10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K Form 10-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K


(MARK ONE)

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

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2004

OR

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

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER - 000-23599


MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


MASSACHUSETTS   04-2741391

(State or other jurisdiction of

Incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

199 RIVERNECK ROAD, CHELMSFORD MASSACHUSETTS   01824
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

(978) 256-1300

(Registrant’s telephone number including area code)


SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 (b) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934:

None

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 (g) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934:

Common Stock, Par Value $.01 Per Share


Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

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

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2004 was $527,963,604 based upon the closing price of the Registrant’s Common Stock on the NASDAQ National Market on that date.

Shares of Common Stock outstanding as of August 31, 2004: 21,014,045 shares

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its special meeting in lieu of the 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on November 15, 2004 (the “Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

Exhibit Index on Page [72]

 



PART I

 

This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Certain factors that might cause such a difference are discussed in this report on Form 10-K, including in the section entitled “Factors That May Affect Future Results.”

 

When used in the report, the terms “Mercury,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and “our company” refer to Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, except where the context otherwise requires or as otherwise indicated.

 

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

 

OVERVIEW

 

We are focused on products and services for real-time digital signal and image processing applications. We design, manufacture and market a broad family of high-performance computer products utilizing system architecture designed to meet the demands of digital signal processing (DSP) and image processing applications. Digital signal and image processing applications are typically computation-intensive and require input/output (I/O) capacity and interprocessor communications bandwidth not available on a general-purpose personal computer (PC), workstation, or server.

 

Our products are used by defense prime contractors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in a variety of applications. We currently do business worldwide through three business groups: the Defense Electronics Group (DEG), Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group (IVS), and the OEM Solutions Group (OSG). For more information regarding these operating segments, see Note N to our consolidated financial statements included in this report.

 

Our core engineering team designs products as well as some of the basic building-block components of our products. Each business group has its own sales organization and engineering resources that add value for applications specific to their respective markets. The sales teams include sales and business development specialists and field applications and systems engineers who provide pre-sales technical support for the group.

 

Our primary objective is to provide our customers with a flexible line of leading-edge products backed by superior digital signal and image processing application expertise to help reduce costs and time to market. Typically, our products are used as an embedded component within the customer’s system/application. For example, our product could be selected by a defense segment customer as an embedded component within their radar system. We offer an extensive line of products, including CPU boards, computer interconnections, and fully integrated systems and enclosures that a customer’s system design team can utilize in solving their unique digital signal and image processing requirements.

 

Defense Electronics Group

 

In fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, DEG accounted for 68%, 69% and 65%, respectively, of total revenues. DEG’s products are embedded in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) gathering systems, including radar, signals intelligence (SIGINT), and applications such as smart weapons, data exploitation and sonar. DEG’s activities are focused on selling our products and services into the proof-of-concept, development and deployment phases of these advanced military applications.

 

We provide high-performance embedded computer systems as standard products to the DEG markets by using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and selected rugged components and by working closely with defense contractors to complete a customized design that matches the specified requirements of a military application.

 

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We engage in frequent, detailed communication with the system end users, military executives, and program managers at government and defense contractors regarding the technical capabilities of our advanced signal processing computers and the successful incorporation of our computers in numerous military programs. The DEG engineering team specializes in adding value to our basic core building blocks in the areas of power subsystems, specialized packaging systems (e.g., custom chassis designs), cooling systems (e.g., conduction cooling), and complex configurations required by customers.

 

The DEG is structured with three market-focused teams: Radar, SIGINT, and Defense Segment Technology (DTS), which includes imagery, data exploitation, smart weapons and sonar applications. Each of these market teams has technical directors that are specialists in the applications they support. In addition, each team has business development specialists that monitor the defense segment programs in which they have interest in each major branch of the United States armed services, and in Europe and Japan, to keep abreast of developments in their respective markets. This approach provides relevant information to us regarding major military procurements worldwide, and serves to provide focused product requirements into the DEG engineering team and into our core engineering team.

 

The DEG sales and technical support personnel are distributed among regional offices in the United States and through our subsidiary offices and distributors worldwide. At our headquarters in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, a group of systems engineers specializing in radar, sonar and surveillance applications provides support on an as-needed basis to the remote offices to assist in securing program wins in targeted military programs.

 

Our primary DEG customers include Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon Company and Argon Engineering Associates, as well as other prime contractors. These above named customers in aggregate accounted for approximately 57%, 55% and 54% of DEG revenues for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. In addition, we sell our systems directly to leading organizations in the advanced defense technology research and development community, including MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

 

Digital signal and image processing computer systems are embedded into air, sea and land-based platforms for processing radar, sonar and SIGINT data. We believe that an important factor underlying the development of the DEG market is a continuing desire by military commanders for increased real-time battlespace information, which can be obtained through radar, sonar, SIGINT and image intelligence systems. Military commanders also need more powerful computers with similar attributes in order to conduct dynamic battle simulations and mission planning tasks utilizing today’s complex weapons systems. Advanced algorithms are being developed to allow commanders to use computers, such as ours, to electronically scan and extract intelligence from the data captured by various sensors, with a process referred to as data exploitation.

 

On April 1, 2002, we completed our acquisition of Myriad Logic, Inc. (Myriad). Myriad was a developer of I/O technology based in Silver Spring, Maryland. The acquisition of Myriad expanded our capability to provide more of a total system solution and more system integration services. The total purchase price of $7.9 million consisted of $7.5 million in cash plus $0.4 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition. The results of Myriad’s operations have been included in our consolidated financial statements since April 1, 2002.

 

On June 1, 2004, we completed our acquisition of Advanced Radio Corporation (ARC). ARC is a developer of radio frequency (RF) products that target SIGINT applications and commercial opportunities such as wireless infrastructure testing. We believe that the acquisition will enable us to develop front-end RF products that complement our real-time processing strengths in the SIGINT market. The total purchase price of $6.8 million consisted of $6.6 million in cash plus $0.2 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition. The results of ARC’s operations have been included in our consolidated financial statements since June 1, 2004.

 

Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group

 

In fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, IVS (formerly the Medical Imaging Business Group) accounted for 18%, 20% and 28%, respectively, of our total revenues. The principal modalities of medical imaging systems include

 

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magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), digital X-ray, positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound devices. Our computer systems are currently embedded in MRI, CT, PET and digital X-ray machines.

 

GE Medical Systems, Siemens Medical and Philips Medical Systems accounted for substantially all of our IVS revenues for fiscal years 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. In particular, GE Medical accounted for 60%, 59% and 57% of our IVS revenues during fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

 

We have experienced a decrease in revenues derived from sales of systems to our CT OEM customers due to introductions by these customers of CT systems that do not contain our products. We are currently competing for the next design cycle of CT systems. Revenues from CT systems were approximately $0.7 million, $7.2 million and $14.7 million for the fiscal years 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

 

We strive to provide a superior combination of high-performance and competitively priced embedded computer systems to the imaging and visualization market. We focus on establishing strong relationships with our customers, the medical equipment manufacturers. By maintaining frequent, in-depth communications with our customers and working closely with their engineering groups, we are able to understand their needs and provide appropriate solutions. Our broad array of products, based on CompactPCI® (cPCI) and PCI standards, provide the imaging and visualization industry with increased performance densities at lower costs and an architecture that accommodates performance upgrades as new technology becomes available. Integrating the high-bandwidth RACE++® Series architecture within the PCI and cPCI® environments and now our XR product line results in highly scalable systems. This allows medical equipment suppliers to design systems that can satisfy a broad range of price/performance requirements and meet the needs of global markets, all with our architecture.

 

The IVS group comprises an experienced team of sales specialists, as well as systems and applications engineers who work closely with the medical equipment designers and with our product development engineers. Once selected for design into a customer’s product line, this joint design effort frequently precedes the first production orders by approximately two to three years. However, once selected, the production contracts typically continue for the life of the medical imaging system. In addition, the equipment manufacturers typically offer computer system upgrades to their customers, potentially resulting in additional sales of our products. The IVS sales and technical support personnel are distributed among offices in the United States, and through our subsidiary offices in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France. At our headquarters in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, systems engineers specializing in medical imaging applications provide support on an as-needed basis to the remote offices to assist in the pursuit of new medical imaging design wins.

 

On May 6, 2004, we completed our acquisition of the TGS Group (TGS). TGS is a leading supplier of three-dimensional (3-D) image processing and visualization software to diverse end markets including life sciences (medical imaging and biotechnology), geoscience (earth sciences including oil and gas exploration), and simulation (commercial and defense). TGS is headquartered in Bordeaux, France and has operations in Berlin, Germany and San Diego, California and has sales offices in Italy and the United Kingdom. The results of TGS’ operations have been included in our consolidated financial statements since May 6, 2004.

 

The TGS purchase price consisted of cash of $12.9 million as well as 257,511 shares of our common stock, valued at $6.0 million based on the average closing price of our common stock for the five-day period including two days before and after April 26, 2004, the date we renegotiated the purchase price with the sellers. As of June 30, 2004, we had paid $9.4 million of the cash consideration and had not yet issued the shares of common stock due to a dispute regarding the determination of the final purchase price. As of June 30, 2004, we had recorded $7.5 million as a current liability and $0.6 million as a long-term other liability for the expected remaining purchase price payable to the former TGS shareholders.

 

The terms of the stock purchase agreement require an adjustment to the purchase price based on a measure of net assets as of the acquisition date, May 6, 2004. Based on the provisions of the agreement, we believe that we are entitled to a $1.3 million reduction in the purchase price, a position that the former shareholders of TGS

 

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dispute. As a result, the final purchase price for TGS has not been determined as of June 30, 2004. As of June 30, 2004, we have recorded a total TGS purchase price of $19.3 million, reflecting the $1.3 million expected reduction to the purchase price and including $1.7 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition.

 

Because 3-D imaging is becoming the accepted standard for many medical procedures, following the closing of the acquisition, we combined our capabilities in medical imaging and visualization under a common business group called “Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group,” formerly our Medical Imaging Business Group.

 

OEM Solutions Group

 

In fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, OSG accounted for 14%, 11% and 7%, respectively, of our total revenues. KLA-Tencor accounted for 66% of our aggregate sales in this market in fiscal 2004, 44% in fiscal 2003 and 26% in fiscal 2002. We have secured multiple design wins in each of the primary application areas of photomask generation, reticle inspection and wafer inspection. Our current customers range from relatively new start-up companies to top-tier OEMs. Our products are also currently designed into the high-throughput airport baggage scanning system from InVision Technologies.

 

Recently, we have invested in both product and market development in an attempt to penetrate the communications infrastructure market focusing our efforts on communications computing applications within the telecommunications infrastructure market. We have sold development systems to multiple telecom equipment manufacturers.

 

Our strategy is to provide a compelling combination of high-performance and competitively priced embedded computer systems with application engineering expertise. We believe we are one of a few suppliers of off-the-shelf embedded computers with products capable of meeting the demanding processing and I/O bandwidth requirements of the OEM marketplace. Our OEM business and support model fits well with the customer’s needs for faster time to market. We believe the principal reason for our OEM design wins is our experienced team of systems and applications engineers who work closely with the OEMs and with our product development engineers to ensure the optimum configuration for the customer. We focus on establishing strong relationships with our OEM customers by maintaining frequent, in-depth communications and working closely with their engineering groups. We intend to continue our efforts to earn new design wins for our computer systems in place of alternative designs employed by the semiconductor imaging equipment manufacturers and other competitors within the market.

 

OSG is comprised of two experienced teams of sales specialists, as well as systems and applications engineers who work closely with the OEM designers and with our product development engineers. The OSG teams include the communications computing market team and the OEM solutions market team, the latter focusing primarily on semiconductor imaging applications. Once selected for design into a customer’s product line, a joint design effort frequently precedes the first production orders by approximately two to three years. However, once selected, the production contracts typically continue for the life of the OEM’s system. In addition, the equipment manufacturers typically offer computer system upgrades to their customers, potentially resulting in additional sales of our products. The OSG sales and technical support personnel are distributed among offices in the United States. At our headquarters in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, systems engineers specializing in the OEM applications provide support on an as-needed basis to assist in the pursuit of new OEM design wins.

 

CUSTOMERS

 

In fiscal 2004, Argon Engineering Associates, Northrop Grumman and GE Medical accounted for 12%, 11% and 11% of total revenues, respectively. In fiscal 2003, Lockheed Martin, GE Medical, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Company accounted for 12%, 12%, 11% and 10% of total revenues, respectively. In fiscal 2002, GE Medical, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Company accounted for 16%, 12% and 12% of total revenues, respectively.

 

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International revenues represented approximately 9%, 7%, and 4% of our total revenues during fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. International revenue is based on the country in which our legal subsidiary is domiciled.

 

KEY TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCIES

 

Many of our customers share a common requirement: the need to process high-volume, real-time digital data streams. The computer must have the ability to process incoming data as quickly as it is received, whether from an antenna in a defense application or from a medical scanner. Data rates can range from a few to several hundred megabytes per second (or several billion bits per second). The ability to process this continuous flow of high-bandwidth data is a fundamental difference between the majority of computing systems in the world (such as personal computers, workstations and servers) and the integrated systems we offer.

 

Due to the nature of the applications in which many of our computer systems are embedded, they are frequently confined in limited spaces and therefore are designed to generate a minimum amount of heat. We employ the RACEway Interlink, an industry standard (ANSI/VITA-5 1994) switch fabric interconnect developed by us, which allows for high interprocessor communication, data processing bandwidth and I/O capacity. We use our proprietary application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to integrate microprocessors, memory and related components into the RACEway Interconnect fabric to provide optimum system performance. We use multiple industry-standard processors, such as the Freescale PowerPC® microprocessor, in the same system. We believe that the RACEway Interlink and our proprietary ASICs, working together with a group of mixed microprocessors in the same system, allow for the most efficient use of space and power with an optimal price/performance ratio.

 

We have developed a set of core technical strengths specifically targeted to, and defined by, the application areas of digital signal and image processing. These technical strengths are pivotal to our success in the real-time market segments of DEG, IVS and OEM solutions. These technical strengths have resulted in the following developments and capabilities:

 

Heterogeneous Processor Integration.    We have developed intellectual property, implemented in several ASICs, that integrates standard microprocessors, digital signal processors, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) into a single heterogeneous environment. We develop systems consisting of different microprocessor types with a single-system software model. Our processor-independent software offers a consistent set of software development tools and runtime libraries that can drive a heterogeneous mix of microprocessor types.

 

Performance Density.    Our thermal analysis expertise enables us to design products that optimize the dissipation of heat from the system to meet the environmental constraints imposed by many of our customers’ applications. Our modular hardware and software building blocks allow us to design systems that best meet the application’s specific data profiles. Altogether, these attributes combine to deliver the maximum performance in processing, reliability and bandwidth in the smallest possible space.

 

Scalable Software.    Our software has been designed to scale to hundreds of processors used in real-time environments while maintaining a high-bandwidth capability. Regardless of the number of processors, our software provides the same programming environment for a software developer working with our computer systems, allowing faster time to market and lower life-cycle maintenance costs for our customers.

 

Optimized Algorithm Development.    We specialize in algorithm development for single- and multi-processor implementations. We believe that using the mathematical algorithms in our scientific algorithm library (SAL) and image processing library (PixL) significantly increases the performance of customers’ applications, reduces development time and minimizes life-cycle support costs.

 

Systems Engineering Expertise.    We have established a core competency in providing image and signal processing subsystem solutions to our customers. Partnering with our customers, we combine our understanding of the application with our deep knowledge of the system hardware and software to develop solutions for some of the world’s most demanding real-time, signal-processing applications.

 

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PRODUCTS

 

HARDWARE PRODUCTS

 

We offer a broad family of products designed to meet the full range of requirements in signal and image processing applications.

 

PowerStream® Product line.    PowerStream systems are designed to address the requirements of the most demanding defense electronics applications, which are typically compute intensive and require very high interprocessor bandwidth and I/O capacity. These systems must also fit within the limited space available in aircraft, ships, and trucks. The PowerStream family of products includes both RACE++ and RapidIO-based solutions. They are used in advanced radar applications such as space-time adaptive processing (STAP), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), airborne early warning (AEW), and multifunctional naval applications incorporating surveillance, tracking, and weapons control. PowerStream systems transform the massive streams of digital data created in these applications into usable information in real time. PowerStream systems can scale to hundreds of processors. Current systems utilize PowerPC microprocessor. Designed as a deployable multiprocessor system, PowerStream products include power, cooling and reliability features required for deployment in the challenging environments of airborne, oceangoing or land-mobile applications. Entry price for PowerStream systems is approximately $750,000.

 

RACE++® VME Product Line.    RACE++ VME systems provide real-time, embedded multicomputing in an industry-standard VME chassis. The VMEbus has been the traditional standard for many embedded applications. Our VME systems support the RACE++ Series architecture. These systems contain compute modules based primarily on the PowerPC processors and can scale to several hundred processors. RACE++ Series MYRIAD I/O products provide a wide range of digital interface options for our VME-based systems, including Fibre Channel interfaces and PCI mezzanine card (PMC) sites for a variety of third-party standard and custom I/O devices. Our VME-based systems and components are primarily used in the DEG market where backward and forward compatibility is required for the long system life cycles of military equipment. RACE++ VME systems meet the computing speed, bandwidth and scalability requirements of many of today’s radar, sonar and SIGINT applications where they are typically used to transform the streams of digital data created in these applications into usable information in real time. We believe that advanced radar systems are more likely to use the PowerStream systems because of the I/O bandwidth required. RACE++ VME systems can scale up to 320 processors in a single-chassis system, meeting the demands of the most compute-intensive embedded applications, and provides the I/O bandwidth required to meet the requirements of a wide array of applications. Entry price for a RACE++ VME system is about $50,000. Large configurations, scaling up to 320 processors in a single chassis, are available. Conduction cooled product versions are also available, enabling high performance multicomputing in harsh environments.

 

Industrial Class Systems.    We offer two product lines in this class of system, which is targeted at applications deployed in benign environments. The VantageRT® PCI-based systems scale to 64 processors and are directed to the IVS and OEM Solutions markets. VantageRT systems are also the first of our systems to get FPGA-based computing integrated into the switch fabric architecture. The ImpactRT 3100 and Impact RT 3200 systems are based on the cPCI standard and are the first systems to utilize the next-generation RapidIO® switch interconnect, and can scale up to 76 microprocessors. Our cPCI-based systems provide a cost-effective solution for industrial applications in IVS and OEM applications that require a more rugged operating environment than PCI-based systems can provide, but do not require the scalability and ruggedness of the RACE++ Series VME product line. Entry price for a RACE++ Series VantageRT and ImpactRT system is about $20,000. Larger configurations are available and sell for up to $500,000.

 

SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

 

We have developed a comprehensive line of software products that enable accelerated development and execution of digital signal and image processing applications on our hardware. The MCOE multicomputer

 

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operating environment is embedded in each digital signal processing board sold by us. We separately license software products, and license a development software package that includes a development version of the MCOE multicomputer operating environment, scientific algorithm libraries, debugging tools and compilers. As a result of the TGS acquisition in May 2004, we also license 3-D image processing and visualization software. In fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, revenues recognized from licensing standalone software products were approximately $5.4 million, $3.2 million and $2.4 million, respectively.

 

The following are software products we offer.

 

Base Software Development Environment.    The base development environment includes the software necessary to develop a multiprocessor application on our system. This includes the development versions of the MCOE multicomputer operating environment, the Scientific Algorithm Library (SAL), the Parallel Acceleration System (PAS) library for multiprocessor communication, and a compiler tool chain. In particular, both SAL and PAS are heavily optimized for the processor, system, and software architectures we deliver. We believe that the implementation and use of these software offerings result in high productivity and higher performance than alternative solutions.

 

Optional Software Development Products.    We offer additional software development tools and libraries to provide enhanced capabilities, promote standard interfaces, and increase multicomputer programming productivity. The PixL image processing library provides high-performance vector integer routines that execute faster than traditional scalar code. The RACE++ Series MULTI® Integrated Development Environment (IDE) brings mainstream software development tools to the challenge of developing real-time multicomputing solutions. The Trace Analysis Tool and Library (TATL) is a system-level performance analyzer and debugger for offline analysis of the dynamic communications, control, and dependencies in the multiprocessor system. Each of these optional tools and libraries can significantly increase the productivity of the application developer and result in higher performance at the application level.

 

Runtime Environment.    A runtime license for the MCOE multicomputer operating environment and each of the libraries is included as part of each RACE, RACE++, and RapidIO system sold. Therefore, the incremental cost of employing a particular tool or library in any number of fielded systems is only the cost of the development package.

 

Amira.    This software allows physicians, scientists, and engineers to explore 3D imagery obtained from CT, MRI, or ultrasound scanning, confocal or wide-field microscopy, or similar sources. It also supports a wide range of applications in fields including oil & gas exploration and geoscience, numerical simulations, computational fluid dynamics and hydrodynamics.

 

Open Inventor.    This software is used by object-oriented, cross-platform 3D graphics API for C++ and Java developers. Its cross-platform capability makes Open Inventor a fast, flexible, and high performing API for developing interactive, object-oriented 3D applications. This capability allows developers to increase productivity by reducing time to market and optimizing their development costs and resources.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

Our research and development efforts are focused on developing new products as well as enhancing existing products. Our research and development goal is to fully exploit and maintain our technological lead in the high-performance, real-time, signal processing industry.

 

We are involved with researchers from other companies and government organizations to contribute to the definition, standardization and implementation of a software framework for use inside programmable radios. Similar cooperative developments are underway to develop technology to optimize software code portability and reusability. This latter research is focused on developing generic software components that can be targeted to our

 

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products through the use of industry-standard tools with our specific libraries. Some of these research areas benefit from cost sharing through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grants in those areas where the U.S. Department of Defense will obtain benefit from the development. We reduced research and development expenses by approximately $0.6 million, $0.7 million and $0.1 million during fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively, as a result of cost sharing through DARPA.

 

As of June 30, 2004, we had 268 employees primarily engaged in engineering, research and development, including hardware and software architects and design engineers. During fiscal years 2004, 2003 and 2002, our total research and development costs were approximately $38.6 million, $38.4 million and $34.4 million, respectively.

 

CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND INTEGRATION

 

Our Customer Services organization is engaged in a full range of support functions, including training, technical program management, integration and design services, maintenance and support services. We have invested in a range of tools, analyzers, simulators, instruments and workstations to provide a rapid response to both development and customer support requirements. In addition, we have developed many custom interfaces, reviewed customers’ designs, developed special hardware and software components and provided program management on behalf of DEG, IVS and OEM customers. These capabilities enable us to respond to the demanding individuality of many programs and have resulted in us being selected for both development, high-volume production and deployed programs.

 

MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE

 

We have received the International Standard Organization (ISO) 9001:2000 quality system registration. The current scope of delivered hardware products includes printed circuit boards (modules) and chassis systems. Our manufacturing operations consist primarily of materials planning and procurement, final assembly and test, and logistics (inventory and traffic management). We subcontract the assembly and test of most modules to contract manufacturers in the U.S. to build to our specifications. We currently rely primarily on one contract manufacturer. We have a comprehensive quality and process control plan for each of our products, which includes an effective supply chain management program and the use of automated inspection and test equipment to assure the quality and reliability of our products. We currently perform most post sales service obligations (both warranty and other lifecycle support) in-house through a dedicated service and repair operation.

 

Although we generally use standard parts and components for our products, certain components, including custom designed ASICs, static random access memory (SRAM), FPGAs processors and other third-party chassis peripherals (power supplies, blowers, etc.), are presently available only from a single source or from limited sources. We have no supply commitments from our vendors and generally purchase components on a purchase order basis as opposed to entering into long-term procurement agreements with vendors. We have generally been able to obtain adequate supplies of components in a timely manner from current vendors or, when necessary to meet production needs, from alternate vendors. We believe that, in most cases, alternate vendors can be identified if current vendors are unable to fulfill needs. However, delays or failure to identify alternate vendors, if required, or a reduction or interruption in supply or a significant increase in the price of components could adversely affect our revenues and financial results and could impact customer satisfaction.

 

COMPETITION

 

The markets for our products are highly competitive and are characterized by rapidly changing technology, frequent product performance improvements and evolving industry standards. Competition typically occurs at the design stage of a prospective customer’s product, where the customer evaluates alternative design approaches.

 

The principal competition comes from internal development organizations and we also compete with other commercial companies for design wins. A design win usually ensures, but does not always guarantee, that a

 

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customer will purchase our product until the next-generation system is developed. We believe that our future ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, upon our ability to continue to improve product and process technologies, to develop new technologies to maintain the performance advantages of products and processes relative to competitors, to adapt products and processes to technological changes, to identify and adopt emerging industry standards and to adapt to customer needs.

 

The principal basis for selection in sales of digital signal processing systems to the defense electronics industry is performance (measured primarily in terms of processing speed, I/O capacity and interprocessor bandwidth, processing density per cubic foot, power consumption and heat dissipation), systems engineering support, overall quality of products and associated services, use of industry standards, ease of use and price. Competitors in the defense electronics industry include a relatively small number of companies that design, manufacture and market embedded digital signal processing board-level products and in-house design teams employed by prime defense contractors. In-house design efforts historically have provided us a significant amount of competition. However, competition from in-house design teams has diminished significantly in recent years due to the increasing use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and the trend toward greater use of outsourcing. Despite this recent change, there can be no assurance that in-house developments will not re-emerge as a major competitive force in the future. Prime contractors are much larger than us and have substantially more resources to invest in research and development. Increased use of in-house design teams by defense contractors in the future would have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. Within the DEG market, we occasionally compete with workstation vendors who have substantially greater research and development resources, long-term guaranteed supply capacity, marketing and financial resources, manufacturing capability and customer support organizations than ours. Some of the growth within our DEG markets may result from emerging demand for solutions that we market today, but on a smaller scale and at a higher volume. If this opportunity does indeed emerge, we will continue to face competition from development teams located inside our customers as well as other companies currently serving these markets.

 

In the IVS industry, the principal basis for selection is performance (measured primarily in terms of processing speed, I/O capacity, interprocessor bandwidth and power consumption), price, systems engineering support, overall quality of products and associated services, use of industry standards and ease of use. Competitors in the imaging and visualization market include in-house design teams, a small number of companies that design, manufacture and market DSP board-level products, and workstation manufacturers. Workstations have become a competitive factor primarily in the market for low-end MRI and CT machines. There can be no assurance that workstation manufacturers and other low-end single-board computer, and merchant board computer companies will not attempt to penetrate the high-performance market for medical imaging machines. The evolution of microprocessor technology makes it possible to run the same algorithm on smaller configurations creating more alternatives for designing an embedded solution. Workstation manufacturers typically have greater resources than we do, and their entry into markets historically targeted by us may have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

 

In other commercial and industrial markets, the primary basis for selection is performance (measured in terms of processing performance, I/O speed, and interprocessor communications bandwidth), price, systems engineering support, quality of products and service, and on-time delivery. The requirements of the semiconductor equipment market can best be looked at from the perspective of the demands of customers for imaging equipment. Semiconductor manufacturers are under constant pressure to produce chips that are faster and smaller. This demand drives the need for new semiconductor manufacturing equipment that can create chips with reduced line widths and that can perform critical inspections at each development step to provide the yield necessary to meet financial objectives. As line widths shrink, previous imaging techniques become obsolete, and new technology and techniques are required. This places constant demands on the OEMs to increase system performance. The new geometries and the industry drive for greater sensitivity is causing an increase in the amount of data systems must process. This is the result of pixel sizes getting smaller (image sizes are getting bigger) and algorithms getting more complex to compensate for the artifacts caused by dealing with smaller features. Increasing competition among semiconductor manufacturing OEMs is causing an increased focus on

 

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time-to-market of higher performance and new processing algorithms. To meet time-to-market demands and have the ability to deploy more complex algorithms efficiently, the industry appears to be moving away from traditional hard-coded solutions and adopting off-the-shelf programmable solutions.

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS

 

We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws to establish and protect our rights in our products and proprietary technology. In addition, we currently require our employees and consultants to enter into formal confidentiality and assignment of invention agreements to limit use of, access to, and distribution of proprietary information. There can be no assurance that our means of protecting these proprietary rights in the U.S. or abroad will be adequate. The laws of some foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights as fully or in the same manner as do the laws of the United States. Also, despite the steps we have taken to protect these proprietary rights, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy or reverse-engineer aspects of our products, develop similar technology independently or otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. There can be no assurance that others will not develop technologies similar or superior to our technology or design around the proprietary rights we own. Although we are not aware that our products infringe on the proprietary rights of third parties, there can be no assurance that others will not assert claims of infringement in the future or that, if made, such claims will not be successful. Litigation to determine the validity of any claims, whether or not such litigation is determined to be in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel from daily operations. In the event of any adverse ruling in any litigation regarding intellectual property, we may be required to pay substantial damages, discontinue the sale of infringing products, expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or obtain licenses to use infringing or substituted technology. The failure to develop, or license on acceptable terms, a substitute technology, could impact our business.

 

We hold fourteen (14) U.S. patents covering the RACE Series® architecture, various software algorithms, RF techniques and PowerStream 7000 designs, and have several additional patents pending and applications submitted. We may file additional patent applications seeking protection for other proprietary aspects of our technology in the future. Patent positions frequently are uncertain and involve complex and evolving legal and factual questions. The coverage sought in a patent application either can be denied or significantly reduced before or after the patent is issued. Consequently, there can be no assurance that any patents from pending patent applications or from any future patent application will be issued, that the scope of any patent protection will exclude competitors or provide competitive advantages to us, that any of our patents will be held valid if subsequently challenged or that others will not claim rights in or ownership of the patents and other proprietary rights we hold. Since patent applications are secret until patents are issued in the U.S. or corresponding applications are published in other countries, and since publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. In addition, there can be no assurance that competitors, many of which have substantial resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, will not seek to apply for and obtain patents that will prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, use or sell our products either in the U.S. or in international markets.

 

BACKLOG

 

As of June 30, 2004, we had a backlog of orders aggregating approximately $91.2 million, of which $80.9 million is expected to be delivered within the next twelve months. As of June 30, 2003, the backlog was $57.3 million. We include in our backlog customer orders for products and services for which we have accepted signed purchase orders. Orders included in backlog may be canceled or rescheduled by customers without penalty. A variety of conditions, both specific to the individual customer and generally affecting the customer’s industry, may cause customers to cancel, reduce or delay orders that were previously made or anticipated. We cannot assure the timely replacement of canceled, delayed or reduced orders. Significant or numerous cancellations, reductions or delays in orders by a customer or group of customers could materially and adversely affect our

 

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results of operations or our ability to predict future revenues. Backlog should not be relied upon as indicative of our revenues for any future period.

 

EMPLOYEES

 

At June 30, 2004, we employed a total of 652 persons, including 268 in research and development, 226 in sales, marketing and customer support, 55 in manufacturing and 103 in general and administrative functions. We have 71 employees located in Europe, 4 located in Japan, and 577 located in the United States. We do not have any employees represented by a labor organization, and we believe that our relations with our employees are good. Primarily as a result of the TGS and ARC acquisitions, our employee base increased by 76 persons since June 30, 2003, when we employed a total of 576 persons.

 

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We maintain a website on the World Wide Web at www.mc.com. We make available, free of charge, on our website our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our code of business conduct and ethics is available on our website. Information contained on our website does not constitute part of this report. Our reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS

 

We depend heavily on defense electronics programs that incorporate our products, which may be only partially funded and are subject to potential termination and reductions in government spending.

 

Sales of our computer systems, primarily as an indirect subcontractor or team member with prime contractors and in some cases directly, to the U.S. Government and its agencies, as well as foreign governments and agencies, accounted for approximately 68% of our total revenues in fiscal 2004, 69% of our total revenues in fiscal 2003, and 65% of our total revenues in fiscal 2002. Our computer systems are included in many different domestic and international programs. Over the lifetime of a program, the award of many different individual contracts and subcontracts may implement our requirements. The funding of U.S. Government programs is subject to congressional appropriations. Although multiple-year contracts may be planned in connection with major procurements, Congress generally appropriates funds on a fiscal year basis even though a program may continue for several years. Consequently, programs are often only partially funded initially, and additional funds are committed only as Congress makes further appropriations and prime contracts receive such funding. The reduction in funding or termination of a government program in which we are involved would result in a loss of anticipated future revenues attributable to that program and contracts or orders received. The U.S. Government could reduce or terminate a prime contract under which we are a subcontractor or team member irrespective of the quality of our products or services. The termination of a program or the reduction in or failure to commit additional funds to a program in which we are involved could negatively impact our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We face other risks and uncertainties associated with defense-related contracts, which may have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Whether our contracts are directly with the U.S. Government, a foreign government or one of their respective agencies, or indirectly as a subcontractor or team member, our contracts and subcontracts are subject to special risks, including:

 

    Changes in government administration and national and international priorities, including developments in the geo-political environment such as the current “War on Terrorism,” “Operation Enduring Freedom,” “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” and the threat of nuclear proliferation in North Korea, could have a significant impact on national or international defense spending priorities and the efficient handling of routine contractual matters. These changes could have a negative impact on our business in the future.

 

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    Our contracts with the U.S. and foreign governments and their prime and subcontractors are subject to termination either upon default by us or at the convenience of the government or contractor if, among other reasons, the program itself has been terminated. Termination for convenience provisions generally entitle us to recover costs incurred, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to termination, but there can be no assurance in this regard.

 

    Because we contract to supply goods and services to the U.S. and foreign governments and their prime and subcontractors, we compete for contracts in a competitive bidding process and, in the event we are awarded a contract, we are subject to protests by disappointed bidders of contract awards that can result in the reopening of the bidding process and changes in governmental policies or regulations and other political factors.

 

    Consolidation among defense industry contractors has resulted in a few large contractors with increased bargaining power relative to us. We cannot assure that the increased bargaining power of these contractors will not adversely affect our business or results of operations in the future.

 

    Our customers include U.S. Government contractors who must comply with and are affected by laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts. A violation of these laws and regulations could result in the imposition of fines and penalties to our customer or the termination of its contract with the U.S. Government. As a result, there could be a delay in our receipt of orders from our customer or a termination of such orders.

 

    We sell products to U.S. and international defense contractors and also directly to the U.S. Government as a commercial supplier such that cost data is not supplied. To the extent that there are interpretations or changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs) regarding the qualifications necessary to be a commercial supplier, there could be a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

 

The loss of one or more of our largest customers could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We are dependent on a small number of customers for a large portion of our revenues. A significant decrease in the sales to or loss of any of our major customers would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In fiscal 2004, Argon Engineering Associates, GE Medical Systems and Northrop Grumman Corporation accounted for 12%, 11% and 11% of our total revenues respectively. For the year ended June 30, 2004, five customers collectively accounted for 53% of our total revenues. Customers in the Defense Electronics Group market generally purchase our products in connection with government programs that have a limited duration, leading to fluctuating sales to any particular customer in this market from year to year. In addition, our revenues are largely dependent upon the ability of customers to develop and sell products that incorporate our products. No assurance can be given that our customers will not experience financial, technical or other difficulties that could adversely affect their operations and, in turn, our results of operations.

 

Our IVS and OEM Solutions revenues currently come from a small number of customers and modalities, and any significant decrease in revenue from one of these customers or modalities could adversely impact our operating results.

 

If a major IVS or OEM Solutions customer significantly reduces the amount of business it does with us, there would likely be an adverse impact on our operating results. GE Medical Systems, Siemens Medical and Philips Medical Systems accounted for substantially all of our IVS revenues for the fiscal years ended 2004, 2003 and 2002. In particular, GE Medical accounted for 60% of our aggregate IVS sales in fiscal 2004, 59% in fiscal 2003 and 57% in fiscal 2002. Similarly, KLA-Tencor accounted for 66% of our total sales in the OEM Solutions market in fiscal 2004, 44% in fiscal 2003 and 26% in fiscal 2002. Although we are seeking to broaden our commercial customer base, we expect to continue to depend on sales to a relatively small number of major customers in both the IVS and OEM Solutions markets. Because it often takes significant time and added cost to replace lost business, it is likely that operating results would be adversely affected if one or more of our major customers were to cancel, delay or reduce significant orders in the future. Our customer agreements typically permit the customer to discontinue future purchases without cause after timely notice.

 

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Our sales to the IVS market could be adversely affected by changes in technology, strength of the economy, and health care reforms.

 

The economic and technological conditions affecting our industry in general or any major IVS OEM customer in particular, may adversely affect our operating results. IVS OEM customers provide products to markets that are subject to both economic and technological cycles. Any change in the demand for medical imaging devices that renders any of our products unnecessary or obsolete, or any change in the technology in these devices, could result in a decrease in our revenues. In addition to our IVS OEM customers, the end users of their products and the health care industry generally are subject to extensive federal, state and local regulation in the U.S. as well as in other countries. Changes in applicable health care laws and regulations or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations could cause these customers or end users to demand fewer IVS products. We cannot assure you that future health care regulations or budgetary legislation or other changes in the administration or interpretation of governmental health care programs both in the U.S. and abroad will not have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Competition from existing or new companies in the IVS business could cause us to experience downward pressure on prices, fewer customer orders, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and the loss of market share.

 

IVS is a highly competitive industry, and our IVS OEM customers generally extend the competitive pressures they face throughout their respective supply chains. We are subject to competition based upon product design, performance, pricing, quality and services. Our product performance, embedded systems engineering expertise, and product quality have been important factors in our growth. While we try to maintain competitive pricing on those products which are directly comparable to products manufactured by others, in many instances our products will conform to more exacting specifications and carry a higher price than analogous products. Many of our IVS OEM customers and potential IVS OEM customers have the capacity to design and internally manufacture products that are similar to our products. We face competition from research and product development groups and the manufacturing operations of current and potential customers, who continually evaluate the benefits of internal research and product development and manufacturing versus outsourcing. This competition could result in fewer customer orders and a loss of market share.

 

If we are unable to respond adequately to our competition, we may lose existing customers and fail to win future business opportunities.

 

The markets for our products are highly competitive and are characterized by rapidly changing technology, frequent product performance improvements and evolving industry standards. Competitors may be able to offer more attractive pricing or develop products that could offer performance features that are superior to our products, resulting in reduced demand for our products. Due to the rapidly changing nature of technology, we may not become aware in advance of the emergence of new competitors into our markets. The emergence of new competitors into markets historically targeted by us could result in the loss of existing customers and may have a negative impact on our ability to win future business opportunities. With continued microprocessor evolution, low-end systems could become adequate to meet the requirements of an increased number of the lesser-demanding applications within our target markets. Workstation manufacturers and other low-end single-board computer or merchant board computer companies, or new competitors, may attempt to penetrate the high-performance market for defense electronics systems, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We face the continuing impact on our business from the slowdown in worldwide economies.

 

The future direction of domestic and global economies could have a significant impact on our overall performance. Our business has been, and may continue to be, negatively impacted by the slowdown in the economies of the U.S., Europe, Asia and elsewhere that began during fiscal 2001. The uncertainty regarding the growth rate of the worldwide economies has caused companies to reduce capital investment and may cause

 

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further reduction of these capital investments. These reductions have been particularly severe in the electronics and semiconductor industries, which we serve. While our business may be performing better than some companies in periods of economic decline, the effects of the economic decline are being felt across all business segments and have been a contributor to the slower than normal customer orders. We cannot predict if or when the growth rate of worldwide economies will rebound, nor whether the growth rate of customer orders will rebound when the worldwide economies begin to grow. All components of forecasting and budgeting processes are dependent upon estimates of growth in the markets we serve. The prevailing economic uncertainty renders estimates of future income and expenditures even more difficult than usual. As a result, we may make significant investments and expenditures but never realize the anticipated benefits, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We cannot predict the consequences of future terrorist activities, but they may adversely affect the markets in which we operate, our ability to insure against risks, and our operations or profitability.

 

The terrorist attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001, as well as the U.S.-led response, including Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the potential for future terrorist activities, and the development of a Homeland Security organization have created economic and political uncertainties that could have a material adverse effect on business and the price of our common stock. These matters have caused uncertainty in the world’s financial and insurance markets and may increase significantly the political, economic and social instability in the geographic areas in which we operate. These developments may adversely affect business and profitability and the prices of our securities in ways that cannot be predicted at this time.

 

Implementation of our growth strategy may not be successful, which could affect our ability to increase revenues.

 

Our growth strategy includes developing new products and entering new markets. Our ability to compete in new markets will depend upon a number of factors including, without limitation:

 

    our ability to create demand for products in new markets;

 

    our ability to manage growth effectively;

 

    our quality of new products;

 

    our ability to successfully integrate any acquisitions that we make;

 

    our ability to respond to changes in our customers’ businesses by updating existing products and introducing, in a timely fashion, new products which meet the needs of our customers; and

 

    our ability to respond rapidly to technological change.

 

The failure to do any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may face competition in these new markets from various companies that may have substantially greater research and development resources, marketing and financial resources, manufacturing capability and customer support organizations.

 

We may be unable to obtain critical components from suppliers, which could disrupt or delay our ability to deliver products to our customers.

 

Several components used in our products are currently obtained from sole-source suppliers. We are dependent on key vendors like LSI Logic, Xilinx and Toshiba for custom-designed ASICs and FPGAs; Motorola and IBM for PowerPC microprocessors; IBM for a specific SRAM; and Arrow and Force Computers for chassis and chassis components. Generally, suppliers may terminate their contracts with us without cause upon 30-days’ notice and may cease offering their products upon 180-days’ notice. If any of our sole-source suppliers were to limit or reduce the sale of these components, we may be unable to fulfill customer orders in a timely manner or at

 

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all. In addition, if these or other component suppliers, some of which are small companies, were to experience financial difficulties or other problems which prevented them from supplying us with the necessary components, we could experience a loss of revenues due to our inability to fulfill orders. These sole-source and other suppliers are each subject to quality and performance issues, materials shortages, excess demand, reduction in capacity and other factors that may disrupt the flow of goods to us or to our customers, which would adversely affect our business and customer relationships. We have no guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers and there can be no assurance that these suppliers will continue to meet our requirements. If supply arrangements are interrupted, we may not be able to find another supplier on a timely or satisfactory basis. We may incur significant set-up costs and delays in manufacturing should it become necessary to replace any key vendors due to work stoppages, shipping delays, financial difficulties or other factors.

 

We may not be able to effectively manage our relationships with contract manufacturers.

 

We may not be able to effectively manage our relationship with contract manufacturers, and the contract manufacturers may not meet future requirements for timely delivery. We rely on contract manufacturers to build hardware sub-assemblies for our products in accordance with our specifications. During the normal course of business, we may provide demand forecasts to contract manufacturers up to five months prior to scheduled delivery of our products to customers. If we overestimate requirements, the contract manufacturers may assess cancellation penalties or we may be left with excess inventory, which may negatively impact our earnings. If we underestimate requirements, the contract manufacturers may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt manufacturing of our products and result in delays in shipment to customers and revenue recognition. Contract manufacturers also build products for other companies, and they may not have sufficient quantities of inventory available or sufficient internal resources to fill our orders on a timely basis or at all.

 

In addition, there have been a number of major acquisitions within the contract manufacturing industry in recent periods. While there has been no significant impact on our contract manufacturers to date, future acquisitions could potentially have an adverse effect on our working relationships with contract manufacturers. Moreover, we currently rely primarily on one contract manufacturer. The failure of this contract manufacturer to fill our orders on a timely basis or in accordance with our customers’ specifications could result in a loss of revenues and damage to our reputation. We may not be able to replace this primary contract manufacturer in a timely manner or without significantly increasing our costs if such contract manufacturer were to experience financial difficulties or other problems which prevented it from fulfilling our order requirements.

 

Our performance and stock price may decline if we are unable to retain and attract key personnel.

 

We are largely dependent upon the skills and efforts of senior management including James R. Bertelli, our president and chief executive officer, as well as our senior managerial, sales and technical employees. None of our senior management or other key employees is subject to employment contracts. The loss of services of any executive or other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and stock price. In addition, our future success will depend to a significant extent on the ability to attract, train, motivate and retain highly skilled technical professionals, particularly project managers, engineers and other senior technical personnel. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in retaining current or future employees.

 

We are exposed to risks associated with international operations.

 

We market and sell products in international markets, and have established offices and subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. Revenues from international operations accounted for 9%, 7% and 4% of total revenues for fiscal year 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. There are risks inherent in transacting business internationally, including:

 

    changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements;

 

    export and import restrictions;

 

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    export controls relating to technology;

 

    tariffs and other trade barriers;

 

    less favorable intellectual property laws;

 

    difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;

 

    longer payment cycles;

 

    problems in collecting accounts receivable;

 

    political instability;

 

    fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

    expatriation controls; and

 

    potential adverse tax consequences.

 

There can be no assurance that one or more of these factors will not have a material adverse effect on our future international activities and, consequently, on our business and results of operations.

 

We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions.

 

We may in the future acquire or make investments in complementary companies, products or technologies. Acquisitions may pose risks to our operations, including:

 

    problems and increased costs in connection with the integration of the personnel, operations, technologies or products of the acquired companies;

 

    unanticipated costs;

 

    diversion of management’s attention from our core business;

 

    adverse effects on business relationships with suppliers and customers and those of the acquired company;

 

    acquired assets becoming impaired as a result of technical advancements or worse-than-expected performance by the acquired company;

 

    entering markets in which we have no, or limited, prior experience; and

 

    potential loss of key employees, particularly those of the acquired organization.

 

In addition, in connection with any acquisitions or investments we could:

 

    issue stock that would dilute existing shareholders’ percentage ownership;

 

    incur debt and assume liabilities;

 

    obtain financing on unfavorable terms;

 

    incur amortization expenses related to acquired intangible assets or incur large and immediate write-offs;

 

    incur large expenditures related to office closures of the acquired companies, including costs relating to termination of employees and facility and leasehold improvement charges relating to vacating the acquired companies’ premises; and

 

    reduce the cash that would otherwise be available to fund operations or to use for other purposes.

 

The failure to successfully integrate any acquisition or for acquisitions to yield expected results may negatively impact our financial condition and operating results.

 

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If we are unable to respond to technological developments and changing customer needs on a timely and cost-effective basis, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

Our future success will depend in part on our ability to enhance current products and to develop new products on a timely and cost-effective basis in order to respond to technological developments and changing customer needs. Defense Electronics Group customers, in particular, demand frequent technological improvements as a means of gaining military advantage. Military planners historically have funded significantly more design projects than actual deployments of new equipment, and those systems that are deployed tend to contain the components of the subcontractors selected to participate in the design process. In order to participate in the design of new defense electronics systems, we must demonstrate the ability to deliver superior technological performance on a timely and cost-effective basis. There can be no assurance that we will secure an adequate number of Defense Electronics Group design wins in the future, that the equipment in which our products are intended to function eventually will be deployed in the field, or that our products will be included in such equipment if it eventually is deployed.

 

Customers in our IVS and OEM Solutions markets, including the semiconductor imaging market, also seek technological improvements through product enhancements and new generations of products. OEMs historically have selected certain suppliers whose products have been included in the OEMs’ machines for a significant portion of the products’ life cycles. We may not be selected to participate in the future design of any medical or semiconductor imaging equipment, or if selected, we may not generate any revenues for such design work.

 

The design-in process is typically lengthy and expensive, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to meet the product specifications of OEM customers in a timely and adequate manner. In addition, any failure to anticipate or respond adequately to changes in technology and customer preferences, or any significant delay in product developments or introductions, could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations, including the risk of inventory obsolescence. Because of the complexity of our products, we have experienced delays from time to time in completing products on a timely basis. If we are unable to design, develop or introduce competitive new products on a timely basis, our future operating results may be adversely affected.

 

We may be unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property rights.

 

Our ability to compete effectively against other companies in our industry depends, in part, on our ability to protect our current and future proprietary technology under patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and unfair competition laws. We cannot assure you that our means of protecting our proprietary rights in the United States or abroad will be adequate, or that others will not develop technologies similar or superior to our technology or design around the proprietary rights we own. In addition, management may be distracted and may incur substantial costs in attempting to protect our proprietary rights.

 

Also, despite the steps taken by us to protect our proprietary rights, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy or reverse-engineer aspects of our products, develop similar technology independently or otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary, and we may be unable to successfully identify or prosecute unauthorized uses of our technology. Further, with respect to our issued patents and patent applications, we cannot assure you that any patents from any pending patent applications (or from any future patent applications) will be issued, that the scope of any patent protection will exclude competitors or provide competitive advantages to us, that any of our patents will be held valid if subsequently challenged or that others will not claim rights in or ownership of the patents (and patent applications) and other proprietary rights held by us.

 

If we become subject to intellectual property infringement claims, we could incur significant expenses and could be prevented from selling specific products.

 

We may become subject to claims that we infringe the intellectual property rights of others in the future. We cannot assure you that, if made, these claims will not be successful. Any claim of infringement could cause us to

 

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incur substantial costs defending against the claim even if the claim is invalid, and could distract management from other business. Any judgment against us could require substantial payment in damages and could also include an injunction or other court order that could prevent us from offering certain products.

 

Our need for continued investment in research and development may increase expenses and reduce our profitability.

 

Our industry is characterized by the need for continued investment in research and development. If we fail to invest sufficiently in research and development, our products could become less attractive to potential customers and our business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. As a result of the need to maintain or increase spending levels in this area and the difficulty in reducing costs associated with research and development, our operating results could be materially harmed if our research and development efforts fail to result in new products or if revenues fall below expectations. In addition, as a result of our commitment to invest in research and development, spending levels of research and development expenses as a percent of revenues may fluctuate in the future.

 

Our results of operations are subject to fluctuation from period to period and may not be an accurate indication of future performance.

 

We have experienced fluctuations in operating results in large part due to the sale of computer systems in relatively large dollar amounts to a relatively small number of customers. Our quarterly results may be subject to fluctuations resulting from a number of other factors, including:

 

    the timing of significant orders;

 

    delays in completion of internal product development projects;

 

    delays in shipping computer systems and software programs;

 

    delays in acceptance testing by customers;

 

    a change in the mix of products sold to the DEG, IVS and other markets;

 

    production delays due to quality problems with outsourced components;

 

    shortages and costs of components;

 

    the timing of product line transitions; and

 

    declines in quarterly revenues from previous generations of products following announcement of replacement products containing more advanced technology.

 

Results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

 

In addition, from time to time, we have entered into contracts, referred to as development contracts, to engineer a specific solution based on modifications to standard products. Gross margins from development contract revenues are typically lower than gross margins from standard product revenues. We intend to continue to enter into development contracts and anticipate that the gross margins associated with development contract revenues will continue to be lower than gross margins from standard product sales.

 

Another factor contributing to fluctuations in our quarterly results is the fixed nature of expenditures on personnel, facilities and marketing programs. Expense levels for these programs are based, in significant part, on expectations of future revenues. If actual quarterly revenues are below management’s expectations, our results of operations will likely be adversely affected. Our operating results, from time to time, may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

 

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We have benefited from certain tax benefits that may expire or be repealed.

 

In the past, we have benefited from certain tax provisions that have reduced our effective tax rate and the cash taxes paid. One of these benefits, the credit for increasing research activities, expired on June 30, 2004, and, as of the date of this report, had not been extended or reinstated by Congress. There are pending legislative proposals that would extend or make permanent this tax credit, including on a retrospective basis. However, there can be no assurance that the research credit will be made permanent or extended, or if so, for how long, and whether any such extension will be made retroactive. We have also utilized benefits under the extraterritorial income, or (ETI) tax regime. The ETI regime was ruled an illegal trade subsidy by the World Trade Organization and, as a result, the European Union has recently imposed trade sanctions against the United States that will increase substantially over time if the ETI regime is not repealed. As of the date of this report, legislative proposals to repeal the ETI regime have been passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives, along with proposals that, if enacted, would provide tax benefits that might mitigate, at least to some extent, our loss of tax benefits if ETI is repealed. While it seems likely that the ETI regime will be repealed upon reconciliation of the bills by the Conference Committee, it is very difficult to predict what, if any, new tax benefits might be enacted, and we cannot assure you that any new tax provisions will be enacted that will benefit us. Our expenses for income taxes could be significantly higher in the future if the research credit is not reinstated and the ETI regime is repealed. In fiscal 2004, the federal credit for increasing research activities and the ETI benefit represented a 400 and 160 basis point reduction, respectively, from the statutory rate of 35%.

 

The trading price of our common stock may continue to be volatile which may adversely affect business, and investors in our common stock may experience substantial losses.

 

Our stock price, like that of other technology companies, has been volatile. The stock market in general, and technology companies in particular, may continue to experience volatility in their stock prices. This volatility may or may not be related to operating performance. In addition, the continued threat of terrorism in the U.S. and abroad, the resulting military action and heightened security measures undertaken in response to that threat may cause continued volatility in securities markets. When the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock will sometimes institute securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any stockholders were to institute a lawsuit, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Also, the lawsuit could divert the time and attention of management.

 

We significantly increased our leverage as a result of the sale of convertible senior notes.

 

In connection with our sale of convertible senior notes in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004, we incurred additional indebtedness of $125 million. The degree to which we will be leveraged could, among other things:

 

    make it difficult for us to make payments on the convertible notes;

 

    make it difficult for us to obtain financing for working capital, acquisitions or other purposes on favorable terms, if at all;

 

    make us more vulnerable to industry downturns and competitive pressures; and

 

    limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to changes in, our business.

 

Our ability to meet our debt service obligations will depend upon our future performance, which will be subject to financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. We may not have enough funds or be able to arrange for additional financing to pay the principal at maturity or to repurchase the notes when tendered in accordance with their terms, which would constitute an event of default under the related indenture.

 

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The conversion contingency provisions of the convertible notes may cause a decrease in our earnings per share on a diluted basis or make our reported earnings per share more volatile, potentially affecting our share price.

 

The conversion of our convertible notes into shares of our common stock will dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders. Holders of the convertible notes are entitled to convert the notes into shares of our common stock upon the occurrence of certain events, including if the price of our common stock is trading above certain thresholds. Unless and until one or more of these contingencies are met, the shares of our common stock underlying the convertible notes generally will not be included in the calculation of our basic and diluted earnings per share. If one or more of these contingencies are met or would have been met if measured instead at the end of the reporting period, diluted earnings per share would be expected to decrease as a result of the inclusion of the underlying shares in the diluted earnings per share calculation. Volatility in our stock price could cause this condition to be met in one quarter and not in a subsequent quarter, increasing the volatility of diluted earnings per share.

 

In addition, as of the date of this report, there is a proposal by the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that, if adopted, would require that the common stock underlying the convertible notes be included in the calculation of our diluted earnings per share regardless of whether any conversion contingency has been met. If adopted, an additional 4,134,962 shares of our common stock would be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share.

 

Provisions in our organizational documents and Massachusetts law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us.

 

Provisions of our charter and by-laws could have the effect of discouraging a third party from making a proposal to acquire our company and could prevent certain changes in control, even if some shareholders might consider the proposal to be in their best interests. These provisions include a classified board of directors, advance notice to our board of directors of shareholders proposals and director nominations, and limitations on the ability of shareholders to remove directors and to call shareholders meetings. In addition, we may issue shares of any class or series of preferred stock in the future without shareholder approval upon such terms as our board of directors may determine. The rights of holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any such class or series of preferred stock that may be issued.

 

We also are subject to the Massachusetts General Laws which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibit a Massachusetts corporation from engaging in a broad range of business combinations with any “interested shareholder” for a period of three years following the date that such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. These provisions could discourage a third party from pursuing an acquisition of our company at a price considered attractive by many shareholders.

 

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

 

Our headquarters consist of two buildings approximating 187,000 square feet of space in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which we purchased in fiscal year 1999. In fiscal 2000, we purchased approximately 179,000 square feet of land adjacent to our existing headquarters. We also lease domestic offices near Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, California; Dallas, Texas; Chanhassen, Minnesota; Vienna and Reston, Virginia; Marlton, New Jersey; Nashua, New Hampshire; and Silver Spring, Maryland. We lease international offices in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.

 

ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We are subject to certain legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. We do not believe these actions will have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

ITEM 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of shareholders during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

Our common stock is listed and traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol MRCY. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sale prices per share for our common stock during such periods. Such market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices without retail markup, markdown or commission.

 

          High

   Low

2004   

First quarter

   $ 23.50    $ 18.29
    

Second quarter

     25.29      21.02
    

Third quarter

     32.40      24.64
    

Fourth quarter

     26.37      21.44
2003   

First quarter

   $ 26.81    $ 16.45
    

Second quarter

     33.55      21.85
    

Third quarter

     33.54      25.78
    

Fourth quarter

     27.34      17.90

 

As of August 31, 2004, we had approximately 11,000 shareholders including record and nominee holders. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on shares of our common stock. We currently intend to retain any earnings for future growth. Accordingly, we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be declared or paid on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

See the table beginning on page 36 of this report entitled “Equity Compensation Plans”, which sets forth information as of June 30, 2004, with respect to our equity compensation plans and is incorporated into this Item 5 by reference.

 

On April 29, 2004, we completed a private offering of $125 million aggregate principal amount of 2% Convertible Senior Notes due May 1, 2024, and received net proceeds of approximately $120.9 million from the offering. The notes were offered only to qualified institutional buyers, as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The notes may be converted into shares of our common stock at any time prior to maturity, redemption or repurchase by us, if (1) the price of our common stock issuable upon conversion of a note reaches a specified threshold over a specified period, (2) the notes have been called for redemption, (3) the trading price of the notes falls below certain thresholds, or (4) specified corporate transactions occur. The initial conversion rate is 33.0797 shares per each $1,000 principal amount of notes (subject to adjustment), which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $30.23 per share. For further descriptions of the notes, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Note J to our financial statements included in this report.

 

In connection with our acquisition of the TGS Group on May 6, 2004, we agreed to issue up to 257,511 shares of our common stock to the TGS shareholders as partial consideration for the acquisition, in reliance on exemptions from registration under Section 4(2) and Regulation S under the Securities Act. In light of the information obtained by us in connection with this transaction, management believes that we may rely on such exemptions. For further descriptions of the TGS acquisition, see “Business—Imaging and Visualization Solutions” and Note G to our financial statements included in this report.

 

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following table summarizes certain historical consolidated financial data, which should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report (in thousands, except per share data):

 

     For the Years Ended June 30,

     2004

   2003

   2002

   2001

   2000

Statement of Operations Data:

                                  

Revenues

   $ 185,595    $ 180,242    $ 150,115    $ 180,492    $ 140,944

Income from operations

     31,605      25,830      14,578      39,557      33,461

Net income

     22,885      22,677      15,828      30,684      24,896

Net income per share:

                                  

Basic

   $ 1.08    $ 1.07    $ 0.73    $ 1.42    $ 1.19

Diluted

   $ 1.05    $ 1.03    $ 0.69    $ 1.33    $ 1.10

 

     As of June 30,

     2004

   2003

   2002

   2001

   2000

Balance Sheet Data:

                                  

Working capital

   $ 214,458    $ 84,510    $ 96,051    $ 101,391    $ 67,977

Total assets

     369,738      190,555      167,111      183,584      144,217

Long-term obligations

     137,902      12,358      12,899      13,430      14,052

Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 180,857    $ 152,656    $ 135,725    $ 147,788    $ 108,360

 

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

CERTAIN FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS

 

In this report, as well as oral statements made by us, phrases that are prefaced with the words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “continue,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “designed” and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements regarding events, conditions and financial trends that may affect our future plans of operations, business strategy, results of operations and financial position. These statements are based on our current expectations and estimates as to prospective events and circumstances about which we can give no firm assurance. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made. As it is not possible to predict every new factor that may emerge, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual future financial condition or results. These forward-looking statements, like any forward-looking statements, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include certain factors identified in the following discussion as well as the risk factors appearing under the caption “Factors that May Affect Future Results” in Item 1 of this annual report on Form 10-K.

 

OVERVIEW

 

We design, manufacture and market high-performance, real-time digital signal and image processing computer systems that transform sensor-generated data into information which can be displayed as images for human interpretation or be subjected to additional computer analysis. These multicomputer systems are heterogeneous and scalable, allowing them to accommodate several microprocessor types and to scale from a few to hundreds of microprocessors within a single system.

 

During the past several years, the majority of our revenue has been generated from sales of our products to the DEG market, generally for use in intelligence-gathering electronic warfare systems. Our activities in this area

 

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have focused on the proof of concept, development and deployment of advanced military applications in radar, sonar and airborne surveillance. Imaging and visualization solutions is another primary market that we currently serve. Our computer systems are embedded in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and digital X-ray machines. Our remaining revenues are derived from computer systems used in such commercial OEM solutions as semiconductor photomask generation, wafer inspection, baggage scanning, seismic analysis and development of new reticle inspection and wafer inspection systems.

 

During fiscal year 2004, revenues increased by $5.4 million compared to fiscal 2003, principally as a result of a $6.4 million increase in OEM Solutions revenues primarily from semiconductor applications as well as a $1.9 million increase in DEG revenues primarily from increased shipments of signal intelligence applications, which were partially offset by a decrease in IVS revenues of $2.8 million including an anticipated loss of CT revenues of $6.5 million. We expect total revenues to increase in fiscal 2005 as compared to fiscal 2004 across all business groups. Gross margins as a percentage of revenues increased from 65.6% in fiscal 2003 to 67.4% in fiscal 2004 due to program shifts within our DEG revenues. Operating expenses increased by $1.1 million for fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal 2003, primarily attributable to the increased amortization expense for the year as well as a charge for acquired research and development of $0.5 million resulting from the Advanced Radio Corporation (ARC) acquisition. We continue to monitor key operating metrics in order to maintain an appropriate operating expense cost structure relative to our revenue growth expectations. The overall increase in net income for fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal 2003 would have been greater had fiscal 2003 not included $5.8 million in non-operating income resulting from the sale of our Shared Storage Business Unit (SSBU).

 

In April 2004, we completed a private offering of $125.0 million of convertible senior notes due 2024 (the Notes), which were sold to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 2.00%. Under certain circumstances, the Notes will be convertible into our common stock at a conversion rate of 33.0797 shares per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion rate is equal to an initial conversion price of approximately $30.23 per share. Until the closing price of our common stock is above the contingent conversion price of $36.28 for at least twenty trading days in a thirty consecutive day period, or upon certain other events, the shares will not be included in calculation of weighted average shares outstanding used in calculating our earnings per share. We have the right to redeem the Notes on or after May 1, 2009 at par plus accrued and unpaid interest. The noteholders may require us to repurchase the Notes at par plus accrued and unpaid interest on May 1, 2009, 2014 and 2019 and upon certain other events.

 

On May 6, 2004, we completed our acquisition of the TGS Group (TGS). TGS is a leading supplier of three-dimensional (3-D) image processing and visualization software to diverse end markets including life sciences (medical imaging and biotechnology), geosciences (earth sciences including oil and gas exploration), and simulation (commercial and defense). TGS is headquartered in Bordeaux, France and has operations in Berlin, Germany and San Diego, California and has sales offices in Italy and the United Kingdom. The results of TGS’ operations have been included in our consolidated financial statements since May 6, 2004.

 

The TGS purchase price consisted of cash of $12.9 million as well as 257,511 shares of our common stock, valued at $6.0 million based the average closing price of our common stock for the five-day period including two days before and after April 26, 2004, the date we renegotiated the purchase price with the sellers. As of June 30, 2004, we had paid $9.4 million of the cash consideration and had not yet issued the required shares of common stock due to a dispute regarding the determination of the final purchase price. As of June 30, 2004, we had recorded $7.5 million as a current liability and $0.6 million as a long-term other liability for the expected remaining purchase price payable to the former TGS shareholders.

 

The terms of the stock purchase agreement require an adjustment to the purchase price based on a measure of net assets as of the acquisition date, May 6, 2004. Based on the provisions of the agreement, we believe that we are entitled to a $1.3 million reduction in the purchase price, a position that the former shareholders of TGS dispute. As a result, the final purchase price for TGS has not been determined as of June 30, 2004. As of June 30, 2004, we have recorded a total TGS purchase price of $19.3 million, reflecting the $1.3 million expected reduction to the purchase price and including $1.7 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition.

 

24


Because 3-D imaging is becoming the accepted standard for many medical procedures, following the closing of the acquisition, we combined our capabilities in medical imaging and visualization under a common business group called “Imaging and Visualization Solutions,” formerly our Medical Imaging Business Group.

 

On June 1, 2004, we completed our acquisition of Advanced Radio Corporation (ARC). ARC is a developer of RF products that target SIGINT applications and commercial opportunities such as wireless infrastructure testing. The acquisition will enable us to develop front-end RF products that complement our real-time processing strengths in the SIGINT market. The total purchase price of $6.8 million consisted of $6.6 million in cash plus $0.2 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition. The results of ARC’s operations have been included in our consolidated financial statements since June 1, 2004.

 

Going forward, business and market uncertainties may affect future results. For a discussion of key factors that could impact the future and must be managed by us, please refer to the discussion below.

 

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES

 

We have identified the policies discussed below as critical to understanding our business and our results of operations. The impact and any associated risks related to these policies on our business operations are discussed throughout Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations where such policies affect our reported and expected financial results.

 

The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, allowances for bad debts, warranties, contingencies, litigation, and the valuation of inventory, long-lived assets, goodwill, and income tax assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on appropriate and customary assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Changes in our estimates from period to period, such as changes in assumptions underlying our estimates, may have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Similarly, using the ends of the range of reasonably possible amounts that we determined in formulating our estimate, rather than the reported estimate, may have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. However, during the past three fiscal years, such changes in our estimates, including those related to accounts receivable and inventory valuation and to warranty cost accruals, have not had material impact on our overall financial performance or on any individual line item in our consolidated financial statements.

 

Revenue Recognition and Accounts Receivable

 

Revenue from system sales is recognized upon shipment provided that title and risk of loss have passed to the customer, there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, the sales price is fixed or determinable, collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured, and customer acceptance criteria, if any, have been successfully demonstrated.

 

Certain contracts with customers require us to perform tests of our products prior to shipment to ensure their performance complies with our published product specifications and, on occasion, with additional customer-requested specifications. In these cases, we conduct such tests and, if they are completed successfully, include a written confirmation with each order shipped. As a result, at the time of each product shipment, we believe that no further customer testing requirements exist and that there is no uncertainty of non-acceptance by our customer. In the rare instance that customer payment is conditioned upon final acceptance testing by the customer at its own facility, we do not recognize any revenue until the final acceptance testing has been completed and written confirmation from the customer has been received.

 

25


We do not provide our customers with rights of product return, other than those related to warranty provisions that permit repair or replacement of defective goods. We accrue for anticipated warranty costs upon product shipment.

 

Installation of our products require insignificant effort that does not alter the capabilities of the products and may be performed by our customers or other vendors. If an order includes installation or training services that are undelivered at the time of product shipment, we defer revenue equal to the fair value of the installation or training obligations until such time as the services have been provided. We determine these fair values based on the price typically charged to our customers who purchase these services separately.

 

In limited circumstances, we engage in long-term contracts to design, develop, manufacture or modify complex equipment. For these contracts, we recognize revenue using the percentage-of-completion method of contract accounting, measuring progress toward completion based on contract cost incurred to date as compared with total estimated contract costs. The use of the percentage-of-completion method of accounting requires significant judgment relative to estimating total contract costs, including assumptions relative to the length of time to complete the contract, the nature and complexity of the work to be performed, anticipated increases in wages and prices for subcontractor services and materials, and the availability of subcontractor services and materials. Our estimates are based upon the professional knowledge and experience of our engineers, program managers and other personnel who review each long-term contract monthly to assess the contract’s schedule, performance, technical matters and estimated cost at completion. When adjustments in estimated contract costs are determined, such revisions may have the effect of adjusting in the current period the earnings applicable to performance in prior periods. Anticipated losses, if any, are recognized in the period in which determined.

 

For transactions involving the licensing of stand-alone software products and of software that is not incidental to the product, we recognize revenue when there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, delivery of the software has occurred, the price is fixed or determinable and collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured. Our stand-alone software products are not deemed essential to the functionality of any hardware system and do not require installation by us or significant modification or customization of the software. The fair value of maintenance agreements related to stand-alone software products is recognized as revenue ratably over the term of each maintenance agreement.

 

At the time of product shipment, we assess collectibility of trade receivables based on a number of factors, including past transaction and collection history with a customer and the credit-worthiness of the customer. If we determine that collectibility of a particular sale is not reasonably assured, revenue is deferred until such time as collection becomes reasonably assured, which generally occurs upon receipt of payment from the customer. After the time of sale, we assess our exposure to changes in our customers’ abilities to pay outstanding receivables and record allowances for such potential bad debts.

 

Inventory

 

Inventory, which includes materials, labor and manufacturing overhead, is stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. On a quarterly basis, we use consistent methodologies to evaluate inventory for net-realizable value. We record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory, consisting of on-hand and non-cancelable on-order inventory in excess of estimated usage. The excess and obsolete inventory evaluation is based upon assumptions about future demand, product mix and possible alternative uses. If actual demand, product mix or possible alternative uses are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Goodwill

 

We assess the impairment of acquired intangible assets and property and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors we consider important

 

26


that could indicate impairment include significant underperformance relative to prior operating results projections, significant changes in the manner of our use of the asset or the strategy for our overall business and significant negative industry or economic trends. When we determine that the carrying value of acquired intangible assets or property and equipment may not be recoverable based upon the existence of one or more of the above indicators of impairment, we measure any impairment based on a projected discounted cash flow method using a discount rate determined by our management to be commensurate with the risk inherent in our current business model.

 

Goodwill is assessed for impairment on a reporting unit basis at least annually or more frequently when events or circumstances occur indicating that the recorded goodwill may be impaired. If the book value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the implied fair value of goodwill is compared to the carrying amount of goodwill. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value, an impairment loss is recorded in an amount equal to that excess.

 

Income Tax Assets

 

We evaluate the realizability of our deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis and assess the need for a valuation allowance. Realization of our net deferred tax assets is dependent on our ability to generate sufficient future taxable income. Except for deferred tax assets acquired in the TGS acquisition, we believe that it is more likely that not that our net deferred tax assets will be realized based on forecasted income; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to meet our expectations of future income. We have provided a valuation allowance against the net amount of TGS deferred tax assets.

 

Warranty Accrual

 

Our product sales include a one-year hardware warranty. At time of product shipment, we accrue for the estimated cost to repair or replace potentially defective products. Estimated warranty costs are based upon prior actual warranty costs for substantially similar products.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain financial data as a percentage of total revenues.

 

     Years Ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Net revenues

   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %

Cost of revenues

   32.6     34.4     34.8  
    

 

 

Gross margin

   67.4     65.6     65.2  

Operating expenses:

                  

Selling, general and administrative

   29.5     30.0     32.6  

Research and development

   20.8     21.3     22.9  
    

 

 

Total operating expenses

   50.3     51.3     55.5  
    

 

 

Income from operations

   17.1     14.3     9.7  

Other income, net

   0.3     3.9     4.9  
    

 

 

Income before income taxes

   17.4     18.2     14.6  

Provision for income taxes

   5.1     5.6     4.1  
    

 

 

Net income

   12.3 %   12.6 %   10.5 %
    

 

 

 

27


The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, revenues by operating segment.

 

     Years Ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Defense Electronics Group

   68 %   69 %   65 %

Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group

   18     20     28  

OEM Solutions Group

   14     11     7  
    

 

 

Total revenues

   100 %   100 %   100 %

 

FISCAL 2004 VS. FISCAL 2003

 

Total revenues increased 3.0% from $180.2 million during fiscal 2003 to $185.6 million during fiscal 2004. International revenues represented approximately 9% of total revenues during fiscal 2004 compared with approximately 7% of total revenues during fiscal 2003.

 

Defense Electronics Group revenues increased 1% or $1.9 million to $126.0 million during fiscal 2004, compared to $124.1 during fiscal 2003. The increase in DEG revenues was primarily driven by a $13.9 million increase in shipments of SIGINT applications, partially offset by a $12.0 million decline in shipments of radar and defense technologies. The decrease in shipments of radar and defense technologies applications was due to the timing of programs. Radar applications accounted for 50% of defense electronics revenues in fiscal 2004 compared to 54% in fiscal 2003. SIGINT applications accounted for 29% of defense electronics revenues in fiscal 2004 compared to 19% in fiscal 2003. Defense technology applications accounted for 21% of defense electronics revenues in fiscal 2004 compared to 27% in fiscal 2003. We expect defense electronics revenues to increase in fiscal 2005 compared to fiscal 2004 primarily due to increased shipments of SIGINT applications.

 

Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group revenues decreased 8% or $2.8 million to $32.9 million during fiscal 2004 compared to $35.7 million in fiscal 2003. The decrease in imaging and visualization solutions revenues was primarily due to a $6.5 million decrease in revenues from products used in CT imaging systems, a decrease in sales that had been expected by us, partially offset by a $2.4 million increase in other modalities including digital x-ray and MRI. The reduction in revenues derived from CT imaging systems was due to introductions by customers of CT systems that do not contain our products. The acquisition of TGS contributed $1.3 million of revenues in fiscal 2004. We expect IVS revenues to increase in fiscal 2005 compared to fiscal 2004 due to the acquisition of TGS and design wins.

 

OEM Solutions Group revenues increased 31% or $6.4 million to $26.7 million for fiscal 2004 compared to $20.4 million during fiscal 2003. The increase in revenue was due primarily to increased shipments to semiconductor imaging OEMs for developing and testing of new semiconductor imaging systems as design wins moved to production. Shipments to semiconductors customers represented approximately 85% of OSG revenues in fiscal 2004 and increased by $9.5 million to $22.7 million in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003. We expect OSG revenues to grow in fiscal 2005 compared to fiscal 2004, primarily as a result of design wins within the semiconductor business.

 

GROSS PROFIT

 

Gross profit was 67.4% for fiscal 2004, an increase of 180 basis points from the 65.6% gross profit achieved during fiscal 2003. The increase in gross profit during fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal year 2003 was primarily due to program shifts within our DEG revenues.

 

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 2%, or $0.8 million, to $54.8 million for fiscal 2004 compared to $54.0 million during fiscal 2003. The increase in the expenses was primarily due to the inclusion of

 

28


ARC and TGS, which contributed $1.0 million of expenses for fiscal 2004 and $0.6 million of increased professional services associated with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance efforts, as well as a charge for acquired research and development of $0.5 million resulting from the ARC acquisition, offset by the absence in fiscal 2004 of $0.8 million expensed in fiscal 2003 related to an arbitration award against us in a former employee matter.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

Research and development expenses increased slightly by 1%, or $0.2 million, to $38.6 million for fiscal 2004 compared to $38.4 million during fiscal 2003. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to increased compensation and, higher prototype and development costs associated with several development programs, and the inclusion of TGS and ARC, which contributed $0.5 million of expenses for fiscal 2004 compared to none in the prior year, all of which were partially offset by the reduced compensation of terminating certain employees in the last quarter of fiscal 2003. Research and development is essential to our future success, and we expect that research and development expenses will increase in future periods.

 

INTEREST INCOME, NET

 

We earned $0.6 million in interest income, net, during fiscal 2004 compared to $0.9 million during fiscal 2003. This decrease was primarily due to increased interest expense of $0.4 million associated with the issuance of $125.0 million of convertible notes during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, partially offset by increased interest income resulting from higher invested cash balances during fiscal 2004.

 

GAIN ON SALES OF DIVISION AND JOINT VENTURE

 

We recorded a gain of $5.8 million during fiscal year 2003 as the result of the sale of the SSBU to IBM. We received the final payments due from IBM for the sale of the SSBU in March 2003.

 

INCOME TAXES PROVISION

 

Our provision for income taxes was $9.3 million during fiscal 2004, reflecting a 29% tax rate, as compared to $10.2 million during fiscal 2003, reflecting a 31% tax rate. The fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003 tax rates are less than the U.S. statutory rate of 35% primarily due to research and development credits, tax-exempt interest and the extraterritorial income (ETI) benefit. The decrease in the tax rate to 29% in fiscal 2004 as compared to fiscal 2003 is primarily due to increased tax benefits related to the ETI benefit and research and development tax credits.

 

SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS

 

Income from operations of each reporting segment excludes substantially all research and development expenses and other unallocated operating expenses that cannot be specifically identified with a reporting segment.

 

Income from operations of the DEG segment increased $5.0 million to $67.2 million during fiscal 2004 from $62.2 million during fiscal 2003. The increase in income from operations of the DEG segment was primarily due to the increase in SIGINT applications revenues in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003 which carry a higher gross margin.

 

Income from operations of the IVS segment decreased $3.5 million to $12.3 million during fiscal 2004 from $15.8 million during fiscal 2003. The decrease in income from operations of the IVS segment in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003 was primarily due to the 8% decline in revenues as well as the increased operating expenses associated with the acquisition of TGS during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004.

 

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Income from operations of the OSGs segment increased $2.2 million to $7.3 million during fiscal 2004 from $5.1 million during fiscal 2003. The increase in income from operations of the OSG segment in fiscal 2004 was primarily due to a $6.4 million increase in revenues from fiscal 2003.

 

See Note N to our consolidated financial statements included in this report for more information regarding our operating segments.

 

FISCAL 2003 VS. FISCAL 2002

 

REVENUES

 

Total revenues increased 20% from $150.1 million during fiscal 2002 to $180.2 million during fiscal 2003. International revenues represented approximately 7% of total revenues during fiscal 2003, compared with approximately 4% of total revenue during fiscal 2002.

 

Defense Electronics Group revenues increased 26%, or $25.9 million, to $124.1 million during fiscal 2003 compared to $98.2 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in DEG revenues occurred across each of the three primary application markets within the segment, including radar, SIGINT and emerging applications markets as well as revenues attributed to the acquisition of Myriad Logic in April 2002, which contributed $11.9 million during the year ended June 30, 2003, compared to $3.0 million for the same period in 2002. Order rates for the DEG business in fiscal 2003 were below the order rates in fiscal 2002, which resulted in a reduction of our backlog at June 30, 2003 compared with June 30, 2002.

 

Imaging and Visualization Solutions Group revenues decreased 14%, or $5.7 million, to $35.7 million during fiscal 2003 compared to $41.4 million in fiscal 2002. The decrease in IVS revenues was primarily due to a $7.5 million decrease in revenues from products used in CT imaging systems offset by a $2.5 million increase in other modalities including digital x-ray and MRI. The reduction in revenues derived from CT imaging systems was due to introductions by customers of CT systems that do not contain our products. Revenues from CT systems were approximately $7.2 million and $14.7 million for fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively. We anticipate shipments of the CT imaging systems in fiscal year 2004 will be insignificant.

 

OEM Solutions Group revenues increased 94%, or $9.9 million, to $20.4 million for fiscal 2003 compared to $10.5 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in revenue was due primarily to increased shipments of high-throughput baggage scanning applications as well as increased shipments to semiconductor imaging OEMs for developing and testing of new semiconductor imaging systems.

 

GROSS PROFIT

 

Gross profit was 65.6% for fiscal 2003 an increase of 40 basis points from the 65.2% gross profit achieved during fiscal 2002. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to higher revenue volumes in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002, which absorbed certain fixed manufacturing costs, and increased DEG sales, which carry a higher gross margin. This increase was partially offset by $0.4 million included in cost of sales in fiscal 2003 relating to the costs of terminating certain employees in the last quarter of fiscal 2003.

 

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 10%, or $5.1 million, to $54.0 million for fiscal 2003 compared to $48.9 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in the expenses was primarily due to the inclusion of Myriad, which contributed $2.8 million of expenses for fiscal 2003 compared to $0.5 million during the year ended June 30, 2002; an arbitration award against us in a former employee matter of approximately $0.8 million; $0.6 million relating to the costs of terminating certain employees in the last quarter of fiscal 2003; and an increased compensation expense as a result of the increased headcount throughout most of fiscal 2003 as compared to fiscal 2002.

 

30


RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

Research and development expenses increased 12%, or $4.0 million, to $38.4 million for fiscal 2003 compared to $34.4 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to higher prototype and development costs associated with several development programs; the inclusion of Myriad, which contributed $0.9 million of expenses for fiscal 2003 compared to $0.2 million during fiscal 2002; $0.4 million related to the costs of terminating certain employees in the last quarter of fiscal 2003; and an increased compensation expense as a result of the increased headcount throughout most of fiscal 2003 as compared to fiscal 2002.

 

INTEREST INCOME, NET

 

We earned $0.9 million in interest income, net, during fiscal 2003 compared to $2.8 million during fiscal 2002. This decrease was primarily due to lower interest rates experienced during fiscal 2003 than in fiscal 2002, despite higher invested cash balances.

 

GAIN ON SALES OF DIVISION AND JOINT VENTURE

 

We recorded gains of $5.8 million and $6.4 million during fiscal years 2003 and 2002, respectively, as the result of the sale of the SSBU to IBM. We received the final payments due from IBM for the sale of the SSBU in March 2003.

 

In February 2002, we sold our entire interest in the AgileVision joint venture to Leitch Technology Corporation. We received no proceeds and recorded a $78,000 gain related to the sale of the joint venture in fiscal 2002 and recorded $1.8 million of losses related to the operations of AgileVision during the year ended June 30, 2002.

 

INCOME TAXES PROVISION

 

Our provision for income taxes was $10.2 million during fiscal 2003, reflecting a 31% tax rate, as compared to a $6.2 million tax provision during fiscal 2002, reflecting a 28% tax rate. The fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2002 tax rates are less than the U.S. statutory rate of 35% primarily due to research and development credits, tax-exempt interest and the ETI benefit. The increase in the tax rate to 31% in fiscal 2003 as compared to fiscal 2002 is primarily due to a decrease in tax-exempt interest and increased non-deductible items in fiscal 2003.

 

SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS

 

Income (loss) from operations of each reporting segment excludes the effects of substantially all research and development expenses and other unallocated operating expenses that cannot be specifically identified with a reporting segment. As of January 2003, the Wireless Communications Group no longer existed as a standalone business unit, and its resources and personnel were allocated to the Defense Electronics Group and the OEM Solutions Group.

 

Income from operations of the DEG segment increased $9.9 million to $62.2 million during fiscal 2003 from $52.3 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in income from operations of the DEG segment was primarily due to the 26% increase in revenues in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002.

 

Income from operations of the IVS segment decreased $1.3 million to $15.8 million during fiscal 2003 from $17.1 million during fiscal 2002. The decrease in income from operations of the IVS segment in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 was primarily due to the 14% decline in revenues, slightly offset by decreased costs related to a medical development program which ended in fiscal 2002.

 

Income from operations of the OSG segment increased $5.7 million to $5.1 million during fiscal 2003 from an operating loss of $0.6 million during fiscal 2002. The increase in income from operations of the OSG segment in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 was primarily due to a $9.9 million increase in revenues in fiscal 2003.

 

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See Note N to our consolidated financial statements included in this report for more information regarding our operating segments.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Our cash and marketable securities increased by $125.0 million to $238.3 million as of June 30, 2004 as compared to $113.3 million as of June 30, 2003. In fiscal 2004, we generated approximately $25.9 million in cash from operations compared to $50.5 million generated in fiscal 2003. The $24.6 million decrease in the amount of cash generated from operations during fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003 was primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses. Days sales outstanding were 63 days and 47 days at June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

 

We used approximately $26.5 million from investing activities during fiscal 2004, a decrease in use of cash of $6.1 million as compared to the same period last year. The decrease in the use of cash for investing activities was due primarily to a decrease of net purchases of marketable securities of $28.8 million and was partially offset by an increase in cash used for acquisitions of $17.4 million and the absence of $5.8 million in proceeds as recorded in fiscal 2003 from the sale of our SSBU. During fiscal 2003, our investing activities consisted of net purchases of marketable securities of $32.2 million and $6.2 million for the purchases of property and equipment, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of our SSBU of $5.8 million.

 

During fiscal 2004, our financing activities provided cash of $122.6 million, an increase of $130.6 million from the same period in fiscal 2003. The increase in cash from financing activities primarily consisted of $120.9 million in net proceeds received from a convertible debt offering as well as the absence of stock repurchases during the year. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, we issued $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of convertible notes. We intend to use the net proceeds from the offering of these notes for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, research and development, and potential acquisitions and strategic investments. We have broad discretion as to how to allocate these net proceeds, and there can be no assurance that these proceeds can or will yield a significant return. We used approximately $8.0 million in cash from financing activities during fiscal 2003. During 2003, financing activities consisted of repurchases of treasury stock of $10.1 million and payments of principal under mortgage notes payable and capital leases of $0.8 million. These payments were partially offset by cash proceeds received from the exercise of stock options and the employee stock purchase plan of $2.9 million.

 

During fiscal 2003, our Board of Directors authorized the purchase of up to $25 million of our common stock, of which approximately $14.9 million was available under the plan for future purchases as of June 30, 2004. In July 2004, our Board of Directors extended the program through December 2005 and authorized an increase to the current share repurchase program, bringing the total authorized dollar amount for repurchase currently available to approximately $25 million. We made no stock purchases during fiscal 2004.

 

The terms of our mortgage note agreements contain certain covenants, which, among other provisions, require us to maintain a minimum net worth. The mortgage note agreements also include significant prepayment penalties. We were in compliance with all covenants of the mortgage note agreements as of June 30, 2004.

 

The terms of our convertible notes contain certain contingent conversion provisions. Under certain circumstances, the notes will be convertible into our common stock at a conversion rate of 33.0797 shares per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion rate is equal to an initial conversion price of approximately $30.23 per share. Until the closing price of our common stock is above the initial threshold price of $36.28 for at least 20 trading days in a 30 consecutive trading-day period ending on the eleventh trading day of any fiscal quarter, or upon certain other events, the shares will not be included in the calculation of weighted average shares outstanding used in calculating our earnings per share. The convertible notes mature on May 1, 2024 and bear interest at 2% per year, payable semiannually in arrears in May and November. The convertible notes are unsecured, rank equally in right of payment to our existing and

 

32


future senior debt, and do not subject us to any financial covenants. The holders may require us to repurchase the notes, in whole or in part, on May 1, 2009, 2014 or 2019, upon a change in control, or if our common stock is neither listed nor approved for trading on specified markets. At our option, we may redeem any of the convertible notes on or after May 1, 2009 at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the convertible notes to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest.

 

The following is a schedule of our commitments and contractual obligations outstanding at June 30, 2004:

 

(In Thousands)


   Total

   Less Than
1 Year


   2-3
Years


   4-5
Years


   More Than
5 Years


Notes payable

   $ 136,775    $ 948    $ 1,723    $ 1,993    $ 132,111

Interest due on notes payable

     55,269      3,317      6,453      6,181      39,318

Purchase obligations

     12,947      12,947      —        —         

Operating leases

     3,245      1,142      1,511      336      256

Amounts payable for acquisition

     7,512      7,512      —        —         

Other long-term liabilities

     630      —        630      —        —  

Deferred compensation

     1,122      —        —        —        1,122
    

  

  

  

  

     $ 217,500    $ 25,866    $ 10,317    $ 8,510    $ 172,807
    

  

  

  

  

 

Currently, our prime source of liquidity comes from cash, marketable securities and cash generated from operations. We generated $25.9 million, $50.5 million and $15.9 million from operating activities during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. As of June 30, 2004, we had $136.8 million of outstanding debt. Our near-term fixed commitments for cash expenditures consist primarily of payments under operating leases, mortgage notes, amounts payable for acquisition and inventory purchase commitments, as well as interest payments on our long-term debt. We do not currently have any material commitments for capital expenditures or any other material commitments aside from operating leases for our facilities and inventory purchase commitments.

 

If cash generated from operations is insufficient to satisfy working capital requirements, we may need to access funds through bank loans, sales of securities or other means. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any such capital on terms acceptable to us, on a timely basis or at all. If we are unable to secure additional financing, we may not be able to develop or enhance our products, take advantage of future opportunities, respond to competition or continue to effectively operate our business.

 

Based on our current plans and business conditions, we believe that existing cash and marketable securities will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next twelve months.

 

Additional Information on Stock Option Plans and Grants

 

We currently have one active plan under which we grant options: the 1997 Stock Option Plan. We have terminated the 1982, 1991, 1993 and 1998 plans. No new options can be granted under the terminated plans. All of the terminated plans still have options outstanding as of June 30, 2004, except for the 1982 plan.

 

Stock option grants are designed to reward employees for their long-term contributions to us and provide incentives for them to remain with our company. We consider our equity compensation program critical to our operation and productivity. Approximately 70% of our employees participate in our equity compensation programs, including stock option grants and our employee stock purchase program.

 

At our Special Meeting in lieu of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on November 17, 2003, our shareholders approved amendments to the 1997 Stock Option Plan by increasing the authorized shares available for grant by 1,000,000 shares to 7,650,000 shares and authorizing the issuance of up to 100,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to restricted stock grants.

 

33


Employee and Executive Option Grants

 

Option grants as of the end of:

 

     Years Ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Grants during the period as a percentage of outstanding shares at the end of such period

   4.7 %   4.5 %   5.4 %

Grants to Named Executive Officers* during the period as a percentage of total options granted during such period

   13.8 %   24.4 %   19.6 %

Grants to Named Executive Officers* during the period as a percentage of outstanding shares at the end of such period

   0.6 %   1.1 %   1.1 %

Cumulative options held by Named Executive Officers* as a percentage of total options outstanding at the end of such period

   21.7 %   22.0 %   20.3 %

*   The term “Named Executive Officers” as used in these notes, includes the Chief Executive Officer and the four other most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers of our company as of June 30, 2004.

 

Summary of stock option activity

 

     Options Outstanding

     Number of
Shares


    Weighted Average
Exercise Price


June 30, 2002

   3,663,639     $ 25.46

Grants

   950,000       19.69

Exercises

   (156,192 )     10.81

Cancellations

   (234,681 )     29.43
    

     

June 30, 2003

   4,222,766     $ 24.52

Grants

   996,030       22.06

Exercises

   (238,074 )     11.00

Cancellations

   (447,227 )     29.29
    

     

June 30, 2004

   4,533,495     $ 24.18
    

     

 

Summary of in-the-money and out-of-the-money option information

 

     As of June 30, 2004

     Exercisable

   Unexercisable

   Total

     Shares

   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price


   Shares

   Weighted
Average
Exercise Price


   Shares

   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price


In-the-money

   1,212,576    $ 13.75    1,299,351    $ 19.65    2,511,927    $ 16.80

Out-of-the-money (1)

   1,201,859    $ 34.45    819,709    $ 31.73    2,021,568    $ 33.35
    
         
         
      

Total options outstanding

   2,414,435    $ 24.05    2,119,060    $ 24.33    4,533,495    $ 24.18
    
         
         
      

(1)   Out-of-the-money options are those options with an exercise price equal to or above the closing price of our common stock of $24.80 as of June 30, 2004.

 

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Options Granted to Named Executive Officers during the year ended June 30, 2004:

 

     Individual Grants

   Potential Realizable Value
at Assumed Annual Rates
of Stock Price
Appreciation for Option
Term (2)


     Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options Per
Grant


   Percent of
Total Options
Granted to
Employees (1)


    Exercise or
Base Price


   Expiration
Date


  
                          5%

   10%

James R. Bertelli

   75,000    7.53 %   $ 19.03    7/28/2013    $ 897,590    $ 2,274,669

Robert D. Becker

   20,000    2.01 %   $ 19.03    7/28/2013    $ 239,357    $ 606,578

Douglas F. Flood

   10,000    1.00 %   $ 19.03    7/28/2013    $ 119,679    $ 303,289

Barry S. Isenstein

   16,000    1.61 %   $ 19.03    7/28/2013    $ 191,486    $ 485,263

Craig Lund

   16,000    1.61 %   $ 19.03    7/28/2013    $ 191,486    $ 485,263

(1)   Based on a total of 996,030 shares subject to options granted to employees and directors under our option plans in fiscal year 2004.
(2)   Amounts reported in these columns represent amounts that may be realized upon exercise of the options immediately prior to the expiration of their term assuming the specified compounded rates of appreciation (5% and 10%) of our common stock over the term of the options. These numbers are calculated based on rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and do not reflect our estimate of future stock price increases. Actual gains, if any, on stock option exercises and common stock holdings are dependent on the timing of such exercise and the future performance of our common stock. There can be no assurance that the rates of appreciation assumed in this table can be achieved or that the amounts reflected will be received by the individuals.

 

Options Exercises and Remaining Holdings of Named Executive Officers as of June 30, 2004:

 

     Shares Acquired on
Exercise


   Value
Realized


   Number of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options as of June 30,
2004:


   Values of Unexercised In-the-
Money Options as of June 30,
2004: (1)


               Exercisable

   Unexercisable

   Exercisable

   Unexercisable

Name


                             

James R. Bertelli

   —      —      232,503    201,054    $ 2,453,562    $ 1,111,013

Robert D. Becker

   —      —      48,517    67,333    $ 52,535    $ 267,805

Douglas F. Flood

   —      —      66,154    50,156    $ 568,189    $ 467,683

Barry S. Isenstein

   —      —      47,082    48,000    $ 65,690    $ 195,995

Craig Lund

   —      —      76,980    41,500    $ 530,048    $ 171,110

(1)   Option values based on closing stock price of $24.80 on June 30, 2004.

 

35


Equity Compensation Plans

 

The following table sets forth information as of June 30, 2004 with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities of our company are authorized for issuance.

 

Plan category


  Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants, and rights


    Weighted-average exercise price
of outstanding options, warrants,
and rights


  Number of securities remaining
available for future issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities reflected in
column (1))


 

Equity compensation plans
approved by shareholders(a)

  4,533,495 (b)   $ 24.18   2,027,092 (c)

Equity compensation plans not
approved by shareholders

  —         —     —    
   

 

 

TOTAL

  4,533,495     $ 24.18   2,027,092  
   

 

 


(a)   Consists of the 1991, 1993, 1997 and 1998 stock option plans and our 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
(b)   Does not include purchase rights under the ESPP, as the purchase price and number of shares to be purchased is not determined until the end of the relevant purchase period.
(c)   Includes 190,105 shares available for future issuance under the ESPP and 1,836,987 shares available for future issuance under our 1997 plan. We are no longer permitted to grant options under our 1982, 1991, 1993 and 1998 plans.

 

Related party transactions

 

A former member of our Board of Directors, who resigned as a director in September 2003, is a corporate officer of KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLA-Tencor). In the ordinary course of business, KLA-Tencor purchases products from us. In fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, revenues recognized by us from KLA-Tencor were $17,693,000, $8,924,000 and $2,735,000, respectively. As of June 30, 2004 and 2003, $5,831,000 and $471,000, respectively, were included in accounts receivable, representing amounts due from KLA-Tencor for purchases of our products. As of June 30, 2004 and 2003, we had no amounts payable to KLA-Tencor.

 

In 1996, we entered into a contract with NDC Development Associates, Inc. (Northland) to perform design, development, permitting and management activities related to the construction of new corporate facilities. An officer and principal of Northland is an immediate family member of our chief executive officer. In January 2003, to assist with the design, permitting activities and oversight of the construction of a new facility, we entered into another agreement with Northland. We paid Northland fees of $251,000, $201,000 and $83,000 for fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. We owed no amounts to Northland as of June 30, 2004. As of June 30, 2003, $25,000 was included in accounts payable for amounts owed to Northland.

 

We have arrangements with other parties that do not meet the technical disclosure requirements of related parties and are not material in the aggregate. These individual arrangements either fall under reporting thresholds or are with non-immediate family members of executive officers of our company.

 

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

In November 2002, the FASB issued Emerging Issues Task Force 00-21 (EITF 00-21), “Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” EITF 00-21 requires revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables to be divided into separate units of accounting. If the deliverables in the arrangement meet certain criteria, arrangement consideration should be allocated among the separate units of accounting based on their relative fair values. Applicable revenue recognition criteria are to be considered separately for separate units of

 

36


accounting. The guidance in EITF 00-21 was effective for revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003. Our adoption of EITF 00-21 did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued Interpretation (FIN) No. 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities” (FIN 46) and, in December 2003, issued a revision to that interpretation (FIN 46R). FIN 46R replaces FIN 46 and addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities that possess certain characteristics. A variable interest entity (VIE) is defined as (a) an ownership, contractual or monetary interest in an entity where the ability to influence financial decisions is not proportional to the investment interest, or (b) an entity lacking the invested capital sufficient to fund future activities without the support of a third party. FIN 46R establishes standards for determining under what circumstances VIEs should be consolidated with their primary beneficiary, including those to which the usual condition for consolidation does not apply. We adopted the provisions of FIN 46R during the quarter ended December 31, 2003. Our adoption of FIN 46R did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

On December 17, 2003, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (SAB 104), “Revenue Recognition”, which supersedes SAB 101, “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements.” SAB 104’s primary purpose is to rescind the accounting guidance contained in SAB 101 related to multiple-element revenue arrangements that was superseded as a result of the issuance of EITF 00-21, “Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” Additionally, SAB 104 rescinds the SEC’s related “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements Frequently Asked Questions and Answers” issued with SAB 101 that had been codified in SEC Topic 13, “Revenue Recognition.” While the wording of SAB 104 has changed SAB 101 to reflect the issuance of EITF 00-21, the revenue recognition principles of SAB 101 remain largely unchanged by the issuance of SAB 104, which was effective upon issuance. Our adoption of SAB 104 did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

In July 2004, the FASB announced that it had reached a tentative consensus with respect to Emerging Issue Task Force 04-8, “The Effect of Contingently Convertible Debt on Diluted Earnings per Share.” The FASB’s tentative consensus states that shares of common stock contingently issuable pursuant to contingent convertible securities should be included in diluted earnings per share computations (if dilutive) regardless of whether their market price triggers (or other contingent features) have been met. If this proposal becomes effective, it could require us to include an additional 4.1 million shares, using the if-converted method (under which net income would also be adjusted to exclude imputed interest expense) in our computation of diluted earnings per share for the three-month period ending December 31, 2004 and subsequent fiscal periods. Depending upon the text of any final changes in applicable accounting principles and their effect on us, we may be required to restate prior period earnings per share and amounts presented for comparative purposes.

 

ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

INTEREST RATE RISK

 

We are exposed to potential loss due to changes in interest rates. The principal interest rate exposure is to changes in domestic interest rates. Investments with interest rate risk include short and long-term marketable securities. Debt with interest rate risk includes the fixed rate convertible debt and mortgages.

 

In order to estimate the potential loss due to interest rate risk, a 10% fluctuation in interest rates was assumed. Since the convertible debt was “out-of-the-money” at year end, it was treated as a fixed rate debt security and the analysis assumes that the entire principal amount is repaid in full at maturity and the exercise of the embedded equity option is ignored. Market risk for the short and long-term marketable securities was estimated as the potential decrease in the fair value resulting from a hypothetical increase in interest rates for securities contained in the investment portfolio. On this basis, the potential loss in fair value from changes in interest rates is $4.2 million as of June 30, 2004. The potential loss reflects a fair value loss on debt offset by a fair value gain on investments. We expect to hold our debt to maturity or conversion, whichever is sooner. Therefore, the realization of the potential loss on the debt obligations is unlikely.

 

37


FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK

 

We operate primarily in the United States. In fiscal 2004, 91% of our revenues was billed in U.S. dollars. However, a portion of our business is conducted outside the United States through our foreign subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and France, where business is transacted in non-U.S. dollar currencies. Accordingly, we are subject to exposure from adverse movements in the exchange rates of these currencies. Local currencies are used as the functional currency for our subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan. Consequently, changes in the exchange rates of the currencies may impact the translation of the foreign subsidiaries’ statements of operations into U.S. dollars, which may in turn affect our consolidated statement of operations. The impact of the movements in foreign currency exchange rates has been immaterial for all periods.

 

We have not entered into any financial derivatives instruments that expose us to material market risk, including any instruments designed to hedge the impact of foreign currency exposures.

 

38


REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.:

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the index appearing under Item 15 (a) (1) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. and its subsidiaries at June 30, 2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 2004 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing under Item 15 (a) (2) presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/    PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

 

Boston, Massachusetts

August 31, 2004

 

39


ITEM 8.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE DATA)

 

     June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

 

Assets

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 148,995     $ 27,158  

Marketable securities

     54,898       40,892  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $500 at June 2004 and 2003, respectively

     41,609       22,975  

Inventory

     10,746       10,735  

Deferred tax assets, net

     3,819       4,778  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     5,370       3,513  
    


 


Total current assets

     265,437       110,051  

Marketable securities

     34,391       45,211  

Property and equipment, net

     25,866       26,349  

Goodwill

     29,009       4,225  

Acquired intangible assets, net

     5,529       2,339  

Deferred tax assets, net

     3,612       1,321  

Other assets

     5,894       1,059  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 369,738     $ 190,555  
    


 


Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 10,884     $ 5,235  

Accrued expenses

     5,715       4,354  

Accrued compensation

     13,147       10,053  

Amounts payable for acquisition

     7,512       —    

Notes payable

     948       718  

Deferred revenues and customer advances

     5,851       2,741  

Income taxes payable

     6,922       2,440  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     50,979       25,541  

Notes payable

     135,827       11,599  

Deferred compensation

     1,122       759  

Other long-term liabilities

     953       —    
    


 


Total liabilities

     188,881       37,899  

Commitments and contingencies (Notes G and I)

                

Stockholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock, $.01 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding

     —         —    

Common stock, $.01 par value; 65,000,000 shares authorized; 22,355,501 and 22,357,552 shares issued at June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively; and 21,288,855 and 20,990,461 shares outstanding at June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     223       223  

Additional paid-in capital

     53,882       52,174  

Treasury stock, at cost, 1,066,646 and 1,367,091 shares at June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     (31,336 )     (40,197 )

Retained earnings

     157,908       140,142  

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     180       314  
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     180,857       152,656  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 369,738     $ 190,555  
    


 


 

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

 

40


MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

 

     For The Years Ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Net revenues

   $ 185,595     $ 180,242     $ 150,115  

Cost of revenues

     60,537       62,048       52,244  
    


 


 


Gross profit

     125,058       118,194       97,871  

Operating expenses:

                        

Selling, general and administrative

     54,805       53,981       48,939  

Research and development

     38,648       38,383       34,354  
    


 


 


Total operating expenses

     93,453       92,364       83,293  
    


 


 


Income from operations

     31,605       25,830       14,578  

Interest income

     2,036       1,855       3,752  

Interest expense

     (1,441 )     (923 )     (987 )

Equity loss in joint venture

     —         —         (1,752 )

Gain on sales of division and joint venture

     —         5,800       6,478  

Other income (expense), net

     33       308       (86 )
    


 


 


Income before income taxes

     32,233       32,870       21,983  

Income tax provision

     9,348       10,193       6,155  
    


 


 


Net income

   $ 22,885     $ 22,677     $ 15,828  
    


 


 


Net income per share:

                        

Basic

   $ 1.08     $ 1.07     $ 0.73  
    


 


 


Diluted

   $ 1.05     $ 1.03     $ 0.69  
    


 


 


Weighted-average shares outstanding:

                        

Basic

     21,122       21,131       21,731  
    


 


 


Diluted

     21,803       21,948       22,918  
    


 


 


 

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

 

41


MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(IN THOUSANDS) FOR THE YEARS ENDED JUNE 30, 2004, 2003 AND 2002

 

    Common Stock

  Additional
Paid-in
Capital


  Treasury
Stock


    Retained
Earnings


    Accumu-
lated
Other
Compre-
hensive
Income


    Total
Stockholders’
Equity


   

Compre-

hensive
Income


 
    Shares

    Amount

           

Balance June 30, 2001

  21,812     $ 218   $ 42,575           $ 104,525     $ 470     $ 147,788          

Exercise of common stock options

  405       4     3,251                             3,255          

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan

  51             1,174                             1,174          

Tax benefit from stock options

                1,711                             1,711          

Stock-based compensation

                1,152                             1,152          

Purchase of treasury stock

                    $ (34,993 )                     (34,993 )        

Comprehensive income:

                                                         

Net income

                              15,828               15,828     $ 15,828  

Change in unrealized loss on securities

                                      (384 )     (384 )     (384 )

Change in foreign currency translation

                                      194       194       194  
                                                     


Comprehensive income

                                                    $ 15,638  
   

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


Balance June 30, 2002

  22,268       222     49,863     (34,993 )     120,353       280       135,725          

Exercise of common stock options

  89       1     807     2,020       (1,140 )             1,688          

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan

                      2,119       (952 )             1,167          

Tax benefit from stock options

                593                             593          

Stock-based compensation

                911     796       (796 )             911          

Purchase of treasury stock

                      (10,139 )                     (10,139 )        

Comprehensive income:

                                                         

Net income

                              22,677               22,677     $ 22,677  

Change in unrealized loss on securities

                                      (164 )     (164 )     (164 )

Change in foreign currency translation

                                      198       198       198  
                                                     


Comprehensive income

                                                    $ 22,711  
   

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


Balance June 30, 2003

  22,357       223     52,174     (40,197 )     140,142       314       152,656          

Exercise of common stock options

  (1 )                 7,022       (4,402 )             2,620          

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan

                      1,839       (717 )             1,122          

Tax benefit from stock options

                1,439                             1,439          

Stock-based compensation

                269                             269          

Comprehensive income:

                                                         

Net income

                              22,885               22,885     $ 22,885  

Change in unrealized loss on securities

                                      (290 )     (290 )     (290 )

Change in foreign currency translation

                                      156       156       156  
                                                     


                                                      $ 22,751  
   

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


Balance June 30, 2004

  22,356     $ 223   $ 53,882   $ (31,336 )   $ 157,908     $ 180     $ 180,857          
   

 

 

 


 


 


 


       

 

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

 

42


MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(IN THOUSANDS) FOR THE YEARS ENDED JUNE 30,

 

     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                        

Net income

   $ 22,885     $ 22,677     $ 15,828  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by

operating activities:

                        

Depreciation and amortization

     7,406       8,212       7,086  

Gain on sales of division and joint venture