Years







Long term debt

$             3,581

$                598

$          1,719

$                333  

$                931

Operating leases

155

76

70

9

-






$             3,736            

$                674 

$             1,789 

$                342 

$                931 

 




 Effect of New Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (VIE), an interpretation of ARB No. 51, which requires all VIEs to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary.  The primary beneficiary is the entity that holds the majority of the beneficial interests in the VIE.  In addition, the interpretation expands disclosure requirements for both VIEs that are consolidated as well as VIEs from which the entity is the holder of a significant amount of the beneficial interests, but not the majority.  The disclosure requirements of this interpretation are effective for all financial statements issued after January 31, 2003.  The consolidation requirements of this interpretation have recently been deferred and are now effective for all periods ending no later than March 15, 2004.  Because the Company believes it has no variable interest entities, it does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have an effect on the consolidated financial position or results of operations. 

In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 149 ("SFAS 149"), "Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities."  SFAS 149 amends Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 to provide clarification on the financial accounting and reporting of derivative instruments and hedging activities and requires that contracts with similar characteristics be accounted for on a comparable basis.  The provisions of SFAS 149 are effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, and for hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003.  The Company is currently evaluating the effects this statement may have on its consolidated financial statements. 

In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 150 ("SFAS 150"), "Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity."  SFAS 150 establishes standards on the classification and measurement of certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity.  The provisions of SFAS 150 are effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003 and to all other instruments that exist as of the beginning of the first interim financial reporting period beginning after June 15, 2003 (our third quarter of fiscal 2004).  The Company is currently evaluating the effects this statement may have on its consolidated financial statements.

OFF BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

The Company has a contingent liability with respect to a $386,000 letter of credit issued by its bank to secure performance bonds issued in connection with an unresolved state income tax matter.

Item 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Company is exposed to market risk from changes in equity security prices, interest rates and from factors that impact equity investments in Russia, as discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2003.  The following information is presented to update the status of the identified risks.

 EQUITY SECURITY RISK

At November 30, 2003, the Company has equity risk with respect to $3,836,000 of investments in publicly traded financial institutions, and it also has an equity investment in a Ukraine based utility company with a reported value of $5,000.

15


FOREIGN INVESTMENT RISK

At November 30, 2003, the Company had investments in CCTV and Moscow Broadband with a combined carrying value of $4,983,000, or 26.9% of total consolidated assets.  Moscow Broadband's primary asset is an investment in CCTV, a Moscow, Russia based broadband cable operator licensed to provide video, Internet and telephony to up to 1.5 million homes and businesses in Moscow. Accordingly, these investments bear the specific economic, currency and political risks of this region. 

In May 2003, the Company entered into agreements which, when consummated, will result in CCTV being wholly-owned by the Company.  The consummation of these transactions will increase the concentration of both foreign investment risk and the capital risk associated with a start-up company which is experiencing operating losses and requires the commitment of funds to meet the capital expenditure needs of its business plan.  Such transactions are also expected to significantly reduce the Company's liquidity as discussed in the Liquidity and Capital Resource section of Item 2 of this report.

INTEREST RATE RISK

At November 30, 2003, Andersen Land Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was obligated under a mortgage note which bears interest at 2.25% above the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which will expose it to interest rate risk at each periodic renewal of the rate, the first of which will be in March 2004.  If the interest rate on the mortgage note increases from the current annual rate of 3.284% by 1% at renewal, the Company estimates that the interest cost of this obligation would increase by approximately $17,000 for the fiscal year ending February 28, 2005. 

Item 4.  Controls and Procedures

As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), within the 90 days prior to the filing date of this report, the Company carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. This evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer along with the Company's Chief Financial Officer. Based upon that evaluation, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer along with the Company's Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures are effective. There have been no significant changes in the Company's internal controls, or in other factors, which could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date the Company carried out its evaluation.

The Company records in its financial statements its 25% equity interest in MBC, whose main business is its 50% equity interest in CCTV, and also a $3,500,000 direct investment in CCTV.  The transactions with COMCOR and the shareholders of MBC described in Note (4) to the consolidated financial statements in Item 1 of this Report will result in the Company acquiring 100% of the equity interest of CCTV.  Until the transactions are consummated, the Company does not control CCTV.  Therefore, at the present time, the Company is not in a position to assure that CCTV has effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting.  Management of the Company is currently working with management of CCTV to implement effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting at CCTV after the consummation of the transactions.  Management has disclosed to the Company's auditors and audit committee the status of its efforts to implement effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting at CCTV.

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Company reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. 

 16


Part II.  Other Information

Item 1.  Legal Proceedings 

Morton International, Inc. v. A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. et al. and Velsicol Chemical Corp. v. A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. et al.

As originally reported in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 1997, in July 1996, two companion lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, by various owners and operators of the Ventron-Velsicol Superfund Site ("Site").  The lawsuits, which were subsequently consolidated, were filed under the Comprehensive Environmental Resource Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the New Jersey Spill Act and New Jersey common law, alleging that the defendants (over 100 companies, including JM Ney) were generators of certain wastes allegedly processed at the Site.  The lawsuits seek recovery of costs incurred and a declaration of future liability for costs to be incurred by the owners and operators in studying and remediating the Site.

As further reported in the Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended November 30, 2001, this case was dismissed without prejudice and the plaintiffs' ability to reinstate their claims were limited for a minimum of three years until October 2004.  If the plaintiffs reinstate the case, given the legal and factual issues that remain outstanding, the Company currently has no basis to ascertain the range of loss, should any occur, with respect to an outcome that may be considered unfavorable.  This contingent liability was not assumed by the buyer of JM Ney's net assets.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

During the three-months ended November 30, 2003, the Company held a Special Meeting of its stockholders at which the following proposals were voted on and approved by the stockholders: 

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

1.   Approval of the issuance of common stock pursuant to the CCTV share acquisition.


1,322,277


49,470


330

 

 

 

2.   Approval of the issuance of common stock pursuant to the MBC share acquisition.


1,322,277


49,470


330

 

 

 

3.   Approval of an amendment to the certificate of incorporation increasing the number of authorized shares.


1,322,077


49,670


330

 

 

 

 4.  Approval of an amendment to the certificate of incorporation adopting cumulative voting the election of directors.


1,355,720


15,764


593

 

 

 

5.   Approval of an amendment to the certificate of incorporation adopting a change in the name of the company to Moscow CableCom Corp.


1,364,437


6,987


653

 

 

 

6.  Approval of the adoption of the Andersen Group, Inc. 2003 Stock Plan.


1,262,564


108,570


853

 

 

 

7.  Approval of the adoption of the Andersen Group, Inc. 2003 Stock Option Plan.


1,234,758


136,866


453

Item 6.  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K:

Exhibit                           Description

Exhibit 31.1                            Certification of CEO pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act                        
Exhibit 31.2                            Certification of CFO pursuant to Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Exhibit 32                               Certification of CEO and CFO Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350

(a)     Reports on Form 8-K:  During the three months ended November 30, 2003, the Company filed the following reports on Form 8-K:  

 17


On October 16, 2003, the Company filed a Form 8-K under Items 7 and 12 to report its results of operations for the three and six months ended August 31, 2003. 

On October 27, 2003, the Company filed a Form 8-K under Items 7 and 9 pursuant to Regulation FD to report certain information which was being presented at the Special Meeting of Stockholders being held on that date. 

On October 28, 2003, the Company filed a Form 8-K under Items 5 and 7 to report that it had issued a press release announcing the approval by Stockholders of the issuance of Common Stock to Moscow Telecommunication Corporation (COMCOR) and the stockholders of Moscow Broadband Communications Ltd (MBC) which will, when consummated, result in the acquisition of 100% of ZAO ComCor-TV (CCTV), an operator of a growing cable television and Internet access network in Moscow, Russia.  The press release also announced the approval of the change of the Company's name to Moscow CableCom Corp., which is expected to be put into effect following the closing of the acquisition of CCTV. 

Subsequent to November 30, 2003, the Company filed the following report on Form 8-K: 

On December 18, 2003, the Company filed a Form 8-K under Items 5 and 7 to report that it had issued a press release announcing that its planned acquisition of CCTV had been approved by the Ministry of the Russian Federation on Anti-Monopoly Policy, and that the Company expected to be able to close on the proposed acquisition by mid-January 2004.

18


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.

ANDERSEN GROUP, INC.

By:          /s/ Oliver R. Grace, Jr.
                Oliver R. Grace, Jr.
                President and Chief Executive Officer

Date:       January 14, 2003

 

By:          /s/ Andrew M. O'Shea
                Andrew M. O'Shea
                Chief Financial Officer

Date:       January 14, 2003

 19