UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

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

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017

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: 000-22012

WINMARK CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

605 Highway 169 North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55441

(Address of principal executive offices)  (Zip Code)

(763) 520-8500

(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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files).

Yes ☒              No ☐

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

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 ☒

Common stock, no par value, 3,821,528 shares outstanding as of October 17, 2017.

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

PART I.          FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1:   Financial Statements

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

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

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

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

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)

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

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

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

WINMARK CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.  Management’s Interim Financial Statement Representation:

The accompanying consolidated condensed financial statements have been prepared by Winmark Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company), without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company has a 52/53 week year which ends on the last Saturday in December.  The information in the consolidated condensed financial statements includes normal recurring adjustments and reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements.  The consolidated condensed financial statements and notes are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q, and therefore do not contain certain information included in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements and notes.  This report should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Revenues and operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications of previously reported amounts have been made to conform to the current year presentation.  Such reclassifications did not impact net income or shareholders’ equity (deficit) as previously reported.

2.  Organization and Business:

The Company offers licenses to operate franchises using the service marks Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Style Encore® and Music Go Round®. The company uses its Winmark Franchise Partners™ mark in connection with its strategic consulting and corporate development activities. The Company also operates both middle market and small-ticket equipment leasing businesses under the Winmark Capital® and Wirth Business Credit® marks.    

3.  Fair Value Measurements:

The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.  The Company uses three levels of inputs to measure fair value:

The Company’s marketable securities were valued based on Level 1 inputs using quoted prices.

Due to their nature, the carrying value of cash equivalents, receivables, payables and debt obligations approximates fair value.

4.  Investments:

Marketable Securities

The following is a summary of marketable securities classified as available-for-sale securities:

The Company’s unrealized gains and losses for marketable securities classified as available-for-sale securities in accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows:

The Company’s realized gains and losses recognized on sales of available-for-sale marketable securities are as follows:

Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings is determined by using the average cost of the security when sold.  Gross realized gains (losses) reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings are included in Interest and Other Income (Expense) and the related tax benefits (expenses) are included in the Provision for Income Taxes lines of the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations.

5.  Investment in Leasing Operations:

Investment in leasing operations consists of the following:

As of September 30, 2017, the $40.6 million total net investment in leases consists of $16.3 million classified as current and $24.3 million classified as long-term.  As of December 31, 2016, the $41.4 million total net investment in leases consists of $17.0 million classified as current and $24.4 million classified as long-term.

As of September 30, 2017, leased assets with two customers approximated 26% and 10%, respectively, of the Company’s total assets.

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had no future minimum lease payments receivable for operating leases. Future minimum lease payments receivable under lease contracts and the amortization of unearned lease income, net of initial

direct costs deferred, is as follows for the remainder of fiscal 2017 and the full fiscal years thereafter as of September 30, 2017:

The activity in the allowance for credit losses for leasing operations during the first nine months of 2017 and 2016, respectively, is as follows:

The Company’s investment in direct financing and sales-type leases (“Investment In Leases”) and allowance for credit losses by loss evaluation methodology are as follows:

The Company’s key credit quality indicator for its investment in direct financing and sales-type leases is the status of the lease, defined as accruing or non-accrual. Leases that are accruing income are considered to have a lower risk of loss. Non-accrual leases are those that the Company believes have a higher risk of loss.  The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s accruing and non-accrual leases.  Delinquent balances are determined based on the contractual terms of the lease.

6.  Recent Accounting Pronouncements:

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which provides guidance for revenue recognition that supersedes existing revenue recognition guidance (but does not apply to nor supersede accounting guidance for lease contracts).  The ASU’s core principle is that an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.  The ASU also requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.  The ASU should be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the ASU recognized at the date of initial application.  The new standard will become effective for the Company beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2018.  During 2016, the FASB issued four clarifications on specific topics within the new revenue recognition guidance that did not change the core principles of the guidance originally issued in May 2014.  The Company is continuing to evaluate the impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, information technology systems, processes, internal controls and the expected method of adoption.  Based on a preliminary assessment, the adoption of this guidance is not expected to impact the Company’s recognition of leasing revenues or revenue from royalties that are based on a percentage of franchisee sales. Upon adoption, initial franchise fees, which are currently recognized upon the opening of a franchise, are expected to be deferred and recognized over the term of the underlying franchise agreement. The effect of the required deferral of initial franchise fees received in a given year will be mitigated by the recognition of revenue from fees retrospectively deferred from prior years.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which provides guidance on accounting for leases that supersedes existing lease accounting guidance.  The ASU’s core principle is that a lessee should recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for those leases classified as operating leases under existing lease accounting guidance.  The new standard also makes targeted changes to lessor accounting.  This guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted.  The provisions of this guidance are to be applied using a modified retrospective approach, with elective reliefs, which requires application of the guidance for all periods presented.  The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses of Financial Instruments, which changes the methodology for measuring credit losses on financial instruments and the timing of when such losses are recorded.  This guidance will be effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted.  The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies several aspects of accounting for stock based compensation, including excess tax benefits and deficiencies, forfeiture estimates and classification in the statements of cash flows.  Upon adoption, any future excess tax benefits or deficiencies are recorded to the provision for income taxes in the consolidated statements of operations instead of recorded to equity in the consolidated balance sheets.  This reclassification can have a material impact on the Company’s provision for income taxes and effective tax rate, depending in part on whether significant stock option exercises occur.  In addition, when applying the treasury stock method for computing diluted weighted average common shares, the assumed proceeds available for hypothetical repurchase of shares do not include any windfall tax benefits under the new ASU.  As a result, outstanding option awards have a more dilutive effect on earnings per share.  The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017, using a prospective approach.  As a result of adopting the ASU, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recognized $74,800 and $592,800, respectively,  of excess tax benefits as a discrete tax benefit.  The treatment of forfeitures has not changed as the Company will continue to estimate the number of forfeitures at the time of the option grant; therefore, there is no cumulative effect on retained earnings.  The Company has elected to present the cash flows on a retrospective transition method with prior periods adjusted, which resulted in a reclassification of excess tax benefits for the nine months ended September 24, 2016 of $69,700 from cash flows from financing activities to cash flows from operating activities.

7.  Earnings Per Share:

The following table sets forth the presentation of shares outstanding used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”):

8.  Shareholders’ Equity (Deficit):

Dividends

On January 25, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the payment of a $0.10 per share quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 8, 2017, which was paid on March 1, 2017.

On April 26, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the payment of a $0.11 per share quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 10, 2017, which was paid on June 1, 2017.

On July 26, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the payment of a $0.11 per share quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 9, 2017, which was paid on September 1, 2017.

Repurchase of Common Stock

In July 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 400,000 shares of our common stock for a price of $124.48 per share through a tender offer (the “Tender Offer”). The Tender Offer began on the date of the announcement, July 19, 2017 and expired on August 16, 2017. Upon expiration, the Company accepted for payment

400,000 shares for a total purchase price of approximately $49.9 million, including fees and expenses related to the Tender Offer.

Under a previous Board of Directors’ authorization, as of September 30, 2017, the Company has the ability to repurchase an additional 142,988 shares of its common stock. Repurchases may be made from time to time at prevailing prices, subject to certain restrictions on volume, pricing and timing.

Stock Option Plans and Stock-Based Compensation

The Company had authorized up to 750,000 shares of common stock be reserved for granting either nonqualified or incentive stock options to officers and key employees under the Company’s 2001 Stock Option Plan (the “2001 Plan”).  The 2001 Plan expired on February 20, 2011.  At the April 26, 2017 Annual Shareholders meeting, the Company’s shareholders approved an increase in the shares of common stock available for granting either nonqualified or incentive stock options to officers and key employees under the Company’s 2010 Stock Option Plan (the “2010 Plan”) by 200,000 shares, from 500,000 to 700,000.  

The Company also sponsors a Stock Option Plan for Nonemployee Directors (the “Nonemployee Directors Plan”) and has reserved a total of 350,000 shares for issuance to directors of the Company who are not employees.

Stock option activity under the 2001 Plan, 2010 Plan and Nonemployee Directors Plan (collectively, the “Option Plans”) as of September 30, 2017 was as follows:

The fair value of options granted under the Option Plans during the first nine months of 2017 and 2016 were estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions and results:

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, options holders surrendered 2,927 shares of previously owned common shares as payment for option shares exercised as provided for by the Option Plans.  All unexercised options at September 30, 2017 have an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the date of the grant.

Compensation expense of $1,462,500 and $1,324,400 relating to the vested portion of the fair value of stock options granted was expensed to “Selling, General and Administrative Expenses” in the first nine months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.  As of September 30, 2017, the Company had $3.8 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options that is expected to be recognized over the remaining weighted average vesting period of approximately 2.3 years.

A reconciliation of common shares outstanding and total equity (deficit) from December 31, 2016 to September 30, 2017 is as follows: 

9.  Debt:

Line of Credit

In July 2017, the Company’s Line of Credit with CIBC Bank USA (as successor by merger to the PrivateBank and Trust Company) and BMO Harris Bank N.A. was amended to, among other things:

During the first nine months of 2017, the Line of Credit was used to finance in part the Tender Offer and has been and will continue to be used for general corporate purposes.  The Line of Credit is secured by a lien against substantially all of the Company’s assets, contains customary financial conditions and covenants, and requires maintenance of minimum levels of debt service coverage and tangible net worth and maximum levels of leverage (all as defined within the Line of Credit).  As of September 30, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants.  There were $41.9 million in borrowings outstanding under the line of credit bearing interest ranging from 3.23% to 4.25%, leaving $8.1 million available for additional borrowings.

Notes Payable

In July 2017, the Note Agreement with Prudential Investment Management, Inc., its affiliates and managed accounts (“Prudential”) was amended to, among other things:

In August 2017, the Company issued $12.5 million of Series B notes to finance in part the Tender Offer.  As of September 30, 2017, with the $20.5 million in principal outstanding from the $25.0 million of Series A notes issued in May 2015, the aggregate principal outstanding under the Note Agreement was $33.0 million.

The final maturity of the Series A and Series B notes is 10 years from the issuance date. For the Series A notes, interest at a rate of 5.50% per annum on the outstanding principal balance is payable quarterly, along with required prepayments of the principal of $500,000 quarterly for the first five years, and $750,000 quarterly thereafter until the principal is paid in full. For the Series B notes, interest at a rate of 5.10% per annum on the outstanding principal balance is payable quarterly, along with required prepayments of the principal of $312,500 quarterly until the principal is paid in full.  The Series A and Series B notes may be prepaid, at the option of the Company, in whole or in part (in a minimum amount of $1.0 million), but prepayments require payment of a Yield Maintenance Amount, as defined in the Note Agreement.

The Company’s obligations under the Note Agreement are secured by a lien against substantially all of the Company’s assets (as the notes rank pari passu with the Line of Credit), and the Note Agreement contains customary financial conditions and covenants, and requires maintenance of minimum levels of fixed charge coverage and tangible net worth and maximum levels of leverage (all as defined within the Note Agreement). As of September 30, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants.

In connection with the Note Agreement, the Company incurred debt issuance costs, of which unamortized amounts are presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related liability.

10.  Segment Reporting:

The Company currently has two reportable business segments, franchising and leasing. The franchising segment franchises value-oriented retail store concepts that buy, sell, trade and consign merchandise as well as provides strategic consulting services related to franchising. The leasing segment includes (i) Winmark Capital Corporation, a middle-market equipment leasing business and (ii) Wirth Business Credit, Inc., a small ticket financing business. Segment reporting is intended to give financial statement users a better view of how the Company manages and evaluates its businesses. The Company’s internal management reporting is the basis for the information disclosed for its business segments and includes allocation of shared-service costs. Segment assets are those that are directly used in or identified with segment operations, including cash, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses, inventory, property and equipment and investment in leasing operations. Unallocated assets include corporate cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, current and deferred tax amounts and other corporate assets. Inter-segment balances and transactions have been eliminated. The following tables summarize financial information by segment and provide a reconciliation of segment contribution to operating income: