LEMAITRE VASCULAR INC (LMAT)
SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > SIC Major Group 38 > SIC 3841 Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1158895. Latest filing source: 0001193125-26-073360.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Business
Read LMAT's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read LMAT's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 249,602,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
| Net income | 57,734,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
| Assets | 615,690,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-26. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001158895.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 100,867,000 | 105,568,000 | 117,232,000 | 129,366,000 | 154,424,000 | 161,651,000 | 193,484,000 | 219,863,000 | 249,602,000 | |
| Net income | 10,590,000 | 17,177,000 | 22,943,000 | 17,934,000 | 21,220,000 | 26,907,000 | 20,636,000 | 30,105,000 | 44,038,000 | 57,734,000 |
| Operating income | 16,336,000 | 21,103,000 | 28,209,000 | 21,183,000 | 28,788,000 | 36,425,000 | 26,829,000 | 36,712,000 | 52,256,000 | 67,912,000 |
| Gross profit | 62,936,000 | 70,697,000 | 73,939,000 | 79,853,000 | 84,618,000 | 101,382,000 | 104,896,000 | 127,049,000 | 150,901,000 | 178,539,000 |
| Diluted EPS | 0.55 | 0.86 | 1.13 | 0.88 | 1.04 | 1.25 | 0.93 | 1.34 | 1.93 | 2.52 |
| Operating cash flow | 16,896,000 | 22,868,000 | 19,506,000 | 14,179,000 | 34,800,000 | 35,102,000 | 25,378,000 | 36,751,000 | 44,124,000 | 81,251,000 |
| Capital expenditures | 2,841,000 | 6,417,000 | 3,054,000 | 3,761,000 | 2,982,000 | 4,882,000 | 3,229,000 | 7,265,000 | 6,962,000 | 6,783,000 |
| Dividends paid | 3,323,000 | 4,179,000 | 5,445,000 | 6,736,000 | 7,695,000 | 9,336,000 | 10,988,000 | 12,448,000 | 14,378,000 | 18,109,000 |
| Share buybacks | 311,000 | 778,000 | 741,000 | 683,000 | 570,000 | 802,000 | 642,000 | 853,000 | 1,719,000 | 1,821,000 |
| Assets | 101,924,000 | 126,323,000 | 153,088,000 | 188,341,000 | 252,810,000 | 292,802,000 | 310,476,000 | 346,778,000 | 551,817,000 | 615,690,000 |
| Liabilities | 14,424,000 | 16,553,000 | 22,853,000 | 40,200,000 | 80,238,000 | 38,651,000 | 42,275,000 | 48,878,000 | 214,527,000 | 222,174,000 |
| Stockholders' equity | 87,500,000 | 109,770,000 | 130,235,000 | 148,141,000 | 172,572,000 | 254,151,000 | 268,201,000 | 297,900,000 | 337,290,000 | 393,516,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 24,288,000 | 19,096,000 | 26,318,000 | 11,786,000 | 26,764,000 | 13,855,000 | 19,134,000 | 24,269,000 | 25,610,000 | 28,244,000 |
| Free cash flow | 14,055,000 | 16,451,000 | 16,452,000 | 10,418,000 | 31,818,000 | 30,220,000 | 22,149,000 | 29,486,000 | 37,162,000 | 74,468,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 17.03% | 21.73% | 15.30% | 16.40% | 17.42% | 12.77% | 15.56% | 20.03% | 23.13% | |
| Operating margin | 20.92% | 26.72% | 18.07% | 22.25% | 23.59% | 16.60% | 18.97% | 23.77% | 27.21% | |
| Return on equity | 12.10% | 15.65% | 17.62% | 12.11% | 12.30% | 10.59% | 7.69% | 10.11% | 13.06% | 14.67% |
| Return on assets | 10.39% | 13.60% | 14.99% | 9.52% | 8.39% | 9.19% | 6.65% | 8.68% | 7.98% | 9.38% |
| Liabilities / equity | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.18 | 0.27 | 0.46 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.64 | 0.56 |
| Current ratio | 5.63 | 6.09 | 4.76 | 4.42 | 3.75 | 6.41 | 6.39 | 6.51 | 13.14 | 12.89 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Income statement bridge from reported figures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Revenue: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax; source concepts us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | Gross profit: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept GrossProfit; source concepts us-gaap:GrossProfit | Operating income: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept OperatingIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss | Net income: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept NetIncomeLoss; source concepts us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets | Free cash flow: accession 0001193125-26-073360; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: GrossProfit. Source concepts: us-gaap:GrossProfit.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001193125-26-073360; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-06. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001158895.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | 0.16 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | 0.25 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | 0.27 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-03-31 | 6,040,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 50,115,000 | 0.36 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-06-30 | 8,098,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 47,411,000 | 0.33 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 48,883,000 | 8,465,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 53,478,000 | 9,887,000 | 0.44 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-03-31 | 9,887,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 55,849,000 | 0.52 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-06-30 | 11,826,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 54,819,000 | 0.49 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 55,717,000 | 11,184,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 59,871,000 | 11,011,000 | 0.48 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-03-31 | 11,011,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 64,232,000 | 0.60 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-06-30 | 13,779,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 61,046,000 | 0.75 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 64,453,000 | 15,582,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 66,551,000 | 15,679,000 | 0.68 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-207500; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerIncludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerIncludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-207500; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0001193125-26-207500; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001193125-26-207500.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as filed with the SEC on February 26, 2026, or the 2025 Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Item 1A. Risk Factors” section of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the “Item 1A. Risk Factors” section of our 2025 Form 10-K, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons, and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia Pacific, or APAC. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $9 billion, within which we estimate that the market for our products is approximately $1 billion. We have grown our business using a three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and therefore can provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. Recently we have also begun to explore adjacent market customers, such as cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy and occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular and dialysis grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also process and cryopreserve human vascular and cardiac tissue.
Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches as well as vascular and dialysis grafts. In Q1 2026, biologics represented 53% of our worldwide sales. We believe our biologic devices represent differentiated and, in many cases, growing product segments.
Our business opportunities include the following:
•
growing our direct sales force in North America, Europe, and APAC, including replacing distributors with our direct sales personnel;
•
increasing the average selling prices of our devices;
•
introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations;
•
acquiring complementary products and the transition of distributor sales to LeMaitre;
•
updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development; and
•
consolidating product manufacturing into our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities.
17
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have a North American sales office in Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have European sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Hereford, England; Dublin, Ireland; Maisons-Alfort, France; and Glattbrugg, Switzerland. Our APAC headquarters is located in Singapore, and we also have APAC sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Docklands, Australia; Seoul, Korea; and Bangkok, Thailand. During the quarter ended March 31, 2026, approximately 96% of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We sell our products in other countries through distributors. As of March 31, 2026, our sales force comprised 158 sales representatives and export managers in North America, Europe, and APAC.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments. In the valvulotome market, for example, our differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase average selling prices without incurring significant unit share loss. In contrast, we have experienced less success in competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources and lower per unit costs.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer lower average selling prices than in North America. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
We obtain regulatory approvals for our devices and services in new product categories and geographies to further access the broader peripheral device market and selected other markets, thus extending our geographic reach. Recent approvals include clearance to sell the Artegraft bovine graft in the European Union (EU) in April 2025, Australia in June 2025, and Canada in December 2025, the Pruitt Aortic Occlusion Catheter in the EU in May 2025, and the Pruitt Occlusion Catheter in China in June 2025.
Separately, our regulatory efforts to maintain approvals in the EU and the United Kingdom (UK) have succeeded ahead of the full EU transition from the Medical Device Directive (MDD) to the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and the UK transition to the United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark. As of April 10, 2026, we have 22 MDR CE marks and 22 UKCA which represent substantially all of our product approvals in the EU and UK. The European Commission has designated the end of 2028 as the final MDR CE mark transition deadline.
Additionally, we provide cryopreservation services for our Restoreflow allografts primarily in the US, UK, and Canada. In October 2025, we received approval from the German authority on tissue banking to allow provision of these services in the German market.
Our strategy for growing our business includes acquisitions of complementary product lines and companies, which can be difficult to identify, negotiate, and purchase. There can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
•
In December 2025, we entered into an agreement with Andramed GmbH to purchase the assets of their AndraValvulotome business for $1.8 million plus additional payments of up to $0.8 million, contingent upon the passage of time and, separately, receipt of a regulatory approval.
Occasionally we discontinue or divest products that are no longer complementary to our business or not commercially viable.
•
During 2025, we made the decision to terminate our cardiovascular porcine patch distribution agreement with Elutia. Previously, in April 2023, we had entered into an agreement with Elutia to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of their cardiovascular porcine patches. Under the agreement, we could distribute the products for three years with an option to acquire Elutia’s worldwide cardiovascular porcine patch business during the second and third years of the agreement. This product totaled approximately $1.8 million in 2025 revenues.
•
During 2025, we made the decision to wind down the CardioCel 3D and DuraSure product lines. These product lines totaled approximately $0.5 million in 2025 revenues.
•
During 2025, we made the decision to wind down the AnastoClip AC Closure System in North America. This product totaled approximately $0.7 million in 2025 revenues.
From time to time we may undertake SKU reductions and attempt to transition sales to other SKUs or products with similar features. Any of these actions may result in inventory write-offs and temporary or permanent negative impacts to our sales, gross margin, and customer relationships.
18
Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales engender closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins through elimination of an intermediary, we periodically enter into transactions with country-specific distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
•
In March 2025, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Portuguese distributor to sell products directly in Portugal and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospitals in Portugal since May 2025. The distribution termination fees are expected to total approximately $0.2 million.
•
In June 2025, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Czech distributor to sell products directly in Czechia and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospitals in Czechia since July 2025. The distribution termination fees are expected to total approximately $0.1 million.
•
In March 2026, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with AngioPro GmbH, the distributor of the AndraValvulotome in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the UK. The distribution termination is effective April 1, 2026 and termination fees are expected to total approximately $0.2 million.
In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations and manufacturing transfers will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfers are:
•
In October 2019, we acquired the CardioCel and VascuCel biologic patch businesses from Anteris. The transfer to Burlington was substantially completed in 2023. In June 2023, the MDR CE mark application for these Burlington-produced devices was submitted, and we obtained approval in January 2025, allowing for distribution of these patches in the EU. We began distributing these Burlington-produced patches in the United States, Canada, and select APAC markets in 2024.
•
In February 2026, we announced the transition of our allograft tissue processing from our Fox River Grove facility to Burlington. This transition is expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2026.
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period.
In February 2024, we began implementing a new enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system to replace our financial reporting and planning system. In the United States, we transitioned from our legacy ERP system to our newly implemented Microsoft Dynamics D365 system in February 2024. In February 2
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other SEC filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for 2025 as compared to 2024 are discussed below. For a discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for 2024 as compared to 2023, please refer to Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as set forth below.
The principal objectives of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are to enhance our overall financial disclosures by providing explanation and analysis of the Company’s financial results and condition, as viewed by our management.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons, and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia Pacific, or APAC. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $9 billion, within which we estimate that the market for our products is approximately $1 billion. We have grown our business using a three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and therefore can provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. Recently we have also begun to explore adjacent market customers, such as cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy and occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular and dialysis grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also process and cryopreserve human vascular and cardiac tissue.
Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches as well as vascular and dialysis grafts. In 2025, biologics represented 53% of our worldwide sales. We believe our biologic devices represent differentiated and, in many cases, growing product segments.
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Our business opportunities include the following:
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growing our direct sales force in North America, Europe, and APAC, including replacing distributors with our direct sales personnel;
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increasing the average selling prices of our devices;
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introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations;
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acquiring complementary products and the transition of distributor sales to LeMaitre;
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updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development, and
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consolidating product manufacturing into our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities.
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have a North American sales office in Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have European sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Hereford, England; Dublin, Ireland; Maisons-Alfort, France; and Glattbrugg, Switzerland. Our APAC headquarters is located in Singapore, and we also have APAC sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Docklands, Australia; Seoul, Korea; and Bangkok, Thailand. During the year ended December 31, 2025, approximately 95% of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We sell our products in other countries through distributors. As of December 31, 2025, our sales force comprised 160 sales representatives and export managers in North America, Europe, and APAC.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments. In the valvulotome market, for example, our differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase average selling prices without incurring significant unit share loss. In contrast, we have experienced less success in competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources and lower per unit costs.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer lower average selling prices than in North America. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
We obtain regulatory approvals for our devices and services in new product categories and geographies to further access the broader peripheral device market and selected other markets, thus extending our geographic reach. Recent approvals include approvals to sell the XenoSure patch for carotid indication in Japan in May 2023, and the Pruitt Irrigation Occlusion Catheter in China in October 2023; approvals to sell the Artegraft bovine graft in Thailand and Malaysia in August 2024 and South Africa in October 2024, and the XenoSure patch for cardiac indications in China in December 2024; and approvals to sell the Artegraft bovine graft in the European Union (EU) in April 2025, Australia in June 2025, and Canada in December 2025, the Pruitt Aortic Occlusion Catheter in the EU in May 2025, and the Pruitt Occlusion Catheter in China in June 2025.
Separately, our regulatory efforts to maintain approvals in the EU and the United Kingdom (UK) have succeeded ahead of the full EU transition from the Medical Device Directive (MDD) to the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and the UK transition to the United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark. As of January 2026, we have 22 MDR CE marks and 18 UKCA approvals. Those 22 CE and 18 UKCA marks represent substantially all of our product approvals in the EU and UK. The European Commission has designated the end of 2028 as the final MDR CE mark transition deadline.
Additionally, we provide cryopreservation services for our RestoreFlow allografts primarily in the US, the UK, and Canada. In October 2025, we received approval from the German authority on tissue banking to allow sale of these services in the German market.
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Our strategy for growing our business includes acquisitions of complementary product lines and companies, which can be difficult to identify, negotiate, and purchase. There can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
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In December 2025, we entered into an agreement with Andramed GmbH to purchase the assets of their AndraValvulotome business for $1.8 million plus additional payments of up to $0.8 million, contingent upon the passage of time and, separately, receipt of CE mark approval.
Occasionally we discontinue or divest products that are no longer complementary to our business or not commercially viable.
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During 2024, we made the decision to wind down the PeriVu Angioscope product line. This product totaled approximately $0.9 million in 2024 revenues.
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During 2025, we made the decision to terminate our cardiovascular porcine patch distribution agreement with Elutia. Previously, in April 2023, we had entered into an agreement with Elutia to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of their cardiovascular porcine patches. Under the agreement, we could distribute the products for three years with an option to acquire Elutia’s worldwide cardiovascular porcine patch business during the second and third years of the agreement. This product totaled approximately $1.8 million in 2025 revenues.
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During 2025, we made the decision to wind down the CardioCel 3D and DuraSure product lines. These product lines totaled approximately $0.5 million in 2025 revenues. Additionally, in 2025 we made the decision to wind down the AnastoClip AC Closure System in North America. This product totaled approximately $0.7 million in 2025 revenues.
From time to time we undertake SKU reductions and attempt to transition sales to other SKUs or products with similar features. Any of these actions may result in inventory write-offs and temporary or permanent negative impacts to our sales, gross margin, and customer relationships.
Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales create closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins through elimination of an intermediary, we periodically enter into transactions with country-specific distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
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In March 2023, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Thai distributor to sell products directly in Thailand and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospital in Thailand since August 2023. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.7 million.
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In March 2025, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Portuguese distributor to sell products directly in Portugal and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospitals in Portugal since May 2025. The distribution termination fees are expected to total approximately $0.2 million.
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In June 2025, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Czech distributor to sell products directly in Czechia and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospitals in Czechia since July 2025. The distribution termination fees are expected to total approximately $0.1 million.
We also benefit, to a lesser extent, from internal product development efforts to bring differentiated technologies and next-generation products and services to market:
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In March 2022, we received FDA clearance to market PhasTIPP, a portable powered phlebectomy device used to remove varicose veins in the leg. The device was launched in the United States in April 2024.
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In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations and manufacturing transfers will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfer was:
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In October 2019, we acquired the CardioCel and VascuCel biologic patch businesses from Anteris. The transfer to Burlington was substantially completed in 2023. In June 2023, the MDR CE mark application for these Burlington-produced devices was submitted, and we obtained approval in January 2025, allowing for distribution of these patches in the EU. We began distributing these Burlington-produced patches in the United States, Canada and select APAC markets in 2024.
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period.
In February 2024, we began implementing a new enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system to replace our financial reporting and planning system. In the United States, we transitioned from our legacy ERP system to our newly implemented Microsoft Dynamics D365 system in February 2024. In February 2025, we implemented this new system in the UK. We intend to continue rolling out the new system in our other international locations on a staged basis. The new ERP system has been beneficial in a number of areas, including inventory management, pricing programs, financial operations and real-time reporting. As of December 31, 2025, we have net capitalized costs on our balance sheet of $4.6 million associated with this ERP system.
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the Euro, affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2025, approximately 43% of our sales took place outside of the United States, largely in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We expect foreign currencies will represent a significant percentage of future sales. Selling, marketing, and administrative costs related to these sales are also denominated in foreign currencies, thereby partially mitigating our bottom-line exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. If there is an increase in the rate at which a foreign currency is exchanged for U.S. dollars, it will require less of the foreign currency to equal a specified amount of U.S. dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases we will record more revenue in U.S. dollars than we would have if the exchange rate had not changed. For the year ended December 31, 2025, we estimate that the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates increased our reported sales by approximately $2.7 million, as compared to rates in effect for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Net Sales and Expense Components
The following is a description of the primary components of our net sales and expenses:
Net sales. We derive our net sales from the sale of our products and services, less discounts and returns. Net sales include the shipping and handling fees paid by our customers. Most of our sales are generated by our direct sales force and are shipped and billed to hospitals or clinics globally. In countries where we do not have a direct sales force, sales are primarily to distributors, who in turn sell to hospitals and clinics. In limited cases our products are held on consignment at a hospital or clinic prior to purchase; in those instances we recognize revenue at the time the product is used in surgery rather than at shipment.
Cost of sales. We manufacture the majority of the products that we sell. Cost of sales consists primarily of manufacturing personnel wages, raw materials and components, depreciation of property and equipment, and other allocated manufacturing overhead, including an allocation of our quality department expenses. Additionally, cost of sales includes the freight expenses we pay to ship products to customers, inventory scrap charges, and excess and obsolescence expenses.
Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing expense consists primarily of salaries, commissions, contests, stock-based compensation, travel and entertainment, sales meetings, attendance at vascular and cardiac congresses, training programs,
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advertising and product promotions, direct mail, and other marketing costs. Additionally, sales and marketing expense includes customer service department personnel charges.
General and administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of executive, finance and human resource salaries, stock-based compensation, legal and accounting fees, information technology expense, intangible asset amortization expense, and insurance expense.
Research and development. Research and development expense primarily includes costs associated with obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our products, salaries, laboratory testing, and supply costs. It also includes costs associated with the design and execution of clinical studies and costs to transfer the manufacturing of acquired product lines to our Burlington facility. Additionally, research and development expense includes costs associated with the design, development, testing, and enhancement of new or existing products.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest and dividend income, realized gains (losses) from the sale of debt and equity investments, unrealized gains (losses) from equity investments, interest expense for the convertible senior notes, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses).
Income tax expense. We are subject to federal and state income taxes for earnings generated in the United States, which include operating losses or profits in certain foreign jurisdictions for certain years depending on tax elections made, and foreign taxes on earnings of our wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries. Our consolidated income tax expense is affected by the mix of our taxable income (loss) in the United States and foreign subsidiaries, permanent items, discrete items, unrecognized tax benefits, and amortization of goodwill for U.S. tax reporting purposes.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2025 to the year ended December 31, 2024
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | Percent change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 249,602 | $ | 219,863 | $ | 29,739 | 14 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 159,665 | $ | 144,583 | $ | 15,082 | 10 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 73,122 | 59,969 | 13,153 | 22 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 16,815 | 15,311 | 1,504 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 249,602 | $ | 219,863 | $ | 29,739 | 14 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased by $29.7 million, or 14%, to $249.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $219.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was driven primarily by higher average selling prices, higher unit volumes shipped to customers, the European launch of Artegraft, and additional sales representatives. Graft sales increased $16.0 million, valvulotome sales increased $4.7 million, shunt sales increased $3.5 million, catheter sales increased $2.8 million, and patch sales increased $1.8 million. We estimate that the weaker U.S. dollar increased net sales by $2.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 95% of our total net sales for both the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
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Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $15.1 million, or 10%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of grafts of $10.4 million, valvulotomes of $3.1 million, and catheters of $0.9 million.
EMEA net sales increased $13.2 million, or 22%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of grafts of $5.1 million, which includes the launch of Artegraft, shunts of $2.8 million, catheters of $2.1 million, patches of $1.8 million, and valvulotomes of $1.3 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $1.5 million, or 10%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of grafts and patches of $0.5 million each, valvulotomes of $0.3 million, and clips of $0.2 million.
Gross Profit. The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | Percent change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 178,539 | $ | 150,901 | $ | 27,638 | 18 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 71.5 | % | 68.6 | % | 2.9 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross profit increased $27.6 million, or 18%, to $178.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to $150.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and gross margin increased by 290 basis points to 71.5% in the period, as compared to 68.6% for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales, particularly from grafts, valvulotomes, and shunts, and the receipt of the U.S. Employee Retention Credit ("ERC"). The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by the ERC, greater manufacturing efficiencies, and sales price increases, partially offset by increased shipping and warehousing costs and unfavorable product mix, including increased sales of comparatively lower margin allograft preservation services, ovine grafts, and single lumen embolectomy catheters. The ERC received in 2025 had a favorable impact of $2.7 million, or 109 basis points, to the gross margin.
Operating Expenses. The following table sets forth the change in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| 2025 | 2024 | $ change | Percent change | 2025 as a % of Net Sales | 2024 as a % of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 54,464 | $ | 46,737 | $ | 7,727 | 17 | % | 22 | % | 21 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 42,024 | 36,258 | 5,766 | 16 | % | 17 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 14,139 | 15,650 | (1,511 | ) | (10 | )% | 6 | % | 7 | % | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 110,627 | $ | 98,645 | $ | 11,982 | 12 | % | 44 | % | 45 | % |
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2025, sales and marketing expenses increased 17% to $54.5 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher sales representative headcount and wage increases, which resulted in increased compensation and related expenses of $6.6 million, which was partially offset by the ERC. Additionally, professional fees and outside services expenses increased $1.1 million and travel and training expenses increased $0.6 million. Sales force headcount was 160 as of December 31, 2025, a 5% increase from December 31, 2024. The ERC received in 2025 had a favorable impact, reducing sales and marketing expenses by $0.8 million. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expenses increased to 22% for the year ended December 31, 2025, up from 21% for the year ended December 31, 2024.
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General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2025, general and administrative expenses increased 16% to $42.0 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher headcount and wage increases, which resulted in increased compensation and related expenses of $4.1 million, which was partially offset by the ERC. Additionally, facilities expenses increased $1.0 million and travel and training expenses increased $0.2 million. The ERC received in 2025 had a favorable impact, reducing general and administrative expenses by $0.3 million, offset by third party consultant fees of $0.7 million. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses increased to 17% for the year ended December 31, 2025, up from 16% for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2025, research and development expenses decreased 10% to $14.1 million. The decrease was primarily driven by lower third party service fees, which resulted in decreased professional fees and outside services expenses related to MDR activities of $1.8 million, partially offset by increased facilities expenses of $0.3 million and compensation and related expenses of $0.1 million. The increase in compensation and related expenses was partially offset by the ERC received in 2025, which had a favorable impact reducing research and development expenses by $0.3 million. As a percentage of net sales, research and development expenses decreased to 6% for the year ended December 31, 2025, down from 7% for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $17.5 million on pre-tax income of $75.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $12.8 million on pre-tax income of $56.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Our effective income tax rate was 23.2% for the year ended December 31, 2025. Our tax expense for 2025 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 25.1%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2025 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to the generation of federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 22.6% for the year ended December 31, 2024. Our 2024 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.5%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2024 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to the generation of federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2025, we have a valuation allowance of $1.7 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
The Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA") was enacted into law on August 16, 2022. Included in the IRA was a provision to implement a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on “adjusted financial statement income” for applicable corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock. These provisions are effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. We do not currently believe the IRA will have a material impact on our reported results, cash flows, or financial position.
On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBA") into law, which is considered the enactment date under US GAAP. Key corporate tax provisions include the restoration of 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying assets, immediate expensing for domestic research and experimental expenditures, changes to Section 163(j) interest limitations, updates to U.S. tax rules on international sales and operations, amendments to energy credits, and expanded Section 162(m) aggregation requirements.
In 2025, we implemented provisions of the OBBA, fully recognizing the deduction of domestic research and experimental expenditures previously capitalized under Section 174 of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result of this
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implementation, we adjusted our deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities to reflect the change in tax treatment for these expenditures. The impact of these adjustments is reflected in our 2025 tax provision and financial statements. We will continue to monitor future legislative developments and assess their impact on our tax position and financial reporting.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, our cash and cash equivalents were $28.2 million, as compared to $25.6 million as of December 31, 2024. We had $330.9 million in short-term marketable securities as of December 31, 2025, as compared to $274.1 million as of December 31, 2024. Our cash and cash equivalents are bank deposits and liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase held in our operating bank accounts. Our short-term marketable securities primarily include corporate debt securities, U.S. government agency securities, money market investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase held outside of our operating bank accounts, and a short-duration bond equity fund. As of December 31, 2025, our short-term marketable securities reflected an unrealized gain of less than $0.1 million.
On February 19, 2026, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100.0 million of our common stock through transactions on the open market, in privately negotiated purchases, or otherwise until February 18, 2027. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. To date we have not made any repurchases under this or any prior program.
Convertible Senior Notes
On December 19, 2024, we issued $172.5 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2030, or the Convertible Notes, in a Rule 144A private placement to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to an indenture dated December 19, 2024, by and between us and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, or the Indenture.
The Convertible Notes will mature on February 1, 2030, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. The proceeds from the issuance of the Convertible Notes were approximately $167.7 million, net of debt issuance costs totaling $4.8 million. The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 2.50% per year, and interest is payable semiannually in arrears on August 1 and February 1 of each year. For the year ended December 31, 2025, we paid $2.7 million in interest payments. We did not make interest payments for the year ended December 31, 2024. The initial conversion rate was 8.3521 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes, which represented an initial conversion price of approximately $119.73 per share of common stock and a premium of approximately 30% over the closing price of our common stock on December 16, 2024. In connection with the most recent payment made on December 4, 2025 of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share (an increase from the quarterly dividend amount of $0.16 per share as of the time of issuance of the Convertible Notes), the conversion rate of the Convertible Notes was increased to 8.3676 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes, which represents a conversion price of approximately $119.51 per share of common stock. A similar adjustment to the conversion rate will be made upon payment of the quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 on March 26, 2026, and upon payment of subsequent quarterly dividends in excess of $0.16 per share. The conversion rate and conversion price are subject to customary adjustments upon the occurrence of certain events as described in the Indenture.
Noteholders may convert all or a portion of their Convertible Notes at their option only in the following circumstances: (1) during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on June 30, 2025, if the last reported sale price per share of our common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price for each of at least 20 trading days during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter; (2) during the five consecutive business days immediately after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price per share of our common stock on such trading day and the conversion rate on such trading day; (3) upon the occurrence of certain corporate events or distributions on our common stock, as described in the Indenture; (4) if we call (or are deemed to have called) any Convertible Notes for redemption; and (5) at any time from, and including, August 1, 2029, until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity
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date. We have the right to elect to settle conversions either in cash, shares of common stock, or in a combination of cash and shares of its common stock.
Prior to February 5, 2028, the Convertible Notes will not be redeemable. On or after February 5, 2028 until the 40th scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, we may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Convertible Notes (subject to the partial redemption limitation set forth in the Indenture), at our option, if the last reported sale price of our common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption. In addition, calling any Convertible Note for redemption will constitute a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) with respect to that Convertible Note, in which case the conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that Convertible Note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted after it is called for redemption.
Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We require cash to pay our operating expenses, make capital expenditures, and pay our long-term liabilities. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through public offerings and private placements of equity securities, short-term and long-term borrowings, and funds generated from our operations.
We recognized operating income of $67.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, $52.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and $36.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. We expect to fund any increased costs and expenditures from our existing cash and cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities, though our future capital requirements depend on numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
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revenues generated by sales of our products and services;
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costs associated with expanding our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts;
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payments associated with potential future quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders;
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payments associated with income and other taxes;
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future acquisition-related payments;
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costs associated with our initiatives to sell direct-to-hospital in new countries;
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costs of obtaining and maintaining FDA and other regulatory clearances;
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the number, timing, and nature of acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions, and
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potential future share repurchases.
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents, short-term marketable securities, and the interest we earn on these balances will enable us to fund our operating expenses, capital expenditures requirements, and Convertible Note interest payments for at least twelve months following the filing of this Form 10-K and, together with our anticipated future cash, cash equivalents, and short-term marketable securities, to meet our known long-term cash requirements.
We may need to raise additional funding, which might not be available on desirable terms or at all. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Cash Flows
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 28,244 | $ | 25,610 | $ | 24,269 | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | ||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 81,251 | $ | 44,124 | $ | 36,751 | ||||||
| Investing activities | $ | (64,941 | ) | $ | (200,120 | ) | $ | (24,715 | ) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | (14,540 | ) | $ | 158,102 | $ | (7,131 | ) |
Net cash provided by operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $81.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, consisting of $57.7 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $25.3 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $10.4 million, stock-based compensation of $7.8 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $3.5 million, provision for deferred income taxes of $2.3 million, amortization of issuance costs on convertible senior notes of $0.9 million, and unrealized mark-to-market loss on equity investments of $0.5 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.2 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $1.7 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $7.2 million and increases in accounts receivable of $2.9 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.2 million, decreases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.4 million, and increases in accrued interest of $1.8 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $44.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of $44.0 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $20.2 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.6 million, stock-based compensation of $6.6 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $3.9 million, foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.4 million, amortization of issuance costs on convertible senior notes of $0.1 million, and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations of $0.1 million, offset by a provision for deferred income taxes of $0.5 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $20.1 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $10.6 million, increases in accounts receivable of $6.4 million, increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.3 million, and decreases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.9 million, offset by increases in accrued interest of 0.1 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $36.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of $30.1 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $17.9 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.5 million, stock-based compensation of $5.3 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $2.6 million, provision for deferred income taxes of $0.8 million, and loss on divestitures of $0.5 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.7 million and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $11.3 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $9.8 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.1 million, and increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.9 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.6 million.
Net cash used in investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $64.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $641.3 million, purchases of property and equipment of $6.8 million, and acquisition related payments of $1.9 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of marketable securities of $585.1 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $200.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $277.9 million and purchases of property and equipment of $7.0 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of marketable securities of $84.8 million.
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Net cash used in investing activities was $24.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $16.6 million, purchases of property and equipment of $7.3 million, and acquisition related payments of $0.9 million.
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities was $14.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, consisting of dividend payments of $18.1 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $1.4 million, offset by proceeds from stock options exercises of $5.0 million, net of shares repurchased used to pay employee payroll taxes.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $158.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of proceeds from issuance of the Convertible Notes, net of issuance costs paid, of $167.8 million, and proceeds from stock options exercises of $4.7 million, net of shares repurchased used to pay employee payroll taxes. These proceeds of cash were offset by dividend payments of $14.4 million.
Net cash used in financing activities was $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of dividend payments of $12.4 million, offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $5.3 million, net of shares repurchased used to pay employee payroll taxes.
Dividends
In February 2011, our Board of Directors approved a policy for the payment of quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The dividend activity for the periods presented is as follows:
| Record Date | Payment Date | Per Share Amount | Dividend Payment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2025 | |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 | March 27, 2025 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 4,517 | ||||
| May 15, 2025 | May 29, 2025 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 4,520 | ||||
| August 21, 2025 | August 4, 2025 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 4,535 | ||||
| November 20, 2025 | December 4, 2025 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 4,538 | ||||
| Fiscal Year 2024 | |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 | March 28, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,589 | ||||
| May 16, 2024 | May 30, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,593 | ||||
| August 15, 2024 | August 29, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,596 | ||||
| November 21, 2024 | December 5, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,600 |
On February 19, 2026, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $0.25 per share payable on March 26, 2026, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 12, 2026.
Purchase Commitments
As part of the Company’s normal course of business, the Company has commitments to purchase approximately $9.1 million of inventory through 2026. These purchases are to be used in the normal course of business and do not represent excess commitments or loss contracts.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect
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the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, net sales, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. On a periodic basis, we evaluate our estimates, using authoritative pronouncements, historical experience and other assumptions as the basis for making estimates. We have described our significant accounting policies in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.
We believe the following critical accounting policies involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and judgments that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We base our judgments and estimates on historical experience, current conditions and other reasonable factors. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is generated from the sale of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services. We recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those devices and services when control is transferred to customers. We account for revenue in accordance with FASB ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”. Significant judgments and estimates involved in our recognition of revenue include the estimation of a provision for returns. We estimate the provision for sales returns and allowances using the expected value method based on historical experience and other factors that we believe could impact our expected returns, including defective or damaged products and invoice adjustments.
Inventory and Other Deferred Costs
Inventory and other deferred costs consists of finished products, work-in-process, raw materials, and costs deferred in connection with human tissue cryopreservation services of our RestoreFlow allograft business. We value inventory and other deferred costs at the lower of cost or market value. Cost includes materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead and is determined using the first-in, first-out, or FIFO, method. On a quarterly basis, we review inventory quantities on hand and analyze the provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on product expiration date and our estimated sales forecast, which is based on sales history and anticipated future demand. Our estimates of future product demand may not be accurate, and we may understate or overstate the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. Accordingly, any significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and results of operations.
Valuation of Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets consist primarily of customer relationships, purchased developed technology, trademarks, licenses, and non-compete provisions, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Goodwill represents the amount of consideration paid in connection with business acquisitions in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We generally calculate the fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. In determining our estimated future cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we use estimates and assumptions about future revenue contributions, cost structures, and remaining useful lives of the asset. These estimates and assumptions require significant judgment, and actual results may differ from assumed or estimated amounts.
Share-Based Compensation
We measure and recognize compensation expense for all share-based awards granted to employees and directors, including stock options, restricted stock units, and performance-based restricted stock units. Determining the amount of share-based compensation expense requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions that involve judgment and inherently carry uncertainty.
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The fair value of stock option awards is estimated on the grant date using valuation techniques such as the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. This model requires us to make several key assumptions, including expected volatility, expected term of the award, risk-free interest rates, expected dividend yield, and expected forfeitures. Because these inputs involve estimates of future trends and events, changes in any of these assumptions could materially affect the amount of share-based compensation expense recognized in our consolidated financial statements. Assumptions are based on historical data, benchmarks, and management's expectations of future performance and employee exercise behavior.
For restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units, fair value is measured based on the market price of our common stock on the grant date. Performance-based awards require additional judgment because expense recognition depends on the probability of achieving specified performance conditions. We reassess these probabilities at each reporting date, and changes in estimated achievement levels can result in significant adjustments to share-based compensation expense.
We account for forfeitures as they occur. If actual forfeiture rates differ materially from our expectations, share-based compensation expense could vary significantly from period to period. Because share-based compensation awards typically vest over several years and depend on both market conditions and employee behavior, the related expense recognized in any given period may not directly correlate with the value ultimately realized by award recipients. Management believes the estimates and assumptions used are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates and could materially impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Contingencies
In the normal course of business, we are subject to proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims and assessments for matters related to, among other things, business acquisitions, employment, commercial matters, intellectual property matters, product liability, and product recalls. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters. We record charges for the costs we anticipate incurring in connection with litigation and claims against us when we determine a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate these costs. We maintain insurance coverage for certain legal claims and liabilities; however, such coverage is subject to limits, deductibles, exclusions, and insurer interpretation. In connection with certain legal matters, the Company has asserted or may assert claims for recovery under applicable insurance policies.
In connection with certain of our acquisitions, we may enter into agreements to pay additional future consideration upon the satisfaction of certain agreed-upon criteria. We record liabilities for these arrangements at estimated fair value reflecting management’s assumptions of the likelihood of achieving the specified criteria at the time of the closing, which may require significant judgment. These amounts are remeasured each reporting period, with any adjustments recorded in income from operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding recent accounting pronouncements, including the respective expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our consolidated financial statements.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001437749-25-005637.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other SEC filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.
The principal objectives of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are to enhance our overall financial disclosures by providing explanation and analysis of the Company’s financial results and condition, as viewed by our management.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $5 billion, within which we estimate that the market for our products is approximately $1 billion. We have grown our business using a three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and therefore can provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. Recently we have also begun to explore adjacent market customers, such as cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy and occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular and dialysis grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also process and cryopreserve human vascular and cardiac tissue.
Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches as well as vascular and dialysis grafts. In 2024, biologics represented 52% of our worldwide sales. We believe our biologic devices represent differentiated and, in many cases, growing product segments.
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To assist us in evaluating our business strategies, we monitor long-term technology trends in the peripheral vascular device market. Additionally, we consider the information obtained from discussions with the medical community in connection with the demand for our products, including potential new product launches. We also use this information to help determine our competitive position in the peripheral vascular device market and our manufacturing capacity requirements.
Our business opportunities include the following:
| • | growing our direct sales force in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia Pacific, including replacing distributors with our direct sales personnel; | |
|---|---|---|
| • | increasing the average selling prices of our devices; | |
| • | introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations; | |
| • | acquiring complementary products, and the transition of distributor sales to LeMaitre; | |
| • | updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development, and | |
| • | consolidating product manufacturing into our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities. |
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. As of December 31, 2024, our sales force comprised 152 sales representatives in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia Pacific, including four export managers. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have a North American sales office in Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have European sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Hereford, England; Dublin, Ireland; and Maisons-Alfort, France. Our Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore, and we also have Asia Pacific sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Kensington, Australia; Seoul, Korea; and Bangkok, Thailand. During the year ended December 31, 2024, approximately 95% of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We sell our products in other countries through distributors.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments. In the valvulotome market, for example, our differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase average selling prices without incurring significant unit share loss. In contrast, we have experienced less success in competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources and lower per unit costs.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer lower average selling prices than in North America. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
We obtain regulatory approvals for our devices and services in new product categories and geographies in order to further access the broader peripheral device market and selected other markets. While much of our regulatory effort is focused on maintaining regulatory approvals in various geographies, we will continue to obtain new product approvals in new geographies in order to extend our geographic reach. Recent approvals include the approval to sell the XenoSure patch for carotid indication in Japan in May 2023, the Pruitt Irrigation Occlusion Catheter in China in October 2023, the XenoSure patch for cardiac indication in China in December 2024, and the Artegraft bovine graft in Thailand and Malaysia in August 2024 and in South Africa in October 2024.
Separately, in July 2024, we received MDR CE marks allowing for the continued sale of ten devices into the EU. Previously we had obtained four MDR CE marks. In January 2025, we received MDR CE marks to market Burlington-manufactured CardioCel and VascuCel devices in the EU. In total, we expect to receive 23 MDR CE marks by the end of 2025. The European Commission has designated the end of 2028 as the final MDR CE mark deadline.
Our strategy for growing our business includes the acquisition of complementary product lines and companies, which can be difficult to identify, negotiate, and purchase. There can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2020, we entered into an agreement with Artegraft to purchase the assets of their bovine graft business for $72.5 million plus additional payments of up to $17.5 million, contingent upon unit sales. |
Occasionally we discontinue or divest products that are no longer complementary to our business or not commercially viable.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2021, we made decisions to wind down the TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems, remote endarterectomy devices and surgical glue. These product lines totaled approximately $2.2 million in 2021 revenues. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2022, we made the decision to wind down the ProCol graft, AlboSure polyester patch, LeverEdge and Latis graft cleaning catheter product lines. These products totaled approximately $0.7 million in 2022 revenues. |
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| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2024, we made the decision to wind down the PeriVu Angioscope product line. This product totaled approximately $0.9 million in 2024 revenues. |
From time to time we undertake SKU reductions and attempt to transition sales to other SKUs or products with similar features. For example, in 2022, we initiated the transition of sales of our Syntel spring tip catheter to our Syntel regular tip catheter. Any of these actions may result in inventory write-offs and temporary or permanent negative impacts to our sales, gross margin, and customer relationships.
Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales engender closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins, we periodically enter into transactions with country-specific distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
| • | In May 2022, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Korean distributor to sell products directly in Korea and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospital in Korea since December 2022. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.5 million. | |
|---|---|---|
| • | In March 2023, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Thai distributor to sell products directly in Thailand and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospital in Thailand since August 2023. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.7 million. |
We also benefit, to a lesser extent, from internal product development efforts to bring differentiated technologies and next-generation products and services to market:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In March 2022, we received FDA clearance to market PhasTIPP, a portable powered phlebectomy device used to remove varicose veins in the leg. The device was launched in the United States in April 2024. |
In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations and manufacturing transfers will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfers included:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2018, we acquired the Cardial business from Becton Dickinson. Cardial manufactured polyester vascular grafts, valve cutters and surgical glue at its St. Etienne, France facility. In June 2022, we closed the St. Etienne factory to streamline manufacturing operations and to reduce expenses. We are transitioning Cardial graft sales to our Burlington-manufactured AlboGraft product for additional cost savings and improved margins. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we acquired the CardioCel and VascuCel biologic patch businesses from Anteris. The transfer to Burlington was substantially completed in 2023. In June 2023, the MDR CE mark application for these Burlington-produced devices was submitted and we obtained approval in January 2025. We began distributing these Burlington-produced patches in the United States, Canada and select APAC markets in 2024. |
Finally, from time to time we enter into distribution agreements of complementary product lines with the option to acquire the product line in the future:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In April 2023, we entered into an agreement with Elutia to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of their cardiovascular porcine patches. Under the agreement, we can distribute the products for three years with an option to acquire Elutia’s worldwide cardiovascular porcine patch business during the second and third year of the agreement. Sales through LeMaitre Vascular for the nine months ended December 31, 2023 were $4.1 million. Sales through LeMaitre Vascular for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 were $5.0 million. |
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period.
In February 2024, we began implementing a new ERP system to replace our financial reporting and planning system. We expect that the new ERP system will be beneficial in a number of areas, including inventory management, pricing programs, financial operations and real-time reporting. We have been preparing for this transition since 2022 and have hired an experienced consulting team to assist in this transition, and, in the U.S., we transitioned from our legacy ERP system to our newly implemented Microsoft Dynamics D365 system in February 2024. We expect to implement this new system in selected countries in Europe in 2025, starting with the UK. As of December 31, 2024, we have capitalized costs on our balance sheet of $4.7 million associated with this ERP system.
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Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the Euro, affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2024, approximately 41% of our sales took place outside of the United States, largely in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We expect foreign currencies will represent a significant percentage of future sales. Selling, marketing, and administrative costs related to these sales are also denominated in foreign currencies, thereby partially mitigating our bottom-line exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, if there is a decrease in the rate at which a foreign currency is exchanged for U.S. dollars, it will require more of the foreign currency to equal a specified amount of U.S. dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases we will record less revenue in U.S. dollars than we did before the exchange rate changed. For 2024, we estimate that the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates decreased our reported sales by approximately $0.4 million, as compared to rates in effect for 2023.
Net Sales and Expense Components
The following is a description of the primary components of our net sales and expenses:
Net sales. We derive our net sales from the sale of our products and services, less discounts and returns. Net sales include the shipping and handling fees paid for by our customers. Most of our sales are generated by our direct sales force and are shipped and billed to hospitals or clinics throughout the world. In countries where we do not have a direct sales force, sales are primarily to distributors, who in turn sell to hospitals and clinics. In certain cases our products are held on consignment at a hospital or clinic prior to purchase; in those instances we recognize revenue at the time the product is used in surgery rather than at shipment.
Cost of sales. We manufacture the majority of the products that we sell. Our cost of sales consists primarily of manufacturing personnel, raw materials and components, depreciation of property and equipment, and other allocated manufacturing overhead, as well as the freight expense we pay to ship products to customers.
Sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing expense consists primarily of salaries, commissions, stock-based compensation, travel and entertainment, sales meetings, attendance at vascular and cardiac congresses, training programs, advertising and product promotions, direct mail, and other marketing costs.
General and administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of executive, finance and human resource salaries, stock-based compensation, legal and accounting fees, information technology expense, intangible asset amortization expense, and insurance expense.
Research and development. Research and development expense primarily includes costs associated with obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our products, salaries, laboratory testing, and supply costs. It also includes costs associated with the design and execution of clinical studies, costs to register, maintain, and defend our intellectual property, and costs to transfer the manufacturing of acquired product lines to our Burlington facility. Also included are costs associated with the design, development, testing, and enhancement of new or existing products.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest income and expense, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses).
Income tax expense. We are subject to federal and state income taxes for earnings generated in the United States, which include operating losses or profits in certain foreign jurisdictions for certain years depending on tax elections made, and foreign taxes on earnings of our wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries. Our consolidated tax expense is affected by the mix of our taxable income (loss) in the United States and foreign subsidiaries, permanent items, discrete items, unrecognized tax benefits, and amortization of goodwill for U.S. tax reporting purposes.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2024 to the year ended December 31, 2023
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 219,863 | $ | 193,484 | $ | 26,379 | 14 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 144,583 | $ | 130,308 | $ | 14,275 | 11 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 59,969 | 51,099 | 8,870 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 15,311 | 12,077 | 3,234 | 27 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 219,863 | $ | 193,484 | $ | 26,379 | 14 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased by $26.4 million, or 14%, to $219.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $193.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was driven primarily by higher average selling prices, higher hospital procedure volumes, and additional sales representatives. Graft sales increased $11.1 million, patch sales increased $6.4 million, shunt sales increased $3.7 million and catheter sales increased $3.0 million. We estimate that the stronger U.S. dollar decreased net sales by $0.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 95% and 96% of our total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $14.3 million, or 11%, for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of grafts of $8.5 million, patches of $3.4 million and valvulotomes of $1.2 million.
EMEA net sales increased $8.9 million, or 17%, for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of shunts of $2.9 million, patches of $2.4 million, grafts of $1.6 million and catheters of $1.1 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $3.2 million, or 27%, for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of catheters of $1.2 million, grafts of $1.1 million and patches of $0.6 million.
Gross Profit. The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 150,901 | $ | 127,049 | $ | 23,852 | 19 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 68.6 | % | 65.7 | % | 2.9 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross profit increased $23.9 million, or 19%, to $150.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and gross margin increased by 290 basis points to 68.6% in the period. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales, particularly from allograft preservation services, bovine vascular patches, carotid shunts and bovine grafts. The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by greater manufacturing efficiencies and sales price increases, which was partially offset by unfavorable product mix, including sales of comparatively lower margin allograft preservation services, and increased excess and obsolescence charges.
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Operating Expenses. The following table sets forth the change in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2024 as a % | 2023 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 46,737 | $ | 41,054 | $ | 5,683 | 14 | % | 21 | % | 21 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 36,258 | 31,832 | 4,426 | 14 | % | 16 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 15,650 | 16,966 | (1,316 | ) | (8 | %) | 7 | % | 9 | % | ||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | - | 485 | (485 | ) | (100 | %) | 0 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 98,645 | $ | 90,337 | $ | 8,308 | 9 | % | 45 | % | 47 | % |
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2024, sales and marketing expenses increased 14% to $46.7 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher sales representative headcount, which resulted in increased compensation and related expenses of $4.2 million. Additionally, travel, training, and sales meeting expenses increased $1.7 million in 2024. Sales rep headcount was 152 as of December 31, 2024, a 12% increase from December 31, 2023. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expenses remained consistent at 21% for the year ended December 31, 2024 versus the prior period.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2024, general and administrative expenses increased 14% to $36.3 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher headcount and related recruiting fees, accrued bonus, and stock compensation expenses, which resulted in increased compensation and related expenses of $2.1 million. Additionally, professional fees and outside services expenses increased $1.2 million and facilities expenses increased $0.8 million. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses remained consistent at 16% for the year ended December 31, 2024 versus the prior period.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2024, research and development expenses decreased 8% to $15.7 million. The decrease was driven by comparatively higher costs in 2023 related to outside services, professional fees, and testing related to MDD and MDR approvals, of $1.3 million. Additionally, process engineering expenses decreased $0.7 million as CardioCel device manufacturing was initiated at our Burlington facility in 2024, and related expenses were allocated to cost of sales. The decrease was partially offset by higher compensation and related expenses of $0.7 million. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expenses decreased to 7% for the year ended December 31, 2024, down from 9% in the prior period.
Restructuring. For the year ended December 31, 2024, there were no restructuring expenses. On June 30, 2022, we ceased operations at our St. Etienne, France factory. The closure resulted in a restructuring charge of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. These charges consisted primarily of employment termination costs, impairment of fixed assets and inventory, and third-party costs. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded additional restructuring expenses related to this closure of $0.5 million. The additional expenses consisted primarily of employment termination, settlement, legal, and other third-party costs. As a percentage of sales, restructuring expenses was less than 1% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $12.8 million on pre-tax income of $56.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $9.4 million on pre-tax income of $39.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Our effective income tax rate was 20.2% and 22.6% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2024 respectively. Our tax expense for 2024 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.5%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2024 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 25.3% and 23.7% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023, respectively. Our 2023 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.1%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2023 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and stock option exercises.
We monitor the mix of profitability by tax jurisdiction and adjust our annual expected rate on a quarterly basis as needed. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution for any particular tax matter, we believe our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2024, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.7 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
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Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and requires taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for tax purposes. This provision resulted in a cash tax liability for the 2024 tax year of approximately $0.8 million. Our net deferred tax assets increased in 2024 by approximately $0.9 million as a result as well. This provision is also expected to increase our 2025 cash tax liability. The actual impact on 2025 cash tax liability will depend on the amount of research and development expenses paid or incurred in 2025 among other factors. The impact will continue over the five-year amortization period, but will decrease ratably over the period.
The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, was enacted into law on August 16, 2022. Included in the IRA was a provision to implement a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on “adjusted financial statement income” for applicable corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock. These provisions are effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. We do not currently believe the IRA will have a material impact on our reported results, cash flows, or financial position.
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2023 to the year ended December 31, 2022
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 193,484 | $ | 161,651 | $ | 31,833 | 20 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 130,308 | $ | 109,439 | $ | 20,869 | 19 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 51,099 | 41,854 | 9,245 | 22 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 12,077 | 10,358 | 1,719 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 193,484 | $ | 161,651 | $ | 31,833 | 20 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased by $31.8 million, or 20%, to $193.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $161.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by higher average selling prices, elevated hospital procedure volumes, additional sales representatives, and sales related to our new porcine patch product line. Graft sales increased $10.5 million, patch sales increased $10.4 million, valvulotome sales increased $6.3 million, and shunt sales increased $3.1 million. We estimate that the weaker U.S. dollar increased net sales by $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 96% and 95% of our total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $20.9 million, or 19%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of grafts of $7.5 million, patches of $6.5 million, valvulotomes of $5.2 million, and shunts of $1.0 million.
EMEA net sales increased $9.2 million, or 22%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of patches of $3.3 million, grafts of $3.0 million, shunts of $1.9 million, and valvulotomes of $1.1 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $1.7 million, or 17%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of catheters of $0.7 million, patches of $0.6 million, grafts of $0.3 million, and shunts of $0.2 million.
Gross Profit. The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 127,049 | $ | 104,896 | $ | 22,153 | 21 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 65.7 | % | 64.9 | % | 0.8 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross profit increased $22.2 million, or 21%, to $127.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and gross margin increased by 80 basis points to 65.7% in the period. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales, particularly from valvulotomes, bovine vascular patches, bovine grafts and porcine patches. The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by favorable product mix, including sales of comparatively higher margin valvulotomes, and manufacturing efficiencies, which were partially offset by increased scrap and excess and obsolescence charges.
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Operating Expenses. The following table sets forth the change in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2023 as a % | 2022 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 41,054 | $ | 32,921 | $ | 8,133 | 25 | % | 21 | % | 20 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 31,832 | 28,745 | 3,087 | 11 | % | 16 | % | 18 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 16,966 | 13,294 | 3,672 | 28 | % | 9 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 485 | 3,107 | (2,622 | ) | (84 | %) | 0 | % | 2 | % | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 90,337 | $ | 78,067 | $ | 12,270 | 16 | % | 47 | % | 48 | % |
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2023, sales and marketing expenses increased 25% to $41.1 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher sales and associated commissions, contest and bonus expenses, increased sales rep and marketing headcounts, and an increase in salaries and wages. Compensation and related expenses increased by $6.1 million, travel and training expenses increased by $0.8 million, and sales meetings and trade show expenses increased by $0.7 million. Sales rep headcount was 136 as of December 31, 2023, a 4% increase from December 31, 2022. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expenses increased to 21% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 20% in the prior period.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2023, general and administrative expenses increased 11% to $31.8 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher compensation and related expenses of $1.7 million due to an increase in personnel. Additionally, professional fees and outside services expenses increased $1.4 million. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses decreased to 16% for the year ended December 31, 2023, down from 18% in the prior period.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2023, research and development expenses increased 28% to $17.0 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher outside services and testing expenses of $2.0 million, due to higher consulting and third-party costs largely associated with European regulatory approvals. Additionally, compensation and related expenses increased $1.4 million due to an increase in personnel. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expenses increased to 9% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 8% in the prior period.
Restructuring. For the year ended December 31, 2023, restructuring expenses were $0.5 million. On June 30, 2022, we ceased operations at our St. Etienne, France factory. The closure resulted in a restructuring charge of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. These charges consisted primarily of employment termination costs, impairment of fixed assets and inventory, and third-party costs. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded additional restructuring expenses related to this closure of $0.5 million. The additional expenses consisted primarily of employment termination, settlement, legal, and other third-party costs. As a percentage of sales, restructuring expenses was less than 1% for the year ended December 31, 2023, down from 2% in the prior period.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $9.4 million on pre-tax income of $39.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $6.9 million on pre-tax income of $27.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.
Our effective income tax rate was 25.3% and 23.7% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023 respectively. Our tax expense for 2023 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.1%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2023 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 27.8% and 24.9% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2022, respectively. Our 2022 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.0%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2022 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and stock option exercises.
The Company incurred a cash tax liability for the 2023 tax year of approximately $0.7 million and an increase in our net deferred tax assets for the 2023 tax year by approximately $0.8 million as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
On February 18, 2025, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $75.0 million of the Company’s common stock through transactions on the open market, in privately negotiated purchases or otherwise until February 17, 2026. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. To date we have not made any repurchases under this or any prior program.
As of December 31, 2024, our cash and cash equivalents were $25.6 million as compared to $24.3 million as of December 31, 2023. We had $274.1 million in short-term marketable securities as of December 31, 2024, and $80.8 million as of December 31, 2023. Our cash and cash equivalents are liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase and consist primarily of operating bank accounts. Our short-term marketable securities consist of a U.S. government money market fund investing mainly in high-quality, short-term securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, and a short-duration bond fund. As of December 31, 2024 our short-term marketable securities reflected an unrealized loss of $1.0 million as a result of increasing market interest rates.
Convertible Senior Notes
On December 19, 2024, we issued $172.5 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2030, or the Convertible Notes, in a Rule 144A private placement to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to an indenture dated December 19, 2024, by and between us and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, or the Indenture.
The Convertible Notes will mature on February 1, 2030, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. The proceeds from the issuance of the Convertible Notes were approximately $167.7 million, net of debt issuance costs totaling $4.8 million. The Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 2.50% per year and interest is payable semiannually in arrears on August 1 and February 1 of each year. The initial conversion rate is 8.3521 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes, which represents an initial conversion price of approximately $119.73 per share of common stock and a premium of approximately 30% over the closing price of our common stock on December 16, 2024. The conversion rate and conversion price are subject to customary adjustments upon the occurrence of certain events as described in the Indenture.
Noteholders may convert all or a portion of their Convertible Notes at their option only in the following circumstances: (1) during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on June 30, 2025, if the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price for each of at least 20 trading days during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter; (2) during the five consecutive business days immediately after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock on such trading day and the conversion rate on such trading day; (3) upon the occurrence of certain corporate events or distributions on the Company’s common stock, as described in the Indenture; (4) if the Company calls (or is deemed to have called) any Convertible Notes for redemption; and (5) at any time from, and including, August 1, 2029 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date. The Company has the right to elect to settle conversions either in cash, shares of common stock, or in a combination of cash and shares of its common stock.
Prior to February 5, 2028, the Convertible Notes will not be redeemable. On or after February 5, 2028 until the fortieth scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, the Company may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Convertible Notes (subject to the partial redemption limitation set forth in the Indenture), at its option, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption. In addition, calling any Convertible Note for redemption will constitute a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) with respect to that Convertible Note, in which case the conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that Convertible Note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted after it is called for redemption.
Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We require cash to pay our operating expenses, make capital expenditures, and pay our long-term liabilities. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through public offerings and private placements of equity securities, short-term and long-term borrowings, and funds generated from our operations.
We recognized operating income of $52.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, $36.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $26.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. We expect to fund any increased costs and expenditures from our existing cash and cash equivalents, though our future capital requirements depend on numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | revenues generated by sales of our products and services; |
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| • | payments associated with potential future quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders; | |
|---|---|---|
| • | future acquisition-related payments; | |
| • | payments associated with income and other taxes; | |
| • | costs associated with expanding our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts; | |
| • | costs associated with our initiatives to sell direct-to-hospital in new countries; | |
| • | costs of obtaining and maintaining FDA and other regulatory clearances; | |
| • | costs associated with obtaining European MDR CE mark approvals; | |
| • | the number, timing, and nature of acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, and | |
| • | potential future share repurchases. |
We believe that our cash, cash equivalents, investments, and the interest we earn on these balances will enable us to fund our operating expenses, capital expenditures requirements, and Convertible Note payments for at least twelve months following the filing of our annual report on Form 10-K and to meet our known long-term cash requirements.
We may need to raise additional funding, which might not be available on desirable terms or at all. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cash Flows
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 25,610 | $ | 24,269 | $ | 19,134 | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | ||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 44,124 | $ | 36,751 | $ | 25,378 | ||||||
| Investing activities | $ | (200,120 | ) | $ | (24,715 | ) | $ | (10,371 | ) | |||
| Financing activities | $ | 158,102 | $ | (7,131 | ) | $ | (9,234 | ) |
Net cash provided by operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $44.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of $44.0 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $20.2 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.7 million, stock-based compensation of $6.6 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $3.9 million, foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.4 million, and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations of $0.1 million, offset by a provision for deferred income taxes of $0.5 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $20.1 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $10.6 million, increases in accounts receivable of $6.4 million, increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.3 million, and decreases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.8 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $36.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of $30.1 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $17.9 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.5 million, stock-based compensation of $5.3 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $2.6 million, provision for deferred income taxes of $0.8 million, and loss on divestitures of $0.5 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.7 million and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $11.3 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $9.8 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.1 million, and increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.9 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.6 million.
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Net cash provided by operating activities was $25.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, consisting of $20.6 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.4 million, stock-based compensation of $4.2 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $3.2 million, loss on divestitures of $2.0 million, and loss on disposal of fixed assets of $0.1 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.3 million, benefit for deferred income taxes of $0.2 million, gain on sale of building of $0.1 million, and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $13.4 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $7.4 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.5 million, and increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $3.1 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.6 million.
Net cash used in investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $200.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $277.9 million and purchases of property and equipment of $7.0 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of marketable securities of $84.8 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $24.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $16.6 million, purchases of property and equipment of $7.3 million, and acquisition related payments of $0.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, consisting of purchases of marketable securities of $8.0 million and purchases of property and equipment of $3.2 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of the St. Etienne, France building of $0.9 million.
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities was $158.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, consisting of proceeds from issuance of the Convertible Notes, net of issuance costs paid, of $167.8 million, and proceeds from stock options exercises of $4.7 million, net of shares repurchased used to pay employee payroll taxes. These proceeds of cash were offset by dividend payments of $14.4 million.
Net cash used in financing activities was $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, consisting of dividend payments of $12.4 million, offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $5.3 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes.
Net cash used in financing activities was $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, consisting of dividend payments of $11.0 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $1.1 million, offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $2.8 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes.
Dividends
In February 2011, our Board of Directors approved a policy for the payment of quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The dividend activity for the periods presented is as follows:
| Record Date | Payment Date | Per Share Amount | Dividend Payment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2024 | |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 | March 28, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,589 | ||||
| May 16, 2024 | May 30, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,593 | ||||
| August 15, 2024 | August 29, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,596 | ||||
| November 21, 2024 | December 5, 2024 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 3,600 | ||||
| Fiscal Year 2023 | |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 | March 23, 2023 | $ | 0.14 | $ | 3,099 | ||||
| May 17, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | $ | 0.14 | $ | 3,116 | ||||
| August 17, 2023 | August 31, 2023 | $ | 0.14 | $ | 3,117 | ||||
| November 16, 2023 | November 30, 2023 | $ | 0.14 | $ | 3,117 |
On February 18, 2025, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.20 per share payable on March 27, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 13, 2025, which will total approximately $4.5 million.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures require us to make estimates, assumptions and judgements that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, sales, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgements and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Inventory and Other Deferred Costs
Inventory and Other Deferred Costs consists of finished products, work-in-process, raw materials, and costs deferred in connection with human tissue cryopreservation services of our RestoreFlow allograft business. We value inventory and other deferred costs at the lower of cost or market value. Cost includes materials, labor and manufacturing overhead and is determined using the first-in, first-out, or FIFO, method. On a quarterly basis, we review inventory quantities on hand and analyze the provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on product expiration date and our estimated sales forecast, which is based on sales history and anticipated future demand. Our estimates of future product demand may not be accurate, and we may understate or overstate the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. Accordingly, any significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and results of operations.
Valuation of Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets consist primarily of purchased developed technology, patents, customer relationships, and trademarks, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from 2 to 16 years. Goodwill represents the amount of consideration paid in connection with business acquisitions in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We generally calculate the fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. In determining our estimated future cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we use estimates and assumptions about future revenue contributions, cost structures, and remaining useful lives of the asset. These estimates and assumptions require significant judgment, and actual results may differ from assumed or estimated amounts. Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, were $35.8 million as of December 31, 2024 and $41.7 million as of December 31, 2023. Goodwill was $65.9 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Contingencies
In the normal course of business, we are subject to proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims and assessments for matters related to, among other things, business acquisitions, employment, commercial matters, intellectual property matters, product liability, and product recalls. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters. We record charges for the costs we anticipate incurring in connection with litigation and claims against us when we determine a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate these costs. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, we were not subject to any material litigation, claims, or assessments.
In connection with certain of our acquisitions, we may enter into agreements to pay additional future consideration upon the satisfaction of certain agreed-upon criteria. We record liabilities for these arrangements at estimated fair value reflecting management’s assumptions of the likelihood of achieving the specified criteria at the time of the closing, which may require significant judgment. These amounts are remeasured each reporting period, with any adjustments recorded in income from operations.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The provision for income taxes includes taxes currently payable and deferred taxes resulting from the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We maintain valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in the valuation allowances are included in our tax provision in the period of change. In determining whether a valuation allowance is warranted, we evaluate factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carry-back and carry-forward periods, and tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset.
We recognize, measure, present and disclose in our financial statements uncertain tax positions that we have taken or expect to take on a tax return. We recognize in our financial statements the impact of tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 “Significant Accounting Policies and Related Matters” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding recent accounting pronouncements, including the respective expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001437749-24-006037.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.
The principal objectives of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are to enhance our overall financial disclosures by providing explanation and analysis of the Company’s financial results and condition, as viewed by our management.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and to a lesser extent cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $5 billion, within which we estimate that the market for our products is approximately $800 million. We have grown our business using a simple three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and therefore can provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. More recently, however, we have begun to explore adjacent market customers, or non-vascular surgeon customers, who can be served by our vascular device technologies, such as cardiac surgeons and neurosurgeons.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy catheters, occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular and dialysis grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also provide services related to the processing and cryopreservation of human vascular and cardiac tissue.
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Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches as well as vascular and dialysis grafts. In 2023, biologics represented 51% of our worldwide sales. We view our biologic device offerings favorably, as we believe they represent differentiated and, in some cases, growing product segments.
To assist us in evaluating our business strategies, we monitor long-term technology trends in the peripheral vascular device market. Additionally, we consider the information obtained from discussions with the medical community in connection with the demand for our products, including potential new product launches. We also use this information to help determine our competitive position in the peripheral vascular device market and our manufacturing capacity requirements.
Our business opportunities include the following:
| • | growing our direct sales force in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia Pacific, including replacing distributors with our direct sales personnel; | |
|---|---|---|
| • | increasing the average selling prices of our devices; | |
| • | acquiring complementary products; | |
| • | introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations; | |
| • | consolidating product manufacturing at our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities, and | |
| • | updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development. |
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. As of December 31, 2023, our sales force was comprised of 136 sales representatives in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia Pacific, including three export managers. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have North American sales offices in Chandler, Arizona and Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have European sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Hereford, England; and Dublin, Ireland. Our Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore, and we also have Asia Pacific sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Kensington, Australia; Seoul, Korea; and Bangkok, Thailand. During the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 96% of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We also sell our products in other countries through distributors.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments. In the valvulotome market, for example, our highly differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase our selling prices while maintaining unit share. In contrast, we have experienced less success in highly competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources and lower per unit costs.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer comparatively lower average selling prices than in North America. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
Our strategy for growing our business includes the acquisition of complementary product lines and companies, which can be difficult to identify, negotiate and purchase, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2020, we entered into an agreement with Artegraft to purchase the assets of their bovine graft business for $72.5 million plus additional payments of up to $17.5 million, contingent upon 2021 – 2023 unit sales. |
Occasionally we discontinue or divest products that are no longer complementary to our business or not commercially viable.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2021, we made decisions to wind down or discontinue our TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems, remote endarterectomy devices and surgical glue. These product lines totaled approximately $2.2 million in 2021 revenues. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2022, we made the decision to wind down the ProCol graft, AlboSure polyester patch, LeverEdge and Latis graft cleaning catheter product lines. These products totaled approximately $0.7 million in 2022 revenues. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2023, we made the decision to discontinue the sales of AlboGraft and LifeSpan synthetic graft product lines in the U.S. These products totaled approximately $0.3 million and less than $0.1 million, respectively, in 2023 revenues. |
From time to time we may undertake SKU reductions and transition sales to other SKUs or products with similar features. For example, in 2022, we initiated the transition of sales of our Syntel spring tip catheter to our Syntel regular tip catheter. Any of these actions may result in inventory write-offs and temporary or permanent negative impacts to our sales, gross margin and customer relationships.
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Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales engender closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins, we periodically enter into transactions with our distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
| • | In May 2022, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Korean distributor in order to sell products directly in Korea and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospital in Korea since December 2022. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.5 million. | |
|---|---|---|
| • | In March 2023, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Thailand distributor in order to sell products directly in Thailand and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We have been selling direct-to-hospital in Thailand since August 2023. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.7 million. |
We also benefit, to a lesser extent, from internal product development efforts to bring differentiated technologies and next-generation products to market:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In 2020, we launched RestoreFlow cardiac allografts for use in cardiac repair and restoration. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In March 2022, we received U.S. FDA clearance to market PhasTIPP, a portable powered phlebectomy device used to remove varicose veins in the leg. We expect to launch this product in 2024 or 2025. |
In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations and manufacturing transfers will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfers included:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2018, we acquired the Cardial business from Becton Dickinson. Cardial manufactured polyester vascular grafts, valvulotomes and surgical glue at its St. Etienne, France facility. In June 2022, we closed the St. Etienne factory in order to streamline manufacturing operations and to reduce expenses. We are transitioning Cardial graft sales to our Burlington-manufactured polyester graft product (AlboGraft) for additional cost savings and improved margins. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we acquired the CardioCel and VascuCel biologic patch businesses from Anteris. In July 2020, we initiated a project to transfer production to our Burlington facilities. The transfer to Burlington was substantially completed in 2023. In June 2023, the MDR CE mark application to market these Burlington produced devices was submitted, and we anticipate this application process to take 18-30 months. |
Finally, from time to time we may enter into distribution agreements of complementary product lines with the option to acquire the product line in the future:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In April 2023, we entered into an agreement with Elutia to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of their cardiovascular porcine patches. Under the agreement, we can distribute the products for three years with an option to acquire Elutia’s worldwide cardiovascular patch business during the second and third year of the agreement. Sales through LeMaitre Vascular for the nine months ended December 31, 2023 were $4.1 million. |
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period as we incur related expenses such as process engineering and other charges.
In February 2024, we began implementing a new ERP system to replace our software reporting and planning system. We expect that the new ERP system will be beneficial in a number of areas, including inventory management, pricing programs, financial operations and real time reporting. While we have been preparing for this transition since 2022 and have hired an experienced consulting team to assist in this transition, there can be no assurances that the implementation will be successful or executed in a timely manner. As of December 31, 2023, we have capitalized approximately $3.6 million of costs associated with this ERP system.
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the Euro, affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately 39% of our sales took place outside of the U.S., largely in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We expect foreign currencies will represent a significant percentage of future sales. Selling, marketing, and administrative costs related to these sales are also denominated in foreign currencies, thereby partially mitigating our bottom-line exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, if there is an increase in the rate at which a foreign currency is exchanged for U.S. dollars, it will require more of the foreign currency to equal a specified amount of U.S. dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases we will record less revenue in U.S. dollars than we did before the exchange rate changed. For 2023, we estimate that the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates increased our reported sales by approximately $0.2 million, as compared to rates in effect for 2022.
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Net Sales and Expense Components
The following is a description of the primary components of our net sales and expenses:
Net sales. We derive our net sales from the sale of our products and services, less discounts and returns. Net sales include the shipping and handling fees paid for by our customers. Most of our sales are generated by our direct sales force and are shipped and billed to hospitals or clinics throughout the world. In countries where we do not have a direct sales force, sales are primarily to distributors, who in turn sell to hospitals and clinics. In certain cases our products are held on consignment at a hospital or clinic prior to purchase; in those instances we recognize revenue at the time the product is used in surgery rather than at shipment.
Cost of sales. We manufacture the majority of the products that we sell. Our cost of sales consists primarily of manufacturing personnel, raw materials and components, depreciation of property and equipment, and other allocated manufacturing overhead, as well as the freight expense we pay to ship products to customers.
Sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing expense consists primarily of salaries, commissions, stock-based compensation, travel and entertainment, sales meetings, attendance at vascular and cardiac congresses, training programs, advertising and product promotions, direct mail and other marketing costs.
General and administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of executive, finance and human resource salaries, stock based compensation, legal and accounting fees, information technology expense, intangible asset amortization expense and insurance expense.
Research and development. Research and development expense primarily includes costs associated with obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our products, salaries, laboratory testing and supply costs. It also includes costs associated with the design and execution of clinical studies, costs to register, maintain, and defend our intellectual property, and costs to transfer the manufacturing of acquired product lines to our Burlington facility. Also included are costs associated with the design, development, testing and enhancement of new or existing products.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest income and expense, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses).
Income tax expense. We are subject to federal and state income taxes for earnings generated in the U.S., which include operating losses or profits in certain foreign jurisdictions for certain years depending on tax elections made, and foreign taxes on earnings of our wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries. Our consolidated tax expense is affected by the mix of our taxable income (loss) in the U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, permanent items, discrete items, unrecognized tax benefits, and amortization of goodwill for U.S. tax reporting purposes.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2023 to the year ended December 31, 2022
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 193,484 | $ | 161,651 | $ | 31,833 | 20 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 130,308 | $ | 109,439 | $ | 20,869 | 19 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 51,099 | 41,854 | 9,245 | 22 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 12,077 | 10,358 | 1,719 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 193,484 | $ | 161,651 | $ | 31,833 | 20 | % |
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Net sales. Net sales increased by $31.8 million, or 20%, to $193.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $161.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by higher average selling prices, elevated hospital procedure volumes, additional sales representatives, and $4.1 million in sales related to our new porcine patch product line. Valvulotome sales increased $6.3 million, bovine vascular patch sales increased $4.6 million, bovine graft sales increased $4.2 million, allograft preservation services increased $3.7 million, and carotid shunt sales increased $3.1 million. We estimate that the weaker U.S. dollar increased net sales by $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 96% and 95% of our total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $20.9 million, or 19%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of valvulotomes of $5.2 million, bovine grafts of $4.2 million, porcine patches of $4.1 million, allograft preservation services of $2.8 million, and bovine vascular patches of $2.0 million.
EMEA net sales increased $9.2 million, or 22%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of bovine vascular patches of $2.1 million, carotid shunts of $1.9 million, bovine cardiac patches of $1.2 million, valvulotomes of $1.1 million, and ovine grafts of $1.0 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $1.7 million, or 17%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by increased sales of occlusion catheters of $0.7 million, bovine vascular patches of $0.5 million, and ePTFE vascular grafts and carotid shunts of $0.2 million, respectively.
Gross Profit. The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 127,049 | $ | 104,896 | $ | 22,153 | 21 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 65.7 | % | 64.9 | % | 0.8 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross profit increased $22.2 million, or 21%, to $127.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and gross margin increased by 80 basis points to 65.7% in the period. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales, particularly from valvulotomes, bovine vascular patches, bovine grafts and porcine patches. The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by favorable product mix, including sales of comparatively higher margin valvulotomes, and manufacturing efficiencies, which were partially offset by increased scrap and excess and obsolescence charges.
Operating Expenses. The following table sets forth the change in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2023 as a % | 2022 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 41,054 | $ | 32,921 | $ | 8,133 | 25 | % | 21 | % | 20 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 31,832 | 28,745 | 3,087 | 11 | % | 16 | % | 18 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 16,966 | 13,294 | 3,672 | 28 | % | 9 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 485 | 3,107 | (2,622 | ) | (84 | %) | 0 | % | 2 | % | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 90,337 | $ | 78,067 | $ | 12,270 | 16 | % | 47 | % | 48 | % |
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2023, sales and marketing expenses increased 25% to $41.1 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher sales and associated commissions, contest and bonus expenses, increased sales rep and marketing headcounts, and an increase in salaries and wages. Compensation and related expenses increased by $6.1 million, travel and training expenses increased by $0.8 million, and sales meetings and trade show expenses increased by $0.7 million. Sales rep headcount was 136 as of December 31, 2023, a 4% increase from December 31, 2022. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expenses increased to 21% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 20% in the prior period.
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General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2023, general and administrative expenses increased 11% to $31.8 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher compensation and related expenses of $1.7 million due to an increase in personnel. Additionally, professional fees and outside services expenses increased $1.4 million. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses decreased to 16% for the year ended December 31, 2023, down from 18% in the prior period.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2023, research and development expenses increased 28% to $17.1 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher outside services and testing expenses of $2.0 million, due to higher consulting and third-party costs largely associated with European regulatory approvals. Our products are currently regulated in the EU and the UK under the European MDD and MDR. Additionally, compensation and related expenses increased $1.4 million due to an increase in personnel. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expenses increased to 9% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 8% in the prior period.
Restructuring. For the year ended December 31, 2023, restructuring expenses were $0.5 million. On June 30, 2022, we ceased operations at our St. Etienne, France factory. The closure resulted in a restructuring charge of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. These charges consisted primarily of employment termination costs, impairment of fixed assets and inventory, and third-party costs. For the year ended December 31, 2023 we recorded additional restructuring charges in conjunction with the St. Etienne, France factory closure of $0.5 million. The additional charges consisted primarily of employment termination, settlement, legal and other third-party costs. As a percentage of sales, restructuring expenses was less than 1% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $9.4 million on pre-tax income of $39.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, compared to $6.9 million on pre-tax income of $27.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.
Our effective income tax rate was 25.3% and 23.7% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2023. Our tax expense for 2023 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.1%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2023 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 27.8% and 24.9% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2022. Our 2022 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.0%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2022 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
We monitor the mix of profitability by tax jurisdiction and adjust our annual expected rate on a quarterly basis as needed. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution for any particular tax matter, we believe our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2023, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.7 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and requires taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for tax purposes. This provision resulted in a cash tax liability for the 2023 tax year of approximately $0.7 million. Our net deferred tax assets increased in 2023 by approximately $0.8 million as a result as well. This provision is also expected to increase our 2024 cash tax liability. The actual impact on 2024 cash tax liability will depend on the amount of research and development expenses paid or incurred in 2024 among other factors. While the largest impacts of this provision will be to 2022 and 2023 cash tax liability, the impact will continue over the five-year amortization period, but will decrease ratably over the period.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was enacted into law on August 16, 2022. Included in the IRA was a provision to implement a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on “adjusted financial statement income” for applicable corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock. These provisions are effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. We have evaluated the provisions of the IRA, and we do not currently believe the IRA will have a material impact on our reported results, cash flows or financial position.
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Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2022 to the year ended December 31, 2021
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 161,651 | $ | 154,424 | $ | 7,227 | 5 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 109,439 | $ | 102,265 | $ | 7,174 | 7 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 41,854 | 42,132 | (278 | ) | (1 | %) | ||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 10,358 | 10,027 | 331 | 3 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 161,651 | $ | 154,424 | $ | 7,227 | 5 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased by $7.2 million, or 5%, to $161.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $154.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased bovine graft sales of $2.9 million, carotid patch sales of $2.4 million, shunt sales of $2.4 million, and allograft preservation services of $1.7 million. The increased sales were partially offset by decreased ovine graft sales of $1.5 million (largely due to regulatory and production related back-orders which totaled approximately $1.0 million at year end) and surgical glue sales of $0.7 million. We estimate that the stronger U.S. dollar decreased net sales by $6.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 95% and 94% of our total net sales for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $7.2 million, or 7%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased bovine graft sales of $2.9 million, allograft preservation services of $1.3 million, shunt sales of $1.1 million, valvulotomes sales of $0.9 million, and carotid patch sales of $0.6 million.
EMEA net sales decreased $0.3 million, or 1%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was driven primarily by a comparatively stronger dollar in 2022, as well as decreased ovine graft sales of $1.5 million (largely due to regulatory and production related back-orders which totaled approximately $1.0 million at year end), and surgical glue sales of $0.7 million. The decreased sales were partially offset by increased shunt sales of $1.4 million and carotid patch sales of $1.1 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $0.3 million, or 3%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased carotid patch sales of $0.7 million and embolectomy catheters sales of $0.3 million. The increased sales were partially offset by a comparatively stronger dollar in 2022, as well as decreased occlusion catheters, valvulotome, shunt, and clip sales of $0.1 million each.
Gross Profit. The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 104,896 | $ | 101,382 | $ | 3,514 | 3 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 64.9 | % | 65.7 | % | (0.8% | ) | * |
* Not applicable
Gross profit increased $3.5 million, or 3%, to $104.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and gross margin decreased by 80 basis points to 64.9% in the period. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales from bovine grafts, carotid patches, and shunts. The decrease in the gross margin was driven primarily by unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, manufacturing inefficiencies largely related to increased direct labor and quality costs, and unfavorable product mix including higher sales of comparatively lower margin embolectomy catheters and polyester grafts and lower sales of comparatively higher margin valvulotomes.
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Operating Expenses. The following table sets forth the change in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2022 as a % | 2021 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 32,921 | $ | 27,655 | $ | 5,266 | 19 | % | 20 | % | 18 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 28,745 | 25,501 | 3,244 | 13 | % | 18 | % | 17 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 13,294 | 11,801 | 1,493 | 13 | % | 8 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 3,107 | - | 3,107 | * | 2 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| $ | 78,067 | $ | 64,957 | $ | 13,110 | 20 | % | 48 | % | 42 | % |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2022, sales and marketing expenses increased 19% to $32.9 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $4.1 million, including higher sales commissions of $1.4 million. From December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022, we increased our sales representative headcount from 103 to 131. We also added two additional regional sales managers in the period. Travel and related expenses were also higher by $0.8 million. Expense reduction programs implemented in 2020 through 2021 in response to COVID-19, including a reduction in sales force, lowered expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021. We have since rehired in many areas, including our sales force. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expenses increased to 20% for the year ended December 31, 2022, up from 18% in the prior period.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2022, general and administrative expenses increased 13% to $28.7 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $2.7 million due to an increase in personnel. Additionally, in 2021 we recognized a gain of $0.5 million related to the amendment of a contingent purchase obligation associated with our 2019 Anteris biologic patch acquisition which lowered general and administrative expenses. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses increased to 18% for the year ended December 31, 2022, up from 17% in the prior period.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2022, research and development expenses increased 13% to $13.3 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $1.1 million due to an increase in personnel. Outside services and testing also increased by $0.5 million primarily due to higher third-party costs associated with European regulatory approvals. Our products are currently regulated in the EU and the UK under the MDD and MDR. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expenses was 8% for both 2022 and 2021.
Restructuring. For the year ended December 31, 2022, restructuring expenses was $3.1 million. On June 30, 2022 we ceased operations at our St. Etienne, France factory. The closure resulted in a restructuring charge of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Charges primarily consisted of employment termination costs, impairment of fixed assets and inventory, and third-party costs.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $6.9 million on pre-tax income of $27.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, compared to $7.4 million on pre-tax income of $34.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021.
Our effective income tax rate was 27.8% and 24.9% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2022. Our tax expense for 2022 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.0%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2022 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 21.9% and 21.5% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021. Our 2021 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.7%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2021 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
As of December 31, 2022, we had provided a valuation allowance of $1.6 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and requires taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for tax purposes. This provision resulted in a cash tax liability for the 2022 tax year of approximately $0.7 million. Our net deferred tax assets increased in 2022 by approximately $0.7 million as a result as well.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
On February 21, 2024, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock through transactions on the open market, in privately negotiated purchases or otherwise until February 21, 2025. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. To date we have not made any repurchases under this program.
As of December 31, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents were $24.3 million as compared to $19.1 million as of December 31, 2022. We had $80.8 million in short-term marketable securities as of December 31, 2023 and $63.6 million as of December 31, 2022. Our cash and cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase, and consist primarily of operating bank accounts. Our short-term marketable securities consist of a managed income mutual fund investing mainly in short-term investment grade, U.S.-dollar denominated fixed and floating-rate debt, and a short-duration bond fund. As of December 31, 2023 our short-term marketable securities reflected an unrealized loss of $1.2 million as a result of increasing market interest rates.
On July 16, 2021, we closed an offering of 1,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, at a price to the public of $54.50 per share less underwriting discounts. The net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $51.0 million. We used a portion of the proceeds from the offering to repay our outstanding debt. On August 4, 2021, the underwriters purchased an additional 150,000 shares pursuant to an option granted to them in connection with the offering described above. The net proceeds to the Company, after deducting underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $7.6 million.
In June 2020, in connection with the Artegraft acquisition, we incurred debt of $65 million including a five-year revolving line of credit of $25 million and a five-year term loan of $40 million. The loans bore interest at either the Base Rate as defined in the agreement plus an applicable margin of 1.25% to 1.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio, or the Eurodollar Rate plus an applicable margin of 2.25% to 2.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio. In July 2021, we repaid the balance under the term loan, plus accrued interest, in full. In November 2021, we terminated the credit agreement, including the revolving line of credit, as allowed for in the original agreement.
Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We require cash to pay our operating expenses, make capital expenditures, and pay our long-term liabilities. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through public offerings and private placements of equity securities, short-term and long-term borrowings, and funds generated from our operations.
We recognized operating income of $36.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, $26.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and $36.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. We expect to fund any increased costs and expenditures from our existing cash and cash equivalents, though our future capital requirements depend on numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | revenues generated by sales of our products and services; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with potential future quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | future acquisition-related payments; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with income and other taxes; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | costs associated with expanding our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | costs associated with our initiatives to sell direct-to-hospital in new countries; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | costs of obtaining and maintaining U.S. FDA and other regulatory clearances; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | costs associated with obtaining European MDR clearances; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the number, timing, and nature of acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | potential future share repurchases. |
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Our cash balances may decrease as we continue to use cash to fund our operations, make acquisitions, pay dividends, repurchase shares of our common stock and make deferred payments related to prior acquisitions. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents, investments and the interest we earn on these balances will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next twelve months and to meet our known long-term cash requirements. If these sources of cash are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements beyond the next twelve months, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or take out a loan. The sale of additional equity and debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders, as was the case with our July 2021 equity offering. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities, such securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations and possibly our ability to pay dividends. We may require additional capital beyond our currently forecasted amounts. Any such required additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all.
Cash Flows
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 24,269 | $ | 19,134 | $ | 13,855 | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | ||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 36,751 | $ | 25,378 | $ | 35,102 | ||||||
| Investing activities | (24,715 | ) | (10,371 | ) | (61,076 | ) | ||||||
| Financing activities | (7,131 | ) | (9,234 | ) | 13,702 |
Net cash provided by operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $36.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and consisted of $30.1 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $17.9 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.5 million, stock-based compensation of $5.3 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $2.6 million, provision for deferred income taxes of $0.8 million, and loss on divestitures of $0.5 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.7 million and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $11.3 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $9.8 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.1 million, and increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.9 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.6 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $25.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and consisted of $20.6 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.4 million, stock-based compensation of $4.2 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $3.2 million, loss on divestitures of $2.0 million, and loss on disposal of fixed assets of $0.1 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.3 million, benefit for deferred income taxes of $0.2 million, gain on sale of building of $0.1 million, and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $13.4 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $7.4 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.5 million, and increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $3.1 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.6 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $35.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and consisted of $26.9 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.2 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $11.1 million, stock-based compensation of $3.5 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and credit losses of $4.0 million, foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.2 million, and provision for deferred income taxes of $0.1 million, offset by fair value adjustments to contingent consideration obligations for acquisitions of $0.7 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $10.0 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $5.5 million, increases in prepaid expenses and other assets of $1.9 million, decreases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $1.7 million and increases in accounts receivable of $0.8 million.
Net cash used in investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $24.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, including purchases of marketable securities of $16.6 million, purchases of property and equipment of $7.3 million, and acquisition related payments of $0.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, including purchases of marketable securities of $8.0 million and purchases of property and equipment of $3.2 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of the St. Etienne, France building of $0.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $61.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, including net purchases of marketable securities of $56.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $4.9 million.
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Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities was $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Use of cash included dividend payments of $12.4 million. This use of cash was offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $5.3 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes.
Net cash used in financing activities was $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Use of cash included dividend payments of $11.0 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $1.1 million. These uses of cash were offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $2.8 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Sources of cash included primarily net proceeds from an equity offering of $58.7 million and proceeds from stock option exercises of $3.7 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes. These sources of cash were offset by payments made on our long-term debt of $39.0 million, dividend payments of $9.3 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $0.4 million.
Dividends
In February 2011, our Board of Directors approved a policy for the payment of quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The dividend activity for the periods presented is as follows:
| Record Date | Payment Date | Per Share Amount | Dividend Payment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2023 | |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 | March 23, 2023 | $ | 0.140 | $ | 3,099 | ||||
| May 17, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | $ | 0.140 | $ | 3,116 | ||||
| August 17, 2023 | August 31, 2023 | $ | 0.140 | $ | 3,117 | ||||
| November 16, 2023 | November 30, 2023 | $ | 0.140 | $ | 3,117 | ||||
| Fiscal Year 2022 | |||||||||
| March 8, 2022 | March 24, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,743 | ||||
| May 17, 2022 | June 2, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,745 | ||||
| August 25, 2022 | September 8, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,750 | ||||
| November 17, 2022 | December 1, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,750 |
On February 21, 2024, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.160 per share payable on March 28, 2024, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 14, 2024, which will total approximately $3.6 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We have adopted various accounting policies to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Our most significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, inventory valuation, valuation of intangible assets and goodwill, contingent consideration and income taxes are reviewed on an ongoing basis and updated as appropriate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Certain of our more critical accounting policies require the application of judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. These judgments are based on our historical experience, terms of existing contracts, and observance of trends in the industry, as appropriate. Different, reasonable estimates could have been used in the current period. Additionally, changes in accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Both of these factors could have a material impact on the presentation of our financial condition, changes in financial condition, or results of operations.
We believe that the following financial estimates and related accounting policies are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require subjective or complex judgments. Further, we believe that the items discussed below are properly recorded in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of our most critical financial estimates with the audit committee of our board of directors and our independent registered public accounting firm. The judgments about those financial estimates are based on information available as of the date of our consolidated financial statements. Those financial estimates and related policies include:
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Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is derived primarily from the sale of disposable or implantable devices used during vascular surgery. We sell primarily directly to hospitals and to a lesser extent to distributors, as described below, and, during the periods presented in our consolidated financial statements, entered into consigned inventory arrangements with either hospitals or distributors on a limited basis. We also derive revenues from the processing and cryopreservation of human tissue for implantation in patients. These revenues are recognized when services have been provided and the tissue has been shipped to the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria discussed in the succeeding paragraph have been met.
We record revenue under the provisions of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The core principle of Topic 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard explains that to achieve the core principle, an entity should take the following actions:
Step 1: Identify the contract with a customer
Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract
Step 3: Determine the transaction price
Step 4: Allocate the transaction price
Step 5: Recognize revenue when or as the entity satisfies a performance obligation
Revenue is recognized when or as a company satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer (which is when the customer obtains control of that good or service). In instances in which shipping and handling activities are performed after a customer takes control of the goods (such as when title passes upon shipment from our dock), we have made the policy election allowed under Topic 606 to account for these activities as fulfillment costs and not as performance obligations.
We generally reference customer purchase orders to determine the existence of a contract. Orders that are not accompanied by a purchase order are confirmed with the customer either in writing or verbally. The purchase orders or similar correspondence, once accepted, identify the performance obligations as well as the transaction price, and otherwise outline the rights and obligations of each party. We allocate the transaction price of each contract among the performance obligations in accordance with the pricing of each item specified on the purchase order, which is in turn based on standalone selling prices per our published price lists. In cases where we discount products or provide certain items free of charge, we allocate the discount proportionately to all performance obligations, unless it can be demonstrated that the discount should be allocated entirely to one or more, but not all, of the performance obligations.
We record revenue, net of allowances for returns and discounts, fees paid to group purchasing organizations, and any sales and value added taxes required to be invoiced, which we have elected to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price as allowed by the standard, at the time of shipment (taking into consideration contractual shipping terms), or in the case of consigned inventory, when it is consumed. Shipment is the point at which control of the product and title passes to our customers, and at which LeMaitre has a present right to receive payment for the goods.
We do not carry any contract assets or contract liabilities, as there are generally no unbilled amounts due from customers under contracts for which we have partially satisfied performance obligations, or amounts received from customers for which we have not satisfied performance obligations. We satisfy our performance obligations under revenue contracts within a short time period from receipt of the orders, and payments from customers are typically received within 30 to 60 days of fulfillment of the orders, except in certain geographies such as Italy, Spain and France where the payment cycle is customarily longer. Accordingly, there is no significant financing component to our revenue contracts. Additionally, we have elected as a policy that incremental costs (such as commissions) incurred to obtain contracts are expensed as incurred, due to the short-term nature of the contracts.
Customers returning products may be entitled to full or partial credit based on the condition and timing of the return. To be accepted, a returned product must be unopened (if sterile), unadulterated, and undamaged, must have at least 18 months remaining prior to its expiration date, or twelve months for our hospital customers in Europe, and generally be returned within 30 days of shipment. These return policies apply to sales to both hospitals and distributors. The amount of products returned to us, either for exchange or credit, has not been material. Nevertheless, we provide for an allowance for future sales returns based on historical return experience, which requires judgment. Our cost of replacing defective products has not been material and is accounted for at the time of replacement.
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Inventory and Other Deferred Costs
Inventory and Other Deferred Costs consists of finished products, work-in-process, raw materials and costs deferred in connection with human tissue cryopreservation services of our RestoreFlow allograft business. We value inventory and other deferred costs at the lower of cost or market value. Cost includes materials, labor and manufacturing overhead and is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. On a quarterly basis, we review inventory quantities on hand and analyze the provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on product expiration dating and our estimated sales forecast, which is based on sales history and anticipated future demand. Our estimates of future product demand may not be accurate, and we may understate or overstate the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. Accordingly, any significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and results of operations.
Valuation of Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets consist primarily of purchased developed technology, patents, customer relationships and trademarks, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from 2 to 16 years. Goodwill represents the amount of consideration paid in connection with business acquisitions in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We generally calculate the fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. In determining our estimated future cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we use estimates and assumptions about future revenue contributions, cost structures, and remaining useful lives of the asset. These estimates and assumptions require significant judgment and actual results may differ from assumed or estimated amounts. Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, were $41.7 million as of December 31, 2023 and $46.5 million as of December 31, 2022. Goodwill was $65.9 million as of both December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Contingencies
In the normal course of business, we are subject to proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims and assessments for matters related to, among other things, business acquisitions, employment, commercial matters, intellectual property matters, product liability and product recalls. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters. We record charges for the costs we anticipate incurring in connection with litigation and claims against us when we determine a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate these costs. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we were not subject to any material litigation, claims or assessments.
In connection with certain of our acquisitions, we may enter into agreements to pay additional future consideration upon the satisfaction of certain agreed-upon criteria. We record liabilities for these arrangements at estimated fair value reflecting management’s assumptions of the likelihood of achieving the specified criteria at the time of the closing, which may require significant judgment. These amounts are remeasured each reporting period, with any adjustments recorded in income from operations.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The provision for income taxes includes taxes currently payable and deferred taxes resulting from the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We maintain valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in the valuation allowances are included in our tax provision in the period of change. In determining whether a valuation allowance is warranted, we evaluate factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carry-back and carry-forward periods and tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset.
We recognize, measure, present and disclose in our financial statements, uncertain tax positions that we have taken or expect to take on a tax return. We recognize in our financial statements the impact of tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Our policy is to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 “Significant Accounting Policies and Related Matters” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding recent accounting pronouncements, including the respective expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
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FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001437749-23-005056.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.
The principal objectives of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are to enhance our overall financial disclosures by providing explanation and analysis of the Company’s financial results and condition, as viewed by our management.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and to a lesser extent cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $5 billion, within which we estimate that the market for our products is approximately $750 million. We have grown our business using a simple three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring and, to a lesser extent, developing complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and therefore can provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. More recently, however, we have begun to explore adjacent market customers, or non-vascular surgeon customers, who can be served by our vascular device technologies, such as cardiac surgeons and neurosurgeons.
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the markets for our products as well as our business. In response to COVID-19, many hospitals limited elective procedures at the onset of the pandemic and then periodically when infection rates have increased. Many of our devices are used in elective procedures. Additionally, our sales representatives’ access to hospitals and surgeons has periodically been restricted by hospitals or local governments. More recently, however, in many geographies we have seen restrictions eased. Since 2020, these dynamics have resulted in variable and unpredictable sales.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy catheters, occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular and dialysis grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also provide services related to the processing and cryopreservation of human vascular and cardiac tissue.
Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches as well as vascular and dialysis grafts. In 2022, biologics represented 49% of our worldwide sales. We view the biologic device offerings favorably, as we believe they represent differentiated and in some cases growing product segments.
To assist us in evaluating our business strategies, we monitor long-term technology trends in the peripheral vascular device market. Additionally, we consider the information obtained from discussions with the medical community in connection with the demand for our products, including potential new product launches. We also use this information to help determine our competitive position in the peripheral vascular device market and our manufacturing capacity requirements.
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Our business opportunities include the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | adding complementary products through acquisitions; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | growing our direct sales force in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and Asia Pacific, including replacing a distributor with our sales personnel; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations in these territories; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | increasing the average selling prices of our devices; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | consolidating and automating product manufacturing at our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities, and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development. |
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. As of December 31, 2022, our sales force was comprised of 131 sales representatives in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, including two export managers. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have North American sales offices in Chandler, Arizona and Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; and Hereford, England. Our Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore, and we also have sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Kensington, Australia; and Seoul, Korea. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, approximately 94% of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We also sell our products in other countries through distributors.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments. In the valvulotome market, for example, our highly differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase our selling prices while maintaining unit share. In contrast, we have experienced less success in highly competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources and lower per unit costs. While we believe these challenging market dynamics can be mitigated by our relationships with vascular surgeons, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in highly competitive markets.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer comparatively lower average selling prices. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
Our strategy for growing our business includes the acquisition of complementary product lines and companies, which can be difficult to identify, negotiate and purchase, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In July 2019, we entered into an agreement with UreSil, LLC to purchase the remaining assets of their Eze-Sit valve cutter business, including U.S. distribution rights, for $8.0 million. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we entered into an agreement with Admedus to purchase the assets of their CardioCel biologic patch business for $15.5 million plus additional payments of up to $7.8 million, depending upon the satisfaction of certain contingencies. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2020, we entered into an agreement with Artegraft to purchase the assets of their bovine graft business for $72.5 million plus additional payments of up to $17.5 million, depending upon 2021 – 2023 unit sales. |
Occasionally we discontinue or divest products or product lines that are no longer complementary to our business or that are not commercially viable.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2021, we made decisions to wind down or discontinue our TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems, remote endarterectomy devices and surgical glue. These product lines totaled approximately $2.2 million in 2021 revenues. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2022, we made the decision to wind down the ProCol graft, AlboSure polyester patch, LeverEdge and Latis graft cleaning catheter product lines. These products totaled approximately $1.0 million in 2021 revenues. |
From time to time we may undertake SKU reductions and transition sales to other SKUs or products with similar features. For example, in 2022, we decided to initiate the transition of sales of our Syntel spring tip catheter to our Syntel regular tip catheter. Any of these actions may result in inventory write-offs and temporary or permanent negative impacts to our sales, gross margin and customer relationships.
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Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales engender closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins, we periodically enter into transactions with our distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2020, we entered into definitive agreements with, or participated with Admedus in concluding agreements with, several former Admedus distributors in Europe and Canada, in order to terminate their distribution of our bovine cardiac and vascular patch products previously distributed by Admedus, and we began selling direct-to-hospital in those geographies. The termination fees totaled approximately $0.1 million. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2020, we participated with Artegraft in concluding agreements with several of their former U.S. distributors in order to terminate their distribution of our bovine graft products. We now sell Artegraft products direct-to-hospital throughout the United States. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In May 2022, we entered into a distribution transition agreement with our Korean distributor in order to sell products directly in Korea and dissolve the existing distribution arrangement. We began selling direct-to-hospital in December 2022. The distribution termination fees totaled approximately $0.5 million. |
We also rely, to a much lesser extent, on internal product development efforts to bring differentiated technologies and next-generation products to market:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In 2020, we launched RestoreFlow cardiac allografts for use in cardiac repair and restoration. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In March 2022, we received U.S. FDA clearance to market PhasTIPP, a portable powered phlebectomy device used to remove varicose veins in the leg. We expect to launch this product in 2023. |
In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfers included:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2014, we acquired the Omniflow II ovine graft business from BioNova, International. In June 2019, we initiated a project to transfer the production of these devices to our Burlington facilities. We received approval to sell these devices in Europe in June 2022. We expect this transfer to be substantially complete in 2023. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we acquired the CardioCel and VascuCel biologic patch businesses from Admedus. In July 2020, we initiated a project to transfer the production of these devices to our Burlington facilities. We expect this transfer to be substantially complete in 2023. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2022, we closed our St. Etienne, France factory in order to streamline manufacturing operations and to reduce expenses. The Cardial business previously conducted at the St. Etienne facility consisted of the manufacturing of polyester vascular grafts, valvulotomes, surgical glue and select OEM devices. We expect to transition Cardial graft sales to our Burlington-manufactured polyester vascular graft product (Albograft) for additional cost savings and improved margins. We acquired the Cardial business in 2018. |
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period as we incur related process engineering and other charges.
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the Euro, affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2022, approximately 39% of our sales took place outside of the U.S., largely in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We expect foreign currencies will represent a significant percentage of future sales. Selling, marketing, and administrative costs related to these sales are also denominated in foreign currencies, thereby partially mitigating our bottom-line exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, if there is an increase in the rate at which a foreign currency is exchanged for U.S. dollars, it will require more of the foreign currency to equal a specified amount of U.S. dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases we will record less revenue in U.S. dollars than we did before the exchange rate changed. For 2022, we estimate that the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates decreased our reported sales by approximately $6.1 million, as compared to rates in effect for 2021.
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Net Sales and Expense Components
The following is a description of the primary components of our net sales and expenses:
Net sales. We derive our net sales from the sale of our products and services, less discounts and returns. Net sales include the shipping and handling fees paid for by our customers. Most of our sales are generated by our direct sales force and are shipped and billed to hospitals or clinics throughout the world. In countries where we do not have a direct sales force, sales are primarily to distributors, who in turn sell to hospitals and clinics. In certain cases our products are held on consignment at a hospital or clinic prior to purchase; in those instances we recognize revenue at the time the product is used in surgery rather than at shipment.
Cost of sales. We manufacture the majority of the products that we sell. Our cost of sales consists primarily of manufacturing personnel, raw materials and components, depreciation of property and equipment, and other allocated manufacturing overhead, as well as the freight expense we pay to ship products to customers.
Sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing expense consists primarily of salaries, commissions, stock-based compensation, travel and entertainment, sales meetings, attendance at vascular congresses, training programs, advertising and product promotions, direct mail and other marketing costs.
General and administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of executive, finance and human resource salaries, stock based compensation, legal and accounting fees, information technology expense, intangible asset amortization expense and insurance expense.
Research and development. Research and development expense primarily includes costs associated with obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our products, salaries, laboratory testing and supply costs. It also includes costs associated with the design and execution of clinical studies, costs to register, maintain, and defend our intellectual property, and costs to transfer the manufacturing of acquired product lines to our Burlington facility. Also included are costs associated with the design, development, testing and enhancement of new or existing products.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest income and expense, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses).
Income tax expense. We are subject to federal and state income taxes for earnings generated in the U.S., which include operating losses or profits in certain foreign jurisdictions for certain years depending on tax elections made, and foreign taxes on earnings of our wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries. Our consolidated tax expense is affected by the mix of our taxable income (loss) in the U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, permanent items, discrete items, unrecognized tax benefits, and amortization of goodwill for U.S. tax reporting purposes.
Results of Operations
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the markets for our products as well as our business. In response to COVID-19, many hospitals limited elective procedures at the onset of the pandemic and then periodically when infection rates have increased. Many of our devices are used in elective procedures. Additionally, our sales representatives’ access to hospitals and surgeons has periodically been restricted by hospitals or local governments. More recently, in many geographies we have seen restrictions eased. These dynamics have resulted in, and we expect will continue to result in, variable and unpredictable sales.
As described above, our results could be materially impacted in the near term. These financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in that context.
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Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2022 to the year ended December 31, 2021
The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 161,651 | $ | 154,424 | $ | 7,227 | 5 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 109,439 | $ | 102,265 | $ | 7,174 | 7 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 41,854 | 42,132 | (278 | ) | (1 | %) | ||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 10,358 | 10,027 | 331 | 3 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 161,651 | $ | 154,424 | $ | 7,227 | 5 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased $7.2 million, or 5%, to $161.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $154.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased bovine graft sales of $2.9 million, carotid patch sales of $2.4 million, shunt sales of $2.4 million, and allograft preservation services of $1.7 million. The increased sales were partially offset by decreased ovine graft sales of $1.5 million (largely due to regulatory and production related back-orders which totaled approximately $1.0 million at year end) and surgical glue sales of $0.7 million. We estimate that the stronger U.S. dollar decreased net sales by $6.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, approximately 94% of our net sales were direct-to-hospital.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $7.2 million, or 7%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased bovine graft sales of $2.9 million, allograft preservation services of $1.3 million, shunt sales of $1.1 million, valvulotomes sales of $0.9 million, and carotid patch sales of $0.6 million.
EMEA net sales decreased $0.3 million, or 1%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was driven primarily by a comparatively stronger dollar in 2022, as well as decreased ovine graft sales of $1.5 million (largely due to regulatory and production related back-orders which totaled approximately $1.0 million at year end), and surgical glue sales of $0.7 million. The decreased sales were partially offset by increased shunt sales of $1.4 million and carotid patch sales of $1.1 million.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $0.3 million, or 3%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was driven primarily by increased carotid patch sales of $0.7 million and embolectomy catheters sales of $0.3 million. The increased sales were partially offset by a comparatively stronger dollar in 2022, as well as decreased occlusion catheters, valvulotome, shunt, and clip sales of $0.1 million each.
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The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 104,896 | $ | 101,382 | $ | 3,514 | 3 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 64.9 | % | 65.7 | % | -0.8 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross Profit. Gross profit increased $3.5 million, or 3%, to $104.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and gross margin decreased by 80 basis points to 64.9% in the period. The increase in gross profit was driven primarily by increased sales from bovine grafts, carotid patches, and shunts. The decrease in the gross margin was driven primarily by unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, manufacturing inefficiencies largely related to increased direct labor and quality costs, and unfavorable product mix including higher sales of comparatively lower margin embolectomy catheters and polyester grafts and lower sales of comparatively higher margin valvulotomes.
Operating Expenses
The following tables set forth changes in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2022 as a % | 2021 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 32,921 | $ | 27,655 | $ | 5,266 | 19 | % | 20 | % | 18 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 28,745 | 25,501 | 3,244 | 13 | % | 18 | % | 17 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 13,294 | 11,801 | 1,493 | 13 | % | 8 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 3,107 | - | 3,107 | * | 2 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| $ | 78,067 | $ | 64,957 | $ | 13,110 | 20 | % | 48 | % | 42 | % |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2022, sales and marketing expense increased 19% to $32.9 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $4.1 million, including higher sales commissions of $1.4 million. From December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022, we increased our sales representative headcount from 103 to 131. We also added two additional regional sales managers in the period. Travel and related expenses were also higher by $0.8 million. Expense reduction programs implemented in 2020 through 2021 in response to COVID-19, including a reduction in sales force, lowered expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021. We have since rehired in many areas, including our sales force. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expense increased to 20% for the year ended December 31, 2022, up from 18% in the prior period.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2022, general and administrative expenses increased 13% to $28.7 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $2.7 million due to an increase in personnel. Additionally, in 2021 we recognized a gain of $0.5 million related to the amendment of a contingent purchase obligation associated with our 2019 Admedus biologic patch acquisition which lowered general and administrative expenses. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expense increased to 18% for the year ended December 31, 2022, up from 17% in the prior period.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2022, research and development expense increased 13% to $13.3 million. The increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and related expenses of $1.1 million due to an increase in personnel. Outside services and testing also increased by $0.5 million primarily due to higher third-party costs associated with European regulatory approvals. Our products are currently regulated in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom under the European Medical Devices Directive (MDD) and the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). In order to market our medical devices in the EU and the United Kingdom, we are required to obtain CE marks, which denote conformity to the essential requirements of the MDD or MDR. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expense was 8% for both 2022 and 2021.
Restructuring. For the year ended December 31, 2022, restructuring expense was $3.1 million. On June 30, 2022 we ceased operations at our St. Etienne, France factory. The closure resulted in a restructuring charge of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Charges primarily consisted of employment termination costs, impairment of fixed assets and inventory, and third-party costs. We did not record additional expenses related to the closure subsequent to June 30, 2022.
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Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $6.9 million on pre-tax income of $27.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, compared to $7.4 million on pre-tax income of $34.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021.
Our effective income tax rate was 27.8% and 24.9% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2022. Our tax expense for 2022 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 26.0%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2022 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 21.9% and 21.5% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021. Our 2021 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.7%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2021 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
We monitor the mix of profitability by tax jurisdiction and adjust our annual expected rate on a quarterly basis as needed. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution for any particular tax matter, we believe our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2022, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.6 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and requires taxpayers to amortize such expenditures over five years for tax purposes. This provision resulted in a cash tax liability for the 2022 tax year of approximately $0.7 million. Our net deferred tax assets increased in 2022 by approximately $0.7 million as a result as well. This provision is also expected to increase our 2023 cash tax liability. The actual impact on 2023 cash tax liability will depend on the amount of research and development expenses paid or incurred in 2023 among other factors. While the largest impact of this provision will be to 2022 cash tax liability, the impact will continue over the five-year amortization period, but will decrease ratably over the period.
The Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA") was enacted into law on August 16, 2022. Included in the IRA was a provision to implement a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on “adjusted financial statement income” for applicable corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock. These provisions are effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022. We are in the process of evaluating the provisions of the IRA, but we do not currently believe the IRA will have a material impact on our reported results, cash flows or financial position when it becomes effective.
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Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2021 to the year ended December 31, 2020
The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 154,424 | $ | 129,366 | $ | 25,058 | 19 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 102,265 | $ | 81,470 | $ | 20,795 | 26 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 42,132 | 39,193 | 2,939 | 7 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 10,027 | 8,703 | 1,324 | 15 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 154,424 | $ | 129,366 | $ | 25,058 | 19 | % |
As a general matter, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted sales in 2020 more acutely than in 2021 in all geographies, though we believe that it continued to negatively impact sales throughout 2021.
Net sales. Net sales increased $25.1 million, or 19%, to $154.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $129.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was driven largely by Artegraft bovine grafts, with increased sales of $14.1 million. We acquired Artegraft on June 22, 2020, so we had six additional months of sales of Artegraft in 2021 as compared to 2020 and we also implemented a price increase in January 2021. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $3.4 million, higher bovine carotid patch sales of $2.4 million, higher carotid shunt sales of $1.9 million, and higher allograft service revenues of $1.8 million. We estimate that the weaker U.S. dollar increased sales by $2.0 million during year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to year ended December 31, 2020.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 94% of our total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, and 95% for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $20.8 million, or 26%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The increase was driven mainly by Artegraft bovine grafts, with increased sales of $14.1 million. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $2.4 million, higher allografts service revenues of $1.8 million, higher bovine carotid patch sales of $1.5 million and higher carotid shunt sales of $1.2 million. Offsetting these increases were lower bovine cardiac patch revenues of $0.4 million. Revenues from all other products increased $0.2 million on a net basis.
EMEA net sales increased $2.9 million, or 7%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The increase was driven by higher valvulotome sales of $1.0 million, as well as higher carotid shunt sales of $0.6 million, higher embolectomy catheter sales of $0.5 million, higher bovine cardiac patch sales of $0.4 million and higher ovine graft sales of $0.3 million. These increases were offset in part by a decreases in sales of bovine carotid patches and polyester grafts of $0.3 million each. EMEA revenues from all other products increased $0.8 million on a net basis.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $1.3 million, or 15%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020, with bovine carotid patch sales increasing $1.1 million, and embolectomy catheter sales, bovine cardiac patch sales and carotid shunt sales each increasing $0.1 million. These and other product sales increases were partially offset by lower sales of TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems of $0.1 million.
The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 101,382 | $ | 84,618 | $ | 16,764 | 20 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 65.7 | % | 65.4 | % | 0.3 | % | * |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
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Gross Profit. Gross profit increased $16.8 million, or 20%, to $101.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020, while gross margin increased by 30 basis points to 65.7%. The increase in gross profit was driven partly by the impact in the prior period of purchase accounting from the Artegraft bovine graft acquisition. We also had a more favorable product mix in 2021 as compared to 2020, including higher Artegraft sales at an increased average selling price in 2021. This favorable impact was partly offset by manufacturing inefficiencies and higher excess and obsolescence expense by $2.3 million in 2021 due in large part to the discontinuation or winding down of certain product lines including TRIVEX and remote endarterectomy devices.
In May 2021, our CE mark certifications required to sell products in many EMEA countries were reinstated for five products. However, we also simultaneously received a change in CE mark requirements for certain bovine carotid patches and polyester grafts. For bovine carotid patches, only bovine pericardium sourced from certain of our suppliers are permitted to be sold under the new CE mark, which caused our production costs to increase, and our gross margin to decrease.
Operating Expenses
The following tables set forth changes in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2021 as a % | 2020 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 27,655 | $ | 23,700 | $ | 3,955 | 17 | % | 18 | % | 18 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 25,501 | 22,501 | 3,000 | 13 | % | 17 | % | 17 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 11,801 | 10,099 | 1,702 | 17 | % | 8 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Gain on divestures and acquisitions | - | (470 | ) | 470 | * | 0 | % | (0 | %) | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 64,957 | $ | 55,830 | $ | 9,127 | 16 | % | 42 | % | 43 | % |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2021, sales and marketing expense increased 17% to $27.7 million. The increase was driven by more sales personnel, as well as higher salaries and related expenses of $3.5 million, including higher commissions due to increased sales, and higher recruiting costs. We also had higher marketing-related costs, such as product samples and promotional materials, of $0.4 million, and higher travel and related expenses of $0.1 million. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expense was unchanged at 18% in both 2021 and 2020.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2021, general and administrative expenses increased 13% to $25.5 million. The increase was primarily due to higher compensation and related expenses, as salaries were reinstated in September 2020 and personnel were rehired following the April 2020 reduction in force. We also had higher insurance costs, banking fees and professional fees in 2021. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expense was unchanged at 17% for both comparative periods.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2021, research and development expense increased $1.7 million, or 17%, to $11.8 million. Product development and process engineering expenses were on a combined basis unchanged, as those groups continue their focus on manufacturing transfer projects. Clinical and regulatory expenses, however, increased $1.7 million, or 29%, driven by higher compensation expenses as well as consulting and other costs incurred in connection with reinstating or maintaining regulatory approvals, especially in Europe. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expense was unchanged at 8% in both years. Product development expenses decreased to 1% of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, from 2% in the prior period.
Gain on sale of building. During the third quarter of 2020, in connection with our planned manufacturing transfer of our Omniflow II ovine biologic graft to Burlington, we sold our land and building located in North Melbourne, Australia. We recognized a gain on the sale during the three months ending September 30, 2020, net of applicable sales taxes and administrative costs, of $0.5 million.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $7.4 million on pre-tax income of $34.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.1 million on pre-tax income of $27.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.
Our effective income tax rate was 21.9% and 21.5% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021. Our tax expense for 2021 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.7%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2021 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
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Our effective income tax rate was 21.2% and 22.4% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2020. Our 2020 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 25.2%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2020 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
We monitor the mix of profitability by tax jurisdiction and adjust our annual expected rate on a quarterly basis as needed. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution for any particular tax matter, we believe our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2021, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.7 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents were $19.1 million as compared to $13.9 million at December 31, 2021. We also had $63.6 million in short-term marketable securities as of December 31, 2022 and $56.1 million as of December 31, 2021. Our cash and cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase, and consist primarily of operating bank accounts. Our short-term marketable securities consist of a managed income mutual fund investing mainly in short-term investment grade, U.S.-dollar denominated fixed and floating-rate debt, and a short-duration bond fund. At December 31, 2022 our short-term marketable securities reflected an unrealized loss of $1.8 million as a result of increasing market interest rates.
On July 16, 2021, we closed an offering of 1,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, at a price to the public of $54.50 per share less underwriting discounts. The net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $51.0 million. We used a portion of the proceeds from the offering to repay our outstanding debt. We plan to use the remaining proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital needs and capital expenditures, dividend payments, deferred payments related to prior acquisitions, and the funding of future acquisitions. On August 4, 2021, the underwriters purchased an additional 150,000 shares pursuant to an option granted to them in connection with the offering described above. The net proceeds to the Company, after deducting underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $7.6 million. We plan to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
On February 21, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $25.0 million of the Company’s common stock through transactions on the open market, in privately negotiated purchases or otherwise until February 21, 2024. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. To date we have not made any repurchases under this program.
In June 2020, in connection with the Artegraft acquisition, we incurred debt of $65 million including a five-year revolving line of credit of $25 million and a five-year term loan of $40 million. The loans bore interest at either the Base Rate as defined in the agreement plus an applicable margin of 1.25% to 1.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio, or the Eurodollar Rate plus an applicable margin of 2.25% to 2.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio. In July 2021, we repaid the balance under the term loan, plus accrued interest, in full.
In November 2021, we terminated the credit agreement, including the revolving line of credit, as allowed for in the original agreement.
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Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We require cash to pay our operating expenses, make capital expenditures, and pay our long-term liabilities. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through public offerings and private placements of equity securities, short-term and long-term borrowings, and funds generated from our operations.
We recognized operating income of $26.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, $36.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and $28.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. We expect to fund any increased costs and expenditures from our existing cash and cash equivalents, though our future capital requirements depend on numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the revenues generated by sales of our products and services; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with potential future quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | future acquisition-related payments; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with income and other taxes; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs associated with expanding our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs associated with our initiatives to sell direct-to-hospital in new countries; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs of obtaining and maintaining U.S. FDA and other regulatory clearances of our existing and future products; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs associated with obtaining European MDR clearances for our existing and future products; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the number, timing, and nature of acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | potential future share repurchases. |
Our cash balances may decrease as we continue to use cash to fund our operations, make acquisitions, pay dividends, repurchase shares of our common stock and make deferred payments related to prior acquisitions. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents, investments and the interest we earn on these balances will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next twelve months and to meet our known long-term cash requirements. If these sources of cash are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements beyond the next twelve months, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or take out a loan. The sale of additional equity and debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders, as was the case with our July 2021 equity offering. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities, such securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations and possibly our ability to pay dividends. We may require additional capital beyond our currently forecasted amounts. Any such required additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all.
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Cash Flows
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 19,134 | $ | 13,855 | $ | 26,764 | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | ||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 25,378 | $ | 35,102 | $ | 34,800 | ||||||
| Investing activities | (10,371 | ) | (61,076 | ) | (52,891 | ) | ||||||
| Financing activities | (9,234 | ) | 13,702 | 32,155 |
Net cash provided by operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $25.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and consisted of $20.6 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $9.4 million, stock-based compensation of $4.2 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $3.2 million, and loss on divestitures of $2.0 million, offset by foreign currency transaction effect on income of $0.3 million, benefit for deferred income taxes of $0.2 million, gain on sale of building of $0.1 million, and fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.1 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $13.4 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $7.4 million, increases in accounts receivable of $3.5 million, and increases in prepaid and other assets of $3.1 million, offset by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.6 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $35.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and consisted of $26.9 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $11.1 million, stock-based compensation of $3.5 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $4.0 million, offset by fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.7 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $9.9 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $5.5 million, increases in prepaid and other assets of $1.9 million, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1.7 million and an increase in accounts receivable of $0.8 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $34.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, and consisted of $21.2 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $12.7 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $8.4 million, stock-based compensation of $3.0 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $1.8 million, and fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.2 million, offset by a benefit from deferred taxes of $0.3 million, and a gain on the sale of a building of $0.5 million) as well as cash from working capital of $0.9 million. The net cash generated from working capital was driven by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.3 million, offset by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $2.6 million and accounts receivable of $0.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, including purchases of marketable securities of $8.0 million and purchases of property and equipment of $3.2 million, offset by proceeds from the sale of the St. Etienne, France building of $0.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $61.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, including net sales of marketable securities of $56.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $4.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $52.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, including acquisition-related payments of $72.6 million primarily associated with the purchase of Artegraft and expenditures on property, equipment and technology of $3.0 million, offset by net sales of marketable securities of $20.7 million and proceeds from the sale of the North Melbourne, Australia building of $2.0 million.
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities was $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Use of cash included dividend payments of $11.0 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $1.1 million. These uses of cash were offset by proceeds from stock option exercises of $2.8 million, net of shares repurchased to covered employee payroll taxes on restricted stock unit (RSU) vestings.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Sources of cash included primarily net proceeds from an equity offering of $58.7 million and proceeds from stock option exercises of $3.7 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes on RSU vestings. These sources of cash were offset by payments made on our long-term debt of $39.0 million, dividend payments of $9.3 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $0.4 million.
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Net cash provided by financing activities was $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, consisting primarily of borrowings of $63.2 million net of debt issuance costs and stock option exercises proceeds of $5.4 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes. These increases to cash were partly offset by dividend payments of $7.7 million, debt payments of $26.0 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $2.8 million.
Dividends.
In February 2011, our Board of Directors approved a policy for the payment of quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The dividend activity for the periods presented is as follows:
| Record Date | Payment Date | Per Share Amount | Dividend Payment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2022 | |||||||||
| March 8, 2022 | March 24, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,743 | ||||
| May 17, 2022 | June 2, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,745 | ||||
| August 25, 2022 | September 8, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,750 | ||||
| November 17, 2022 | December 1, 2022 | $ | 0.125 | $ | 2,750 | ||||
| Fiscal Year 2021 | |||||||||
| March 9, 2021 | March 25, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,262 | ||||
| May 19, 2021 | June 3, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,267 | ||||
| August 26, 2021 | September 9, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,401 | ||||
| November 19, 2021 | December 2, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,405 |
On February 21, 2023, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.14 per share payable on March 23, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 9, 2023, which will total approximately $3.1 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We have adopted various accounting policies to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Our most significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, inventory valuation, valuation of intangible assets and goodwill, contingent consideration and income taxes are reviewed on an ongoing basis and updated as appropriate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Certain of our more critical accounting policies require the application of significant judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. These judgments are based on our historical experience, terms of existing contracts, and observance of trends in the industry, as appropriate. Different, reasonable estimates could have been used in the current period. Additionally, changes in accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Both of these factors could have a material impact on the presentation of our financial condition, changes in financial condition, or results of operations.
We believe that the following financial estimates and related accounting policies are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require subjective or complex judgments. Further, we believe that the items discussed below are properly recorded in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of our most critical financial estimates with the audit committee of our board of directors and our independent registered public accounting firm. The judgments about those financial estimates are based on information available as of the date of our consolidated financial statements. Those financial estimates and related policies include:
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Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is derived primarily from the sale of disposable or implantable devices used during vascular surgery. We sell primarily directly to hospitals and to a lesser extent to distributors, as described below, and, during the periods presented in our consolidated financial statements, entered into consigned inventory arrangements with either hospitals or distributors on a limited basis. We also derive revenues from the processing and cryopreservation of human tissue for implantation in patients. These revenues are recognized when services have been provided and the tissue has been shipped to the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria discussed in the succeeding paragraph have been met.
We record revenue under the provisions of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The core principle of Topic 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard explains that to achieve the core principle, an entity should take the following actions:
Step 1: Identify the contract with a customer
Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract
Step 3: Determine the transaction price
Step 4: Allocate the transaction price
Step 5: Recognize revenue when or as the entity satisfies a performance obligation
Revenue is recognized when or as a company satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer (which is when the customer obtains control of that good or service). In instances in which shipping and handling activities are performed after a customer takes control of the goods (such as when title passes upon shipment from our dock), we have made the policy election allowed under Topic 606 to account for these activities as fulfillment costs and not as performance obligations.
We generally reference customer purchase orders to determine the existence of a contract. Orders that are not accompanied by a purchase order are confirmed with the customer either in writing or verbally. The purchase orders or similar correspondence, once accepted, identify the performance obligations as well as the transaction price, and otherwise outline the rights and obligations of each party. We allocate the transaction price of each contract among the performance obligations in accordance with the pricing of each item specified on the purchase order, which is in turn based on standalone selling prices per our published price lists. In cases where we discount products or provide certain items free of charge, we allocate the discount proportionately to all performance obligations, unless it can be demonstrated that the discount should be allocated entirely to one or more, but not all, of the performance obligations.
We record revenue, net of allowances for returns and discounts, fees paid to group purchasing organizations, and any sales and value added taxes required to be invoiced, which we have elected to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price as allowed by the standard, at the time of shipment (taking into consideration contractual shipping terms), or in the case of consigned inventory, when it is consumed. Shipment is the point at which control of the product and title passes to our customers, and at which LeMaitre has a present right to receive payment for the goods.
We do not carry any contract assets or contract liabilities, as there are generally no unbilled amounts due from customers under contracts for which we have partially satisfied performance obligations, or amounts received from customers for which we have not satisfied performance obligations. We satisfy our performance obligations under revenue contracts within a short time period from receipt of the orders, and payments from customers are typically received within 30 to 60 days of fulfillment of the orders, except in certain geographies such as Spain and France where the payment cycle is customarily longer. Accordingly, there is no significant financing component to our revenue contracts. Additionally, we have elected as a policy that incremental costs (such as commissions) incurred to obtain contracts are expensed as incurred, due to the short-term nature of the contracts.
Customers returning products may be entitled to full or partial credit based on the condition and timing of the return. To be accepted, a returned product must be unopened (if sterile), unadulterated, and undamaged, must have at least 18 months remaining prior to its expiration date, or twelve months for our hospital customers in Europe, and generally be returned within 30 days of shipment. These return policies apply to sales to both hospitals and distributors. The amount of products returned to us, either for exchange or credit, has not been material. Nevertheless, we provide for an allowance for future sales returns based on historical return experience, which requires judgment. Our cost of replacing defective products has not been material and is accounted for at the time of replacement.
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Inventory and Other Deferred Costs
Inventory and Other Deferred Costs consists of finished products, work-in-process, raw materials and costs deferred in connection with human tissue cryopreservation services of our RestoreFlow allograft business. We value inventory and other deferred costs at the lower of cost or market value. Cost includes materials, labor and manufacturing overhead and is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. On a quarterly basis, we review inventory quantities on hand and analyze the provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on product expiration dating and our estimated sales forecast, which is based on sales history and anticipated future demand. Our estimates of future product demand may not be accurate, and we may understate or overstate the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. Accordingly, any significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and results of operations.
Valuation of Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets consist primarily of purchased developed technology, patents, customer relationships and trademarks, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from 2 to 16 years. Goodwill represents the amount of consideration paid in connection with business acquisitions in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We generally calculate the fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. In determining our estimated future cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we use estimates and assumptions about future revenue contributions, cost structures, and remaining useful lives of the asset. These estimates and assumptions require significant judgment and actual results may differ from assumed or estimated amounts. Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, were $46.5 million as of December 31, 2022 and $52.7 million as of December 31, 2021. Goodwill was $65.9 million as of both December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
Contingencies
In the normal course of business, we are subject to proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims and assessments for matters related to, among other things, business acquisitions, employment, commercial matters, intellectual property matters, product liability and product recalls. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters. We record charges for the costs we anticipate incurring in connection with litigation and claims against us when we determine a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate these costs. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, we were not subject to any material litigation, claims or assessments.
In connection with certain of our acquisitions, we may enter into agreements to pay additional future consideration upon the satisfaction of certain agreed-upon criteria. We record liabilities for these arrangements at estimated fair value reflecting management’s assumptions of the likelihood of achieving the specified criteria at the time of the closing, which may require significant judgment. These amounts are remeasured each reporting period, with any adjustments recorded in income from operations.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The provision for income taxes includes taxes currently payable and deferred taxes resulting from the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We maintain valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in the valuation allowances are included in our tax provision in the period of change. In determining whether a valuation allowance is warranted, we evaluate factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carry-back and carry-forward periods and tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset.
We recognize, measure, present and disclose in our financial statements, uncertain tax positions that we have taken or expect to take on a tax return. We recognize in our financial statements the impact of tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Our policy is to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) or other standard setting bodies and are generally adopted by the Company as of a specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations upon adoption.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001437749-22-004662.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The following discussion may contain predictions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future performance suggested below.
The principal objectives of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are to enhance our overall financial disclosures by providing explanation and analysis of the Company’s financial results and condition, as viewed by our management.
Overview
We are a global provider of medical devices and human tissue cryopreservation services largely used in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and to a lesser extent cardiovascular disease. We develop, manufacture, and market vascular devices to address the needs of vascular surgeons and, to a lesser degree, other specialties such as cardiac surgeons, general surgeons and neurosurgeons. Our diversified portfolio of devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins and are well known to vascular surgeons. Our principal product offerings are sold globally, primarily in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and Asia Pacific. We estimate that the annual worldwide market for peripheral vascular devices exceeds $5 billion, within which we estimate that the addressable market for our products is approximately $750 million. We have grown our business using a simple three-pronged strategy: 1) pursuing a focused call point, 2) competing for sales of low-rivalry, niche products, and 3) expanding our worldwide direct sales force while acquiring and, to a lesser extent, developing complementary devices. We have used acquisitions as a primary means of further penetrating the peripheral vascular device market, and we expect to continue to pursue this strategy in the future. We currently manufacture most of our products in our Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters.
Our products and services are used primarily by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In contrast to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons can perform both open surgical and minimally invasive endovascular procedures, and are therefore uniquely positioned to provide a wider range of treatment options to their patients. More recently, however, we have begun to explore adjacent market customers, or non-vascular surgeon customers, who can be served by our vascular device technologies, such as cardiac surgeons and neurosurgeons.
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the markets for our products as well as our business. In response to COVID-19, many hospitals limited elective procedures initially in response to the pandemic and periodically over the last two years when infection rates have increased, and many of our devices are used in elective procedures. Additionally, our sales representatives’ access to hospitals and surgeons has been restricted by hospitals or local governments. In some geographies, we have seen restrictions eased, however, the prevalence of COVID-19 variants has resulted in the re-imposition of restrictions in some areas. Moreover, recent hospital staffing issues, particularly in North America, may be adversely effecting procedure volumes. During 2020 and into 2021, these dynamics resulted in, and we expect will continue to result in, variable and unpredictable sales. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we modified our manufacturing operations in order to adhere to social distancing requirements. In Q2 2020 we also undertook measures to reduce our operating costs, including temporary base salary cuts and a reduction in force of approximately 13% of our full-time employees. However, as sales normalized, we have rehired personnel in many departments, including our sales force, and we expect to continue to add personnel in the first half of 2022. We ended our temporary base salary cuts on August 31, 2020.
Our principal product lines include the following: anastomotic clips, angioscopes, biologic vascular and dialysis grafts, biologic vascular and cardiac patches, carotid shunts, embolectomy catheters, occlusion catheters, radiopaque marking tape, synthetic vascular grafts, and valvulotomes. Through our RestoreFlow allografts business, we also provide services related to the processing and cryopreservation of human vascular and cardiac tissue.
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Our principal biologic offerings include vascular and cardiac patches, vascular, and cardiac and dialysis grafts. In 2021, biologics represented 48% of our worldwide sales. We view the biologic device segment favorably, as we believe it contains differentiated and in some cases growing product segments.
On June 22, 2020, we acquired the Artegraft biologic graft business. The results of operations of this business have been included in our results of operations since the date of acquisition.
To assist us in evaluating our business strategies, we regularly monitor long-term technology trends in the peripheral vascular device market. Additionally, we consider the information obtained from discussions with the medical community in connection with the demand for our products, including potential new product launches. We also use this information to help determine our competitive position in the peripheral vascular device market and our manufacturing capacity requirements.
Our business opportunities include the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | adding complementary products through acquisitions; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | growing our direct sales force in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Asia Pacific, including when replacing a distributor with our sales personnel; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | introducing our products into new territories upon receipt of regulatory approvals or registrations in these territories; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | consolidating and automating product manufacturing at our Burlington, Massachusetts facilities, and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | updating existing products and introducing new products through research and development. |
Our ability to execute on these opportunities on a timely basis, or at all, may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the duration and severity of which are uncertain.
We sell our products and services primarily through a direct sales force. As of December 31, 2021 our sales force was comprised of 103 sales representatives in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, including three export managers. Our worldwide headquarters is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and we also have North American sales offices in Chandler, Arizona and Vaughan, Canada. Our European headquarters is located in Sulzbach, Germany, and we also have sales offices in Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; and Hereford, England. Our Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore, and we have sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; and Kensington, Australia. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, approximately 94% and 95%, respectively, of our net sales were generated in territories in which we employ direct sales representatives. We also sell our products in other countries, including South Korea, Russia, Thailand and Brazil, through distributors.
Historically we have experienced success in lower-rivalry niche segments, for example the markets for valvulotomes and carotid shunts. In the valvulotome market, our highly differentiated devices have historically allowed us to increase our selling prices while maintaining unit share. In contrast, we have experienced less success in highly competitive markets such as the polyester vascular graft market, where we face competition from larger companies with greater resources. While we believe these challenging market dynamics can be mitigated by our relationships with vascular surgeons, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in highly competitive markets.
We have also experienced success in international markets, such as Europe, where we also have a significant sales force, and sometimes offer comparatively lower average selling prices. If we continue to seek growth opportunities outside of North America, we may experience downward pressure on our gross margin.
Our strategy for growing our business includes the acquisition of complementary product lines and companies and occasionally the discontinuance or divestiture of products or activities that are no longer complementary:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In July 2019, we entered into an agreement with UreSil, LLC to purchase the remaining assets of their Eze-Sit valve cutter business, including U.S. distribution rights, for $8.0 million. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we entered into an agreement with Anteris to purchase the assets of their CardioCel biologic patch business for $15.5 million plus additional payments of up to $7.8 million, depending upon the satisfaction of certain contingencies. |
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| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In June 2020, we entered into an agreement with Artegraft to purchase the assets of their bovine graft business for $72.5 million plus additional payments of up to $17.5 million, depending upon 2021 – 2023 unit sales. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2021, we made decisions to wind down or discontinue certain product lines including TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems, remote endarterectomy devices and surgical glue. These product lines comprised approximately $2.2 million in revenues in 2021 on a combined basis. |
Because we believe that direct-to-hospital sales engender closer customer relationships, and allow for higher selling prices and gross margins, we periodically enter into transactions with our distributors to transition their sales of our medical devices into our direct sales organization:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2020, we entered into definitive agreements with, or participated with Anteris in concluding agreements with, several former Anteris distributors in Europe and Canada, in order to terminate their distribution of our recently-acquired bovine cardiac and vascular patch products, and we began selling direct-to-hospitals in those geographies. The termination fees totaled approximately $0.1 million. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | During 2020, we participated with Artegraft in concluding agreements with several of their former U.S. distributors in order to terminate their distribution of our bovine graft products. We now sell Artegraft products direct-to-hospitals throughout the United States. |
We also use, to a much lesser extent, internal product development efforts to bring differentiated technologies and next-generation products to market:
| • | In 2019, we launched DuraSure, a biologic patch indicated for closing or repairing dural defects during open neurosurgical procedures. | |
|---|---|---|
| • | In 2020, we launched RestoreFlow cardiac allografts for use in cardiac repair and restoration. |
In addition to our sales growth strategies, we have also executed several operational initiatives designed to consolidate manufacturing into our Burlington facilities. We expect these plant consolidations will result in improved control over production quality as well as reduced costs. Our most recent manufacturing transfers included:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In September 2018, we acquired the Syntel embolectomy catheter business assets from Applied Medical. We immediately initiated a project to transfer the production to our Burlington facilities. This transfer is now complete. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In late 2018 and into 2019, we expanded our Burlington biologic clean room in order to transfer the production of our Omniflow II vascular graft from our North Melbourne, Australia facility to Burlington. This transfer is substantially complete, and the North Melbourne facility was sold. |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | In October 2019, we acquired the biologic patch business assets from Admedus. In July 2020, we initiated a project to transfer the production of these devices to our Burlington facilities. We expect this transfer to be complete in 2023. |
Our execution of these initiatives may affect the comparability of our financial results and may cause fluctuations from period to period as we incur related process engineering and other charges.
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies, primarily the Euro, affect our financial results. For the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately 39% of our sales took place outside of the U.S., largely in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We expect foreign currencies will represent a significant percentage of future sales. Selling, marketing, and administrative costs related to these sales are also denominated in foreign currencies, thereby partially mitigating our bottom-line exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, if there is an increase in the rate at which a foreign currency is exchanged for U.S. dollars, it will require more of the foreign currency to equal a specified amount of U.S. dollars than before the rate increase. In such cases we will record less revenue in U.S. dollars than we did before the exchange rate changed. For 2021, we estimate that the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates increased our reported sales by approximately $2.0 million, as compared to rates in effect for 2020.
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Net Sales and Expense Components
The following is a description of the primary components of our net sales and expenses:
Net sales. We derive our net sales from the sale of our products and services, less discounts and returns. Net sales include the shipping and handling fees paid for by our customers. Most of our sales are generated by our direct sales force and are shipped and billed to hospitals or clinics throughout the world. In countries where we do not have a direct sales force, sales are primarily to distributors, who in turn sell to hospitals and clinics. In certain cases our products are held on consignment at a hospital or clinic prior to purchase; in those instances we recognize revenue at the time the product is used in surgery rather than at shipment.
Cost of sales. We manufacture the majority of the products that we sell. Our cost of sales consists primarily of manufacturing personnel, raw materials and components, depreciation of property and equipment, and other allocated manufacturing overhead, as well as freight expense we pay to ship products to customers.
Sales and marketing. Our sales and marketing expense consists primarily of salaries, commissions, stock-based compensation, travel and entertainment, sales meetings, attendance at vascular congresses, training programs, advertising and product promotions, direct mail and other marketing costs.
General and administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of executive, finance and human resource salaries, stock based compensation, legal and accounting fees, information technology expense, intangible asset amortization expense and insurance expense.
Research and development. Research and development expense includes primarily costs associated with obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval of our products, principally salaries, laboratory testing and supply costs. It also includes costs associated with the design and execution of clinical studies, costs to register, maintain, and defend our intellectual property, and costs to transfer the manufacturing of acquired product lines to our Burlington facility. Also included are costs associated with the design, development, testing and enhancement of new or existing products.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest income and expense, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses).
Income tax expense. We are subject to federal and state income taxes for earnings generated in the U.S., which include operating losses or profits in certain foreign jurisdictions for certain years depending on tax elections made, and foreign taxes on earnings of our wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries. Our consolidated tax expense is affected by the mix of our taxable income (loss) in the U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, permanent items, discrete items, unrecognized tax benefits, and amortization of goodwill for U.S. tax reporting purposes.
Results of Operations
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the markets for our products as well as our business. In response to COVID-19, many hospitals limited elective procedures initially in response to the pandemic and periodically over the last two years when infection rates have increased, and many of our devices are used in elective procedures. Additionally, our sales representatives’ access to hospitals and surgeons has been restricted by hospitals or local governments. In some geographies, we have seen restrictions eased, however, the prevalence of COVID-19 variants has resulted in the re-imposition of restrictions in some areas. Moreover, recent hospital staffing issues, particularly in North America, may be adversely effecting procedure volumes. During 2020 and into 2021, these dynamics resulted in, and we expect will continue to result in, variable and unpredictable sales. In particular, in Q3 2021 and Q4 2021, the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 depressed demand for our products in some geographies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we modified our manufacturing operations in order to adhere to social distancing requirements. In Q2 2020 we also undertook measures to reduce our operating costs, including temporary base salary cuts and a reduction in force of approximately 13% of our full-time employees. However, as sales normalized, we have rehired personnel in many departments, including our sales force, and we expect to continue to add personnel in the first half of 2022. We ended our temporary base salary cuts on August 31, 2020.
For reasons described above, our results could be materially impacted in the near term. These financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in that context.
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Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2021 to the year ended December 31, 2020
The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, our net sales by geography, and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 154,424 | $ | 129,366 | $ | 25,058 | 19 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 102,265 | $ | 81,470 | $ | 20,795 | 26 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 42,132 | 39,193 | 2,939 | 7 | % | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 10,027 | 8,703 | 1,324 | 15 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 154,424 | $ | 129,366 | $ | 25,058 | 19 | % |
As a general matter, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted sales in 2020 more acutely than in 2021 in all geographies, though we believe that it continued to negatively impact sales throughout 2021.
Net sales. Net sales increased $25.1 million, or 19%, to $154.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $129.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was driven largely by Artegraft bovine grafts, with increased sales of $14.1 million. We acquired Artegraft on June 22, 2020, so we had six additional months of sales of Artegraft in 2021 as compared to 2020 and we also implemented a price increase in January 2021. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $3.4 million, higher bovine carotid patch sales of $2.4 million, higher carotid shunt sales of $1.9 million, and higher allograft service revenues of $1.8 million. We estimate that the weaker U.S. dollar increased sales by $2.0 million during year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to year ended December 31, 2020.
Direct-to-hospital net sales were 94% of our total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, and 95% for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $20.8 million, or 26%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The increase was driven mainly by Artegraft bovine grafts, with increased sales of $14.1 million. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $2.4 million, higher allografts service revenues of $1.8 million, higher bovine carotid patch sales of $1.5 million and higher carotid shunt sales of $1.2 million. Offsetting these increases were lower bovine cardiac patch revenues of $0.4 million. Revenues from all other products increased $0.2 million on a net basis.
EMEA net sales increased $2.9 million, or 7%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The increase was driven by higher valvulotome sales of $1.0 million, as well as higher carotid shunt sales of $0.6 million, higher embolectomy catheter sales of $0.5 million, higher bovine cardiac patch sales of $0.4 million and higher ovine graft sales of $0.3 million. These increases were offset in part by a decreases in sales of bovine carotid patches and polyester grafts of $0.3 million each. EMEA revenues from all other products increased $0.8 million on a net basis.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $1.3 million, or 15%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020, with bovine carotid patch sales increasing $1.1 million, and embolectomy catheter sales, bovine cardiac patch sales and carotid shunt sales each increasing $0.1 million. These and other product sales increases were partially offset by lower sales of TRIVEX powered phlebectomy systems of $0.1 million.
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The following table sets forth the change in our gross profit and gross margin for the periods indicated:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 101,382 | $ | 84,618 | $ | 16,764 | 20 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 65.7 | % | 65.4 | % | 0.3 | % | * |
* Not applicable
Gross Profit. Gross profit increased $16.8 million, or 20%, to $101.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020, while gross margin increased by 30 basis points to 65.7%. The increase in gross profit was driven partly by the impact in the prior period of purchase accounting from the Artegraft bovine graft acquisition. We also had a more favorable product mix in 2021 as compared to 2020, including higher Artegraft sales at an increased average selling price in 2021. This favorable impact was partly offset by manufacturing inefficiencies and higher excess and obsolescence expense by $2.3 million in 2021 due in large part to the discontinuation or winding down of certain product lines including TRIVEX and remote endarterectomy devices.
In May 2021, our CE mark certifications required to sell products in many EMEA countries were reinstated for five products. However, we also simultaneously received a change in CE mark requirements for certain bovine carotid patches and polyester grafts. For bovine carotid patches, only bovine pericardium sourced from certain of our suppliers are permitted to be sold under the new CE mark, which caused our production costs to increase, and our gross margin to decrease.
Operating Expenses
The following tables set forth changes in our operating expenses for the periods indicated and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | 2021 as a % | 2020 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 27,655 | $ | 23,700 | $ | 3,955 | 17 | % | 18 | % | 18 | % | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 25,501 | 22,501 | 3,000 | 13 | % | 17 | % | 17 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 11,801 | 10,099 | 1,702 | 17 | % | 8 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of building | - | (470 | ) | 470 | * | 0 | % | (0 | %) | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 64,957 | $ | 55,830 | $ | 9,127 | 16 | % | 42 | % | 43 | % |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2021, sales and marketing expense increased 17% to $27.7 million. The increase was driven by more sales personnel, as well as higher salaries and related expenses of $3.5 million, including higher commissions due to increased sales, and higher recruiting costs. We also had higher marketing-related costs, such as product samples and promotional materials, of $0.4 million, and higher travel and related expenses of $0.1 million. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expense was unchanged at 18% in both 2021 and 2020.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2021, general and administrative expenses increased 13% to $25.5 million. The increase was primarily due to higher compensation and related expenses, as salaries were reinstated in September 2020 and personnel were rehired following the April 2020 reduction in force. We also had higher insurance costs, banking fees and professional fees in 2021. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expense was unchanged at 17% for both comparative periods. Compensation expense for general and administrative is expected to increase further in 2022, including stock-based compensation due to an increase in the value of awards granted to certain levels of employees and a shortening of the vesting period from five years to four years for most awards.
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Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2021, research and development expense increased $1.7 million, or 17%, to $11.8 million. Product development and process engineering expenses were on a combined basis unchanged, as those groups continue their focus on manufacturing transfer projects. Clinical and regulatory expenses, however, increased $1.7 million, or 29%, driven by higher compensation expenses as well as consulting and other costs incurred in connection with reinstating or maintaining regulatory approvals, especially in Europe. We expect clinical and regulatory expenses to continue to increase as we transition our CE marks from MDD regulations to the new MDR standards. As a percentage of sales, total research and development expense was unchanged at 8% in both years. Product development expenses decreased to 1% of sales for the year ended December 31, 2021, from 2% in the prior period.
Gain on sale of building. During the third quarter of 2020, in connection with our planned manufacturing transfer of our Omniflow II ovine biologic graft to Burlington, we sold our land and building located in North Melbourne, Australia. We recognized a gain on the sale during the three months ending September 30, 2020, net of applicable sales taxes and administrative costs, of $0.5 million.
Income tax expense. We recorded a tax provision of $7.4 million on pre-tax income of $34.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.1 million on pre-tax income of $27.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.
Our effective income tax rate was 21.9% and 21.5% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021. Our tax expense for 2021 is based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 24.7%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly periods for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2021 varies from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
Our effective income tax rate was 21.2% and 22.4% for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2020. Our 2020 provision was based on an estimated annual effective tax rate of 25.2%, adjusted in the applicable quarterly period for discrete stock option exercises and other discrete items. Our income tax expense for 2020 varied from the statutory rate mainly due to federal and state tax credits, permanent items, different statutory rates from our foreign entities, and a discrete item for stock option exercises.
We monitor the mix of profitability by tax jurisdiction and adjust our annual expected rate on a quarterly basis as needed. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution for any particular tax matter, we believe our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2021, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.7 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Comparison of the year ended December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2019
The following tables set forth, for the periods indicated, our results of operations and the change between the specified periods expressed as a percentage increase or decrease:
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2019 | $ Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 129,366 | $ | 117,232 | $ | 12,134 | 10 | % | ||||||||
| Net sales by geography: | ||||||||||||||||
| Americas | $ | 81,470 | $ | 69,359 | $ | 12,111 | 17 | % | ||||||||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 39,193 | 39,480 | (287 | ) | (1 | %) | ||||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 8,703 | 8,393 | 310 | 4 | % | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 129,366 | $ | 117,232 | $ | 12,134 | 10 | % |
Net sales. Net sales increased 10% or $12.1 million to $129.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $117.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was largely from recently acquired products including Artegraft bovine grafts of $10.8 million and CardioCel bovine cardiac patches of $5.3 million. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $3.9 million, including sales of Eze-Sit in the U.S., which we acquired in July 2019. These sales increases were partly offset by lower OEM sales of $2.2 million, lower sales of carotid shunts of $1.8 million, lower bovine carotid patch sales of $1.1 million, lower TRIVEX sales of $1.0 million and lower AnastoClip sales of $0.8 million. All other products decreased on a net basis by $2.0 million. We estimate that changes in foreign exchange rates during the year ended December 31, 2020 increased net sales by $0.8 million.
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Direct-to-hospital net sales were 95% of total sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 94% for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Net sales by geography. Net sales in the Americas increased $12.1 million or 17% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was driven mainly by recently acquired products including Artegraft of $10.8 million and CardioCel of $3.5 million. We also had higher valvulotome sales of $2.8 million. These increases were partly offset by decreases across most product lines which, with the exception of OEM sales, we believe were due primarily to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Product lines with the largest decreases included carotid shunts and OEM sales, each decreasing by $1.5 million, bovine carotid patches which decreased $0.7 million and vessel closure systems which decreased by $0.9 million. All other products combined decreased by $0.4 million.
Europe, Middle East and Africa net sales were relatively unchanged year-over-year, at $39.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to $39.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Sales of CardioCel cardiac patches increased by $1.4 million and valvulotomes increased by $1.0 million, offset by declines in most other product lines. Products with larger decreases included Omniflow II grafts and OEM sales, which each decreased by $0.7 million, and bovine carotid patches, which decreased by $0.6 million. As discussed under Item 1A. Risk Factors, we experienced a lapse in CE mark certifications for some products due to one of our Notified Bodies abandoning CE mark certifications services. This caused certain of our products to go on backorder starting in the quarter ended June 30, 2020, including bovine carotid patches and polyester grafts. We received temporary approvals in most European countries, which allowed us to resume sales of those products for a limited time period, pending recertification.
Asia Pacific net sales increased $0.4 million or 4% for the year ended December 31, 2020. Increased sales of CardioCel cardiac patches of $0.5 million, bovine carotid patches of $0.2 million and embolectomy catheters of $0.2 million were offset in part by declines in sales of TRIVEX of $0.6 million.
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2019 | Change | change | |||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 84,618 | $ | 79,853 | $ | 4,765 | 6 | % | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 65.4 | % | 68.1 | % | (2.7 | %) | * |
* Not applicable
Gross Profit. Gross profit increased $4.8 million to $84.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, while gross margin decreased by 270 basis points to 65.4% in the period. The decrease in the gross margin was driven primarily by the impact of purchase accounting from the Artegraft acquisition and to a lesser extent by manufacturing inefficiencies, as well as a slightly less favorable product mix, including higher sales of CardioCel cardiac patches and embolectomy catheters.
Operating Expenses.
| Percent | 2020 as a % | 2019 as a % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2019 | $ change | change | of Net Sales | of Net Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 23,700 | $ | 30,339 | $ | (6,639 | ) | (22 | %) | 18 | % | 26 | % | |||||||||||
| General and administrative | 22,501 | 19,055 | 3,446 | 18 | % | 17 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 10,099 | 9,276 | 823 | 9 | % | 8 | % | 8 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Gain on divestures and acquisitions | (470 | ) | - | (470 | ) | * | (0 | %) | * | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 55,830 | $ | 58,670 | $ | (2,840 | ) | (5 | %) | 43 | % | 50 | % |
* Not a meaningful percentage.
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Sales and marketing. For the year ended December 31, 2020, sales and marketing expense decreased $6.6 million, or 22%, to $23.7 million. The decrease was driven mainly by expense reduction programs implemented in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, including a reduction in force and temporary base salary cuts in place until August 31. The major components of the sales and marketing expense reduction were salaries and related expenses of $2.3 million, travel and related expenses of $1.9 million, and commission expense of $1.6 million. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing expense decreased to 22% for the year ended December 31, 2020 from 26% in the prior period.
General and administrative. For the year ended December 31, 2020, general and administrative expense increased $3.5 million, or 18%, to $22.5 million. Higher acquisition-related costs including consulting and other transaction costs of approximately $1.2 million and increased amortization expense of $2.6 million were partly offset by lower compensation-related costs from our reduction in force and temporary wage cuts of $0.6 million. Other expense categories increased by an additional $0.3 million on a net basis. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expense was 17% for 2020 and 16% for 2019.
Research and development. For the year ended December 31, 2020, research and development expense increased $0.8 million, or 9%, to $10.1 million. Product development and process engineering expenses decreased $1.2 million or 22% on a combined basis, in large part due to completion of the manufacturing transfer of certain acquired products to our Burlington facilities. Clinical and regulatory expenses increased $2.3 million or 67%, as a result of consulting and other costs incurred in connection with reinstating or maintaining regulatory approvals, especially in Europe, as well as regulatory submissions for our products in geographies such as China and Japan, and testing related to our biologic products. Royalty expense decreased $0.3 million due to the expiration of underlying royalty agreements. As a percentage of sales, research and development expense were 8% for both 2020 and 2019.
Gain on sale of building. During the first quarter of 2020, in connection with our planned manufacturing transfer of Omniflow II to Burlington, we executed an agreement to sell our land and building in North Melbourne, Australia for A$2.9 million ($2.0 million). The sale closed in September 2020. The building had a net book value of A$1.9 million ($1.4 million). We recognized a $0.5 million gain on the sale, net of applicable sales taxes and administrative costs.
Other income (expense). Other income (expense) primarily includes interest income and expense, foreign currency gains (losses), and other miscellaneous gains (losses). Interest income was $0.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively for 2020 and 2019. The decrease was due to the sale of most of our interest-bearing investments to acquire Artegraft. We also incurred debt of $65.0 million in order to complete the acquisition, which generated $1.3 million of interest expense in 2020. Foreign exchange losses on settlements or remeasurement of receivables and payables denominated in foreign currencies were $0.3 million and $0.2 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Income tax expense. We recorded a provision for taxes of $6.1 million on pre-tax income of $27.4 million in 2020 as compared to $3.7 million on pre-tax income of $21.7 million in 2019. The 2020 provision was comprised of a U.S. federal tax provision of $4.2 million, a state tax provision of $0.7 million, and a foreign tax provision of $1.2 million. The 2019 provision was comprised of a U.S. federal tax provision of $2.0 million, a state tax provision of $0.4 million, and a foreign tax provision of $1.3 million. Our effective tax rate differed from the U.S. statutory tax rate in 2020 principally because of stock option exercises, taxes on foreign earnings, valuation allowances, and certain permanent differences. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or timing of the resolution of any particular tax matter, we believe that our tax reserves reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies.
We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized through future taxable income and record a valuation allowance to reduce gross deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2020, we have provided a valuation allowance of $1.8 million for deferred tax assets primarily related to Australian net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards and Massachusetts tax credit carry forwards that are not expected to be realized.
Refer to Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information about income tax expense (benefit) including information related to U.S. tax reform legislation.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2021, we held $13.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $56.1 million in short-term marketable securities, as compared to $26.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and $0.2 million in short-term marketable securities at December 31, 2020. Our cash and cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase, and consist primarily of operating bank accounts. Our short-term marketable securities consist of a managed income mutual fund investing mainly in short-term investment grade, U.S.-dollar denominated fixed and floating-rate debt, and a short-duration bond fund. All of our cash held outside of the U.S. is available for corporate use, with the exception of $2.5 million held by subsidiaries in jurisdictions for which earnings are planned to be permanently reinvested.
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On July 16, 2021, we closed an offering of 1,000,0000 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, at a price to the public of $54.50 per share less underwriting discounts. The net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $51.0 million. We used a portion of the proceeds from the offering to repay our outstanding debt. We plan to use the remaining proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital needs and capital expenditures, dividend payments, deferred payments related to prior acquisitions, and the funding of future acquisitions. On August 4, 2021, the underwriters purchased an additional 150,000 shares pursuant to an option granted to them in connection with the offering described above. The net proceeds to the Company, after deducting underwriting discounts and other offering expenses, were approximately $7.6 million. We plan to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
On February 22, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20.0 million of the Company’s common stock through transactions on the open market, in privately negotiated purchases or otherwise until February 22, 2023. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. To date we have not made any repurchases under this program.
In June 2020, in connection with the Artegraft acquisition, we incurred debt of $65 million including a five-year revolving line of credit of $25 million and a five-year term loan of $40 million. The loans bore interest at either the Base Rate as defined in the agreement plus an applicable margin of 1.25% to 1.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio, or the Eurodollar Rate plus an applicable margin of 2.25% to 2.75% depending on our consolidated leverage ratio. In December 2020, we repaid the outstanding balance under the revolving line of credit, plus accrued interest, in full. In July 2021, we repaid the balance under the term loan, plus accrued interest, in full. In November 2021, we terminated the credit agreement, including the revolving line of credit, as allowed for in the original agreement.
Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements
We require cash to pay our operating expenses, make capital expenditures, and pay our long-term liabilities. Since our inception, we have funded our operations through public offerings and private placements of equity securities, short-term and long-term borrowings, and funds generated from our operations.
We recognized operating income of $36.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, $28.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, and $21.2 million for the year ended December 3, 2019. We expect to fund any increased costs and expenditures from our existing cash and cash equivalents, though our future capital requirements depend on numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the revenues generated by product sales; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with potential future quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with our stock repurchase program; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | future acquisition-related payments; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with U.S income and other taxes; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | payments associated with our leased facilities worldwide; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs associated with expanding our manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs associated with our initiatives to sell direct-to-hospital in new countries; |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the costs of obtaining and maintaining FDA, CE mark and other regulatory clearances of our existing and future products; and |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • | the number, timing, and nature of acquisitions and other strategic transactions. |
Our cash balances may decrease as we continue to use cash to fund our operations, make acquisitions, pay dividends, repurchase shares of our common stock and make deferred payments related to prior acquisitions. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents, investments and the interest we earn on these balances will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next twelve months, and to meet our known long-term cash requirements. If these sources of cash are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities, or incur debt under a new credit facility. The sale of additional equity and debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities, such securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations and possibly our ability to pay dividends. We may require additional capital beyond our currently forecasted amounts. Any such required additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all.
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Cash Flows
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||
| ($ in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 13,855 | $ | 26,764 | $ | 11,786 | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in): | ||||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 35,102 | $ | 34,800 | $ | 14,179 | ||||||
| Investing activities | (61,076 | ) | (52,891 | ) | (24,100 | ) | ||||||
| Financing activities | 13,702 | 32,155 | (4,622 | ) |
Net cash provided by operating activities. Net cash provided by operating activities was $35.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and consisted of $26.9 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $18.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $11.1 million, stock-based compensation of $3.5 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $4.0 million, offset by fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.7 million), as well as cash used for working capital of $9.9 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $5.5 million, increases in prepaid and other assets of $1.9 million, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1.7 million and an increase in accounts receivable of $0.8 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $34.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, and consisted of $21.2 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $12.7 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $8.4 million, stock-based compensation of $3.0 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $1.8 million, and fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.2 million, offset by a benefit from deferred taxes of $0.3 million, and a gain on the sale of a building of $0.5 million) as well as cash from working capital of $0.9 million. The net cash generated from working capital was driven by increases in accounts payable and other liabilities of $4.3 million, offset by increases in inventory and other deferred costs of $2.6 million and accounts receivable of $0.9 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $14.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, and consisted of $17.9 million net income, adjusted for non-cash items of $10.1 million (including primarily depreciation and amortization of $5.4 million, stock-based compensation of $2.6 million, provisions for inventory write-offs and doubtful accounts of $1.1 million, a provision for deferred taxes of $0.8 million and fair value adjustments on contingent consideration for acquisitions of $0.2 million), as well as working capital uses of $13.6 million. The net cash used for working capital was driven by increases in inventory of $11.3 million, accounts receivable of $1.3 million, and other current assets of $0.7 million, as well as a decrease in accounts payable and other liabilities of $0.3 million.
Net cash used in investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities was $61.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, including net sales of marketable securities of $56.2 million and purchases of property and equipment of $4.9 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $52.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, including acquisition-related payments of $72.6 million primarily associated with the purchase of Artegraft and expenditures on property, equipment and technology of $3.0 million, offset by net sales of marketable securities of $20.7 million and proceeds from the sale of the North Melbourne, Australia building of $2.0 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $24.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, driven by cash paid for acquisitions of $21.0 million, as well as purchases of property and equipment of $3.8 million primarily associated with biologic clean room build-outs in Burlington. These investments were in part offset by net sales of short-term investments of $0.9 million.
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities was $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Sources of cash included primarily net proceeds from an equity offering of $58.7 million and proceeds from stock option exercises of $3.7 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes on RSU vestings. These sources of cash were offset by payments made on our long-term debt of $39.0 million, dividend payments of $9.3 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $0.4 million.
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Net cash provided by financing activities was $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, consisting primarily of borrowings of $63.2 million net of debt issuance costs and stock option exercises proceeds of $5.4 million, net of shares repurchased to cover employee payroll taxes. These increases to cash were partly offset by dividend payments of $7.7 million, debt payments of $26.0 million and deferred payments for acquisitions of $2.8 million.
Net cash used in financing activities was $4.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, driven primarily by dividend payments of $6.7 million and payments related to prior acquisitions of $2.3 million. We had proceeds from stock option exercises of $4.9 million, offset by the acquisition of $0.7 million of treasury shares to cover minimum withholding taxes on restricted stock unit vestings.
Dividends. In February 2011, our Board of Directors approved a policy for the payment of quarterly cash dividends on our common stock. Future declarations of quarterly dividends and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to approval by our Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The dividend activity for the periods presented is as follows:
| Record Date | Payment Date | Per Share Amount | Dividend Payment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands) | |||||||||
| Fiscal Year 2021 | |||||||||
| March 9, 2021 | March 25, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,262 | ||||
| May 19, 2021 | June 3, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,267 | ||||
| August 26, 2021 | September 9, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,401 | ||||
| November 19, 2021 | December 2, 2021 | $ | 0.110 | $ | 2,405 | ||||
| Fiscal Year 2020 | |||||||||
| March 3, 2020 | March 19, 2020 | $ | 0.095 | $ | 1,917 | ||||
| May 20, 2020 | June 4, 2020 | $ | 0.095 | $ | 1,917 | ||||
| August 27, 2020 | September 10, 2020 | $ | 0.095 | $ | 1,925 | ||||
| November 19, 2020 | December 3, 2020 | $ | 0.095 | $ | 1,936 |
On February 22, 2022, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of $0.125 per share payable on March 24, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 8, 2022, which will total approximately $2.7 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We have adopted various accounting policies to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Our most significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, inventories, intangible assets, and income taxes are reviewed on an ongoing basis and updated as appropriate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Certain of our more critical accounting policies require the application of significant judgment by management in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. These judgments are based on our historical experience, terms of existing contracts, and observance of trends in the industry, as appropriate. Different, reasonable estimates could have been used in the current period. Additionally, changes in accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Both of these factors could have a material impact on the presentation of our financial condition, changes in financial condition, or results of operations.
We believe that the following financial estimates and related accounting policies are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require subjective or complex judgments. Further, we believe that the items discussed below are properly recorded in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. Management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of our most critical financial estimates with the audit committee of our board of directors and our independent registered public accounting firm. The judgments about those financial estimates are based on information available as of the date of our consolidated financial statements. Those financial estimates and related policies include:
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Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is derived primarily from the sale of disposable or implantable devices used during vascular surgery. We sell primarily directly to hospitals, and to a lesser extent to distributors. We also occasionally enter into consigned inventory arrangements with either hospitals or distributors on a limited basis. Following our acquisition of the RestoreFlow allograft business, we also derive revenues from human tissue cryopreservation services. These service revenues are recognized when services have been provided and the tissue has been shipped to the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria discussed below have been met.
We recognize revenue under the provisions of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The core principle of Topic 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard explains that to achieve the core principle, an entity should take the following actions:
Step 1: Identify the contract with a customer
Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract
Step 3: Determine the transaction price
Step 4: Allocate the transaction price
Step 5: Recognize revenue when or as the entity satisfies a performance obligation
Revenue is recognized when or as a company satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer (which is when the customer obtains control of that good or service). In instances in which shipping and handling activities are performed after a customer takes control of the goods (such as when title passes upon shipment from our dock), we have made the policy election allowed under Topic 606 to account for these activities as fulfillment costs and not as performance obligations.
We generally reference customer purchase orders to determine the existence of a contract. Orders that are not accompanied by a purchase order are confirmed with the customer in writing or verbally. The purchase orders or similar correspondence, once accepted, identify the performance obligations as well as the transaction price, and otherwise outline the rights and obligations of each party. We allocate the transaction price of each contract among the performance obligations in accordance with the pricing of each item specified on the purchase order, which is in turn based on standalone selling prices per our published price lists. In cases where we discount products or provide certain items free of charge, we allocate the discount proportionately to all performance obligations, unless it can be demonstrated that the discount should be allocated entirely to one or more, but not all, of the performance obligations.
We record revenue, net of allowances for returns and discounts, fees paid to group purchasing organizations, and any sales and value added taxes required to be invoiced, which we have elected to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price as allowed by the standard, at the time of shipment (taking into consideration contractual shipping terms), or in the case of consigned inventory, when it is consumed. Shipment is the point at which control of the product and title passes to our customers, and at which LeMaitre has a present right to receive payment for the goods.
We do not carry any contract assets or contract liabilities, as there are generally no unbilled amounts due from customers under contracts for which we have partially satisfied performance obligations, or amounts received from customers for which we have not satisfied performance obligations. We satisfy our performance obligations under revenue contracts within a short time period from receipt of the orders, and payments from customers are typically received within 30 to 60 days of fulfillment of the orders, except in certain geographies such as Spain and Italy where the payment cycle is customarily longer. Accordingly, there is no significant financing component to our revenue contracts. Additionally, we have elected as a policy that incremental costs (such as commissions) incurred to obtain contracts are expensed as incurred, due to the short-term nature of the contracts.
Customers returning products may be entitled to full or partial credit based on the condition and timing of the return. To be accepted, a returned product must be unopened (if sterile), unadulterated, and undamaged, must have at least 18 months remaining prior to its expiration date, or twelve months for our hospital customers in Europe, and generally be returned within 30 days of shipment. These return policies apply to sales to both hospitals and distributors. The amount of products returned to us, either for exchange or credit, has not been material. Nevertheless, we provide for an allowance for future sales returns based on historical return experience, which requires judgment. Our cost of replacing defective products has not been material and is accounted for at the time of replacement.
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Inventory and Other Deferred Costs
Inventory consists of finished products, work-in-process, and raw materials. We value inventory at the lower of cost or market value. Cost includes materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead and is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. On a quarterly basis, we review inventory quantities on hand and analyze the provision for excess and obsolete inventory based primarily on product expiration dating and our estimated sales forecast, which is based on sales history and anticipated future demand. Our estimates of future product demand may not be accurate, and we may understate or overstate the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. Accordingly, any significant unanticipated changes in demand could have a significant impact on the value of our inventory and results of operations.
In connection with our RestoreFlow allograft business, other deferred costs include costs incurred for the preservation of human vascular tissues available for shipment, tissues currently in active processing, and tissues held in quarantine pending release to implantable status. By U.S. federal law, human tissues cannot be bought or sold. Therefore, the tissues we preserve are not held as inventory, and the costs we incur to procure and process human vascular tissues are instead accumulated and deferred.
Valuation of Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets consist primarily of purchased developed technology, patents, customer relationships and trademarks, and are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from 2 to 16 years. Goodwill represents the amount of consideration paid in connection with business acquisitions in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We generally calculate the fair value of our intangible assets as the present value of estimated future cash flows we expect to generate from the asset using a risk-adjusted discount rate. In determining our estimated future cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we use estimates and assumptions about future revenue contributions, cost structures, and remaining useful lives of the asset. These estimates and assumptions require significant judgment and actual results may differ from assumed or estimated amounts. Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, were $52.7 million as of December 31, 2021 and $58.9 million as of December 31, 2020. Goodwill was $65.9 million as of both December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.
Contingencies
In the normal course of business, we are subject to proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims and assessments for matters related to, among other things, business acquisitions, employment, commercial matters, intellectual property matters, product liability and product recalls. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters. We record charges for the costs we anticipate incurring in connection with litigation and claims against us when we determine a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate these costs. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, we were not subject to any material litigation, claims or assessments.
In connection with certain of our acquisitions, we may enter into agreements to pay additional future consideration upon the satisfaction of certain agreed-upon criteria. We record liabilities for these arrangements at estimated fair value reflecting management’s assumptions of the likelihood of achieving the specified criteria at the time of the closing, which may require significant judgment. These amount are remeasured each reporting period, with any adjustments recorded in income from operations.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The provision for income taxes includes taxes currently payable and deferred taxes resulting from the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. We maintain valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in the valuation allowances are included in our tax provision in the period of change. In determining whether a valuation allowance is warranted, we evaluate factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carry-back and carry-forward periods and tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset.
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We recognize, measure, present and disclose in our financial statements, uncertain tax positions that we have taken or expect to take on a tax return. We recognize in our financial statements the impact of tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Our policy is to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 Income Taxes (Topic 740), which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 as well as clarifying and amending other areas of existing GAAP under Topic 740. The new standard was effective for us beginning January 1, 2021. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial statements.