Inspiremd, Inc. quarterly report, Q1 FY2016

InspireMD, Inc. — Q1 2016 Form 10-Q

Business context and reporting period

Quarter ended March 31, 2016; unaudited consolidated results, with financial amounts in U.S. dollars unless noted. InspireMD develops and commercializes MicroNet-based vascular stent products, principally CGuard for carotid disease and MGuard for coronary disease. Products were not approved for sale in the United States; sales were primarily through international distributors.

Financial performance and liquidity

MetricQ1 2016Q1 2015 / comparison
Revenue$563,000$477,000; up 18.2%
Gross profit (loss) and margin$66,000; 11.7%$(37,000); (7.8%)
Operating expenses$2.453 million$4.853 million
Operating loss$(2.387) million$(4.890) million
Net loss$(2.609) million$(5.212) million
Basic and diluted loss per share$(0.32)$(1.04)
Cash used in operating activities$(1.865) million$(4.622) million
Cash and cash equivalents$1.999 million at March 31$3.257 million at December 31, 2015

At March 31, 2016, total assets were $4.244 million and total liabilities were $7.639 million, resulting in a capital deficiency of $3.395 million. Current liabilities were $7.055 million versus current assets of $3.322 million; the working-capital deficit was $3.7 million. Loan balances were reported as $4.294 million current and no long-term loan, compared with $4.149 million current and $1.099 million long-term at year-end 2015. Interest expense was $179,000.

Cash provided by investing activities was $90,000, mainly from employee-retirement funds. Financing activities provided $516,000 net: approximately $1.5 million of share and warrant proceeds, offset by approximately $988,000 of loan repayment and withholding taxes. Cash declined by $1.258 million during the quarter.

Material changes versus the prior comparable period

  • Revenue growth reflected CGuard sales of $320,000 versus $60,000 a year earlier, partly offset by MGuard sales of $243,000 versus $417,000. Management attributed the MGuard decline in part to preference for drug-eluting over bare-metal stents.
  • Gross profit improved by $103,000, reflecting higher revenue and fewer inventory write-offs, partly offset by higher material and labor costs and manufacturing underutilization.
  • Operating expenses fell by $2.4 million, primarily following cost reductions and focused spending: R&D decreased to $478,000 from $1.352 million, selling and marketing to $386,000 from $1.017 million, and G&A to $1.589 million from $1.970 million. The prior-year period also included $514,000 of restructuring and impairment charges, including a royalty buyout impairment.
  • Net loss narrowed by about 50%, but the company continued to incur substantial losses and use operating cash.
  • On March 21, the company issued 2,933,051 shares and warrants to purchase 1,466,526 shares in a public offering and private placement. Gross proceeds were approximately $1.7 million and net proceeds approximately $1.4 million. Outstanding shares were 10,671,187 at quarter-end and 10,721,082 on May 10, 2016.

Outlook, risks, contingencies and unusual items

Going concern: Management stated that available resources were insufficient to fund operations beyond June 2016 and that substantial doubt existed about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Plans included continued commercialization and raising capital through equity, debt or strategic partnerships, with no assurance of success; failure could require reduced activity, curtailment or cessation of operations. No specific financial guidance was provided.

Key risks identified include recurring losses and financing needs; product market acceptance, clinical and regulatory outcomes; reliance on certain suppliers and subcontractors; competition; reimbursement and product-liability risks; foreign-exchange exposure; and potential effects of hostilities in Israel on manufacturing. Management also cited distributor ordering patterns, clinical-trial timing and manufacturing efficiency as sources of operating variability.

Contingencies included a distributor request for unspecified compensation related to prepaid goods subject to a voluntary field action; management considered a loss reasonably possible, ranging from a minimal amount to €1.075 million. A service provider sought $1.965 million, but management believed neither a court loss nor settlement was probable, while noting the outcome could not be estimated. An alleged finder filed suit on April 26, 2016 seeking $2.2 million and unspecified equity compensation; management considered loss neither probable nor estimable. The company paid $100,000 in March 2016 to settle an older Argentina labor claim.

An option cancellation agreement with certain directors and executives was treated as a settlement for no consideration, resulting in recognition of approximately $800,000 of remaining unrecognized compensation cost. Management reported disclosure controls effective at a reasonable-assurance level and no material change in internal control over financial reporting during the quarter.

Most important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether the company obtained sufficient post-quarter financing to address the stated June 2016 funding shortfall and going-concern uncertainty.
  • Cash burn, current obligations and loan repayment terms, including the status of the secured loan and collateral arrangements.
  • Whether CGuard sales growth and gross-margin improvement continued, and how distributor concentration and MGuard demand affected revenue.
  • Potential dilution from the March offering warrants and other outstanding options, warrants and awards; 5,913,420 potential shares were excluded from diluted loss per share as anti-dilutive.
  • Developments in the distributor, service-provider and finder matters, and any further costs or claims related to the voluntary field action.