UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

or

For the transition period from                      to                    

Commission File Number: 0-10653

 

ESSENDANT INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

One Parkway North Boulevard

Suite 100

Deerfield, Illinois 60015-2559

(847) 627-7000

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

Indicate by check mark whether 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 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 and Regulation S-T 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, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities 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 April 20, 2018, the registrant had outstanding 37,656,113 shares of common stock, par value $0.10 per share.

 

 

 

 

 

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ESSENDANT INC.

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

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PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ESSENDANT INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share data)

 

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ESSENDANT INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF LOSS

(in thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

* Revised in the first quarter of 2018 for the impact of the adoption of a new pension accounting pronouncement (see Note 9 – “Pension and Post-Retirement Benefit Plans”) for further detail.

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ESSENDANT INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ESSENDANT INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ESSENDANT INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements represent Essendant Inc. (“ESND”) with its wholly owned subsidiary Essendant Co. (“ECO”), and ECO’s subsidiaries (collectively, “Essendant” or the “Company”). The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and include the accounts of ESND and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. The Company operates in a single reportable segment as a leading national distributor of workplace items.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017, was derived from the December 31, 2017 audited financial statements. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements, prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. Accordingly, the reader of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the “2017 Form 10-K”) for further information.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the financial position of Essendant at March 31, 2018 and the results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 should not necessarily be taken as indicative of the results of operations that may be expected for the entire year.

 

Pending Accounting Pronouncements

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), that requires lessees to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for all leases other than those that meet the definition of short-term leases. For short-term leases, lessees may elect an accounting policy by class of underlying asset under which these assets and liabilities are not recognized and lease payments are generally recognized over the lease term on a straight-line basis. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period, and early application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine the impact it will have on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures, but expects the impact to the Company’s consolidated balance sheet to be significant. The Company is in the process of analyzing existing leases and processes to support additional disclosures under the standard.

 

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. This update provides guidance concerning the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements and expands the ability to apply hedge accounting to financial and nonfinancial risk components. Additionally, the standard eliminates the need to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness and generally requires the entire change in fair value of a hedging instrument to be presented in the same income statement line as the hedged item. The amendments in the standard are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine the impact it will have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The standard addresses the “stranded” tax effects resulting from the 2017 Tax Act in accumulated other comprehensive income.  The effect of changes in tax laws or rates included in income from continuing operations are unaffected. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period with early adoption permitted.  Disclosures are required in the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine the impact it will have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

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In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This standard replaces the incurred loss methodology previously employed to measure credit losses for most financial assets and requires the use of a forward-looking expected loss model. Current accounting delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred, while the update will require financial assets to be measured at amortized costs less a reserve and equal to the net amount expected to be collected. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, and early application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the new guidance to determine the impact it will have on its consolidated financial statements

 

Inventory

Approximately 98.2% and 98.0% of total inventory as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, has been valued under the Last-In-First-Out (“LIFO”) method. An actual valuation of inventory under the LIFO method can be made only at the end of each fiscal year based on the inventory levels and costs at that time. Interim LIFO calculations are based on management’s estimates of expected year-end inventory levels and costs, and are subject to the final year-end LIFO inventory valuation. Inventory valued under the LIFO accounting method is recorded at the lower of cost or market. If the Company had valued its entire inventory under the lower of First-In-First-Out (“FIFO”) cost or market, inventory values would have been $167.3 million and $159.3 million higher than reported as of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, LIFO liquidations resulted in LIFO income of $2.5 million, which was more than offset by LIFO expense of $10.5 million related to current inflation, for an overall net increase in cost of sales of $8.0 million. LIFO liquidations occur when there are decrements of LIFO inventory quantities carried at lower costs in prior years as compared with the cost of current year purchases.

 

2. Revenue Recognition

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Topic 606 applying the modified retrospective transition method to all contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2017 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the prior period. The Company recorded a net reduction to beginning retained earnings of $0.4 million as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606. The impact to revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was immaterial as a result of adopting Topic 606.

 

Nature of Goods and Services

 

The following is a description of principal activities from which the Company generates its revenue. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods are transferred to or services are performed for customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

 

Merchandise Sales

The Company principally generates revenue from selling workplace products to reseller customers under a contract or by purchase order.  The Company’s product offerings may be divided into the following primary categories: (1) janitorial, foodservice and breakroom supplies, including janitorial and sanitation supplies, breakroom items, foodservice consumables, safety and security items and paper and packaging supplies; (2) technology products, including computer accessories and computer hardware items such as printers and other peripherals, imaging supplies and data storage; (3) traditional office products, including writing instruments, business machines, filing and record storage products, presentation products, shipping and mailing supplies, calendars and general office accessories; (4) industrial supplies, including various industrial MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) items, hand and power tools, safety and security supplies, janitorial equipment, oilfield and welding supplies; (5) cut sheet paper products, including copy paper with a wide assortment of styles and types; (6) automotive products, including a broad portfolio of automotive aftermarket tools and equipment; and (7) office furniture, including desks, filing and storage solutions, seating and systems furniture, along with a variety of specialized products for niche markets such as education, government, healthcare and professional services.  

  

Control of goods usually transfers to the customer when those goods are shipped. For certain customers, control of goods transfers when those goods are delivered. Merchandise sales are billed daily or monthly. The amount of revenue recognized for merchandise sales is adjusted for expected returns, which are estimated based on historical product return trends and the gross margin associated with those returns; cash discounts, which are estimated based on customer purchases and discount terms and historical payments; and rebates, which are estimated based on sales volume to customers and customer rebate terms. The Company presents this revenue in net sales.

 

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Other Revenues

The remainder of the Company’s consolidated net sales were generated by advertising, fulfillment and other services. Advertising revenue is generated from the sale of catalogs and other advertising materials to customers over time. The Company also offers fulfillment services including fulfillment of product orders on behalf of the customer and call center support. The Company acts as an agent of the customer and therefore recognizes revenue on a net basis. The Company presents other revenues in net sales.

 

Contracts with Customers

 

Disaggregation of Revenues

 

In accordance with authoritative Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), the following table disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers into product categories. The Company has determined that disaggregating revenue into these categories provides appropriate disclosure and achieves associated objectives to depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. The Company generated 98% of net sales from its operations in the United States in the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. As noted in the Company’s 2017 Form 10-K the Company has one reportable segment.

 

The disaggregated revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017 are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Cost of sales for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 totaled $1.1 billion, respectively.

 

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Accounts Receivable and Customer Rebates

 

The Company enters into contracts to sell goods to resellers with credit terms that vary based on the risk of the customer, the volume of transactions and the nature of contractual terms. These credit terms may allow the customer to make payment in arrears, which are adjusted for significant financing components when recorded as an account receivable. The Company also provides certain contract rebates, upfront marketing arrangements, acquisition assistance and other rebates which are intended to incentivize customers to engage in long-term purchase arrangements with the Company. These are either prepaid at contract inception and amortized over the term of the contract or accrued over the contract term. Prepaid customer rebates are included as a component of either “Other current assets” or “Other assets” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, while accrued customer rebates are included as a component of “Accrued liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, refer to Note 11 – “Other Assets and Liabilities.”

 

Prepaid customer rebates at March 31, 2018 consisted of amounts to be amortized as a reduction of revenues in the future as follows:

 

 

Transaction Price Allocated to Remaining Performance Obligations

 

As of March 31, 2018, no revenue is expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) at the end of the reporting period. This disclosure does not include revenue related to performance obligations that are part of a contract whose original expected duration is one year or less.

 

Performance Obligations

 

At the inception of each contract, the Company assesses the goods and services promised in its contracts and identifies each distinct performance obligations. To identify the performance obligations, the Company considers all goods or services promised regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or implied within the contract or by standard business practices. The Company determined that net merchandise sales to resellers and end-consumers represent performance obligations. This includes the packing and shipping of product through either delivery to the reseller or direct delivery to the end-consumer.

 

Shipping and handling activities performed before the customer obtains control of the goods are not considered promised services under customer contracts and therefore are not distinct performance obligations. The Company has chosen to make an accounting policy election to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after the customer obtains control of the goods as a fulfillment activity, and therefore accrues the expense of shipping and handling in cost of goods sold when merchandise is shipped.  Shipping and handling costs billed to customers are part of the contract consideration and recognized at the time control of the promised goods has transferred to the customer.  Control of goods generally transfers to the customer when those goods are shipped (FOB-shipping point).  

 

When Performance Obligations Are Satisfied

 

For performance obligations related to sales, revenue is recognized when control is transferred. Determining when control transfers requires judgments that affect the timing of revenue recognized. Generally, revenue is recognized at a point in time when shipment occurs from the Company’s warehousing facilities. At this time, the customer is able to direct the use of the product and obtains substantially all of the benefits and risks from the product or service. The Company has a present right to payment at that time, the customer has legal title to the product, and the Company has transferred physical possession.

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Significant Payment Terms

 

Payment terms for net merchandise sales, fulfillment and other services are dependent on the agreed upon contractual repayment terms of the customer. Typically, these vary dependent on the size of the customer and its risk profile to the Company. Some customers receive discounts based on the contractual terms wherein early payment reduces the net payment amount. Conversely, for some customers the Company provides enhanced payment terms which can extend up to and in excess of one year from invoicing. In some instances, these enhanced terms represent a significant financing component with an assumption of implicit interest. These amounts were immaterial in the period of adoption.

 

Given the Company’s reliance on customer rebates and discounts of the selling price of net sales, the Company notes that many of the contracts contain variable consideration payable to the customer that is recognized when the underlying revenue associated with the rebate and discount is recognized. Customer rebates and discounts include volume components, growth components, conversions, promotions, discount programs, and other programs. Estimates for customer rebates and discounts are based on both historical and estimated sales volume and other drivers as dictated by the contract. Changes in estimates of sales volume, product mix, customer mix or sales patterns, or actual results that vary from such estimates may impact future results.

 

Returns and Refunds

 

In the normal course of business, the Company accepts product returns based on certain contractual terms, typically for product expiration dating or damage. The Company estimates reserves for returns and the related refunds to customers based on historical experience of similar products and customers, as applicable. Reserves for returned merchandise are included as a component of “Other current assets” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, while refund liabilities are included as a component of “Accrued liabilities.”

 

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Practical Expedient Usage and Accounting Policy Elections

 

The Company has determined to utilize the modified retrospective approach which requires cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the current year. This opening adjustment is determined based on the impact of the new revenue standard’s application on contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018, the date of initial application of the standard. This election had an immaterial impact on the Company’s financial statements.  

 

The Company applies the practical expedient in Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 606-10-65-1(f)(4) and does not retrospectively restate contracts for contract modifications that occurred before the beginning of the earliest reporting period presented. Instead, the Company has aggregated the effect of all modifications that occurred before the earliest reporting period presented. The effect of applying this practical expedient was immaterial.

 

For the Company’s contracts that have an original duration of one year or less, the Company uses the practical expedient in ASC 606-10-32-18 applicable to such contracts and does not consider the time value of money in relation to significant financing components.  The effect of applying this practical expedient was immaterial.  

 

Per ASC 606-10-25-18B, the Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after the customer has obtained control as a fulfillment activity instead of a performance obligation. Furthermore, shipping and handling activities performed before transfer of control of the product also do not constitute a separate and distinct performance obligation.

 

The Company has elected to exclude from the transaction price those amounts which relate to sales and other taxes that are assessed by governmental authorities and that are imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and collected by the Company from a customer.

 

The Company applies the practical expedient in ASC 606-10-50-14 and is not required to determine the amount of the transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations that have original expected durations of one year or less. The effect of applying this practical expedient was immaterial as the Company has no remaining performance obligations associated with merchandise sales as of December 31, 2017.

 

Applying the practical expedient in ASC 340-40-25-4, the Company recognizes the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense when incurred if the amortization period would have been one year or less. These costs are included in “Warehouse, marketing and administrative expenses.” The effect of applying this practical expedient was immaterial.

 

3. Share-Based Compensation

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company granted 107,296 shares of restricted stock, no RSUs and 634,778 performance-based units, compared to 43,385 shares of restricted stock and 221,297 RSUs in the same period of 2017. No performance-based units were granted in the three months ended March 31, 2017.

 

4. Severance and Restructuring Charges

 

In 2015, the Company commenced two restructuring actions that included workforce reductions, facility closures and actions to reduce costs through management delayering in order to achieve broader functional alignment of the organization (“2015 restructuring action”). The charges associated with this action were included in “Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses.” This action was substantially completed in 2016.

 

In the first quarter of 2018, the Company launched a restructuring program (“2018 restructuring action”) that will span to mid-2020. It includes facility consolidations totaling an anticipated $23 million to $28 million and workforce reductions totaling an anticipated $7 million to $12 million, or in aggregate an estimated cash cost of $30 million to $40 million over the restructuring period. These amounts will be included in restructuring charges in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

Product assortment refinement charges have also been incurred and are reflected as additional cost of goods sold in the quarter ended March 31, 2018.

 

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The expenses, cash flows, and liabilities associated with the 2015 and 2018 restructuring actions described above are noted in the following table (in thousands):

 

 

  

5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Due to changes in management structure to allow for sales and operational efficiency, a new Canadian operating segment was created in the first quarter of 2018. This segment includes operations previously included in the Industrial and Automotive segments. The Canadian operating segment does not meet the materiality thresholds for reporting of individual segments and is combined with the other operating segments into one reportable segment. The Company has determined that each of the Company’s goodwill reporting units comprise an operating segment. At March 31, 2018, goodwill balances of the reporting units were $11.1 million at Industrial and $2.0 million at Canada.

 

Acquired intangible assets are initially recorded at their fair market values determined based on quoted market prices in active markets, if available, or recognized valuation models. The Company’s intangible assets have finite useful lives and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their useful lives.

The following table summarizes the intangible assets of the Company by major class of intangible asset and the cost, accumulated amortization, net carrying amount, and weighted average life, if applicable (in thousands):

 

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The following table summarizes the amortization expense to be incurred in 2018 through 2022 on intangible assets (in thousands):

 

 

6. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

 

The change in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (“AOCI”) by component, net of tax, for the period ended March 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):

 

 

The following table details the amounts reclassified out of AOCI into the income statement during the three months ended March 31, 2018 (in thousands):

 

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7. Earnings Per Share

 

Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if dilutive securities were exercised into common stock. Stock options, restricted stock, performance unit awards, restricted stock units and deferred stock units are considered dilutive securities. For the three-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, 0.1 million and 0.2 million shares of such securities, respectively, were outstanding but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would be antidilutive. An additional 0.3 million and 0.2 million shares of common stock outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, were excluded from the computation because the respective net loss would have caused the calculation to be anti-dilutive. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands, except per share data):  

 

 

 

8. Debt

Debt consisted of the following amounts (in millions):

 

 

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9. Pension and Post-Retirement Benefit Plans

 

The Company maintains pension plans covering union and certain non-union employees. For more information on the Company’s retirement plans, see Note 13 – “Pension Plans and Defined Contribution Plan” to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements in the 2017 Form 10-K.

 

In accordance with the adoption of ASU 2017-07 the Company has retrospectively revised the presentation of the non-service components of periodic pension cost to “Interest and other expense, net” in the condensed consolidated statement of operations, while service cost remains in “Warehouse, marketing and administrative expense.” A summary of the effect for periods presented was as follows (in thousands):

 

 

A summary of net periodic pension cost related to the Company’s pension plans for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was as follows (in thousands):

 

 

The Company made cash contributions of $10.0 million in January 2018 and April 2017, respectively, to its pension plans. Additional contributions, if any, for the remainder of 2018 have not yet been determined. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, the Company had accrued $33.3 million and $43.3 million of pension liability within “Other long-term liabilities” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

Defined Contribution Plans

 

The Company has defined contribution plans covering certain salaried associates, non-union hourly paid associates and certain union associates (the “Plans”). The Plans permit associates to defer a portion of their pre-tax and after-tax salary as contributions to the Plans. The Plans also provide for Company-funded discretionary contributions as well as matching associates’ salary deferral contributions, at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The Company recorded expense of $1.9 million, respectively, for the Company match of employee contributions to the Plans for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.

 

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10. Fair Value Measurements

 

The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities, including foreign exchange hedges and interest rate swaps, at fair value on a recurring basis, based on significant other observable inputs. The fair value of the foreign exchange hedges and the interest rate swaps is determined by using quoted market forward rates (level 2 inputs) and reflects the present value of the amount the Company would pay for contracts involving the same notional amount and maturity date.

Accounting guidance on fair value establishes a hierarchy for those instruments measured at fair value which distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and the Company’s own assumptions (unobservable inputs). The hierarchy consists of three levels:

 

Determining which category an asset or liability falls within the hierarchy requires significant judgment. The Company evaluates its hierarchy disclosures each reporting period.

The following table summarizes the financial instruments measured at fair value in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

 

The carrying amount of accounts receivable at March 31, 2018, approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of this item. As of March 31, 2018, no assets or liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

 

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11. Other Assets and Liabilities

 

Receivables related to supplier allowances totaling $74.0 million and $90.8 million were included in “Accounts receivable” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

 

Current and non-current prepaid customer rebates, net of allowances, were $53.9 million and $40.7 million as of March 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively, and are included as a component of “Other current assets” and “Other long-term assets”. Accrued customer rebates of $36.8 million and $49.2 million as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, were included in “Accrued liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

12. Income Taxes

 

The Company's tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimate of its annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $15.2 million on pre-tax loss of $66.7 million for an effective tax rate of 22.8%. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company recorded income tax benefit of $4.3 million on a pre-tax loss of $192.9 million, for an effective tax rate of 2.2%.

 

The Company’s U.S. federal statutory rate is 21.0%. The most significant factor impacting the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was the discrete impact of the equity compensation adjustment related to ASU No. 2016-09. The most significant factor impacting the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was the discrete impact of the goodwill impairment charges.

 

The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018, also reflects the reduced federal corporate income tax rate as a result of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) in December 2017. The Company continues to analyze the aspects of the Tax Act which could potentially affect the provisional estimates that were recorded in the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

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13. Legal Matters

 

The Company has been named as a defendant in two lawsuits alleging that the Company sent unsolicited fax advertisements to the named plaintiffs, as well as other persons and entities, in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, as amended by the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 ("TCPA"). One lawsuit was initially filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on May 1, 2015, and subsequently refiled in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (the “ND IL”). The other lawsuit was filed in the ND IL on January 14, 2016. The two lawsuits were consolidated for discovery and pre-trial proceedings, and assigned to the same judge. Plaintiffs in both lawsuits seek certification of a class of plaintiffs comprised of persons and entities who allegedly received fax advertisements from the Company. Under the TCPA, recipients of unsolicited fax advertisements can seek damages of $500 per fax for inadvertent violations and up to $1,500 per fax for knowing and willful violations. Other reported TCPA lawsuits have resulted in a broad range of outcomes, with each case being dependent on its own unique set of facts and circumstances. In each lawsuit, the Company has vigorously contested class certification and denied that any violations occurred. On November 3, 2017, the ND IL granted a motion by the Company to deny class certification.  The effect of the ruling prevents the formation of a class and limits the two plaintiffs to their individual claims. On November 17, 2017, plaintiffs filed a Petition for Permission to Appeal under Rule 23(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (the “Petition”) with the United States Court of Appeals for the 7^th Circuit (the “7^th Circuit”). The 7^th Circuit granted the Petition, and following briefing, the 7^th Circuit heard oral argument on the appeal on April 10, 2018.  The lawsuits are stayed until the 7^th Circuit rules on the appeal. 

 

Litigation of this kind is likely to lead to settlement negotiations, including negotiations prompted by pre-trial civil court procedures. Regardless of whether the lawsuits are resolved at trial or through settlement, the Company believes that a loss associated with resolution of the pending claims is probable. In 2016, the Company recorded a $4.0 million, pre-tax reserve within “Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses” in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and during the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company recorded an additional $6.0 million, pre-tax reserve to reflect events concerning mediation activities and settlement negotiations between the Company and the plaintiffs, for a total reserve of $10.0 million at March 31, 2017. The Company continues to evaluate its defenses based on its internal review and investigation of prior events, new information and future circumstances. Final disposition of the lawsuits, whether through settlement or through trial, may result in a loss materially in excess of the aggregate recorded amount. However, a range of reasonably possible excess losses is not estimable at this time.

 

In 2017, the Company was named in a class action lawsuit filed by a former employee in the Los Angeles Superior Court. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company reached an agreement on the general terms of a settlement to resolve this litigation. The parties have finalized a settlement agreement, which is now subject to court approval. A hearing on the parties’ Motion for Preliminary Approval is set for May 10, 2018. In consideration of the settlement, in the second quarter of 2017, the Company recorded a $3.0 million pre-tax reserve within “Warehousing, marketing and administrative expenses” in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. 

 

The Company is also involved in other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of, or incidental to its business. The Company has established reserves, which are not material, for potential losses that are probable and reasonably estimable that may result from those proceedings. In many cases, however, it is difficult to determine whether a loss is probable or even possible or to estimate the amount or range of potential loss, particularly where proceedings may be in relatively early stages or where plaintiffs are seeking substantial or indeterminate damages. Matters frequently need to be more developed before a loss or range of loss can reasonably be estimated. The Company believes that such ordinary course legal proceedings will be resolved with no material adverse effect upon its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

 

 

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14. Pending Transaction Activity

On April 12, 2018, the Company announced it entered into a definitive agreement with Genuine Parts Company (“GPC”) pursuant to which the Company will combine with GPC’s Business Products Group (collectively, the “Business”) in a business combination transaction, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) dated as of April 12, 2018, by and among GPC, Rhino SpinCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of GPC (“SpinCo”), ESND and Elephant Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of ESND (“Merger Sub”). In connection with the Merger Agreement, GPC and SpinCo entered into a Separation Agreement dated as of April 12, 2018 (the “Separation Agreement”), pursuant to which the Business will be separated from GPC.

 

In the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, (i) GPC will transfer certain of its wholly owned subsidiaries that are engaged in the Business to SpinCo, (ii) GPC will distribute SpinCo’s stock to GPC’s stockholders by way of a pro rata dividend (the “Distribution”), and (iii) Merger Sub will merge with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”) and a wholly owned subsidiary of ESND. Upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, GPC shareholders will receive approximately 40.2 million shares of ESND common stock, which will represent approximately 51% of the outstanding shares of ESND common stock. ESND’s existing stockholders will continue to hold the remaining approximately 49% of the outstanding shares of ESND common stock.

 

Prior to the Distribution, SpinCo will enter into a credit facility for up to $400 million (the “SpinCo Debt”) and immediately thereafter, GPC will transfer certain wholly owned subsidiaries to SpinCo and SpinCo will draw the SpinCo Debt in an amount sufficient to make special cash payments to GPC of approximately $347 million, subject to adjustment based on SpinCo’s and ESND’s net debt and SpinCo’s net working capital at the time of the Distribution and certain other adjustments. SpinCo has entered into commitment letters with certain financial institutions to provide for the SpinCo Debt.

 

The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of ESND and GPC, is expected to be tax free to the companies’ respective shareholders.

 

The issuance of shares by ESND in connection with the transaction requires approval by ESND’s stockholders and is subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2018. If the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances, ESND may be required to pay GPC a termination fee of $12 million or may under other circumstances be required to reimburse GPC up to $3 million for certain expenses in connection with the merger.

 

The Company expects to incur significant integration and transaction costs in connection with the transactions during the remainder of 2018.

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This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “will,” “is likely to,” “scheduled,” “positioned to,” “continue,” “forecast,” “predicting,” “projection,” “potential” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include references to goals, plans, strategies, objectives, projected costs or savings, anticipated future performance, results or events and other statements that are not strictly historical in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. This means they involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied here. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those set forth in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2017 (the “2017 Form 10-K”).

 

Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking information herein is given as of this date only, and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update it.

 

Company Overview

 

Essendant Inc. is a leading national distributor of workplace items, with 2017 net sales of $5.0 billion. The Company provides access to a broad assortment of over 170,000 items including janitorial, foodservice and breakroom supplies (JanSan), technology products, traditional office products, industrial supplies, cut sheet paper products, automotive products and office furniture. Essendant serves a diverse group of approximately 29,000 reseller customers. They include resellers in the independent reseller channel, including: office and workplace, facilities and maintenance, technology, military, automotive aftermarket, healthcare, other vertical suppliers and industrial resellers; the national reseller channel; and the e-commerce channel.

 

The Company is focused on three strategic drivers:

1) Improve efficiency across the distribution network and reduce the cost base

 

2) Accelerate sales performance in key channels

 

3) Advance supplier partnerships that leverage Essendant’s network and capabilities

 

Key Trends and Recent Results

 

Net sales in the first quarter of 2018 declined by 2.3% compared to the first quarter of 2017 due to declines in the national reseller channel. Profitability in the quarter was adversely impacted by lower sales volumes and lower supplier allowances. Net sales for full year 2018 are expected to be down 3% to down 5% from the prior year.

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Actions impacting comparability of results (the “Actions”)

2018 Actions

 

2017 Actions

 

First Quarter Results

 

For a further discussion of selected trends, events or uncertainties the Company believes may have a significant impact on its future performance, readers should refer to “Key Trends and Recent Results” under Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the 2017 Form 10-K.

 

Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

In the first quarter of 2018, there were no significant changes to the Company’s critical accounting policies, judgments or estimates from those disclosed in the 2017 Form 10-K other than those noted below.

 

Revenue Recognition

During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, the Company adopted the provisions of ASC 606. Refer to Note 2 – “Revenue Recognition” for a description of the immaterial impact of the adoption on the Company’s financial statements and accounting policies.

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Pension and Post-retirement Benefit Plans

During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, the Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2017-07. Refer to Note 9 – “Pension and Post-Retirement Benefit Plans” for a description of the impact of adoption on the Company’s financial statements and accounting policies.

Results of Operations—Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 

The following table presents the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income results (in thousands):

 

 

 

Net Sales. Net sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 were $1.2 billion, a 2.3% decrease from $1.3 billion in sales during the quarter ended March 31, 2017. Net sales by key product category for the quarters included the following:

 

JanSan product sales decreased $17.2 million or 5.0% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. Sales decreased due to declines in the national reseller channel of $23.1 million and e-commerce declines of $4.7 million, partially offset by increased independent reseller channel sales of $10.7 million. As a percentage of total sales, JanSan represented 26.5% in the first quarter of 2018, a decrease from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 27.2%.

 

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Technology product (primarily ink and toner) sales decreased $2.5 million or 0.8% from the first quarter of 2017. Sales in this category decreased primarily as a result of declines in the national retail channel of $20.8 million and e-commerce channel of $1.9 million, partially offset by increased independent reseller channel sales of $20.2 million. As a percentage of total sales, technology products represented 25.4% in the first quarter of 2018, an increase from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 25.0%.

 

Traditional office product sales decreased $19.1 million or 9.6% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. Sales in this category decreased due to reductions in the national reseller channel of $12.0 million, e-commerce declines of $4.5 million and independent reseller channel declines of $2.6 million. As a percentage of total sales, traditional office products represented 14.4% in the first quarter of 2018, a decrease from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 15.6%.

 

Industrial supplies sales increased $8.4 million or 5.7% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. This increase was driven by growth in the retail channel of $3.2 million, general industrial channel of $2.8 million and the international channel of $1.1 million. As a percentage of total sales, industrial supplies represented 12.5% in the first quarter of 2018, an increase from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 11.6%.

 

Cut sheet paper product sales increased $13.4 million or 12.6% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. The increase in this category was primarily driven by increased independent reseller channel sales of $12.5 million and e-commerce sales growth of $1.8 million, partially offset by national reseller channel sales declines of $0.9 million. As a percentage of total sales, cut sheet paper represented 9.6% in the first quarter of 2017, which increased from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 8.4%.

 

Automotive product sales increased $2.2 million or 2.8% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. The increase in this category was driven by strength in the mobile dealer channel and International channel. As a percentage of total sales, automotive products represented 6.5% in the first quarter of 2018, which increased from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 6.2%.

 

Office furniture sales decreased $13.3 million or 18.4% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. This decrease was primarily the result of declines in sales to the national reseller channel of $8.2 million, the independent reseller channel of $2.7 million and e-commerce declines of $2.4 million. As a percentage of total sales, office furniture represented 4.7% in the first quarter of 2018, which decreased from the prior year quarter percentage of total sales of 5.7%.

 

Gross Profit and Gross Margin Rate. Gross profit for the first quarter of 2018 was $121.2 million, compared to $185.7 million in the first quarter of 2017. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales (the gross margin rate) of 9.8% decreased 486 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter gross margin rate of 14.6% primarily due to product assortment refinement charges (345 bps). Adjusted gross profit was $164.0 million, or 13.2%, a decrease of $21.7 million or 140 bps from the prior year quarter principally due to lower supplier allowances driven by inventory purchase mix and timing (91 bps) and an unfavorable product margin due to lower sales volumes (36 bps).

 

Operating Expenses. Operating expenses for the first quarter of 2018 were $179.6 million or 14.5% of net sales, compared to $371.1 million or 29.2% of net sales in the prior year. The $191.5 million decrease was primarily driven by the prior year goodwill impairment of $198.8 million, partially offset by restructuring expenses of $14.1 million in the current quarter. Adjusted operating expenses were $161.4 million, a decrease of $1.9 million from the prior year quarter due to decreases in employee and other fixed expenses.

 

Interest and Other Expense, net. Interest and Other expense, net for the first quarter of 2018 was $8.2 million compared to $7.5 million in the first quarter of 2017. This increase was primarily driven by higher interest rates as compared to the prior year quarter.

 

Income Taxes. Income tax benefit was $(15.2) million for the first quarter of 2018, compared to $(4.3) million for the same period in 2017. The Company’s effective tax rate was 22.8% for the current-year quarter compared to 2.2% for the same period in 2017. The effective income tax rate in 2018 was most impacted by the pre-tax loss being offset by non-deductible or permanent items in the quarter while the most significant factor impacting the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was the permanent impact of the goodwill impairment charge recognized in the quarter.

 

Net Loss. Net loss for the first quarter of 2018 was $(51.4) million or $(1.40) per share, compared to net loss of $(188.6) million or $(5.15) per share in the prior year quarter. Adjusted net loss was $(4.3) million, or $(0.12) per diluted share, compared with adjusted net income of $9.2 million or $0.25 per diluted share for the prior year quarter.

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Cash Flows

 

Cash flows for the Company for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 are summarized below (in thousands):

 

 

Operating Activities

 

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2018, the decrease in net cash from operating activities was principally the result of the net loss, decreased accounts payable, increased other assets, increased accounts receivable, partially offset by a decrease in inventory.

 

Investing Activities

 

Gross capital spending for the three-month period ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was $7.8 million and $8.3 million, respectively, which was used for various investments in fleet equipment, information technology systems, technology hardware, and distribution center equipment including facility projects.

 

Financing Activities

 

The Company’s cash flow from financing activities is largely dependent on levels of borrowing under the Company’s credit agreement and quarterly dividend payments.

 

In February 2018, the Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.14 that was paid on April 13, 2018 to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2018.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Essendant’s growth has historically been funded by a combination of cash provided by operating activities and debt financing. The Company believes that its cash from operations and collections of receivables, coupled with its sources of borrowings and available cash on hand, are sufficient to fund its currently anticipated requirements. These requirements include payments of interest and dividends, scheduled debt repayments, capital expenditures, working capital needs, the funding of pension plans, and funding for additional share repurchases and acquisitions, if any. The Company believes that its sources of borrowings are sound and that the strength of its balance sheet affords the financial flexibility to respond to both internal growth opportunities and those available through acquisitions.

 

Availability of financing as of March 31, 2018, is summarized below (in millions):

 

 

 

The Company’s total debt and debt-to-total capitalization ratio consisted of the following amounts (in millions):

 

 

Refer to Note 11 – “Debt,” in the 2017 Form 10-K for further descriptions of the provisions of the Company’s financing facilities.

 

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Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Operating Expenses, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net (Loss) Income, Adjusted Diluted (Loss) Earnings Per Share, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow (the “Non-GAAP table”)

 

The Non-GAAP table below presents Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Operating Expenses, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net (Loss) Income, Adjusted Diluted (Loss) Earnings per Share, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands, except per share data). These non-GAAP measures exclude certain non-recurring items and exclude other items that do not reflect the Company’s ongoing operations and are included to provide investors with useful information about the financial performance of our business. The presented non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for the comparable GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect all of the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP, and these non-GAAP financial measures should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

 

In order to calculate the non-GAAP measures, management excludes the following items to the extent they occur in the reporting period, to facilitate the comparison of current and prior year results and ongoing operations, as management believes these items do not reflect the underlying cost structure of our business. These items can vary significantly in amount and frequency.

 

 

Restructuring actions were taken in 2018 and included product assortment refinements and workforce reductions and facility consolidation (refer to Note 4 – “Severance and Restructuring Charges”).

 

 

 

 

In the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company recorded goodwill impairment which resulted from declines in sales, earnings and market capitalization (refer to Note 5 – “Goodwill and Intangible Assets”).

 

 

In the three months ended March 31, 2018, these include charges related to transformational expenses and a gain reflecting receipt of payment on notes receivable reserved in 2015. In the three months ended March 31, 2017, other actions included litigation (refer to Note 13 – “Legal Matters”) and transformational expenses.

 

Adjusted Gross Profit, adjusted operating expenses and adjusted operating income. Adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses and adjusted operating income provide management and our investors with an understanding of the results from the primary operations of our business by excluding the effects of items described above that do not reflect the ordinary expenses and earnings of our operations. Adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses and adjusted operating income are used to evaluate our period-over-period operating performance as they are more comparable measures of our continuing business. These measures may be useful to an investor in evaluating the underlying operating performance of our business.

 

Adjusted net (loss) income and adjusted diluted (loss) earnings per share. Adjusted net (loss) income and adjusted diluted (loss) earnings per share provide a more comparable view of our Company’s underlying performance and trends than the comparable GAAP measures. Net (loss) income and diluted (loss) earnings per share are adjusted for the effect of items described above that do not reflect the ordinary earnings of our operations.

 

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Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). Adjusted EBITDA is helpful in evaluating our operating performance and is used by management for various purposes, including as a measure of performance and as a basis for strategic planning and forecasting. Net income is adjusted for the effect of interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation expense. Management believes that adjusted EBITDA is also commonly used by investors to evaluate operating performance between competitors because it helps reduce variability caused by differences in capital structures, income taxes, stock-based compensation accounting policies, and depreciation and amortization policies.  

 

Free cash flow. Free cash flow is useful to management and our investors as it is a measure of the Company’s liquidity. It provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our cash flows than the comparable GAAP measure. Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities and net cash provided by (used in) investing activities are aggregated and adjusted to exclude acquisitions, net of cash acquired and divestitures.

 

Outlook. Adjusted diluted earnings per share and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. A quantitative reconciliation of non-GAAP guidance to the corresponding GAAP information is not available because the non-GAAP guidance excludes certain GAAP information that is uncertain and difficult to predict. The adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance excludes impacts in the first three months of 2018 of $1.26 per share related to restructuring charges, transformational expenses and a payment on notes receivable. Actual amounts appear in the non-GAAP table included later in this section. For the remainder of the year, the factors that will be excluded are currently unknown due to the level of unpredictability and uncertainty associated with these items, but may include actions such as future restructuring charges, transformational expenses and cash flow impacts of acquisitions.

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The Company is subject to market risk associated principally with changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. There were no material changes to the Company’s exposures to market risk during the quarter ended March 31, 2018, from those disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon this evaluation, the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in providing reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed in our reports filed with or submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act is made known to management, including the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

 

 

For information regarding legal proceedings, see Note 13 – “Legal Matters.”

 

For information regarding risk factors, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of the 2017 Form 10-K. There have been no material changes to the risk factors described in such Form 10-K, except for the following.

RISKS RELATED TO ESSENDANT’S PLANNED MERGER WITH GPC’S SPR BUSINESS

 

On April 12, 2018, Essendant announced it entered into a definitive agreement with Genuine Parts Company (“GPC”) pursuant to which Essendant will combine with GPC’s Business Products Group (collectively, the “SPR Business”) in a business combination transaction, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) dated as of April 12, 2018, by and among GPC, Rhino SpinCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of GPC (“SpinCo”), ESND and Elephant Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of ESND (“Merger Sub”). In connection with the Merger Agreement, GPC and SpinCo entered into a Separation Agreement dated as of April 12, 2018 (the “Separation Agreement”), pursuant to which the SPR Business will be separated from GPC. In the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, (i) GPC will transfer certain of its wholly owned subsidiaries that are engaged in the SPR Business to SpinCo, (ii) GPC will distribute SpinCo’s stock to GPC’s stockholders by way of a pro rata dividend (the “Distribution”), and (iii) Merger Sub will merge with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo as the surviving corporation (the “Merger” and, together with the Distribution, the “Transactions”) and a wholly owned subsidiary of ESND.

We have identified the following additional risks related to the Transactions:

Essendant may not realize the anticipated cost synergies and growth opportunities from the Transactions.

Essendant expects that it will realize cost synergies, growth opportunities and other financial and operating benefits as a result of the Transactions. Essendant’s success in realizing these benefits, and the timing of their realization, depends on the successful integration of the business operations of the SPR Business with Essendant. Even if Essendant is able to integrate the SPR Business successfully, Essendant cannot predict with certainty if or when these cost synergies, growth opportunities and benefits will occur, or the extent to which they will actually be achieved. For example, the benefits from the Transactions may be offset by costs incurred in integrating the companies. Realization of any benefits and synergies could be affected by the factors described in other risk factors and a number of factors beyond Essendant’s control, including, without limitation, general economic conditions, further consolidation in the industries in which Essendant operates, increased operating costs and regulatory developments.

The integration of the SPR Business with Essendant following the Transactions may present significant challenges.

There is a significant degree of difficulty inherent in the process of integrating the SPR Business with Essendant. These difficulties include:

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The process of integrating operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of the SPR Business or Essendant’s business. Members of Essendant’s or the SPR Business’ senior management may be required to devote considerable amounts of time to this integration process, which will decrease the time they will have to manage Essendant or the SPR Business, serve the existing Essendant business or the SPR Business, or develop new services or strategies. If Essendant’s or the SPR Business’ senior management is not able to effectively manage the integration process, or if any significant business activities are interrupted as a result of the integration process, the business of Essendant or the SPR Business could suffer.

Essendant’s successful or cost-effective integration of the SPR Business cannot be assured. The failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on Essendant’s business, financial condition or results of operations after the Transactions.

Essendant and GPC may fail to obtain the required regulatory approvals in connection with the Merger in a timely fashion, if at all, or regulators may impose burdensome conditions.

Essendant and GPC are subject to certain antitrust and competition laws, and the proposed Merger is subject to review and approval by regulators under those laws, including review and approval by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Acts of 1976 (“HSR Act”). Although Essendant and GPC have agreed to use reasonable best efforts to obtain the requisite approvals, there can be no assurance that these regulatory approvals will be obtained.

Additionally, the requirement to receive certain federal regulatory approvals before the consummation of the Transactions could delay the completion of the Transactions if, for example, one or more government agencies request additional information from the parties in order to facilitate their review of the Transactions. An extended delay in the completion of the Transactions could diminish the anticipated benefits of the Transactions or result in additional transaction costs, loss of revenue or other effects associated with uncertainty about the Transactions. In addition, these governmental entities may attempt to condition their approval of the Transactions on the imposition of conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions that could have a material adverse effect on the Transactions themselves or Essendant’s business after the Transactions, including, but not limited to, Essendant’s operating results or the value of its common stock. If Essendant agrees to any material conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions in order to obtain any approvals required to complete the Transactions, the business, financial condition or results of operations of the combined company may be adversely affected.

Failure to complete the Transactions could adversely impact the market price of Essendant common stock as well as its business and operating results.

The consummation of the Transactions is subject to numerous conditions, including without limitation: (i) the spin-off having taken place in accordance with the Separation Agreement; (ii) the Securities and Exchange Commission declaring effective Essendant’s registration statement registering Essendant common stock to be issued pursuant to the Merger Agreement; (iii) approval of the issuance of our common stock by the requisite vote of Essendant’s stockholders; and (iv) expiration of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act. There is no assurance that these conditions will be met and that the Transactions will be consummated.

If the Transactions are not completed for any reason, the price of Essendant common stock may decline to the extent that the market price of Essendant common stock reflects positive market assumptions that the Transactions will be completed and the related benefits will be realized. In addition, Essendant and GPC have expended and will continue to expend significant management time and resources and have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses due to legal, advisory, printing and financial services fees related to the Transactions. A substantial portion of these expenses must be paid regardless of whether the Transactions are consummated. Even if the Transactions are completed, delay in the completion of the Transactions could diminish the anticipated benefits of the Transactions or result in additional transaction expenses, loss of revenue or other effects associated with uncertainty about the Transactions. If the Transactions are not consummated because the Merger Agreement is terminated, Essendant may be required under certain circumstances to pay GPC a $12 million termination fee or may under other circumstances be required to reimburse GPC for up to $3 million for certain expenses in connection with the Transactions.

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The announcement and pendency of the Merger could have an adverse effect on Essendant’s stock price, business, financial condition, results of operations or business prospects.

 

The announcement and pendency of the Merger could disrupt Essendant’s business in negative ways. For example, customers and other third-party business partners of Essendant or the SPR Business may seek to terminate and/or renegotiate their relationships with Essendant or the SPR Business as a result of the Merger, whether pursuant to the terms of their existing agreements with Essendant and/or the SPR Business or otherwise. In addition, current and prospective employees of Essendant and the SPR Business may experience uncertainty regarding their future roles with the combined company, which might adversely affect Essendant’s ability to retain, recruit and motivate key personnel. Should they occur, any of these events could adversely affect the stock price of, or harm the financial condition, results of operations or business prospects of, Essendant.

Essendant will incur significant costs related to the Transactions.

Essendant expects to incur significant one-time costs in connection with the Transactions in 2018, including legal, accounting and other professional fees and transition and integration-related expenses. While Essendant expects to be able to fund these one-time costs using cash from operations and borrowings under existing and anticipated credit sources, these costs will negatively impact Essendant’s liquidity, cash flows and results of operations in the periods in which they are incurred.

The Transactions may discourage other companies from trying to acquire Essendant before or for a period of time following completion of the Transactions.

Certain provisions in the Merger Agreement prohibit Essendant from soliciting any acquisition proposal during the pendency of the Merger. If the Merger Agreement is terminated under circumstances that obligate Essendant to pay GPC a termination fee, Essendant’s financial condition will be adversely affected as a result of the payment of the termination fee, which might deter third parties from proposing alternative acquisition proposals, including acquisition proposals that might result in greater value to Essendant stockholders than the Transactions. In addition, we have entered into a Tax Matters Agreement with GPC and SpinCo, certain provisions of which are intended to preserve the intended tax treatment of certain transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement. These provisions may discourage acquisition proposals for a period of time following the Transactions. Essendant expects to issue approximately 40.2 million shares of its common stock in connection with the Merger. Consequently, Essendant will be a significantly larger company and have significantly more shares of common stock outstanding after the consummation of the Transactions, an acquisition of Essendant may become more expensive. As a result, some companies may not seek to acquire Essendant.

 

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The Company did not repurchase any shares of common stock in the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company did not repurchase any additional shares through April 25, 2018. As of that date, the Company had approximately $68.2 million remaining of existing share repurchase authorization from the Board of Directors.  

 

 

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This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes as exhibits certain documents that the Company has previously filed with the SEC. Such previously filed documents are incorporated herein by reference from the respective filings indicated in parentheses at the end of the exhibit descriptions (all made under the Company’s file number of 0-10653). Each of the management contracts and compensatory plans or arrangements included below as an exhibit is identified as such by a double asterisk at the end of the related exhibit description.

 

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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.

 

 

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