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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐iNo☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐iNo☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. iYes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such
files). iYes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”“accelerated filer,”“smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
☐
Accelerated
filer
☐
iNon-accelerated filer
☒
Smaller reporting company
i☒
Emerging
growth company
i☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the
registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. i☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
i☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company
(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No i☒
The aggregate market value of the registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates as of December 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $i44.2
million, based on a closing market price of $3.72 per share.
The number of shares of common stock (par value $0.0001) outstanding as of August 25, 2023 wasi12,701,736 shares.
iPortions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed subsequent to the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with the registrant’s fiscal year 2023 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report. Such definitive proxy statement will be filed with the Commission not later than 120 days after
the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.
Certain statements contained in this report and the information incorporated by reference herein may contain “forward-looking statements” (as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")). These
statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, reflect our current expectations, intentions, or strategies regarding our possible future results of operations, performance, and achievements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation: statements regarding future products or product development; statements regarding future selling, general and administrative costs and research and development spending; statements regarding the future performance of our network marketing efforts; statements regarding our expectations regarding ongoing litigation; statements regarding international growth; and statements regarding future financial performance, results of operations, capital expenditures and sufficiency of capital resources to fund our operating requirements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission
and common law.
These forward-looking statements may be identified in this report and the information incorporated by reference by words such as “anticipate,”“believe,”“could,”“estimate,”“expect,”“intend,”“plan,”“predict,”“project,”“should” and similar terms and expressions, including references to assumptions and strategies. These statements reflect our current beliefs and are based on information currently available to us. Accordingly, these statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and contingencies, which could cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements.
The following factors are among those that may cause actual results to differ materially from
our forward-looking statements:
•Inability to properly manage, motivate and retain our independent consultants (which we previously referred to as “distributors ” in our prior filings) or to attract new customers and independent consultants on an ongoing basis;
•The widespread outbreak of an illness or communicable disease or any other public health crisis, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition;
•Inability to protect against cyber security risks and to maintain the integrity of data;
•Inability to manage existing markets, open new international markets or expand our operations;
•Non-compliance
by our independent consultants with applicable legal requirements or our policies and procedures, including making improper and/or illegal claims about our products or earnings opportunity;
•Inability of new products and technological innovations to gain customer or independent consultant or market acceptance;
•Our business and stock price may be adversely affected if our internal controls over financial reporting is not effective;
•Inability to execute our product launch process due to increased pressure on our supply chain, information systems and management;
•Inability to appropriately manage our inventory;
•Disruptions in our
information technology systems;
•Inability to raise additional capital or complete desired acquisitions;
•Inability to comply with financial covenants imposed by our credit facility and the impact of debt service obligations and restrictive debt covenants;
•Dependence upon a few products for revenue;
•We may be unable to retain our existing consultant force or customer base or attract additional customers and/or independent consultants;
•Changes to
the company’s independent consultant compensation plans;
•High quality materials for our products may become difficult to obtain or expensive;
•Improper actions by our independent consultants that violate laws or regulations could harm our business;
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•Dependence on third parties to manufacture our products;
•Disruptions to the transportation channels used to distribute our products;
•We may
be subject to a product recall;
•Unfavorable publicity on our business or products;
•We are subject to risks related to Global Not For Resale programs;
•Our direct selling program could be found to not be in compliance with current or newly adopted laws or regulations in various markets;
•The impact of actions by activist stockholders;
•Legal proceedings may be expensive and time consuming;
•Strict government regulations on our business;
•Our Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products are subject to
varying and changing federal, state or local laws, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial conditions;
•Regulations governing the production or marketing of our products;
•Risk of investigatory and enforcement action;
•Government authorities may question our tax positions or transfer pricing policies or change their laws in a manner that could increase our effective tax rate or otherwise harm our business;
•Failure to comply with anti-corruption laws;
•Loss of or inability to attract key personnel;
•We may be held responsible for certain
taxes or assessments and other obligations relating to the activity of our independent consultants;
•Competition in the dietary supplement and personal care markets;
•Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights;
•Third party claims that we infringe on their intellectual property;
•Product liability claims against us;
•Consumer discretionary spending habits factor into our economic success;
•Economic, political, foreign exchange and other risks associated with international operations;
•Potential
delisting of our common stock due to non-compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements;
•Volatility of the market price of our common stock; and
•Substantial sales of shares may negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this report and the documents incorporated by reference. Except as required by law, we have no obligation and do not undertake to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report.
SUMMARY OF RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BUSINESS
We face risks and
uncertainties associated with our business, many of which are beyond our control. Some of the more significant risks associated with our business that may cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include the following:
•An inability to properly motivate and incentivize sales from our independent consultants could harm our business.
•The widespread outbreak of an illness or communicable disease, or any other public health crisis, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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•Cyber security risks
and the failure to maintain the integrity of data belonging to our company, employees, customers, and independent consultants could expose us to data loss, litigation and liability, and our reputation could be significantly harmed.
•We may not be successful in expanding our operations.
•If we are able to expand our operations, we may experience difficulties in managing our future growth, which could adversely affect our business.
•We may not succeed in growing our business in existing markets or opening new markets.
•Actions of activist stockholders could impact the pursuit of our business strategies, cause us to
incur substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock.
•Our independent distributors could fail to comply with applicable legal requirements or our policies and procedures, which could result in claims against us that could harm our business.
•Inability of new products and technological innovations to gain market acceptance by customers and/or independent distributors could harm our business.
•Our business could be negatively impacted if we fail to execute our product launch process due to increased pressure on our supply chain, information systems and management.
•Our
business may be harmed if we are unable to appropriately manage our inventory.
•Our business could be negatively impacted if we fail to execute any product launch process due to increased pressure on our supply chain, information systems and management.
•We rely on our information technology systems to manage numerous aspects of our business, and a disruption in these systems could adversely affect our business.
•We primarily depend on a few products for our revenue.
•If we are unable to retain our existing customers and independent distributors or attract additional customers and independent distributors, our revenue will not increase and may decline further.
•High
quality materials for our products may be difficult to obtain or expensive.
•Although our independent consultants are independent contractors, improper actions by independent consultants that violate laws or regulations could harm our business.
•We are dependent upon third parties to manufacture our products.
•Laws and regulations may prohibit or severely restrict direct selling and cause our revenue and profitability to decline, and regulators could adopt new regulations that negatively impact our business.
•Our direct selling program could be found to be not in compliance with current or newly adopted laws or regulations in one or more markets, which could prevent us from conducting our business
in these markets and harm our financial condition and operating results.
•Our business is subject to strict government regulations.
•Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brand.
•Our business is susceptible to product liability claims.
•We may be adversely affected by changes to our independent consultant compensation plans.
LifeVantage Corporation is a company focused on nutrigenomics, the study of how nutrition and naturally occurring compounds affect human genes to support good health. LifeVantage is dedicated to helping people achieve their health, wellness and financial goals. We provide quality, scientifically validated products to customers and independent consultants as well as a financially rewarding commission-based direct sales opportunity to our independent consultants. We sell our products in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines. We also sell our products in a number of countries to customers for personal consumption only.
We engage in the identification, research, development, formulation and sale of advanced nutrigenomic activators, dietary supplements, nootropics, pre- and pro-biotics, weight management, skin and hair care, bath & body, and targeted relief products. Our line of scientifically validated dietary supplements includes our flagship Protandim® family of products, LifeVantage® Omega+, ProBio, IC Bright®, and Daily Wellness dietary supplements. TrueScience® is our line of skin, hair, bath & body, and targeted relief products. We also market and sell Petandim®, our companion pet supplement formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs, Axio® our nootropic energy drink mixes, and PhysIQ, our smart weight management system.
We
were incorporated in Colorado in June 1988 under the name Andraplex Corporation. We changed our corporate name to Yaak River Resources, Inc. in January 1992 and subsequently changed it again in October 2004 to Lifeline Therapeutics, Inc. In October 2004 and March 2005, we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Lifeline Nutraceuticals Corporation. In November 2006, we changed our name to LifeVantage Corporation. From our fiscal year 2005 until our fiscal year 2009, we marketed and sold a single product, Protandim®, through traditional retail stores. In October 2008, we announced that we were transitioning our business model from a traditional retail model to a direct sales model in which Protandim® would be sold primarily through a network of independent consultants. Since entering direct sales, we have increased our geographic reach by entering new international markets
and increased our product offering by introducing additional scientifically validated products.
In 2018, we reincorporated from the State of Colorado to the State of Delaware.
Fiscal Year 2023 Highlights
COVID-19 Influence on Business Operations and Work Environment
In fiscal year 2023, we maintained both virtual and in person business operations, which started in 2020 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. During fiscal year 2023, we continued to provide successful virtual events and trainings, including twice-weekly online training events. We have seen a high level of engagement and attendance from our independent consultants, with hundreds of attendees
on average and over 2,000 attendees at some virtual and in-person meetings. In fiscal year 2023, we continued the hybrid model with our employees working from home a few days a week and in the office a few days a week which has worked well for employee productivity. We remain focused on being digital first and committed to increasing our investments into digital technologies and tools for independent consultants and employees to function effectively in the current hybrid working environment.
New Product Offerings
In fiscal year 2023, we launched three new products. In the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan we launched a multi-vitamin system branded as the LifeVantage® Rise AM & Reset PM System™ in the US, the TimeVantage® Zen & Go System in Japan, and the TimeVantage™ Nutrient
System in Australia and New Zealand. This product set provides an essential micronutrient foundation of vitamins, minerals, and adaptogens to support ultimate activation for antioxidant pathways. In those same markets we also launched LifeVantage® D3+, a micronutrient solution of vitamins D and K2, magnesium and calcium to support a balanced immune response, strong bones and a healthy cardiovascular system.
Several products also were introduced into new markets in fiscal year 2023:
•Australia introduced TrueScience ® Liquid Collagen, Body Wash and Body Lotion, AXIO®, Protandim® NAD Synergizer, and LifeVantage® IC Bright,
and Daily Wellness.
•New Zealand introduced TrueScience® Liquid Collagen and Body Lotion, LifeVantage® IC Bright, Daily Wellness and AXIO®.
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•Mexico introduced Protandim® NAD and PhysIQ® BRN as well as LifeVantage® IC Bright, Daily IMM and a new delivery system of LifeVantage Protandim® Nrf2® in 7-day
blister packs for direct retailing to customers.
•Japan introduced TrueScience® Liquid Collagen, Protandim® NAD Synergizer, LifeVantage® IC Bright, and a limited-edition flavor of LifeVantage® Daily Wellness.
•The United States introduced a number of limited-edition AXIO® flavors.
•Canada, Europe and Hong Kong introduced LifeVantage® IC Bright and Daily Wellness.
•Singapore introduced LifeVantage®
ProBio, IC Bright and Daily Wellness.
•Taiwan introduced LifeVantage® ProBio.
Technology Innovation
We continued to develop, enhance and improve the LifeVantage app, which is available for download on the Apple app store and Google Play store. This custom-developed platform is pioneering new ways for us to interact with our independent consultants and gives us and our consultant leaders valuable insight into the activities of the broader independent consultant base. The app provides independent consultants with tools and communications that help simplify business activities, by providing step-by-step instruction for starting their business, and ways to improve the prospecting of potential consultants and customers.
Nutrigenomic
Culture & Activating Wellness
We have continued to simplify our nutrigenomic story, emphasizing that it activates and empowers the body to work better by using nutrients to turn natural internal processes on or off and help support vibrant health at any age. Nutrigenomics and cellular activation are cutting-edge trends in our industry that support our unique position in the market and leverage our core competencies and existing products. Activation is the guiding principle of our culture and is the key underlying message for our independent consultants and customers. We are capitalizing on this message by highlighting how LifeVantage has used the concept of activation and expanded it to every aspect of our business, with a new brand message of “activating wellness.” By focusing on wellness, we are able to apply activation not only to our products, which support physical, mental, and emotional health, but also our
business opportunity, which supports financial, social, and spiritual health. The “activating wellness” message was introduced in fiscal year 2022 and continues to be featured across our communications with our independent consultants and in our brand and marketing materials. In fiscal year 2023, the brand message of activation and “activating wellness” grew to include four “activation paths” that encompass three overarching product categories and our business opportunity. The four “activation paths” are known as “Optimize Health,”“Achieve More,”“Look Radiant,” and “Evolve Possibilities.” Each product path is anchored by key activating products such as the Protandim® line for the “Optimize Health” pathway. These pathways, as an expansion of our activation message, will continue to be a focus of additional marketing and media assets.
Red
Carpet Program
In fiscal year 2023, we continued to grow through our red-carpet program, which is designed to attract and incentivize experienced direct selling sales leaders who are in transition to join LifeVantage. Red carpet leaders are identified by our independent consultants who facilitate the relationship between the potential red carpet leader and LifeVantage. Our corporate team does not actively engage in recruiting leaders for the red carpet program. We remain optimistic that this program will help drive long term revenue growth for our business. We have increased red carpet leadership enrollments and hope to see improved retention and active independent consultant and customer counts as a result of this program.
Rewards Circle Customer Loyalty Program
In March 2023, we launched Rewards Circle, our first-ever customer loyalty
program, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This program rewards customer loyalty through subscription purchases. The amount spent on each subscription purchase accumulates toward different reward thresholds. When a threshold is reached, the customer receives reward credits that they can apply to future purchases. The amount rewarded varies by the customer’s status, which is based on their lifetime cumulative spend. Rewards Circle is focused on supporting customer retention for independent consultants, supporting their efforts to grow and maintain their LifeVantage business.
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Our Competitive Advantages
We
believe we have a competitive advantage in several key areas:
•Our Sales Compensation: We believe our sales compensation plan engineered for our independent consultants is one of the more financially rewarding plans in the direct selling industry and in line with direct selling industry standards. Our sales compensation plan also enables independent consultants to earn compensation early and often as they sell our products. Some elements of our sales compensation plan are calculated and paid daily to eligible independent consultants and others are calculated and paid weekly or monthly, allowing new independent consultants to receive their sales commissions more quickly. We believe the ease of more frequent payments of sales commissions helps us attract and then retain new consultants by allowing them to receive their commission
payments as soon as possible after making qualified product sales. We also offer a variety of incentives to our independent consultants for achieving specified product sales goals. We believe our sales compensation plan provides motivation for our independent consultants to sell our products to customers and share the business opportunity with those entrepreneurs seeking to begin their own sales business. In January 2023, we announced the adoption of a new compensation plan for our independent consultants, which became effective March 1, 2023, in our United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan markets. The new compensation plan is known as our “Evolve Compensation Plan.” We plan to roll out this new compensation plan to our other markets.
•Our Products: Our focus is on nutrigenomics, the study of how properly formulated
and applied nutrition and naturally occurring compounds affect human genes to support good health. We have developed proprietary and exclusive scientifically validated nutrigenomics products focused on helping individuals look, feel and perform better. Our products are the Protandim® line of scientifically validated dietary supplements; LifeVantage® Omega+, ProBio, IC Bright®, Rise AM, Reset PM, D3+ and Daily Wellness dietary supplements; TrueScience®, our line of skin, bath & body, target relief, and hair care products; Petandim®, our companion pet supplement formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs; Axio®, our nootropic energy drink mixes; and PhysIQ our smart weight management system. The Protandim®
product line includes Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®, and Protandim® NAD Synergizer®. The Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer® is formulated to increase cellular energy and performance by boosting mitochondria production to improve cellular repair and slow cellular aging. The Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® contains a proprietary blend of ingredients and has been shown to combat oxidative stress and enhance energy production by increasing the body’s natural antioxidant protection at
the genetic level, inducing the production of naturally occurring protective antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione synthase. The Protandim® NAD Synergizer® was specifically formulated to target cell signaling pathways involved in the synthesis and recycling of a specific molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and it has been shown to double sirtuin activity, supporting increased health, focus, energy, mental clarity and mood. Use of the three Protandim® products together (marketed as the Protandim® Tri-Synergizer) has been shown to produce synergistic benefits greater than using the individual products on their own. LifeVantage® Omega+ is a dietary supplement that combines
DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, omega-7 fatty acids, and vitamin D3 to support cognitive health, cardiovascular health, skin health, and the immune system. LifeVantage® ProBio is a dietary supplement designed to support optimal digestion and immune system function. LifeVantage® Daily Wellness is a dietary supplement designed to support immune health. IC Bright® is a supplement to help support eye and brain health, reduce eye fatigue and strain, support cognitive functions, and may help support normal sleep patterns. Our TrueScience® line of Nrf2- and CBD-enhanced anti-aging skin care, hair care, bath & body, and targeted relief products includes TrueScience® Facial Cleanser, TrueScience®
Perfecting Lotion, TrueScience® Eye Serum, TrueScience® Anti-Aging Cream, TrueScience® Hand Cream, TrueScience® Invigorating Shampoo, TrueScience® Nourishing Conditioner, TrueScience® Scalp Serum, TrueScience® Body Lotion, TrueScience® Body Wash, TrueScience® Body Butter, TrueScience® Deodorant, TrueScience® Soothing Balm, TrueScience® Body Rub, and TrueScience® Liquid
Collagen. TrueScience® Liquid Collagen activates, replenishes, and maintains collagen to support firmness and elasticity from within. Petandim® is a supplement specially formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs through Nrf2 activation. AXIO® is our line of our nootropic energy drink mixes formulated to promote alertness and support mental performance. PhysIQ is our smart weight management system, which includes PhysIQ Fat Burn and PhysIQ Prebiotic, all formulated to aid in weight management. We believe our significant number of customers who regularly and repeatedly purchase our products is a strong indicator of the health benefits of our products.
•Technology-Enabled Consultant Training and Resources: We are committed to providing
our independent consultants with resources and training designed to promote productivity and their opportunity for successful sales and resulting commissions. We are dedicated to using technology to facilitate a streamlined approach for independent consultants to manage their businesses and sell our products. The LifeVantage app, which is available for download on the Apple app store and Google Play store, is a custom-developed platform that provides new ways for us to interact with our independent consultants and gives us and our consultant leadership valuable insight into the sales activities of our
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consultant base. The LifeVantage app was designed to allow independent consultants to conduct their business on a single platform from anywhere in the world. Ultimately,
through artificial intelligence and machine learning, we expect that the app will be able to guide independent consultants on what to share, when to share it, and with whom to sell LifeVantage products. In addition, we provide other business and product training materials, and we encourage our independent consultants to participate in company-sponsored events, including conventions and sales promotions and incentives.
•Our Culture: We are committed to creating a culture for our independent consultants, their customers and our employees that focuses on ethical, legal and transparent business practices. At enrollment, our independent consultants agree to abide by their contract with us, which includes our policies and procedures. These policies and procedures, when followed, are designed
to ensure that our independent consultants comply with applicable laws and regulations. Our consultant compliance department monitors the activities of our independent consultants as part of our effort to enforce our policies and procedures. Similarly, our code of business conduct and ethics sets forth guidelines and expectations for our employees. We believe our ethical, legal and transparent culture attracts highly qualified employees and independent consultants who share our commitment to these principles.
•Global Customer Acquisition: We introduced our global customer acquisition program in April 2018 to expand the number of countries where customers can purchase and use our products for personal consumption only. This program allows us to enter additional markets at low incremental cost and enables independent consultants to
leverage customer sales through their international relationships outside of their home countries. The program initially launched in eight markets, many of which subsequently became fully open for business on-the-ground through a growing network of resident independent consultants. We continued expanding our global customer base in fiscal year 2021 by entering into key strategic agreements with third parties based in the United States that helps customers ship LifeVantage products purchased in the U.S. throughout the world via their customer personal purchase and importation programs. We also expanded our Auto-Assigned Customer Program, which allows new customers to order directly through www.lifevantage.com without being required to go through an independent consultant on their initial order. After the initial order, these new customers are then assigned
to independent consultants, who benefit from the initial sale commission and are then incentivized to provide future product support and sales to the assigned customer. This program provides consumers easier access to our innovative products while providing referrals to our consultant force.
•Our Employees: We believe that our employees are an essential asset. We have a dedicated team of professionals that support our independent consultants, work to generate long-term value for our stockholders and contribute to the broader society through charitable programs, including the 501(c)(3) LifeVantage Legacy – an independent charitable organization focused on bettering the lives of children throughout the world. In turn, we offer competitive compensation and direct employee focus toward the short and long-term goals of our stockholders and independent consultants.
Scientific
Background
The Normal Aging Process
Aging in humans is a complex process driven by diverse changes in genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular events. This multifactorial process is ultimately characterized by a gradual decline in physiological functions and in the effectiveness of the intricate network of internal cellular communication referred to as cellular signaling. Theories as to why humans' age include the oxidative stress theory, the mitochondrial theory, and the sirtuin theory.
Oxidative Stress Theory of Aging and the Nrf2 Pathway
The oxidative stress theory of aging states that as humans age, we accumulate free radicals and other oxidants. If left unchecked, this oxidative stress can lead to serious consequences to the cell. Oxidative stress can ultimately lead to oxidative
damage from attacks and damage to essential biological structures of the cell which results in compromised cellular function.
Antioxidants are the cell’s primary defense against free radicals and other oxidants. There are two major classes of antioxidants: 1) dietary antioxidants obtained through food and nutritional supplements and 2) endogenous antioxidants produced by the body. A 2013 review of the scientific literature led by the United States National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concluded that “rigorous trials of antioxidant supplements in large numbers of people have not found that high doses of antioxidant supplements prevent disease.” Thus, much attention has shifted to the body’s endogenous antioxidant and detoxification systems. Endogenous antioxidants are antioxidants made by the body and are the primary line of defense against oxidative stress. In general,
endogenous antioxidants either prevent oxidants from being formed, or remove them from the body. Endogenous antioxidants form a complex network of antioxidant metabolites and enzymes. These networks work together, throughout the cell, to neutralize oxidants and protect important biological structures from oxidative damage.
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Endogenous antioxidants can also be upregulated in times of increasing oxidative stress. The Nrf2 cellular signaling pathway is the primary pathway for upregulating endogenous antioxidant and other detoxification pathways. With age, the activity of this Nrf2 cellular signaling pathway has been shown to decrease – both in its ability to sense oxidative threats and ultimately upregulate its target genes.
Mitochondrial
Theory of Aging and the NRF1 Pathway
Mitochondria are membrane-bound cellular organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell's biochemical reactions. The mitochondria produce energy by breaking down food that has been ingested and capturing high-energy electrons in the process. When mitochondria are functioning properly, they harness the energy of these electrons to produce energy for the cell. At the end of this process, the mitochondria attach these electrons to molecular oxygen that ultimately get detoxified to water. However, this process is not perfectly efficient and, even in young, healthy mitochondria, electrons can escape, potentially forming free radicals and other oxidants.
The mitochondrial theory of aging states that as humans age, mitochondria function less efficiently, producing less energy and more free radicals
and other oxidants. The reduction in energy production compromises cellular function. The increase in free radicals and other oxidants in turn damage structures of the cell, including the mitochondria. This mitochondrial damage goes on to further compromise mitochondrial function leading to a downward spiral of decreased mitochondrial efficiency and increased production of free radicals and other oxidants. This process ultimately contributes to an increase in the overall cellular burden of oxidative stress and otherwise compromises cellular function through decreased energy production.
A major cellular signaling pathway believed to be involved in mitochondrial health is NRF1 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 1). The NRF1 cellular signaling pathway, directly or indirectly, regulates a number of genes involved in mitochondrial health, turnover, and biogenesis. Nrf1 (Nuclear
Respiratory Factor-1) is a protein believed to activate the expression of key genes involved in metabolism, cellular growth, energy production, and mitochondrial DNA transcription and replication. Together with Nrf2, Nrf1 also provides the essential function of coordinating gene expression between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. An additional protein shown to support mitochondrial health is PGC1-alpha (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma coactivator-1-alpha). PGC1-alpha has been shown to regulate energy metabolism and is the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover.
Sirtuin Theory of Aging and the NAD Pathway
The sirtuin theory of aging developed from studies examining the health benefits of caloric restriction. Caloric restriction is the process whereby caloric intake is restricted by as much as 40 to 60 percent. In numerous experimental models,
animals put on calorically restricted diets experienced significant increases in maximum lifespan. Numerous studies have concluded that a family of proteins called the “sirtuins” are required for the increase in lifespan brought on by caloric restriction.
When the physiology of humans undergoing caloric restriction was examined, a number of health benefits were discovered. As researchers began to understand the molecular biology of these sirtuins, they found that the enzymatic activity for most of them required the molecule NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). NAD+ is an essential molecule for many biochemical reactions, most notably metabolism of food for energy in the mitochondria.
Taken together, these findings are intriguing because now there is a direct link between metabolism
and healthy longevity. When energy intake is normal, the primary role of NAD+ is for energy production. However, when NAD+ levels increase, either due to restricting calories or increasing the cellular production of NAD+, it becomes a signaling molecule to activate sirtuins and other health promoting mechanisms within the cell.
Research and Development
Historically, we have focused our research and development efforts on creating and supporting scientifically validated products under the LifeVantage®, Protandim®, TrueScience®,
Petandim®, AXIO®, and PhysIQ federation of brands. We anticipate that our future research and development efforts will be focused on creating, developing and evaluating new products that are consistent with our commitment to provide quality, scientifically validated products that activate and empower the body’s ability to work better. We will use our “activation paths” of Optimize Health, Look Radiant, and Achieve More as a guide as we look to identify new areas to focus our research and development efforts. As we expand, we intend to build on our foundation of nutrigenomics with products that activate or support products that activate gene or cell pathways targeting specific benefit areas, provide real results, and are an essential and enjoyable part of everyday life. We are also exploring ways to expand our product delivery systems. We remain committed to helping
people look and feel healthy and vibrant at any age by combating sources of premature aging or declining health.
Product Overview
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Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®
Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® is a patented dietary supplement that has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the age-dependent
increase in markers of oxidative stress and has also been shown to provide substantial benefits to combat the variety of negative health effects linked to oxidative stress.
Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® combats oxidative stress by increasing the body’s natural antioxidant protection at the gene level. The unique blend of phytonutrients in Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® signals the activation of Nrf2 to increase production of antioxidant enzymes, specifically superoxide dismutase and catalase, and other cell-protective gene products. The body's internally produced antioxidant enzymes provide a better defense against oxidative stress than externally derived sources of antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E. Unlike externally derived sources
of antioxidants, these enzymes are “catalytic,” which means these enzymes are not used up upon neutralizing free radicals.
We hold multiple U.S. patents related to Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®. We believe these patents set Protandim® apart from other dietary supplements and protect the original formula as well as certain formula modifications we could create to extend our Protandim® product line. We sell Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® in three formulas around the world.
Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® has
been, and is expected to continue to be, the subject of numerous independent scientific studies at various universities and research facilities including Ohio State University, Louisiana State University, University of Colorado Denver, Virginia Commonwealth University, Colorado State University, Texas Tech University and the National Institute on Aging. The results of these studies have been published in a variety of peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Enzyme Research, Circulation-the scientific journal of the American Heart Association, American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, PLoS One, Journal of Dietary Supplements, Molecular Aspects of Medicine, Oxidative Medicine and Cell Longevity, Exercise & Sports Science Reviews, Clinical Pharmacology,the FASEB Journal, and the
Journal of Applied Physiology.
We also continue to perform our own research into Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® and the synergy with other products in our portfolio. In fiscal year 2023, we received a patent for the combination of Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®, Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, and Protandim® NAD Synergizer® (marketed as the Protandim® Tri-Synergizer), continuing to show how our Protandim® product line is differentiated and unique in the marketplace. We
also filed a U.S. Patent application in fiscal year 2023 which, if granted, will protect the combined effects and synergistic benefits of the Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® and TrueScience® Liquid Collagen products when used together.
Protandim®NRF1 Synergizer®
Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer® is a dietary supplement which was formulated to strengthen the mitochondria, the powerhouse of all cells, for better cellular health. It is designed to work in tandem with our flagship Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®
and further enhance the body's internal ability to naturally produce antioxidants and reduce the effects of cellular stress. Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer® activates NRF1, a protein that regulates the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial DNA transcription, translation and repair. The unique blend of ingredients in Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer® supports the mitochondria to slow cellular aging and increase cellular energy.
Protandim®NAD Synergizer®
Sirtuin activity naturally declines by as much as 60 percent as humans age. Research has long shown that sirtuin activity can be increased by as much
as 94 percent through drastic caloric restriction. Protandim® NAD Synergizer® is a dietary supplement which was specifically formulated to target the biochemical pathways involved in the synthesis and recycling of a specific molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and has been shown to double sirtuin activity in just 24 hours. Sirtuin activity has been linked to multiple health benefits. In addition to being responsible for cellular autophagy (cellular cleanup and renewal process), sirtuins help improve mental focus and concentration, support positive mood and motivation, boost mental and physical energy, aid in maintaining cholesterol levels already in a healthy range, support a healthy vascular system, and promote healthy longevity. A recent study on the active ingredients in NAD Synergizer also demonstrated a significant increase in NAD+ associated metabolites.
The
Protandim® Family of Products and Nutrigenomics
Nutrigenomics is the study of how foods and individual nutrients can affect gene expression and how genes can also affect how humans metabolize food. Specific combinations of nutrients that engage cellular signaling and biochemical pathways are believed to unlock specific health mechanisms in human cells, tissues, and organs. Specifically, by looking at the cellular signaling and biochemical pathways known to be implicated in the aging process, we have formulated products to address various effects of aging utilizing nutrigenomics. This is the rationale behind the Protandim® family of products, which were formulated from specific combinations of nutrients to support natural cellular functions by targeting specific cellular signaling
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and
biochemical pathways related to oxidative stress, optimal mitochondrial function, and activation of the sirtuin family of proteins.
LifeVantage® Omega+
LifeVantage® Omega+ is a dietary supplement that combines DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, omega-7 fatty acids, and vitamin D3 to support cognitive health, cardiovascular health, skin health, and the immune system.
LifeVantage® ProBio
LifeVantage®
ProBio is a dietary supplement designed to support long-term gut health by restoring healthy gut bacteria to support digestive system health.
LifeVantage® IC Bright®
IC Bright® combines macular carotenoids with vitamins and key ingredients that effectively support eye and brain health.It helps reduce eye fatigue and strain from use of digital devices, helps promote healthy levels of essential proteins for the brain, and may help support normal sleep patterns, which can be disrupted by blue light exposure.
LifeVantage®
Daily Wellness
LifeVantage® Daily Wellness is a dietary supplement designed to strengthen immune health by supporting and balancing the three essential roles of the immune system: barrier, innate and adaptive.
LifeVantage® Rise AM& Reset PM System™
The LifeVantage® Rise AM & Reset PM System™ is an intelligent approach to a multivitamin that uses Timewise Nutrient Delivery™ to provide the body with the right nutrients in the
right amounts at the right time. Timewise Nutrient Delivery™ was developed in combination with experts in biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology and results in nutrition that allows your body to stay in sync with its natural rhythms, delivering energy and focus for a productive day and helping to calm the mind and body at night.
LifeVantage® D3+
LifeVantage® D3+is a dietary supplement that provides vitamin D3, vitamin K2, magnesium, calcium, and other trace minerals to support a balanced immune system, strong bones, and cardiovascular health.
PhysIQ
We
sell weight management products under our PhysIQ brand, which consists of:
•PhysIQ Fat Burn: a supplement containing naturally derived active ingredients to stimulate the breakdown of abdominal fat, increase energy and support long-term weight management.
•PhysIQ Prebiotic: a supplement designed to support the “good” bacteria in the gut and a healthy microbiome, resulting in a healthier digestive tract and a healthier metabolism.
TrueScience® Skin Care
Our line of anti-aging skin care products under our LifeVantage TrueScience®
brand, consists of:
•TrueScience® Liquid Collagen: our first digestible liquid supplement in fully recyclable glass bottles that activates, replenishes, and maintains the body’s production of collagen on the cellular level to support skin firmness and elasticity for healthy, glowing skin.
•TrueScience® Facial Cleanser: a concentrated, ultra-rich cleanser used to remove impurities and light make-up without drying or stripping natural oils in the skin.
•TrueScience® Perfecting Lotion: a hybrid lotion formulated for smoother, radiant and brighter looking skin.
•TrueScience®
Eye Serum: a serum that noticeably improves the visible signs of fine lines, creases and wrinkles around the entire eye area, diminishes puffiness above and below the eye, firms and tightens the upper eyelid area and evens skin tone and dark circles that are visible signs of aging.
•TrueScience® Anti-Aging Cream: a cream that deeply moisturizes and helps to combat the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
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•TrueScience® Hand Cream: a cream formulated with Nrf2 ingredients to moisturize skin and decrease the visible
signs of premature aging on the hands.
Our TrueScience® Beauty System includes the following products in a TSA-compliant set: TrueScience® Facial Cleanser, TrueScience® Perfecting Lotion, TrueScience® Eye Serum, and TrueScience® Anti-Aging Cream.
We received two composition patents related to our LifeVantage TrueScience® skin care products, which were tested in an independent third-party clinical study and shown to reduce the visible signs of aging by utilizing Nrf2 technology to mitigate the visible effects of skin damage caused by oxidative stress. Our LifeVantage TrueScience®
skin care products leverage our research on Nrf2 activation and oxidative stress.
TrueScience® Hair Care
Our line of hair care products under our TrueScience® brand, consists of:
•TrueScience® Invigorating Shampoo: Mild surfactant and added amino acid blend that cleans hair without drying out the scalp.
•TrueScience® Nourishing Conditioner: Deeply nourishing weightless
conditioner that helps hair feel soft and smooth and look fuller and thicker.
•TrueScience® Scalp Serum: A serum that nourishes the scalp to support normal hair growth while soothing all scalp types.
Petandim®
Petandim® is a supplement specially formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs through Nrf2 activation. Petandim® builds upon the active ingredients in Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® to reduce oxidative stress
and support joint function, mobility and flexibility in dogs. Petandim® received the Quality Seal from the National Animal Supplement Council.
AXIO®
AXIO® is our line of energy drink mixes, formulated as a nootropic to promote alertness and support mental performance. These energy drink powders deliver sustained energy, as well as improved mental focus and promote a positive mood. Available in regular and decaf formulas, AXIO® is derived from a unique combination of scientifically validated ingredients.
Product
Stacking
A stack consists of multiple products bundled together that are designed to achieve a specific result. By studying the effects of nutrients and natural compounds, we have developed scientifically backed nutrigenomics products that promote healthy aging on the cellular level. By stacking these products together, we have created a foundation for synergy from nutrigenomic products to promote a healthier life.
The Vitality Stack includes four of our nutrigenomics products — Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®, LifeVantage® Omega+ and LifeVantage® ProBio. This product stack
was designed to provide a foundation for wellness, supporting healthy organs, including the brain, heart, eyes, and other vitals. With the Ultimate Stack, we added Protandim® NAD Synergizer® and PhysIQ Prebiotic to our Vitality Stack to support gut health and increase sirtuin activity, supporting increased health, focus, energy, mental clarity and mood. The Protandim® Tri-Synergizer™consists of our Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® and Protandim® NAD Synergizer®,
and was designed to effectively and synergistically reduce oxidative stress, support mitochondria function, increase sirtuin activity, and target cell signaling pathways to fight the effects of aging. We also offer stacks that directly support the following consumer needs: immune support, heart health, energy, well-being, eye health, cognition and memory, metabolism, gut health, skin care, and hair care.
Distribution of Products
We believe our products are well suited for consultant to customer sales through our direct selling model. This model allows our independent consultants to educate our customers regarding the benefits of our unique products more thoroughly than other business models. Our direct selling model also allows our independent consultants to offer
personalized customer service to our customers and encourage regular use of our products.
Product Return Policy
All products purchased directly from us include a product guarantee. Subject to some exceptions based on local regulations, we will accept returns of opened and unopened products within 30 days of purchase for a full refund of the
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purchase price. In addition, our product return program allows independent consultants to return certain unopened, unexpired products for a refund of the purchase price less a 10% restocking fee and any paid commissions. The amount
of inventory we will repurchase from an independent consultant is subject to specified policies and procedures.
Accounts
We generally categorize accounts as either independent consultants or customers, both of which may be consumers of our products.
Independent Consultants
An independent consultant in our company is an independent contractor who participates in our direct sales opportunity by enrolling through the independent consultant contract
process and selling our products. Independent consultants may purchase our products and sell them to others either directly or through our company. We believe our independent consultants are typically entrepreneurs, who believe in our products and desire to earn income through sales commissions and by building their own consulting business. Many of our independent consultants are attracted by the opportunity to sell unique, scientifically validated products without incurring significant start-up costs. Independent consultants sign a contract with us that includes a requirement that they adhere to strict policies and procedures. Independent consultants may purchase product from us for individual and family consumption and for demonstrations, samples and retailing opportunities.
While
we provide product development, shipping and logistics support, brochures, magazines, a website, the LifeVantage app and other sales and marketing materials, independent consultants are primarily responsible for their sales to customers and for attracting, enrolling and educating new independent consultants about the benefits of our products and sales compensation plan. An independent consultant creates multiple levels of compensation by selling our products and enrolling new independent consultants who sell our products. These newly enrolled independent consultants form a “downline” or “group” for the independent consultant who enrolled them. If downline independent consultants enroll new independent consultants or customers who purchase our products, they create additional levels of compensation and their downline independent consultants
remain in the same downline network as the original enrolling independent consultant We pay commissions only upon the sale of our products. We do not pay commissions for enrolling independent consultants.
We define “active independent consultants” as those independent consultants who have purchased product from us for retail sales or personal consumption during the prior three months. We had approximately 54,000 and 63,000 active independent consultantsas of each of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Independent Consultant Compensation
In
January 2023, we announced the adoption of the Evolve Compensation Plan for our independent consultants, which became effective March 1, 2023, in our United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan markets. We plan to roll out this new compensation plan to other markets.
We believe our sales compensation plan is one of the more financially rewarding in the direct selling industry and in line with direct selling industry standards. Some elements of our sales compensation plan are paid daily, to eligible consultants, and others are paid weekly or monthly. We believe this gives us a competitive advantage and helps retain new consultants by allowing them to receive some sales commissions in a more timely manner from their sales efforts. Our sales compensation plan is intended to appeal to a broad cross-section of people, including
those seeking to supplement family income, start a home-based business or pursue entrepreneurial opportunities full- or part-time. Through the Evolve Compensation Plan our independent consultants earn bonuses specifically for the sale of products to customers and by growing a customer subscription-based business, creating greater opportunities for consultants who are not interested in enrolling other consultants to sell products. Our independent consultants earn sales commissions on product sales to their personally enrolled customers and independent consultants and the product sales to customers and independent consultants within their sales organization, or "downline." Our independent consultants can also earn money by purchasing product from us and selling that product to others at their chosen retail price. We pay sales commissions in the local currency of the independent consultant’s home country.
Independent
Consultant Motivation and Training
Our revenue depends on the sales success and productivity of our independent consultants. We provide tools, training and technology designed to increase our independent consultants' sales productivity and increase their potential for sales success. We offer training and business development opportunities to our independent consultants, including the opportunities listed below.
•Playbook: Professionally designed training materials independent consultants can utilize in their sales efforts.
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• Activation Nation Podcast: Our digital audio series presented
by our corporate support team and independent consultant leaders provides training and tips on becoming more productive in selling our products.
•Elite Academy, Global Convention, and Other Company-Sponsored Training: We hold regularly occurring live and virtual company-sponsored events intended to provide sales training and motivation to our independent consultants, in addition to twice-weekly virtual consultant trainings.
•Promotions and Incentive Trips: We hold special sales promotions, business incentives and incentive trips from time to time in order to motivate our independent consultants to accomplish specific sales goals.
•Mobile Application: The LifeVantage app was designed to allow users
to conduct their business on a single platform from anywhere in the world. Ultimately, through artificial intelligence and machine learning, we expect that the app will be able to guide users on what to share, when to share it, and with whom to maximize their sales potential.
•Online Social Media Groups: Through the use of social media platforms, we host online groups to support the success of our independent consultants. Important announcements, trainings, calls and documentation are also shared through our social media groups to provide our independent consultants many opportunities to find the training and support.
•Corporate Support Team: The LifeVantage contact center, VIP Lines, and sales support team are designed to provide support, motivation, training and resources to our independent
consultants through their business journey. As consultants advance through the titles in our consultant path, they continue to receive more personalized support.
We continue to evaluate new ways in which to incorporate new technology and sales training opportunities to improve consultant product sales.
Independent Consultant Compliance Activities
Given that our independent consultants are independent contractors, we do not control or direct their promotional efforts. We do, however, require that our independent consultants abide by policies and procedures that require them to act in an ethical manner and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. As a member of the United States Direct Selling Association and similar
organizations in many of the markets where we do business, we are also subject to the ethical business practices and consumer service standards required by the industry's code of ethics.
Independent consultants represent to us that their receipt of sales commissions is based on their product sales and by product sales of other LifeVantage consultants in their personal marketing organization.We must produce or pre-approve all sales aids used by independent consultants, such as brochures and online materials. Products may be promoted only through sales materials produced or approved by us. Independent consultants may not use our trademarks or other intellectual property without our written consent.
We monitor and systematically review alleged independent consultant misbehavior through our internal consultant compliance department.
If we determine one of our independent consultants has violated any of our policies and procedures, we first attempt to educate, but may discipline or terminate the independent consultant’s rights to sell or distribute our products when appropriate. When necessary, we have brought legal action against independent consultants, or former consultants, to enforce our policies and procedures. Short of termination or legal action, and in addition to educating, we may impose sanctions against independent consultants whose actions are in violation of our policies and procedures. Such sanctions may include warnings, probation, withdrawal or denial of an award, suspension of privileges of a consultantship, fines and/or withholding of commissions until specified conditions are satisfied, or other appropriate injunctive relief.
Customers
Customers
purchase products directly from us at either our retail (list) pricing for one-time purchases or our subscription price on a monthly subscription basis for personal consumption, without the ability to resell or earn commissions from the purchase or sale of such products. Customers who order their items on a subscription also automatically join our Rewards Circle loyalty program, a program that rewards customer loyalty through subscription purchases. A customer may decide to enroll as an independent consultant at any time if they become interested in selling our products. We believe our customers are a great source of word-of-mouth advertising for our products. We also believe our large base of customers validates the health benefits of our products.
We define an “active customer” as a customer who has purchased product from us within the prior three months. As of June 30,
2023 and 2022, we had approximately 89,000 and 93,000 active customers, respectively.
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Sales of Our Products
We accept orders for our products through our website at www.lifevantage.com and through personalized websites
we provide to our independent consultants, which we refer to as “Virtual Offices.” Orders placed through Virtual Offices and through our website are processed daily at our fulfillment centers, where orders are shipped directly to the consumer.
We offer toll-free numbers for our independent consultants and our customers to order product or ask questions. Our customer service representatives assist customers in placing orders through our web order processing system, answering questions, tracking packages, and initiating refunds. The customer service representatives receive extensive training about our products and our direct selling business model. LifeVantage customers and independent consultants generally pay for products by credit card, prior to shipment, and as a result, we carry minimal accounts receivable.
Seasonality
In
addition to general economic factors, we are impacted by seasonal factors and trends such as major cultural events and vacation patterns. We believe that direct selling in the United States and Japan is also generally negatively impacted during our first fiscal quarter, from July 1 through September 30, when many individuals, including our independent consultants, traditionally take vacations. The timing and size of our training events and incentive trips can also cause revenue and expense to fluctuate in the periods that they are held.
Although our product launch process may vary by market, we may introduce new products to our customers and independent consultants through limited-time offers and promotions. The limited-time offers and promotions typically generate significant activity and a high level of sales and purchasing, which may result in a higher-than-normal increase in revenue during the quarter of the limited-time
offer and skew year-over-year and sequential comparisons. Similarly, company events for independent consultants typically generate a higher-than-normal increase in revenue. The timing of these events can also skew year-over-year and sequential comparisons.
Geographic Information
We sell our products in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines. We also sell our products in a number of countries to customers for personal consumption only. In addition, we sold our products in China through our approved e-commerce business model until March 2023, at which time we closed our e-commerce business in China. In
fiscal year 2023, revenue generated in the United States accounted for approximately 70% of our total revenue and revenue generated from Japan accounted for approximately 15% of our total revenue. For reporting purposes, we generally divide our markets into two geographic regions: the Americas region and the Asia/Pacific & Europe region. The following table sets forth net revenue information by region for the periods indicated (in thousands):
Additional
comparative revenue and related financial information is presented in the section captioned "Segment Information" in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.
Marketing
We utilize our network of independent consultants located throughout the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines to market and sell our products. We also have in-house sales, marketing, IT, and customer service groups dedicated to supporting our independent consultants.
Support includes training and education, personalized assistance, in-person and digital events, recognition, incentives and promotions, digital and social media content, press coverage, regular communications, as well as a full suite of marketing assets, including content for their websites.
Raw Materials and Manufacturing
We outsource the primary manufacturing, fulfillment, and shipping components of our business to third-party companies we believe possess a high degree of expertise. We believe outsourcing provides us access to advanced manufacturing process capabilities and expertise without incurring fixed costs associated with manufacturing our
own products in house.
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We currently outsource the manufacture of our products to multiple third-party contract manufacturers. Our contract manufacturers have a legal obligation to comply with the current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations that are applicable to those who manufacture, package, label and hold dietary supplements and personal care products. Additionally, we are subject to regulations that, among other things, obligate us to know what and how manufacturing activities are performed so that we can make decisions related to whether the packaged and labeled product conforms
to our established specifications and whether to approve and release product for distribution to consumers. We maintain and qualify alternative manufacturing options in order to keep our costs low, maintain the quality of our products, and prepare for unanticipated spikes in demand or manufacturing failure. Our contract manufacturers deliver products to our fulfillment centers based on our purchase orders. We also have a Vendor Code of Conduct that we expect our contract manufacturers and/or vendors to adhere to. This Vendor Code of Conduct requires contract manufacturers and vendors to abide by certain human rights, labor rights, protection of the environment and fight against corruption standards
outlined under the United Nations Global Compact.
We acquire raw materials for our products from third-party suppliers. Although we generally have good relationships with our suppliers, we believe we could replace any of our current suppliers without great difficulty or significant increase to our cost of goods sold. We also have ongoing relationships with secondary and tertiary suppliers. Please refer to "Risk Factors - High quality material for our products may be difficult to obtain or expensive" for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with our sourcing of raw materials.
Product Liability and Other Insurance
We have product liability insurance coverage
for our products that we believe is adequate for our needs. We also maintain commercial property and liability coverage, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, workers compensation coverage and cyber information security risk insurance policies as well as foreign and other miscellaneous coverage.
Intellectual Property
We use commercially reasonable efforts to protect our intellectual property through patent protection, trademarks and trade secrets, licensed rights and contractual protections, and intend to continue to develop a strong brand identity for our company and our products.
Protandim®
Nrf2 Synergizer® is a proprietary, patented dietary supplement formulation for enhancing antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase and catalase. The patents and patent applications protecting its formulations are held by LifeVantage Corporation or our wholly owned subsidiary, Lifeline Nutraceuticals Corporation. Our intellectual property is covered, in part, by many issued U.S. patents. Our patents and patent applications claim the benefit of priority of multiple U.S. provisional patent applications, the earliest of which was filed on March 23, 2004, and relate to compositions, methods of use, and methods of manufacture of various compositions, including those embodied by the Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® formulation. The expected duration of our patent protection via some
granted patents for Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® is at least through approximately March 2025, and we continue to research and file new composition and method patents in the U.S. for enhanced and improved product formulations that will extend our patent protection for a variety of product formulations and methods. During fiscal year 2018, we received other patents for personal care or skin care products. These patents expire approximately February 2036. In fiscal year 2023, we received a patent for the combination of Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®, Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, and Protandim® NAD Synergizer®,
collectively called the Tri-Synergizer™ pack. In fiscal year 2023, we filed for a U.S. patent application which, if granted, will protect the combined synergistic effects and benefits of the Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® and TrueScience® Liquid Collagen products when these two products are used together.
We continue to protect our products and brands using trademarks. We have filed and successfully procured registered trademarks for our key brands consisting of Protandim®, LifeVantage®, and TrueScience® in many countries around the world, and we have pending trademark applications for these and other marks in many other countries. We anticipate
seeking protection in other countries, as we deem appropriate.
In order to protect the confidentiality of our intellectual property, including trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary technical and business information, it is our policy to limit access to such information to those who require access in order to perform their functions and to enter into agreements with employees, consultants and vendors to contractually protect such information.
Competition
Direct Selling Companies
We compete with other direct selling companies, many of which have longer
operating histories and greater visibility, name recognition and financial resources than we do. We also compete with newer direct selling companies that may attempt to solicit our independent consultants by offering the possibility of a more financially rewarding opportunity or by being among
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the company's early consultant base. We compete for new consultants with these companies on the basis of our business opportunity, product offerings, sales compensation plan, management and operations. In order to successfully compete in the direct selling industry and attract and retain quality consultants, we must maintain the attractiveness of our business opportunity, product offerings and
sales compensation plan.
Dietary Supplement Market
We compete with other companies that sell dietary supplements. We believe the dietary supplement market is highly fragmented and competitive. We believe competition in the dietary supplement market is based primarily on quality, price, efficacy, brand name, and recognition of product benefits. In the dietary supplement industry, our competition includes numerous nutritional supplement companies, pharmaceutical companies and packaged food and beverage companies. Many of these companies have broader product lines, larger sales volumes and greater financial resources than we do. Additionally, some of these companies are able to compete more effectively due to greater vertical integration. Increased competition in
the dietary supplement market could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Nrf2 Activators
In the last few years, we have seen the number of products marketed as Nrf2 activators increase. We anticipate the number of products that claim to activate Nrf2 will continue to increase as the technology becomes more popular and more broadly accepted.
Direct Antioxidants
Vitamin C, vitamin E, other vitamin/mineral antioxidants, and other sources of externally derived antioxidants may be considered competitors of Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® but they are mechanistically distinct from Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®.
These other sources of antioxidants do not increase the body’s elimination of oxidants using internal antioxidant enzymes. Our research indicates that Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® increases production of anti-fibrotic gene products, including antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, within the cells of the body. We believe that the body’s internally produced antioxidant enzymes provide a better defense against oxidative stress than externally derived sources of antioxidants.
Oral Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase
There are many companies performing research into antioxidants. Several companies sell oral forms of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Although we believe Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®
is a superior alternative to oral forms of superoxide dismutase and catalase, these products do compete with Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® in the marketplace. We anticipate additional companies will likely develop, purchase or in-license products that are competitive with Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®.
Omega Fatty Acid Products
There are many companies that market omega supplements, including omega-3. Although LifeVantage® Omega+ contains a unique combination of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, omega-7 fatty acids, and vitamin D3, we anticipate additional companies will likely develop products that are competitive with LifeVantage®
Omega+.
Probiotic Products
There are many companies that market probiotic supplements and we anticipate additional companies will likely continue to develop products that are competitive with our LifeVantage® ProBio supplement.
Eye Health and Vitamin Products
There are many companies that market eye health and other vitamin/mineral supplements and we anticipate additional companies will likely continue to develop products that are competitive with our IC Bright®, LifeVantage® Daily Wellness,LifeVantage® Rise
AM & Reset PM System™, and LifeVantage® D3+.
Personal Skin Care Market
In the personal skin care market, we compete principally with large, well-known cosmetics companies that manufacture and sell broad product lines through retail establishments. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources and brand recognition than we do. We believe, however, we can compete with these larger companies by leveraging our direct selling model and emphasizing our unique, science-based, Nrf2 and personal care products. We also now compete in the growing global liquid collagen market and believe we can compete with our triple-action formula that has been shown to deliver
visible results in only 30 days as it activates, replenishes and maintains collagen levels. Our TrueScience® Liquid Collagen product is a
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unique blend featuring sustainably sourced, hydrolyzed fish collagen that delivers 10 different types of peptides – significantly more than most competitive products – plus a unique red quinoa extract that has been shown to up regulate genes associated with collagen production and down regulate those that produce enzymes that break down collagen.
Personal Hair Care Market
In
the personal hair care market, we compete principally with large, well-known hair care companies that manufacture and sell broad product lines through retail establishments. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources and brand recognition than we do. We believe, however, we can compete with these larger companies by leveraging our direct selling model and emphasizing our unique, science-based hair care products.
Animal Supplement Market
We compete principally with large, well-known companies in the animal supplement market. Most of the companies we compete with in the animal supplement market have broad distribution channels that include retail establishments. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources and brand recognition than
we do. We believe, however, that we can compete with these larger companies by leveraging our direct selling model and emphasizing our unique, science-based animal supplement product.
Energy Drink Market
We compete with large, well-known companies in the energy drink market. Most of the companies we compete with in the energy drink market have broad distribution channels that include big box retail establishments. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources and brand recognition than we do. We intend to compete with these larger companies by leveraging our direct selling model and emphasizing our unique, science-based energy drink product. AXIO® is a no sugar, low-carbohydrate and low-calorie energy
drink that is also non-GMO, gluten-free and vegan.
Weight Management Market
We compete with large, well-known companies in the weight management market. Most of the companies we compete with in the weight management market have broad distribution channels that include big box retail establishments. Many of these competitors have greater financial resources and brand recognition than we do. We intend to compete with these larger companies by leveraging our direct selling model and emphasizing our unique, science-based weight management products.
Regulatory Environment
The
formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and advertising of our products in the United States are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), as well as comparable state laws.
FDA Regulations and DSHEA
We market our Protandim® products as “dietary supplements” as defined in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, or DSHEA. DSHEA is intended to promote access to safe, quality dietary supplements, and information about dietary supplements. DSHEA established a new framework governing the composition and labeling of dietary supplements. DSHEA does not apply to animal supplements like Petandim®.
We are not required to obtain FDA pre-market approval to sell our products in the United States under current laws.
DSHEA permits statements of nutritional support, called “structure-function” statements, to be included in labeling for dietary supplements without FDA marketing approval. Such statements may claim a benefit related to a classical nutrient deficiency disease and disclose the prevalence of such disease in the United States, describe the role of a nutrient or dietary ingredient intended to affect the structure or function in humans, characterize the documented mechanism by which a nutrient or dietary ingredient acts to maintain such structure or function, or describe general well-being from consumption of a nutrient or dietary ingredient. Such statements may not expressly or impliedly claim that a dietary supplement is intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate,
treat, or prevent a disease. A company that uses a structure-function statement in labeling must possess evidence substantiating that the statement is truthful and not misleading and is supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.
The FDA may assert that a particular structure-function statement that a company is using is an illegal claim; that assertion, normally, is in the form of a warning letter to that company. We have a duty to send to the FDA a notice that lists each new structure-function statement made by us; we are obligated to send that notice within 30 days after the first marketing of a supplement with such a statement.
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DSHEA also permits certain scientific literature, for example a reprint of a peer-reviewed
scientific publication, to be used in connection with the sale of a dietary supplement to consumers without the literature being subject to regulation as labeling. However, such literature must not be false or misleading, the literature may not promote a particular manufacturer or brand of dietary supplement and it must include a balanced view of the available scientific information on the subject matter, among other requirements.
The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (“CVM”) is responsible for enforcing the portion of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FFDCA”), that relates to animal supplements, like our Petandim® product. CVM's primary responsibility in enforcing the FFDCA is to ensure that animal supplements are safe, effective, and can be manufactured to a consistent standard. CVM has taken the position that DSHEA does not apply to products intended
for animals, but it is clear that products like Petandim® are under FDA jurisdiction.
Our Petandim® product follows the labeling rules of the National Animal Supplement Council (“NASC”) of which LifeVantage is a member. Under the NASC rules, Petandim® is classified as a dosage form animal health product.
While we exercise care in our formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and advertising of our products, we cannot guarantee the FDA will never inform us that the FDA believes some violation of law has occurred either by us or by our independent consultants. Any allegations of our non-compliance may result in time-consuming and expensive defense of our activities. The FDA’s normal course of action is to issue a warning letter
if it believes that a product is misbranded or adulterated. The responsive action requested by the FDA differs depending upon the nature of the product and claims in question. Typically, the FDA expects a written response within 15 working days of the receipt of a warning letter. The warning letter is public information posted on the FDA’s web site. That information could affect our relationships with our customers/consumers, investors, independent consultants, vendors, and employees. Warning letters also often spark private class action litigation under state consumer protection statutes. The FDA could also order compliance activities, such as an inspection of our facilities and products, and could file a civil lawsuit in which an arrest warrant (seizure) could be issued as to some or all of our products. In extraordinary cases, we could be named a defendant
and sued for declaratory and injunctive relief. There were no open letters from the FDA as of June 30, 2023.
FTC Regulations
Advertising and marketing of our products in the United States are also subject to regulation by the FTC under the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”). Among other things, the FTC Act prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair false or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The FTC Act also makes it illegal to disseminate or cause to be disseminated any false advertisement for “food, drugs, devices, services, or cosmetics." The FTC Act provides that disseminating any false advertisement pertaining to foods, which would include dietary supplements,
is an unfair or deceptive act or practice. An advertiser is required to have competent and reliable scientific evidence for all express and implied health-related product claims at the time the claims are first made. We are required to have adequate scientific substantiation for all material advertising claims made for our products in the United States. The FTC routinely reviews websites to identify questionable advertising claims and practices. Competitors sometimes inform the FTC when they believe other competitors are violating the FTC Act and consumers may also notify the FTC of what they believe may be wrongful advertising. The FTC may initiate a non-public investigation that focuses on our advertising claims, which usually involves non-public pre-lawsuit extensive formal discovery. Such an investigation may be very expensive to defend, be lengthy,
and result in a publicly disclosed Consent Decree, which is a settlement agreement. If no settlement can be reached, the FTC may start an administrative proceeding or a federal court lawsuit against us and/or our principal officers. The FTC often seeks to recover from the defendants, whether in a Consent Decree or a proceeding, any or all of the following: (i) consumer redress in the form of monetary relief or disgorgement of profits; (ii) significant reporting requirements for several years; and (iii) injunctive relief. In addition, most, if not all, states have statutes prohibiting deceptive and unfair acts and practices. The requirements under these state statutes are similar to those of the FTC Act.
The National Advertising Division (“NAD”), of the national Better Business Bureau, a non-governmental not-for-profit organization through its Advertising Self-Regulatory Council (“ASRC”), is also actively engaged
in conducting investigations, called inquiries, which are focused on determining whether the requisite claim substantiation standard exists for advertising claims, including specific structure-function claims. Although the results of each inquiry or proceeding are not binding on the recipient, they are posted on NAD’s website, and the NAD often refers cases to the FTC, if the advertisers do not agree to modify their advertising in conformance with the NAD decision. We have been the subject of a NAD proceeding in 2008 and 2009, which was concluded in 2009.
In January 2019, the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (“DSSRC”) was introduced. This program monitors the entire direct selling channel — including Direct Selling Association
member companies and non-members. The DSSRC provides impartial monitoring, enforcement, and dispute resolution regarding product claims or income representations (including lifestyle claims) disseminated by direct selling companies and their sales force members (consultants). The failure of a company
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to resolve DSSRC complaints will ultimately result in the DSSRC reporting the matter to the FTC, which may or may not pursue enforcement action in any given case. There were no open letters from the FTC as of June 30, 2023.
Regulation
of Direct Selling Activities
Direct selling activities are regulated by the FTC, as well as various federal, state and local governmental agencies in the United States and foreign countries. These laws and regulations are generally intended to prevent fraudulent or deceptive schemes, often referred to as “pyramid” schemes, which compensate participants primarily for recruiting additional participants without sufficient emphasis on product sales. The laws and regulations may often:
•require us or our independent consultants to register with governmental agencies;
•impose caps on the amount or type of sales commission we can pay;
•impose reporting requirements; and
•require
that we ensure, among other things, that our independent consultants maintain levels of product sales to qualify to receive sales commissions and that our independent consultants are being compensated primarily for sales of products and not primarily for recruiting additional participants.
The laws and regulations governing direct selling are modified from time to time, and, like other direct selling companies, we may be subject to government investigations related to our direct selling activities. This may require us to make changes to our business model and our sales compensation plan.
State Regulations
In addition to United States federal regulation, each state has enacted its own food and drug laws. We may receive
requests to supply information regarding our sales or advertising to state regulatory agencies. We remain subject to the risk that, in one or more of our present or future markets, our products, sales, and advertising could be found non-compliant with state laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, it could have a material adverse effect on our business in a particular market or in general. In addition, these laws and regulations could affect our ability to enter new markets.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (“FSMA”) was enacted in 2011 and is now part of the FFDCA. The FSMA is a comprehensive set of laws that gives the FDA considerable authority with respect to the prevention of
food contamination and the serious problems associated with such contamination. Among other things, it does the following:
•gives the FDA explicit authority to compel a recall if the FDA believes there is a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death;
•places strict obligations on food and dietary supplement importers to verify that food from foreign suppliers is not adulterated or misbranded; and
•provides whistle blower protection for employees of conventional food or dietary supplement companies who provide information to governmental authorities about violations of the FFDCA.
International
Regulations
In addition to the regulations applicable to our activities in the United States, all other markets in which we operate our business regulate our products under a variety of statutory and regulatory schemes. We typically market our Protandim® line of products in international markets as foods, health foods or dietary supplements under applicable regulatory regimes. However, because of varied regulations, some products or ingredients that are recognized as a “food” in certain markets may be treated as a “pharmaceutical” or equivalent in other markets. In the event a product, or an ingredient in a product, is classified as a drug or pharmaceutical product in any market, we will generally not be able to distribute that product through our independent consultants channel because of pre-marketing approval requirements and strict regulations applicable to
drug and pharmaceutical products. In Japan, for example, ashwagandha was determined to be inappropriate for inclusion in food products. Ashwagandha is one of the ingredients in Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®. While we disagree with the assessment of ashwagandha by Japanese regulatory authorities, we are restricted from selling a formulation of Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® that contains ashwagandha in Japan. As such, we reformulated Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® for the Japan market to exclude ashwagandha and include black pepper extract. This reformulated Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®
was introduced in Japan in fiscal year 2013.
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Similarly, our other markets outside the United States regulate advertising and product claims regarding the efficacy of our products and require adequate substantiation of claims. As such, we are unable to claim that any of our products will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent diseases. For example, in Japan, Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® is considered a food product, which significantly limits our ability to make claims regarding the product. If marketing materials make claims that exceed the scope of allowed claims for dietary supplements, regulatory authorities could deem our products to be unapproved drugs and we could
experience substantial harm.
Our business model is also subject to regulatory frameworks that may limit or significantly alter the way business is done in foreign markets vis-à-vis the United States. For example, our marketing of products or business opportunity as a consultant in the United Kingdom differs significantly from marketing to United States customers and consultants. Consequently, we may experience additional costs and delays in entering or continuing to do business in foreign markets in order to comply with local regulations.
Potential FDA and Other Regulation
We could become subject to additional laws or regulations administered by the FDA, FTC, or other federal, state, local or international regulatory
authorities, to the repeal of laws or regulations that we consider favorable, such as DSHEA, or to more stringent interpretations of current laws or regulations. Because of negative publicity associated with some adulterated or misbranded supplements, including pharmaceutical drugs marketed as dietary supplements, there has been an increased movement in the United States and other markets to expand the regulation of dietary supplements, which could impose additional restrictions or requirements in the future. In recent years, there also has been increased pressure in the United States to further regulate cosmetics. In general, the regulatory environment is becoming more complex with increasingly strict regulations.
The Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act requires us to report to the FDA all serious adverse events and to maintain for six years, records of all adverse events, whether or not serious.
An adverse event is defined as any health-related event associated with the use of a dietary supplement that is adverse. In addition, this law requires the label of each dietary supplement, including our Protandim® products, to include a domestic address or telephone number by which the company selling the product may receive a report of a serious adverse event associated with such product. The labels of our Protandim® products comply with that statutory provision.
Employees
As of June 30, 2023 and 2022,
we had 248and 259 full-time employees, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, 184 of our full-time employees were based in the United States, 29 were based in Japan and a total of 9 were based in the Philippines, 9 in Thailand, 8 in Taiwan, 3 in Mexico, 3 in Australia, 1 in Singapore, 1 in Europe, and 1 in Canada. We do not include our independent consultants in our number of employees because our independent consultants are independent contractors and not employees. We outsource our manufacturing, warehousing and shipping operations.
Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
We understand that long-term value creation
for stockholders is our core responsibility. We are investing in a number of sustainability initiatives, including reducing the environmental impact of our business activities and products, improving the global human condition, providing a positive working environment and engaging with our stakeholders regarding these initiatives.
Employees: We believe that our employees are an essential asset. We have a dedicated team of professionals that support our customers and independent consultants, work to generate long-term value for our stockholders and contribute to the broader public through charitable programs, including LifeVantage Legacy – an independent charitable organization focused on bettering the lives of children throughout the world. In turn, we offer competitive compensation and guide employees to focus on the long-term goals of our stockholders and independent consultants. We
have received many ‘best place to work’ awards over the years, most recently being named to the Utah Top Workplaces List by the Salt Lake Tribune.
Environment: We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and creating awareness about sustainability. We strive to improve our environmental footprint over time and to initiate additional projects and activities that will further reduce our impact on the environment. Our commitment to the environment extends to our customers, our independent consultants, our employees, and the global communities in which we operate. We comply with applicable environmental regulations and strive to prevent pollution whenever possible. We are increasing our efforts to train our employees and independent consultants on our environmental program and empower them to contribute and participate. We are committed to continually improving over time by striving to measure
our environmental impacts and by setting goals to reduce these impacts each year. Some examples of our efforts include:
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•Using more easily recycled packaging for the launch of our new products in our TrueScience® line and ensuring the new products score low on the Think Dirty scale;
•Abiding by our environmental policy using the feedback from our stakeholders to help formalize our focus on sustainability and began using environmental auditing in our selection process for new partners;
•Switched to more easily recyclable bottles and cartons for product packaging,
including replacing plastic bags with paper cartons for our energy drink products and using a fully recyclable glass bottle and cap for the recently launched TrueScience® Liquid Collagen product line;
•Began sourcing shipping boxes made from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified corrugate material;
•Created sharable videos that our independent consultants can use with our sustainability efforts;
•Focused on working with fish oil suppliers and fisheries who are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified; and
•Joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to support sustainable sources of Palm Oil as we look
for additional ways to enhance and /or create products for consumers.
Social/Community: We believe that our legacy is not the past, it is the future we create. This belief informed our effort to sponsor the formation of LifeVantage Legacy – an independent charitable organization focused on bettering the lives of children throughout the world. LifeVantage Legacy helps the leaders of tomorrow by touching a million lives across the world today. From simply helping a child in need to supporting initiatives that uplift entire communities, our goal is simple - give future generations the support and resources they need to live happier, healthier lives one child at a time. One of the best parts of LifeVantage is our commitment to leaving places better than we find them.
•Hosting home building trips over the holidays with our independent
consultants and their families in Puerto Penasco, Mexico where we have built over 30 homes for families in need over the past several years.
•We have partnered with local refugee foundations to provide help to repair fences, provide habitat upkeep, as well as helped procure needed items for kids and cleaning supplies for people's homes.
•At our global convention, those who attended in person were able to aid us in packing 101,000 nutrient dense meals being sent to Thailand through a nonprofit partner.
•At our company-sponsored incentive trips, we make sure to take time and give back to the local communities. At our Elite training event, we spent a day preparing local hygiene and
school kits for an organization who helps provide medical care for children in the community and their families who cannot afford it.
•We have a human rights policy and vendor code of conduct to formalize our auditing and commitment to align internationally with human rights philosophies in how we conduct business. We audit our key partners each year to ensure we are partnering with those who share our values.
•We measured our employee's engagement level and requested anonymous feedback during the fiscal year and implemented changes to address the feedback. We host a monthly all hands staff meeting to ensure our employees feel informed and aligned on our priorities. This meeting encourages transparent communication, which was a focus for us this fiscal year.
Governance:
We endeavor to continue to strengthen and improve our corporate governance and executive compensation practices. We have an equity ownership policy to reinforce our belief that executives and directors who believe in the future of our company should have meaningful equity holdings in LifeVantage. In addition, we have a majority standard for the election of directors on our board.
Available Information
Our principal offices are located at 3300 N. Triumph Blvd, Suite 700, Lehi, UT84043.
Our telephone number is (801) 432-9000 and our fax number is (801) 880-0699. Our website address is www.lifevantage.com; however, information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this report. Our website address is included in this annual report as an inactive
textual reference only.
The reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), by us and by our officers, directors, and significant stockholders are available for review on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Such reports arealso available free of charge through the investor relations section of our website at www.lifevantage.com and are accessible as soon as reasonably practicable after being electronically filed with or furnished
to the SEC.
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ITEM 1A — RISK FACTORS
Because of the following risks, as well as other risks affecting our financial condition and operating results, past financial performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods. The risks described below are those we currently believe could materially affect us. The following risks are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results of operations to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking
statements in this report.
An inability to properly motivate and incentivize sales from our independent consultants could harm our business.
Motivating our independent consultants and providing them with appropriate sales resources, including technology, tools and training, are important to the growth and success of our business. We have faced, and may continue to face, challenges in motivating and incentivizing our independent consultants. In addition, actions we take from time to time to enforce our policies and procedures, may cause discord among some of our independent consultants. The loss of key independent
consultants due to various factors including, but not limited to, voluntary termination or involuntary termination or suspension resulting from non-compliance with our policies and procedures, could distract our independent consultants and disrupt our business. For example, in the past, we have experienced discord among our leading independent consultants. If we fail to properly respond to any discord among our leading independent consultants in the United States and other markets, we could lose additional leaders, including to competing direct selling companies, which could have a significant negative impact on our revenue. Further, from time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings with former independent consultants. Such legal proceedings can be a distraction to our active independent consultants and can be expensive, time-consuming and cause a disruption to our business. Our inability to properly respond to these and other distractions may have a negative impact
on our business.
The widespread outbreak of an illness or communicable disease, or any other public health crisis, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We could be negatively impacted by the widespread outbreak of an illness or any other communicable disease, or any other public health crisis that results in economic and trade disruptions, including the disruption of global supply chains. In December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 began in China and in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains and created significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. The pandemic resulted in significant national and global economic disruption and there is a chance that a future
public health crisis may adversely affect our business.
During fiscal year 2023, we continued to monitor COVID-19 and the disruptions it could have on our business. Our independent consultants have experienced, and could continue to experience, disruptions resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, independent consultants are still required to provide a hard-copy introductory packet (gaiyoshomen) in person to each person they approach to possibly enroll as an independent consultant before presenting our products and business opportunity. This requirement has inhibited, and could continue to inhibit, independent consultants from connecting with potential new independent consultants virtually or through social media from time. While some of the orders and restrictions that were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted, we cannot be certain that such orders and restrictions will not be reinstated in
the future. Accordingly, quarantines, avoidance of public places and general concerns about physical distancing related to COVID-19 or otherwise, if implemented, may significantly reduce the ability of our independent consultants to meet people in person and commence the enrollment process in some areas of the world. Our independent consultants have adapted their approach for customer outreach and sales, including transitioning to a stronger social media presence, in an effort to sustain their sales volume.
Our business may, in the future, experience additional disruptions and be negatively impacted by public health crises, including limitations on the ability of our suppliers to manufacture, or procure from manufacturers, the products we sell or any of the raw materials or components required in the production process, or to meet delivery requirements and commitments; limitations on the ability of our employees to perform
their work due to illness caused by the pandemic or local, state, or federal orders requiring employees to remain at home; limitations on the ability of carriers to deliver our products to customers; limitations on the ability of our independent consultants to conduct their businesses and purchase our products; and limitations on the ability of our customers or independent consultants to continue to purchase our products due to decreased disposable income.
The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operational and financial performance, including our ability to execute our business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. An extended period of global supply chain and economic disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, access to sources of liquidity and financial condition.
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Cyber
security risks and the failure to maintain the integrity of data belonging to our company, employees, customers, and independent consultants could expose us to data loss, litigation and liability, and our reputation could be significantly harmed.
We collect and retain large volumes of data relating to our business and from our customers, independent consultants and employees for business purposes, including for transactional and promotional purposes, and our various information technology systems enter, process, summarize and report such data. The integrity and protection of this data is critical to our business. We are subject to significant security and privacy regulations, as well as requirements imposed by the payment card industry. Maintaining compliance with these evolving regulations and requirements could be difficult and may increase
our expenses. In addition, a penetrated or compromised data system or the intentional, inadvertent or negligent release or disclosure of data could result in theft, loss or fraudulent or unlawful use of data relating to our company or our customers, independent consultants and/or employees, which could harm our brand and reputation, disrupt our operations, or result in remedial and other costs, fines or lawsuits, all of which would substantially harm our business and operating results.
Further, we are subject to changes in the regulatory environment regarding privacy and data protection. Our growth and expansion into a variety of new markets may potentially involve new regulatory issues and requirements. For example, many countries, such as European Union member countries as a result of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)
have introduced into local law some form of traffic and user data retention requirements. Compliance with these retention requirements can be difficult and costly from a legal, operational and technical perspective and could harm our business and operational results. We did not experience a material cyber security event in fiscal year 2023.
We may not be successful in expanding our operations.
We may not be successful in expanding our operations. Although we have been selling our products through our direct selling network since fiscal year 2009, we still may have limited insight into trends, disruptions and other factors that may emerge and affect our business. For example, primarily as a result of the impact on our business by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, our total revenue declined the prior two fiscal years. In addition, from time to time, we are compelled to terminate one
or more of our independent consultants for actions contrary to their contractual obligations with us. In the past, some of these terminations have caused disruption among our independent consultants, and such terminations or resulting disruption in the future may negatively impact our revenue. Additionally, we may not be successful in keeping our leading independent consultants focused and motivated or in aligning their goals with our company goals. Although we are seeking to grow our business, if we fail to effectively manage operations in our existing markets and/or expand our operations into additional markets, we may be unable to generate consistent operating profit growth in future periods.
If we are able to expand our operations, we may experience difficulties in managing our future growth, which could adversely affect our business.
If we are able to expand our operations in the United States and in other countries where we believe our products will be successful, such expansion could place increased strain on our management, operational, financial and other resources. An inability to leverage our current resources in an efficient manner could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating margins, and results of operations. In addition, if we are able to expand our operations, we expect we will need additional managerial, operational, technical, sales, marketing, financial, legal, and other resources. Our management may need to divert its attention away from its day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure and loss of business opportunities, among others.
We
may not succeed in growing our business in existing markets or opening new markets.
We sell our products in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines. We also sell our products in a number of countries to customers for personal consumption only. In fiscal year 2023, we generated approximately 30% of our revenue from our international operations, a majority of which was generated in Japan. We believe that our ability to achieve future growth is dependent in part on our ability to effectively expand into new international markets and grow our existing markets. In some international markets, we have experienced difficulties which have resulted in adverse consequences to our business, including declining revenue in some markets and occasional disruption to our business
with supply chain and logistics delays in delivering product to certain markets in a timely manner. Our business and financial results may be also negatively impacted if a particular market or new business model is not widely accepted and adopted. We must overcome significant regulatory and legal barriers before we can begin marketing in any international market. Also, before marketing commences in a new country or market, it is difficult to assess the extent to which our products and sales techniques will be accepted or successful. In addition to significant regulatory barriers, we may also encounter problems conducting operations in new markets with different cultures and legal systems from those encountered elsewhere. We may be required to
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reformulate one or more
of our products before commencing sales of that product in a given country. Once we have entered a market, we must adhere to the regulatory and legal requirements of that market. We may not be able to obtain and retain necessary permits and approvals in new markets, or we may have insufficient capital to finance our expansion efforts in a timely manner.
Our independent consultants could fail to comply with applicable legal requirements or our policies and procedures, which could result in claims against us that could harm our business.
Our independent consultants are independent contractors and, accordingly, we are not in a position to directly provide the same oversight, direction and motivation as we would if they were our employees. As a result, there can be no assurance that our independent consultants will comply with applicable laws or regulations
or our independent consultant policies and procedures, participate in our marketing strategies or plans, or accept our introduction of new products.
Extensive federal, state, local and international laws regulate our business, products and direct selling activities. Because we have expanded into foreign countries, our policies and procedures for our independent consultants differ slightly in some countries due to the different legal requirements of each country in which we do business. In addition, as we have expanded internationally, some of our independent consultants have carried or shipped our products into countries in which such products are not registered or that otherwise impose stringent restrictions on our direct selling model. While we have taken steps to stop or restrict these sales from occurring, including through our independent consultant policies and procedures, it can be difficult to enforce these policies
and procedures because of the large number of independent consultants and their independent status. If relevant regulatory authorities determined that any such independent consultant activities are not compliant with all regulatory requirements, we could be subject to related fines, penalties and other assessments. Activities by our independent consultants that violate applicable laws or regulations could result in government or third-party actions against us, which could harm our business. In addition, violations by our independent consultants of our policies and procedures could reflect negatively on our products and operations and harm our business reputation. Further, it is possible that a court could hold us civilly or criminally accountable based on vicarious liability because of the actions of our independent consultants. In the past, some of our independent consultants have been investigated by government agencies for conduct alleged to have violated the law
and our policies. This type of investigation can have an adverse effect on us even if we are not involved in the independent consultant’s activities.
Inability of new products and technological innovations to gain market acceptance by customers and/or independent consultants could harm our business.
We believe our ability to introduce new products that gain acceptance among our customers and independent consultants is an important part of our ability to grow our revenue in future periods. However, any new products we introduce may not gain market acceptance by customers and/or independent consultants to the extent we anticipate or project. Factors that could affect our ability to introduce new products include, among others, government regulations, the inability to attract and retain qualified research and development staff, the termination of third-party research and collaborative
arrangements, proprietary protections of competitors that may limit our ability to offer comparable products and the difficulties in anticipating changes in consumer tastes and buying preferences. In addition, new products we introduce may not be successful or generate substantial sales revenue. The introduction of a new product could also negatively impact other product lines to the extent our independent consultant leaders focus their sales efforts on the new product instead of an existing product. If any of our products fails to gain customer and/or independent consultant acceptance, we could see an increase in product returns.
In addition, we believe our ability to introduce new technologies that gain acceptance among our customers and independent consultants is an important part of our ability to grow our sales revenue in future periods. However, these or other new technologies that we introduce may not gain customer
and/or independent consultant acceptance to the extent we anticipate or project.
If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to product accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired, which could result in sanctions or other penalties that would harm our business.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal controls over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) requires, among other things, that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and provide a management report on the internal controls over financial reporting.
We have implemented internal controls to help ensure the completeness and accuracy of our
financial reporting and to detect and prevent fraudulent actions within our financial and accounting processes including the development and implementation of control policies and procedures regarding the international business policies, practices, monitoring and training for each country outside the U.S. in which we do business. However, we cannot be assured that significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not exist in the future. Any failure to maintain or
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implement required new or improved controls, or any difficulties we encounter in their implementation, could result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, cause us to fail to timely meet our periodic reporting obligations, or result in material
misstatements in our financial statements. Any such failure could also adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and annual auditor attestation reports regarding disclosure controls and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. The existence of a material weakness could result in errors in our financial statements that could result in a restatement of financial statements, cause us to fail to timely meet our reporting obligations, or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could cause a decline in the market price of our stock and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities including equivalent foreign authorities. In fiscal year 2023, we did not experience any material weaknesses in our internal control and/or financial reporting processes.
Our
business could be negatively impacted if we fail to execute any product launch process due to increased pressure on our supply chain, information systems and management.
Although our product launch process may vary by market, we generally introduce new products to our customers and independent consultants through live events or cyber launches, limited-time offers and promotions. The limited-time offers typically generate significant activity and a high level of purchasing, which may result in a higher than normal increase in sales revenue during the quarter of the limited-time offer and skew year-over-year and sequential comparisons. We may experience difficulty effectively managing growth associated with these limited-time offers. In addition, the size and condensed schedule of these product launches increases pressure on our supply chain. If we are unable to accurately forecast sales levels in each market, obtain sufficient
ingredients or produce a sufficient supply to meet demand, we may incur higher expedited shipping costs and we may temporarily run out of stock of certain products, which could negatively impact the enthusiasm of our independent consultants and their customers. Conversely, if demand does not meet our expectations for a product launch, we could incur increased inventory write-offs. Any inventory write-off would negatively impact our gross margins. In addition, our order processing systems could have difficulties handling the high volume of orders generated by limited-time offers. Although our previous limited-time offers have not materially affected our product return rate, these events may increase our product return rate in the future.
Our business may be harmed if we are unable to appropriately manage our inventory.
In the past, we have experienced difficulties
in appropriately managing our inventory. For example, when we launched our TrueScience® Liquid Collagen product in June 2022, we experienced higher than expected demand and did not have sufficient inventory to meet demand. Subsequently, our inventory balances increased significantly, causing us to engage in a deliberate effort to manage our inventory balances down to levels we viewed as appropriate. We review all inventory items quarterly for obsolescence, and when items become obsolete or are expired, we write down our inventory accordingly. If we are unable to sell our inventory in a timely manner, we may experience additional inventory obsolescence charges, including for finished products in inventory that have expired. If we are unable to appropriately manage our inventory balances, our business may be harmed.
We rely on our information technology systems to manage numerous
aspects of our business, and a disruption in these systems could adversely affect our business.
We depend on our information technology (“IT”), systems to manage numerous aspects of our business, including our finance and accounting transactions, to manage our independent consultant sales compensation plan and to provide analytical information to management. Our IT systems are an essential component of our business and growth strategies, and a serious disruption to our IT systems could significantly limit our ability to manage and operate our business efficiently. These systems are vulnerable to, among other things, damage and interruption from power loss or natural disasters, computer system and network failures, loss of telecommunications services, physical and electronic loss of data, security breaches and computer viruses. Any disruption could cause our business and competitive position to suffer and adversely affect
our business and operating results. In addition, if we experience future growth, we will need to scale or change some of our systems to accommodate the increasing number of independent consultants and their customers.
Inability to comply with financial covenants imposed by our credit facility and the impact of debt service obligations and restrictive covenants could impede our operations and flexibility.
We entered into a Financing Agreement in March 2016, which was subsequently amended in May 2018, February 2019, April 2021 and September 2022 that provides for a credit facility consisting of a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5 million. The revolving loan facility has a maturity date of March 2024. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022,
there is no outstanding balance on the revolving loan facility. The principal amount of any borrowings under the credit facility is repayable in consecutive quarterly installments. We expect to generate the cash necessary to pay any future principal and interest on the credit facility from our cash flows provided by operating activities. However, our ability to meet
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our debt service obligations will depend on our future performance, which may be affected by financial, business, economic, demographic and other factors. If we do not have enough money to pay our debt service obligations, we may be required to refinance all or part of our debt, sell assets, borrow more money or raise cash through the sale of equity. In such an event, we may not be able to refinance our
debt, sell assets, borrow more money or raise cash through the sale of equity on terms acceptable to us or at all. Also, our ability to carry out any of these activities on favorable terms, if at all, may be further impacted by any financial or credit crisis which may limit access to the credit markets and increase the cost of capital.
The credit facility is secured by a lien on substantially all of our assets, and the assets of our subsidiaries, and contains customary covenants, including affirmative and negative covenants, that restrict our ability to incur or guarantee additional indebtedness, declare or pay dividends on or redeem capital stock, make other payments to holders of our equity interests, make certain investments, purchase or otherwise acquire all or substantially all the assets or equity interests of other companies,
sell our assets and enter into consolidations, mergers or transfers of all or substantially all of our assets. The credit facility requires that we maintain specified financial ratios and satisfy certain financial condition tests and meet certain informational requirements in order to draw on the revolving loan facility, if needed. Our ability to meet these financial ratios and tests and informational requirements can be affected by events beyond our control and we may be unable to meet these ratios and tests and informational requirements. A breach of any of the covenants, ratios, tests or restrictions imposed by the credit facility would result in an event of default and the lender could declare any and all amounts outstanding under the credit facility to be immediately due and payable or limit our ability to draw on the revolving loan facility. Our assets may not be sufficient to repay the indebtedness if the lenders accelerate our repayment of the indebtedness under
the credit facility. We were in compliance with all credit facility covenants at the end of fiscal year 2023.
A substantial portion of our business is conducted in foreign markets, exposing us to the risks of trade or foreign exchange restrictions, increased tariffs, foreign currency fluctuations, disruptions or conflicts with our third-party importers and similar risks associated with foreign operations.
Global economic conditions continue to be challenging and unpredictable. A substantial portion of our sales are generated outside the United States. If we are successful in entering additional foreign markets, we anticipate that the percentage of our sales generated outside the United States will increase. There are substantial risks associated with foreign operations. For example, a foreign government may impose trade or foreign exchange restrictions, increased tariffs or other
legal, tax, customs or other financial burdens on us or our independent consultants, due, for example, to the structure of our operations in various markets. Any such actions could negatively impact our operations and financial results. We are also exposed to risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations. For instance, in preparing our financial statements, we translate revenue and expenses in our markets outside the United States from their local currencies into U.S. Dollars using weighted average exchange rates. If the U.S. Dollar strengthens relative to local currencies, our reported revenue, gross profit and net income will likely be reduced. Foreign currency fluctuations can also result in losses and gains resulting from translation of foreign currency denominated balances on our balance sheet. Additionally, purchases from suppliers are generally made in U.S. Dollars while sales to customers and independent consultants are generally made in local currencies.
Accordingly, strengthening of the U.S. Dollar versus a foreign currency could have a negative impact on us. Specifically, because a significant percentage of our revenue is generated in Japan, strengthening of the U.S. Dollar versus the Japanese yen has had and, in the future, could have an adverse impact on our financial results. Although we may engage in transactions intended to reduce our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, there can be no assurance that these transactions will be effective. Given the complex global political and economic dynamics that affect exchange rate fluctuations, it is difficult to predict future fluctuations and the effect these fluctuations may have upon future reported results or our overall financial condition.
Additionally, we may be negatively impacted by conflicts with, or disruptions caused or faced by, third party importers, as well as conflicts between such importers and local governments
or regulatory agencies. Our operations in some markets also may be adversely affected by political, economic and social instability in foreign countries.
We may require substantial additional funding, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, and, if not available, may require us to delay, scale back, or cease our product development or growth plans.
Based on our current plans, we believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and our ongoing cash flow from operations will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated cash requirements for at least 12 months from the date of this report. If our available cash resources and anticipated cash flows from operations are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we may be required to raise significant additional capital to support our continued operations and the implementation of our business and growth
plans. Future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including but not limited to:
•the costs associated with acquiring products from third-party vendors;
•the costs of the sales and marketing activities of our products;
•the costs associated with commissions and incentives for our independent consultants;
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•litigation expenses we incur to defend against claims, including claims that we infringe the intellectual property of others or judgments we must pay to satisfy such claims;
•contractual
obligations to third parties;
•our rate of progress in developing, launching and selling our current products and any new products we pursue;
•our ability to control our operating costs;
•our ability to satisfy our outstanding debt obligations; and
•the costs of responding to the other risks and uncertainties described in this report.
We may also be required to raise additional capital in the future to expand our business and operations to pursue strategic investments or for other reasons including but not limited to:
•increasing our sales and marketing efforts to drive market adoption
of our products;
•scaling up our customer support capabilities;
•funding development and marketing efforts of additional products;
•expanding our product portfolio into additional markets;
•acquiring products through licensing rights;
•acquiring or investing in complementary businesses or assets; and
•financing capital expenditures and general and administrative expenses.
We may seek required funding through issuances of equity or convertible debt securities or entering into additional loan facilities. Each of the various
ways we could raise additional capital carry potential risks. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to our stockholders would result. If we raise funds by issuing additional debt securities, those debt securities would have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. Our credit facility restricts our ability to pursue certain transactions that we may believe to be in our best interest, including incurring additional indebtedness without the prior written consent of the lender under the credit facility.
If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, if we require it, our ability to continue to pursue our business objectives and to respond to business opportunities, challenges, or unforeseen circumstances could be significantly limited and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations
and prospects.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We primarily depend on a few products for a majority of our revenue.
Although we generate revenue through the sale of other products, we primarily rely on our Protandim® and TrueScience® product lines for a majority of our revenue, which collectively represent approximately 79.3% of our total revenue. We do not currently have a diversified portfolio of other products that we could rely on to support our operations if we were to experience any difficulty with the manufacture, marketing, sale or distribution of these product lines. As such, any adverse impact we experience
with respect to these two product lines could result in an impact to our overall revenue. For example, if we are unable to sustain or increase the price or sales levels for the Protandim® and TrueScience®product lines, our business could be harmed.
If we are unable to retain our existing customers and independent consultants or attract additional customers and independent consultants, our revenue will not increase and may decline.
Our customers may cease purchasing our products at any time and for any reason. Our independent consultants may terminate their services at any time, and we can and have in the past terminated consultants for conduct violative of our policies and procedures. As such, like most direct selling companies, we have experienced and are likely
to continue to experience turnover among both customers and independent consultants. We have experienced, and may continue to experience, a decrease in the number of our independent consultants. The departure for any reason of one of our leading independent consultants can be a major disruption to other independent consultants and could have a significant negative impact on our sales and operating results. Independent consultants who join our company to purchase our products for personal consumption or for short-term
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income goals may only stay with us for a short time. While we take steps to help train, motivate, and retain independent consultants, we cannot accurately predict the number
or sales productivity of our independent consultants.
Our operating results will be harmed if we and our independent consultant leaders do not generate sufficient interest in our business to retain existing customers and independent consultants and attract new customers and independent consultants. The number and sales productivity of our independent consultants could be harmed by several factors, including:
•any adverse publicity regarding us, our products, our distribution channel, or our competitors;
•non-compliance by our independent consultants with applicable legal requirements or our policies and procedures;
•lack of interest in existing or new products or their failure to achieve desired sales results;
•lack
of a compelling business opportunity sufficient to generate the interest and commitment of new independent consultants;
•any changes we might make to our independent consultant sales compensation plan;
•any negative public perception of our company or our products or their ingredients;
•any negative public perception of our independent consultants and direct selling business in general;
•our actions to enforce our policies and procedures;
•any efforts to sell our products through competitive channels;
•any
regulatory actions or charges against us or others in our industry; and
•general economic and business conditions.
High quality materials for our products may be difficult to obtain or expensive.
Raw materials account for a significant portion of our manufacturing costs and we rely on third-party suppliers to provide raw materials. Suppliers may be unable or unwilling to provide the raw materials our manufacturers need in the quantities requested, at a price we are willing to pay, or that meet our quality standards. We are also subject to potential delays in the delivery of raw materials caused by events beyond our control, including the COVID-19 pandemic, labor disputes, transportation interruptions and changes in government regulations. Our business could be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain a reliable
source of any of the raw materials used in the manufacturing of our products that meets our quality standards. Additionally, if demand for our products exceeds our forecasts, we may have difficulties in obtaining additional raw materials in time to meet the excess demand. Any significant delay in or disruption of the supply of raw materials could, among other things, substantially increase the cost of such materials, require reformulation or repackaging of products, require the qualification of new suppliers, or result in our inability to meet customer demands.
Although our independent consultants are independent contractors, improper actions by independent consultants that violate laws or regulations could harm our business.
Our independent consultants are not employees and act independent of us. However, activities by our independent consultants that allegedly violate applicable
laws or regulations could result in government or third-party actions against us, which could harm our business. Our independent consultants agree to abide by our policies and procedures which are designed to ensure our independent consultants will comply with legal requirements. We have a consultant compliance department that addresses violations of our independent consultants when they become known to us. However, given the size of our independent consultant network, we experience problems with independent consultants violating our policies and procedures from time to time and are not always able to discover or remedy such violations.
One of our most significant areas of risk with respect to independent consultant activities relates to improper product claims and claims regarding the consultant business opportunity of being an independent consultant. Any determination by the Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission,
any state agency or other similar governmental agency outside the United States that we or our independent consultants are not in compliance with applicable laws could materially harm our business. Even if governmental actions do not result in rulings or orders against us, they could create negative publicity that could detrimentally affect our efforts to recruit or motivate independent consultants and attract customers or lead to consumer lawsuits against us. When we experience growth in the number of our independent consultants, we have seen an increase in sales aids and promotional material being produced by independent consultants and/or consultant groups in some markets. This places an increased burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials and increases the risk that such materials could contain problematic product, marketing, or business opportunity claims in violation of our policies and applicable regulations.
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As
we expand our operations, including internationally, our independent consultants sometimes attempt to anticipate additional new markets that we may enter in the future and begin marketing and sponsoring activities in markets where we are not qualified to conduct business. For example, some of our independent consultants have carried or shipped our products into countries in which such products are not registered or that otherwise impose stringent restrictions on our direct selling model. These or other activities by our independent consultants that violate applicable laws or regulations could subject us to legal or regulatory claims or actions, which could result in fines, penalties or negative publicity, any of which could have an adverse impact on our business.
We are dependent upon third parties to manufacture our products.
We currently rely on third parties to manufacture our
products. We are dependent on the uninterrupted and efficient operation of third-party manufacturers’ facilities. We currently use multiple third-party manufacturers for our products. If any of our current manufacturers are unable or unwilling to fulfill our manufacturing requirements or seek to impose unfavorable terms, we will likely have to seek out other manufacturers, which could disrupt our operations and we may not be successful in finding alternative manufacturing resources. In addition, competitors who perform their own manufacturing may have an advantage over us with respect to pricing, availability of product, and in other areas through their control of the manufacturing process.
Disruptions to or significantly increased costs associated with transportation and other distribution channels for our products may adversely affect our margins and profitability.
We generally
rely on the uninterrupted and efficient operation of third-party logistics companies to transport and deliver our products. These third-party logistics companies may experience disruptions to the transportation channels used to distribute our products, including disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, increased airport and shipping port congestion, a lack of transportation capacity, increased fuel expenses, and a shortage of manpower. Disruptions to the transportation channels experienced by our third-party logistics companies may result in increased costs, including the additional use of airfreight to meet demand.
We are subject to risks related to product recalls.
We have implemented measures in our manufacturing process that are designed to prevent and detect defects in our products, including contaminants. However, such measures may not prevent or reveal defects or detect
contaminants in our products and such defects and contaminants may not become apparent until after our products have been sold into the market. Accordingly, there is a risk that product defects will occur, or that our products will contain foreign contaminants, and that such defects and contaminants will require a product recall. We do not maintain product recall insurance. In the past, we commenced a voluntary recall of certain lots of Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® to alleviate safety concerns related to certain batches of turmeric extract, an ingredient in Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® we purchase from third-party suppliers. Product recalls and subsequent remedial actions can be expensive to implement and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations
and financial condition. In addition, product recalls could result in negative publicity and public concerns regarding the safety of our products, either of which could harm the reputation of our products and our business and could cause the market value of our common stock to decline.
A past voluntary product recall strained our relationships with some of our third-party manufacturers. Additionally, following the voluntary recall we implemented more stringent measures, including several redundant measures, in our manufacturing process to detect contaminants. Third-party manufacturers may be reluctant to implement these redundant measures, may refuse to manufacture our products, and additional safety measures such as these may increase our cost of goods sold and strain our relationships with manufacturers.
Laws and regulations may prohibit or severely restrict direct selling and
cause our revenue and profitability to decline, and regulators could adopt new regulations that negatively impact our business.
Various government agencies throughout the world regulate direct selling practices. The laws and regulations applicable to us and our independent consultants in Japan are particularly stringent. These laws and regulations are generally intended to prevent fraudulent or deceptive schemes, often referred to as “pyramid” schemes, which compensate participants primarily for recruiting additional participants without significant emphasis on the sale of product to end consumers. Government agencies, such as the FTC in the United States and similar agencies in foreign jurisdictions, periodically investigate direct selling companies based on such schemes or other claims made by a direct selling company or its independent consultants. Generally, companies that are the subject of an FTC, or similar foreign
agency, enforcement action are required to pay monetary fines and/or make updates to its business model. The laws and regulations in some of our markets impose cancellations, product returns, inventory buy-backs and cooling-off rights for our independent consultants and/or customers. Excessive refunds and/or product returns pursuant to local laws and regulations, including being the target of an enforcement action or investigation by the FTC or a similar foreign agency in a foreign jurisdiction, could have a negative impact on our operating results. Complying with
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these rules and regulations can be difficult and requires the devotion of significant resources on our part. We may not be able to continue business in existing markets or commence operations in new markets
if we are unable to comply with these laws or adjust to changes in these laws.
Unfavorable publicity could materially harm our business.
We are highly dependent upon consumers' perceptions of the safety, quality, and efficacy of our products, as well as competitive products distributed by other companies. In the past, we have experienced negative publicity that has harmed our business. Critics of our industry and other individuals whose interests are not aligned with our interests, have in the past and may in the future utilize the Internet, the press and other means to publish criticism of the industry, our company, our products and our competitors, or make allegations regarding our business and operations, or the business and operations of our competitors. For instance, several prominent companies
in our industry have been targeted by short sellers who profit if a company's stock price decreases. One such company was targeted by a short seller who, after taking a significant short position, publicly made allegations regarding the legality of the company's direct selling model. Short sellers have an incentive to publicly criticize our industry and business model and any such criticism may adversely affect our stock price.
Future scientific research or publicity may not be favorable to our industry or any particular product. Because of our dependence upon consumer perceptions, adverse publicity associated with illness or other adverse effects resulting or claimed to have resulted from the consumption or use of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies could have a material adverse impact on us. Such adverse publicity
could arise even if the claims are unsubstantiated or if the adverse effects associated with such products resulted from failure to consume or use such products as directed. Adverse publicity could also increase our product liability exposure, result in increased regulatory scrutiny and lead to the initiation of private lawsuits.
We are subject to risks related to a Global Not For Resale Program
We have a Global Not For Resale program, which allows customers from around the world to purchase limited amounts of our products for their individual consumption. Under this program, customers from other countries are able to set up a U.S. customer account and associated U.S. address and payment method to drop-ship their order to a third-party vendor in the U.S., who will then ship the products to the customer’s global location with any customs and/or duties being the sole responsibility
of the ordering customer.
This program may raise questions from tax regulators about the appropriate sales tax jurisdiction due to the varied and complex tax regulations in the U.S. and around the world. Further, any regulatory review of our facilitation to ship U.S. product to our existing markets, where such product has not been registered, may raise issues against the local subsidiary from the foreign jurisdiction equivalents of the FDA or FTC or the relevant trade associations, should any agency or association perceive that we or our independent consultants are advertising and/or facilitating the sale of unregistered product in their country.
Our direct selling program could be found to be not in compliance with current or newly adopted laws or regulations in one or more markets, which could prevent us from conducting our business in these markets and harm our financial condition
and operating results.
Some of the legal and regulatory requirements concerning the direct selling business model are ambiguous and subject to interpretation. As a result, regulators and courts have discretion in their application of these laws and regulations, and the enforcement or interpretation of these laws and regulations by governmental agencies or courts can change. Allegations by short sellers regarding the legality of multi-level marketing companies generally have also created intense public scrutiny of our industry and could cause governmental agencies to change their enforcement and interpretation of applicable laws and regulations. The failure of our business to comply with current or newly adopted regulations or interpretations could negatively impact our business in a particular market or in general and may adversely affect our stock price.
Actions of activist stockholders
could impact the pursuit of our business strategies, cause us to incur substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources, and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock.
Publicly traded companies have increasingly become subject to campaigns by activist investors advocating corporate actions such as financial restructurings, increased borrowings, special dividends, stock repurchases or even sales of assets or entire companies to third parties or the activists themselves. Responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist stockholders, including related litigation, can be costly and time consuming, disrupt our operations and divert the attention of our board and senior management from the pursuit of business strategies, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, perceived uncertainties
as to our future direction as a result of stockholder activism or changes to the composition of our board may lead to the perception of a change in the direction of our business, instability or lack of continuity. These uncertainties may be more acute or heightened when an activist seeks to change a majority of the board or ultimately desires to acquire the company. If individuals are elected to our board with a specific agenda, it may
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adversely affect our ability to effectively implement our business strategy and create additional value for our stockholders. Additionally, actions by activist stockholders may be exploited by our competitors, cause concern to our current or potential
independent consultants and customers, make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and may create adverse uncertainty for our employees. In addition, actions of activist stockholders may cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business. On August 9, 2023, we received notice from a stockholder, Bradley L. Radoff, of his intent to nominate three directors for election at the company’s fiscal year 2024 annual meeting of stockholders. Our board and management team strive to maintain constructive, ongoing communications with our stockholders, including Mr. Radoff, and welcome all views and ideas that have the potential to enhance value for all stockholders. Although
our board has not made its recommendation with respect to the director election the fiscal year 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, it is possible that, if the company and Mr. Radoff cannot reach an agreement in connection with his nomination, a proxy contest involving Mr. Radoff may ensue with respect to the company’s fiscal year 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, or that we could become engaged in a proxy contest with another activist stockholder in the future.
We may become involved in legal proceedings that are expensive, time consuming and, if adversely adjudicated or settled, could adversely affect our financial results.
Litigation claims can be expensive and time consuming to bring or defend against and
could result in settlements or damages that could significantly affect our financial results. It is not possible to predict the final resolution of litigation to which we may become a party, and the impact of litigation proceedings on our business, results of operations and financial condition could be material.
From time to time, we are involved in various legal matters, both as a plaintiff and defendant. While we believe the suits against us are without merit, they are costly to defend and we cannot be assured that we will ultimately prevail. If we do not prevail and are required to pay damages, it could harm our business.
Our business is subject to strict government regulations.
The manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertising, sale and distribution of our products are subject to federal laws and regulations by one or more federal
agencies, including, in the United States, the FDA, the FTC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the United States Department of Agriculture. These activities are also regulated by various state, local, and international laws and agencies of the states, localities and countries in which our products are sold. For instance, the FDA regulates, among other things, the composition, safety, labeling, and marketing of dietary supplements (including vitamins, minerals, herbs and other dietary ingredients for human use). Government regulations may prevent or delay the introduction of our products, or require us to reformulate our products or change the claims we make about them, which could result in lost revenue, increased costs and delay our expansion into new international markets.
The FDA may determine that a particular dietary supplement or ingredient is adulterated or misbranded or both and may determine that a particular
claim or statement of nutritional support that we make to support the marketing of a dietary supplement is an impermissible drug claim, or is an unauthorized version of a “health claim.” The FDA, the FTC, or state attorneys general may also determine that a particular claim we make for our products is not substantiated. Determining whether a claim is improper frequently involves a degree of subjectivity by the regulatory agency or individual regulator. Any of these determinations by the FDA or other regulators could prevent us from marketing that particular dietary supplement product, or making certain claims for that product. The FDA could also require us to remove a particular product from the market. Any future recall or removal would result in additional costs to us, including lost revenue from any product that we are required to remove from the market, which could be material. Any product recalls or removals could also lead to liability, substantial costs,
and reduced growth prospects.
In April 2017, we received a warning letter from the FDA alleging that information on our website contained impermissible drug claims relating to our Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® product. We believe the letter from the FDA contained factual inaccuracies and we responded promptly to the FDA. The FDA subsequently concluded that the issues set forth in the warning letter had been fully resolved. We believe we do not claim that any of our products prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any disease in any of our marketing materials or labeling and we proactively and consistently engage distinguished experts in FDA law and regulation to ensure our promotional materials and websites
adhere to applicable requirements and restrictions. Nevertheless, in the future, we may receive similar warning letters from the FDA if it believes some violation of law has occurred either by us or by our independent consultants. Any allegations of our non-compliance may result in time-consuming and expensive defense of our activities. FDA warning letters are available to the public on the FDA’s website. That information could negatively affect our relationships with our customers, investors, independent consultants, vendors, employees and consumers. Warning letters may also spark private class action litigation under state consumer protection statutes. The FDA could also order compliance activities, such as an inspection of our facilities and products, and could file a civil lawsuit in
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which
an arrest warrant (seizure) could be issued as to some or all of our products. In extraordinary cases, we could be named a defendant and sued for declaratory and injunctive relief.
Additional or more stringent regulations of dietary supplements and other products have been considered from time to time. In recent years, there has been increased pressure in the United States and other markets to increase regulation of dietary supplements. New regulations, or new interpretations of those regulations, could impose additional restrictions, including requiring reformulation of some products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of some products not able to be reformulated, additional record-keeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of some products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation, additional adverse event reporting, or other new requirements. Any of these developments
could increase our costs significantly.
In the United States, for example, some legislators and industry critics continue to push for increased regulatory authority by the FDA over dietary supplements and the FTC over dietary supplements and the direct selling industry. The FDA may strengthen the regulation of dietary supplements by modernizing its oversight of dietary supplements and the FTC may strengthen the regulation of business opportunity claims and direct selling companies, among other things. The FTC has in recent years investigated and taken enforcement action against direct selling companies for misleading representations relating to the earnings potential of an independent consultant within a company’s compensation plan, as well as appropriateness of the compensation plans themselves. Our business could be harmed if more restrictive legislation or regulation is successfully introduced and adopted in the future.
In the United States, the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (the “Guides”), require disclosure of material connections between an endorser and the company they are endorsing and generally do not allow marketing using atypical results. Our independent consultants have historically used testimonials to market and sell our products. Producing marketing materials that conform to the requirements and restrictions of the Guides may diminish the impact of our marketing efforts and negatively impact our sales results. If we or our independent consultants fail to comply with these Guides, the FTC could bring an enforcement action against us and we could be forced to alter our marketing materials and/or refund or disgorge funds. Our operations also could be harmed if new laws or regulations are enacted that restrict our ability to market or
distribute dietary supplements or impose additional burdens or requirements on dietary supplement companies or require us to reformulate our products.
In addition, the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act imposes significant regulatory requirements on dietary supplement manufacturers, packers and consultants including the reporting of “serious adverse events” to the FDA and record keeping requirements. Complying with this legislation could raise our costs and negatively impact our business. We and our suppliers are also required to comply with FDA regulations with respect to current Good Manufacturing Practices in manufacturing, packaging, or holding dietary ingredients and dietary supplements. These regulations require dietary supplements to be prepared, packaged, and held in compliance with procedures that we and our third-party subcontractors must develop and make available for inspection
by the FDA. These regulations could raise our costs and negatively impact our business. Additionally, our third-party suppliers or vendors may not be able to comply with these rules without incurring substantial expenses. If our third-party suppliers or vendors are not able to comply with these rules, we may experience increased cost or delays in obtaining certain raw materials and third-party products.
In 2022, the FDA published an updated draft guidance which is intended, among other things, to help manufacturers and consultants of dietary supplement products determine when they are required to file with the FDA a New Dietary Ingredient (“NDI”), notification with respect to a dietary supplement product. In this draft guidance, the FDA highlighted the necessity for marketers of dietary supplements to submit NDI notifications as an important preventive control to ensure that consumers are not exposed to potential unnecessary
public health risks in the form of new ingredients with unknown safety profiles. Although we do not believe that any of our products contain an NDI, if the FDA were to conclude that we should have filed an NDI notification for any of our products, then we could be subject to enforcement actions by the FDA. Such enforcement actions could include product seizures and injunctive relief being granted against us, any of which would harm our business.
In May 2016, the FDA released a final rule updating the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods and the Supplement Facts label for dietary supplements, with the objective to help consumers make better informed decisions. While the original compliance deadline for manufacturers of food and dietary supplements to use the new label was July 26, 2018, the FDA subsequently extended the compliance deadline to January
1, 2020, and later announced it would exercise enforcement discretion (i.e., not enforce the new label requirements) until January 1, 2021. Further, in December 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture promulgated regulations requiring that, by January 1, 2022, the labels of certain bio engineered foods, including dietary supplements, must include a disclosure that the food is bio engineered. Implementation of the new label requirements may result in additional costs to our business.
Our Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products are subject to varying, rapidly changing federal, state and local laws, regulations, and rules, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
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We
launched new hemp-derived CBD personal care products during fiscal year 2021. The CBD industry is evolving and subject to varying, and rapidly changing, laws, regulations and administrative practices. For example, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the “2018 Farm Bill”) formally defined “hemp” as the Cannabis sativa plant and its derivatives, extracts and cannabinoids with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) concentration of not more than 0.3%, and removed hemp from the federal definition of marijuana, making it no longer a Schedule I illegal drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The 2018 Farm Bill thus opened a pathway for the production and marketing of hemp and hemp derivatives, subject to compliance with certain federal requirements and state and local law. Our CBD products are derived from hemp as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill. Continued development of CBD-related industries is dependent
upon continued legalization of CBD-related products at the federal and state levels, and a number of factors could slow or halt progress in this area.
In addition, the manufacture, labeling, and distribution of our CBD products are regulated by various federal, state and local agencies. These governmental authorities or litigators, such as class action lawyers or attorneys general, may commence regulatory or legal proceedings, which could restrict the permissible scope of our product claims or our ability to sell products in the future. Violations of applicable laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in material adverse effects on our operations and financial condition. We cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations or applications, and it is possible that regulations may be enacted in the future that will have a material adverse effect on our business,
including our ability to develop, sell, and expand our CBD-infused products. Further, in the event of either repeal of federal, state or local laws and regulations, or amendments thereto that are adverse to our intended products, we may be restricted or limited with respect to those products that we may sell or distribute, which could adversely impact our intended business plan with respect to such products.
Regulations governing the production and marketing of our products could harm our business.
We are subject to various domestic and foreign laws and regulations that regulate the production and marketing of our products. If, for example, a determination that our dietary supplement products are used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness, including due to improper marketing claims by our independent consultants, it may lead to a determination that the LifeVantage®
supplements require pre-market approval as a drug. Such regulations in any given market can limit our ability to import products and can delay product launches as we go through the registration and approval process for those products. Furthermore, if we fail to comply with these regulations, we could face enforcement action against us and we could be fined, forced to alter or stop selling our products and/or be required to adjust our operations. Our operations also could be harmed if new laws or regulations are enacted that restrict our ability to market or distribute our products or impose additional burdens or requirements on the contents of our products or require us to reformulate our products.
We are subject to the risk of investigatory and enforcement action.
We are subject to the risk of investigatory and enforcement action by various government agencies, both domestic and
international. For instance, the FTC and state attorneys general may open an investigation or bring an enforcement action against us based on our advertising claims and marketing practices. The FTC routinely reviews product advertising, including websites, to identify significant questionable advertising claims and practices. The FTC has brought many actions against dietary supplement companies, including some actions that were brought jointly with state attorneys general, based upon allegations that applicable advertising claims or practices were deceptive or not substantiated. If the FTC initiates an investigation, the FTC can initiate pre-complaint discovery that may be nonpublic in nature. In addition, we are subject to the risk of investigatory and enforcement action by other agencies including, but not limited to, the FDA, including warning letters
and other sanctions, enforcement actions by the SEC and by other international regulatory agencies. Any investigation may be very expensive to defend and may result in an adverse ruling or in a consent decree.
Government authorities may question our tax positions or transfer pricing policies or change their laws in a manner that could increase our effective tax rate or otherwise harm our business.
As a U.S. company doing business in international markets through subsidiaries, we are subject to various tax and intercompany pricing laws, including those relating to the flow of funds between our company and our subsidiaries.
From time to time, we are audited by tax regulators in the United States and in our foreign markets. If regulators challenge our tax positions, corporate structure, transfer pricing mechanisms or intercompany transfers, we may be subject to fines and payment of back taxes, our effective tax rate may increase and our operations may be harmed. Tax rates vary from country to country, and, if tax authorities determine that our profits in one jurisdiction may need to be increased, we may not be able to fully utilize all foreign tax credits that are generated, which will increase our effective tax rate. The various customs, exchange control and transfer pricing laws are continually changing and are subject to the interpretation of government agencies. We may experience increased efforts by customs authorities in foreign countries to reclassify our products or otherwise increase the level of duties we pay on our products. Despite our efforts to be aware of and comply with such
laws, and changes to and interpretations thereof, there is a risk that we may not continue to operate in compliance with such laws. We may need to adjust our operating procedures in response to such changes and, as a result, our business may suffer. In addition, due to the international nature of
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our business, from time to time, we are subject to reviews and audits by taxing authorities of other jurisdictions in which we conduct business throughout the world.
Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by international regulatory and business risks.
As a result of our operations, offering products or contracting with independent contractors and
other service providers in various other countries, we are increasingly subject to varied and complex foreign and international laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations often involves significant costs and may require changes in our business practices that may result in reduced revenues and adversely affect our operating results.
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), which prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making payments in violation of law to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing any other improper advantage. Our reliance on independent consultants to market our products internationally demands a high degree of vigilance in maintaining our policy against participation in corrupt activity, because these independent consultants may be deemed to be our agents and we could be held responsible for
their actions. We are also subject to similar anti-bribery laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act of 2010, which also prohibits commercial bribery and makes it a crime for companies to fail to prevent bribery. These laws are complex and far-reaching in nature. Any violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our operations, involve significant management distraction, involve significant costs and expenses, including legal fees, and we could be subject to severe penalties, including criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement, and other remedial measures, any of which could result in a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations. Any allegations that we are not in compliance with anti-corruption laws may require us to dedicate time and resources to an internal investigation of the allegations or may result in a government investigation.
Any determination that our operations or activities are not in compliance with existing anti-corruption laws or regulations could result in the imposition of substantial fines, and other penalties. Although we have implemented anti-corruption policies and controls to protect against violation of these laws, we cannot be certain that these efforts will be effective. Operating internationally requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required to increase international revenues or expand our international presence will produce desired levels of revenues or profitability.
The loss of or inability to attract key personnel could negatively impact our business.
Our future performance will depend, in part, upon our ability to attract, retain, and motivate our executive and senior management team and
scientific staff. Our success depends to a significant extent both upon the continued services of our current executive and senior management team and scientific staff, as well as our ability to attract, hire, motivate, and retain additional qualified management and scientific staff in the future. Specifically, competition for executive and senior staff in the direct selling and dietary supplement markets is intense, and our operations could be adversely affected if we cannot attract and retain qualified personnel. Additionally, former members of our executive and senior management team have in the past, and could in the future join or form companies that compete against us in the direct selling industry.
All of our employees are “at will” employees, which means any employee may quit at any time and we may terminate any employee at any time. We do not carry “key person” insurance covering members of senior management
or our employees.
We may be held responsible for certain taxes or assessments and other obligations relating to the activities of our independent consultants, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.
Our independent consultants are subject to taxation, and in some instances, legislation or governmental agencies impose an obligation on us to collect or withhold taxes, such as value added taxes or income taxes, and to maintain appropriate records. In the event that local laws and regulations or the interpretation of local laws and regulations change to require us to treat our independent consultants as employees, or that our independent consultants are deemed by local regulatory authorities in one or more of the jurisdictions in which we operate to be our employees rather than independent contractors under existing laws and interpretations, or our independent
consultants are deemed to be conducting business in countries outside of the country in which they are authorized to do business, we may be held responsible for social security, income, and other related taxes in those jurisdictions, plus any related assessments and penalties, which could harm our financial condition and operating results. If our independent consultants were deemed to be employees rather than independent contractors, we may be obligated to pay certain employee benefits, such as workers compensation and unemployment insurance. Further, if our independent consultants are misclassified as employees, we would also face the threat of increased vicarious liability for their actions.
The dietary supplement market is highly competitive.
Our flagship product line, Protandim®, competes in the dietary supplements market, which
is large, highly competitive and fragmented. Participants include specialty retailers, supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchants, multi-level marketing organizations, on-line merchants, mail-order companies, and a variety of other smaller participants. Many of our competitors
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have greater financial and other resources available to them and possess better manufacturing, independent distribution and marketing capabilities than we do. We believe some of these competitors with greater resources may develop and release products that will compete directly with the Protandim® product line and will be marketed as NRF1 and Nrf2 activators. One or more of these products could significantly reduce the demand for the Protandim®
product line and have a material adverse effect on our revenue. We believe that the market is also highly sensitive to the introduction of new products, including various prescription drugs, which may rapidly capture a significant share of the market. Moreover, because of regulatory restrictions concerning claims about the efficacy of dietary supplements, we may have difficulty differentiating our products from our competitors’ products and competing products entering the dietary supplements market could harm our revenue. In the United States and Japan, we also compete for sales with heavily advertised national brands manufactured by large pharmaceutical and food companies, as well as other retailers. In addition, as some products become more mainstream, we experience increased competition for those products as more participants enter the market. Our international competitors include large international pharmacy chains, major international supermarket chains, and other
large U.S.-based companies with international operations. We may not be able to compete effectively and our attempt to do so may result in increased pricing pressure, which may result in lower margins and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brand.
The loss of our intellectual property rights in our products could permit our competitors to manufacture their own version of our products. We have attempted to protect our intellectual property rights in our products through a combination of patents, patent applications, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, non-compete agreements and other contractual protection mechanisms, and we will continue to do so. While we intend to defend against any threats
to our intellectual property, our patents or various contractual protections may not adequately protect our intellectual property. In addition, we could be required to expend significant resources to defend our rights to proprietary information and may not be successful in such defense.
Moreover, our intellectual property rights are more limited outside of the United States than they are in the United States. As such, we may not be successful in preventing third parties from copying or misappropriating our intellectual property. There also can be no assurance that pending patent applications owned by us will result in patents being issued to us, that patents issued to or licensed by us in the past or in the future will not be challenged or circumvented by competitors or that such patents will be found to be valid or sufficiently broad to protect our products or to provide us with any competitive advantage. Third parties could
also obtain patents that may require us to negotiate to obtain licenses to conduct our business, and any required licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. We also rely on confidentiality and non-compete agreements with certain employees, independent consultants, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights. There can be no assurance that these agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or proprietary knowledge.
Third parties might claim that we infringe on their intellectual property rights.
Although the dietary supplement industry has historically been characterized by products with naturally occurring ingredients,
recently it is becoming more common for suppliers and competitors to apply for patents or develop proprietary technologies and processes. Third parties may assert intellectual property infringement claims against us despite our efforts to avoid such infringement. Such claims could prevent us from offering competitive products or result in litigation or threatened litigation.
Our business is susceptible to product liability claims.
The manufacture and sale of any product for human consumption raises the risk of product liability claims. These claims may derive from the product itself or a contaminant found in the product from the manufacturing, packaging, sales process or even due to tampering by unauthorized third parties. Our products consist of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other ingredients that are classified as foods or dietary supplements and are not subject to pre-market
regulatory approval in the United States. Our products could contain contaminated substances, and some of our products contain ingredients that do not have long histories of human consumption. Previously unknown adverse reactions resulting from human consumption of these ingredients could occur. In addition, third-party manufacturers produce all of the products we sell. As a distributor of products manufactured by third parties, we may also be liable for various product liability claims for these products despite not manufacturing them. We may be subject to various product liability claims, including, among others, that our products include inadequate instructions for use or inadequate warnings concerning possible side effects and interactions with other substances. Any product liability claim against us could result in increased costs and could adversely affect our reputation with our customers, which in turn could adversely affect our revenue and operating income.
Although we maintain insurance coverage, there is a risk that our insurance will not cover our potential exposure completely or would fail to cover a particular claim, in
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which case we may not have the financial resources to satisfy such claim. In addition, certain types of damages, such as punitive damages, are not covered by our insurance policy.
Economic, political, and other risks associated with our international operations could adversely affect our revenue and international growth prospects.
As part of our business strategy, we intend to continue to expand and grow our international presence. Our international operations are subject to a number of risks inherent to operating
in foreign countries, and any expansion or growth of our international operations will increase the effects of these risks. These risks include, among others:
•political and economic instability of foreign markets;
•foreign governments’ restrictive trade policies;
•lack of well-established or reliable legal systems in certain areas in which we operate;
•inconsistent product regulation or sudden policy changes by foreign agencies or governments;
•the imposition of, or increase in, duties, taxes, government royalties, or non-tariff trade barriers;
•difficulty in
collecting international accounts receivable and potentially longer payment cycles;
•the possibility that a foreign government may limit our ability to repatriate cash;
•increased costs in maintaining international marketing efforts;
•problems entering international markets with different cultural bases and consumer preferences; and
•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
Any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our international operations and our growth strategy.
Unfavorable global economic conditions, including high inflation, and other macroeconomic conditions or trends may have
an adverse impact on our business, financial results and prospects.
While the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has lessened significantly, the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the macroeconomic environment, such as decreases in per capita income and level of disposable income, inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain issues. Ongoing geopolitical matters have also contributed to difficult macroeconomic conditions and exacerbated supply chain issues, resulting in significant economic uncertainty as well as volatility in the financial markets, particularly in the United States. Such conditions may adversely impact our business, financial results, and prospects. We rely on consumer discretionary spending. If general economic conditions continue to deteriorate globally or in specific markets where we operate, including with respect to inflation, consumer discretionary spending may decline and demand
for our products may be reduced. A decrease in consumer discretionary spending would cause sales in our products to decline and adversely impact our business. If our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through increases in revenue as increases in core inflation rates may also affect consumers’ willingness to make discretionary purchases on our products. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, such macroeconomic conditions could impact our ability to access the public markets as and when appropriate or necessary to carry out our operations or our strategic goals. We cannot predict the ongoing extent, duration or severity of these conditions, nor the extent to which we may be impacted.
To the extent that there is a resurgence
in the COVID-19 pandemic, or other health epidemics or outbreaks, our operations could be disrupted and our business adversely impacted. Such disruptions or impacts may be similar to those we faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as mandated business closures in impacted areas, limitations due to stay at home orders or sickness of employees or their families, reduced demand for certain of our products, or supply constraints.
We may be adversely affected by changes to our independent consultant compensation plans.
We modify our compensation plans from time to time to keep them competitive and attractive to existing and potential independent consultants, to address changing market dynamics, to provide incentives to our independent consultants that we believe will help grow our business, to conform to local regulations and to address other business-related considerations.In fiscal year 2023, we launched our new compensation plan for our independent consultants in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan markets, with plans to roll out the new compensation plan to other markets where we sell and distribute our products. It is difficult to predict how such changes will be viewed by our independent consultants and whether such changes
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will achieve their desired results. Such changes could result in unintended or unforeseen negative economic and non-economic consequences to our business, such as higher than anticipated costs or difficulty in attracting and retaining independent consultants, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition,
if regulatory agencies such as the FTC or judicial cases lead to new industry standards or rules, our business could be impacted, and we may need to amend our compensation plan. If we are required to make changes, or if the FTC seeks to enforce similar measures in the industry, either through rulemaking or an enforcement action against our company, our business could be harmed.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
If we are unable to maintain compliance with Nasdaq requirements for continued listing, our common stock could be delisted from trading.
If our common stock was delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market for failure to
maintain compliance with its listing requirements, then there can be no assurance whether or when it would be listed again for trading on the Nasdaq or any other exchange. In addition, if our common stock were to be delisted, the market price of our shares will likely decline and become more volatile, and our stockholders may find that their ability to trade in our stock will be adversely affected. Furthermore, institutions whose charters do not allow them to hold securities in unlisted companies might sell our shares, which could have a further adverse effect on the price of our stock.
Our stock price may experience future volatility.
The trading price of our common stock has historically been subject to wide fluctuations. The price of our common stock may fluctuate in the future in response to quarter-to-quarter variations in operating results, material announcements by us or
competitors, governmental regulatory action, conditions in the dietary supplement industry, or other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control, and some of which do not have a strong correlation to our operating performance. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future sales of our common stock, or the availability of our common stock for future sales, on the value of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock by any one or more of our stockholders, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Substantial sales of shares of our common stock in the public market may impact the market price of our common stock.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to decline. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common
stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. These sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we consider appropriate.
We have registered and intend to continue to register all shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. Once we register these shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates. We cannot predict what effect, if any, sales of our shares in the public market or the availability of shares for sale will have on the market price of our common stock. However, future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including shares issued
upon exercise of our outstanding warrant or options, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Significant additional capital may be required in the future to continue our planned operations. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale and issuance of shares or other securities convertible into shares, our stockholders will be diluted.
We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be utilized to the full value approved or that it will enhance long-term stockholder value. Repurchases we consummate could increase the volatility of the price of our common stock and could have a negative impact on our available cash balance.
Our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $60 million of our common stock on or before December
31, 2026. The manner, timing and amount of any share repurchases may fluctuate and will be determined by us based on a variety of factors, including the market price of our common stock, our priorities for the use of cash to support our business operations and plans, general business and market conditions, tax laws, and alternative investment opportunities. The share repurchase program authorization does not obligate us to acquire any specific number or dollar value of shares. Further, our share repurchases could have an impact on our share trading prices, increase the volatility of the price of our common stock, or reduce our available cash balance such that we will be required to seek financing to support our operations. Our share repurchase program may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time, which may result in a decrease in the trading prices of our common stock. Even if our share repurchase program is fully implemented, it may not enhance long-term
stockholder value. Additionally, repurchases are subject to the 1% Share Repurchase Excise Tax enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act, which may be offset by shares newly issued during that fiscal year (the “Share Repurchase Excise
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Tax”). We have and will continue to take the Share Repurchase Excise Tax into account with respect to our decisions to repurchase shares.
We are a “smaller reporting company” and may take advantage of certain scaled disclosures available to us. We cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are a “smaller reporting company”
as defined in the Exchange Act. As a smaller reporting company, we are permitted to comply with scaled disclosure obligations in our SEC filings as compared to other issuers who are not smaller reporting companies, including with respect to disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We have elected to adopt the accommodations available to smaller reporting companies. Until we cease to be a smaller reporting company, the scaled disclosure in our SEC filings will result in less information about our company being available than for public companies that are not smaller reporting companies.
We will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million measured on the last business day
of our second fiscal quarter, or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million as measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely certain scaled disclosures that are available to smaller reporting companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
Additional shares that may be issued upon the exercise of currently outstanding options or upon future vesting of performance restricted stock units, would dilute the voting power of our currently outstanding common stock and could cause
our stock price to decline.
As of June 30, 2023, we had 12.6 million shares of common stock outstanding. As of June 30, 2023, we also had stock options outstanding for an aggregate of 0.1 million shares of common stock. Additionally, the future vesting of time-based and performance restricted stock units will further increase our outstanding shares of common stock. The issuance of these shares will dilute the voting power of our currently outstanding common stock and could cause our stock price to decline.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could
limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s
ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Delaware law and provisions in our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest difficult,
thereby depressing the trading price of our common stock.
Our status as a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult, including the following:
•the
ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquiror;
•the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of our board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
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•a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting
of our stockholders;
•the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our entire board of directors, the chairman of our board of directors or our chief executive officer, or by stockholders holding at least 10% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote at such special meeting, which could delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors; and
•advance notice procedures with which stockholders must comply to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
In
addition, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. These provisions may prohibit large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, from merging or combining with us for a certain period of time. A Delaware corporation may opt out of this provision by express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or by amendment to its certificate of incorporation or bylaws approved by its stockholders. However, we have not opted out of this provision.
These and other provisions in our certificate
of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirors to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current board of directors, including delay or impede a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our company. The existence of these provisions could negatively affect the price of our common stock and limit opportunities for you to realize value in a corporate transaction.
ITEM 1B — UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2
— PROPERTIES
Corporate Offices
On November 14, 2019, we entered into a lease agreement with Traverse Ridge Center III LLC, a Utah limited liability company, for our new corporate headquarters located at 3300 N. Triumph Blvd., Suite 700, Lehi, Utah84043. The lease is for approximately 51,674 square feet with a right of first refusal to lease certain additional space in the building when such space becomes available. The term of the lease began on January 1, 2021 and will continue for a period of eleven years.
Our
subsidiary, LifeVantage Japan K.K., leases approximately 10,400 square feet of office space in Tokyo, Japan. The lease for the Tokyo, Japan property expires in July 2023. In July 2023, LifeVantage Japan K.K. entered into a lease agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited, for a new office located in the Shinagawa Grand Central Tower in Tokyo, Japan. The lease is for approximately 5,200 square feet and has a lease term from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
We believe that the facilities under our leases are sufficient to meet our needs for the foreseeable future.
Warehouse Facilities
Since fiscal year 2010, Maersk E-Commerce Logistics (formerly Visible Supply Chain Management and IntegraCore, LLC) has provided fulfillment services
to us, including services relating to procurement, warehousing, ordering, processing and shipping. We have also entered into arrangements to receive similar services in each of our international markets.
ITEM 3 — LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
See Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the company's legal proceedings.
ITEM 4 — MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART
II
ITEM 5 — MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
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Market Information and Holders
Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "LFVN".
Our common stock is issued in registered form and the following information is taken from the records of our current transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, Inc.
As of June 30, 2023, we had 90 stockholders of record and 12.6 million shares of common stock outstanding. This does not include an unknown number of persons who hold shares in street name through brokers and dealers and who are not listed on our stockholder records.
Dividends
We paid quarterly cash dividends of $0.03 per share of common stock to stockholders of record in September 2022, December 2022 and March 2023 and $i0.035
per share of common stock in June 2023, which represent an aggregate amount of $i1.6 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, we paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4 million, or $0.03 per share of common stock in June 2022.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains customary covenants that among other things, restrict the
company’s ability to pay dividends absent consent from its lender. We received consent from our lender to declare and pay dividends up to $500,000 per quarter, through September 30, 2023.
The declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors, including our earnings, financial condition, restrictions imposed by any indebtedness that may be outstanding, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. We currently expect that a comparable cash dividend will be paid each quarter for the foreseeable future.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
On
November 27, 2017, our board of directors approved a stock repurchase program. Under this program, we are authorized to repurchase up to $15.0 million of the outstanding shares through November 27, 2020. On August 27, 2020, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to increase the authorized share repurchase amount from $15 million to $35 million and to extend the duration of the program through November 30, 2023. Further, on February 17, 2022, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to increase the authorized share repurchase amount from $35 million to $60 million. On
June 13, 2023, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to extend the duration of the program through December 31, 2026. The stock repurchase program permits us to purchase shares from time to time through a variety of methods, including in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions or other means as determined by our management, in accordance with applicable securities laws. As part of the repurchase program, we may enter into a pre-arranged stock repurchase plan which operates in accordance with guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Accordingly, any transactions under such stock repurchase program would be completed in accordance with the terms of the program, including specified price, volume and timing conditions. The stock repurchase program
may be suspended or discontinued at any time. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we repurchased 0.2 million shares of our common stock under the stock repurchase plan.
The following table provides information with respect to all purchases made by the company during the three months ended June 30, 2023. All purchases listed below were made at prevailing market prices.
Period
Total
Number of Shares Purchased
Average Price Paid Per Share
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of the Publicly Announced Plans or Programs
Maximum Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(1)
April 1 - April 30
—
$
—
—
$
27,674,586
May
1 - May 31
—
$
—
—
$
27,674,586
June 1 - June 30
172,701
$
4.76
172,701
$
26,852,072
Total
172,701
172,701
(1)On November 27, 2017, our board of directors approved a stock repurchase program. Under this program, we are authorized to repurchase up to $15.0 million of the outstanding shares through November 27, 2020. On August 27, 2020, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to increase the authorized share repurchase amount from $15 million to $35 million and to extend the duration of the program through November 30, 2023. Further, on February 17, 2022, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to increase the authorized share repurchase amount from $35 million to $60 million.
On June 13, 2023, our board of directors approved an amendment to the stock repurchase program to extend the duration of the program through December 31, 2026.
ITEM 7 — 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 the consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We
are a company focused on nutrigenomics, the study of how nutrition and naturally occurring compounds affect human genes to support good health. We are dedicated to helping people achieve their health, wellness and financial goals. We provide quality, scientifically-validated products to customers and independent consultants as well as a financially rewarding commission-based direct sales opportunity to our independent consultants. We engage in the identification, research, development, formulation and sale of advanced nutrigenomic activators, dietary supplements, nootropics, pre- and pro-biotics, weight management, skin and hair care, bath & body, and targeted relief products. We currently sell our products to customers and independent consultants in two geographic regions that we have classified as the Americas region and the Asia/Pacific & Europe region.
The success
and growth of our business is primarily based on the effectiveness of our independent consultants to attract and retain customers in order to sell our products and our ability to attract and retain independent consultants. When we are successful in attracting and retaining independent consultants and customers, it is largely because of:
•Our products, including our flagship Protandim® family of scientifically-validated dietary supplements, LifeVantage® Omega+, ProBio, IC Bright®, and Daily Wellness dietary supplements, our line of Nrf2 enhanced TrueScience® skin, hair, bath & body, and targeted relief products, Petandim®, our companion
pet supplement formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs, Axio®, our nootropic energy drink mixes, and PhysIQ, our smart weight management system;
•Our sales compensation plan and other sales initiatives and incentives; and
•Our delivery of superior customer service.
As a result, it is vital to our success that we leverage our product development resources to develop and introduce compelling and innovative products and provide opportunities for our independent consultants to sell these products in a variety of markets. We sell our products in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines.
In addition, we sell our products in a number of countries to customers for personal consumption only. Entering a new market requires a considerable amount of time, resources and continued support. If we are unable to properly support an existing or new market, our revenue growth may be negatively impacted.
COVID-19 Influence on Business Operations and Work Environment
In fiscal year 2023, we maintained both virtual and in person business operations in hybrid form, which started in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. During fiscal year 2023, we have continued to provide successful virtual events and trainings for our independent consultants and have been successful in conducting day to day business operations both in person, and over virtual platforms. In fiscal
year 2023, we continued the hybrid model with our employees working from home a few days a week and in the office a few days a week. We believe that this has worked well for employee productivity. We remain focused on being digital first and committed to increasing our investments in digital technologies and tools for independent consultants and employees to function effectively in the current hybrid working environment.
Our Products
Our products are the Protandim® line of scientifically-validated dietary supplements, LifeVantage® Omega+ , ProBio, IC Bright®, Rise AM, Reset PM, D3+ and Daily Wellness dietary supplements,
TrueScience®, our line of skin, bath & body, target relief, and hair care products, Petandim®, our companion pet supplement formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs, AXIO®, our nootropic energy drink mixes, and PhysIQ our smart weight management system. The Protandim® product line includes
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Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer®, Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer®, and Protandim®
NAD Synergizer®. The Protandim® NRF1 Synergizer® is formulated to increase cellular energy and performance by boosting mitochondria production to improve cellular repair and slow cellular aging. The Protandim® Nrf2 Synergizer® contains a proprietary blend of ingredients and has been shown to combat oxidative stress and enhance energy production by increasing the body’s natural antioxidant protection at the genetic level, inducing the production of naturally-occurring protective antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione synthase. The Protandim® NAD Synergizer® was specifically formulated to target cell
signaling pathways involved in the synthesis and recycling of a specific molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and it has been shown to double sirtuin activity, supporting increased health, focus, energy, mental clarity and mood. Use of the three Protandim® products together, marketed as the Protandim® Tri-Synergizer, has been shown to produce synergistic benefits greater than using the single products on their own. LifeVantage® Omega+ is a dietary supplement that combines DHA and EPA Omega-3 fatty acids, omega-7 fatty acids, and vitamin D3 to support cognitive health, cardiovascular health, skin health, and the immune system. LifeVantage® ProBio is a dietary supplement designed to support optimal digestion and immune system function. LifeVantage®
Daily Wellness is a dietary supplement designed to support immune health. IC Bright® is a supplement to help support eye and brain health, reduce eye fatigue and strain, supports cognitive functions and may help support normal sleep patterns. Our TrueScience® line of anti-aging skin and hair care, and CBD Nrf2 enhanced, bath & body, targeted relief products includes TrueScience® Facial Cleanser, TrueScience® Perfecting Lotion, TrueScience® Eye Serum, TrueScience® Anti-Aging Cream, , TrueScience® Hand Cream, TrueScience® Invigorating Shampoo, TrueScience®
Nourishing Conditioner, TrueScience® Scalp Serum, TrueScience® Body Lotion, TrueScience® Body Wash, TrueScience® Body Butter, TrueScience® Deodorant, TrueScience® Soothing Balm, TrueScience® Body Rub, and TrueScience® Liquid Collagen. TrueScience® Liquid Collagen activates, replenishes, and maintains collagen to support firmness and elasticity from within. Petandim® is a supplement specially formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs through Nrf2 activation. AXIO®
is our line of our nootropic energy drink mixes formulated to promote alertness and support mental performance. PhysIQ is our smart weight management system, which includes PhysIQ Fat Burn, and PhysIQ Prebiotic, all formulated to aid in weight management. We believe our significant number of customers who regularly and repeatedly purchase our products is a strong indicator of the health benefits of our products. The following table shows revenues by major product line for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022.
Our
revenue is largely attributed to two product lines, Protandim® and TrueScience® each of which accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for each of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. On a combined basis, these product lines represent approximately 79.3% and 76.8% of our total net revenue for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
We currently have additional products in development. Any delays or difficulties in introducing compelling products or attractive initiatives or tools into our markets may have a negative impact on our revenue and our ability to attract new independent consultants and customers.
Accounts
Because
we primarily utilize a direct selling model for the distribution of a majority of our products, the success and growth of our business depends in large part on the effectiveness of our independent consultants to attract and retain customers to purchase our products, and our ability to attract new and retain existing independent consultants. Changes in our product sales are typically the result of variations in product sales volume relating to fluctuations in the number of active independent consultants and customers purchasing our products. The number of active independent consultants and customers is, therefore, used by management as a key non-financial measure.
The following tables summarize the changes in our active accounts by geographic region. These numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand as of the dates indicated. For purposes of this report, we define "Active Accounts" as only those independent consultants
and customers who have purchased from us at any time during the most recent three-month period, either for personal use or for resale.
We report revenue in two geographic regions and we translate revenue from each market's local currency into U.S. Dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. Revenue consists primarily of product sales, fee revenue, and shipping and handling fees, net of applicable sales discounts. Revenue is recognized at the time of shipment, which is when the passage of title and risk of loss to customers occurs. Also reflected in revenue is a provision for product returns and allowances, which is estimated based on our historical experience. The following table sets forth net revenue information by region for the years indicated. The following table should be reviewed in connection with the tables presented under "Results of Operations" (in thousands):
Cost
of sales primarily consists of costs of products purchased from and manufactured by third-party vendors, shipping and order fulfillment costs, costs of adjustments to inventory carrying value, and costs of marketing materials which we sell to our independent consultant sales force, as well as freight, duties and taxes associated with the import and export of our products. As our international revenue increases as a percentage of total revenue, cost of sales as a percentage of revenue likely will increase as a result of additional duties, freight, and other factors, such as changes in currency exchange rates.
Commissions and incentives expenses are our most significant expenses and are classified as operating expenses. Commissions and incentives expenses include sales commissions paid to our independent consultants, special incentives and costs for incentive trips and other rewards. Commissions and incentives expenses do not
include any amounts we pay to our independent consultants related to their personal purchases. Commissions paid to independent consultants on personal purchases are considered a sales discount and are reported as a reduction to net revenue. Our sales compensation plan is an important factor in our ability to attract and retain our independent consultants. Under our sales compensation plan, independent consultants can earn commissions for product sales to their customers as well as the product sales made through the sales networks they have developed and trained. We do not pay commissions on marketing materials that are sold to our independent consultants. Commissions and incentives expenses, as a percentage of net revenue, may be impacted by the timing and magnitude of non-commissionable revenue derived from the sales of marketing materials, event tickets, and promotional items, investment in our red carpet program, limited-time offers and the timing, magnitude and number
of incentive trips and other promotional activities. From time to time, we make modifications and enhancements to our sales compensation plan in an effort to help motivate our sales force and develop leadership characteristics, which can have an impact on commissions and incentives expenses. In fiscal year 2023, we introduced a new compensation plan called the Evolve Compensation Plan in four markets – the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
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Selling, general and administrative expenses include wages and benefits, stock compensation expenses, marketing and event costs, professional fees, rents and utilities, depreciation and amortization, research and development, travel costs and other operating expenses. Wages and benefits and
stock compensation expenses represent the largest component of selling, general and administrative expenses. Marketing and event costs include costs of consultant conventions and events held in various markets worldwide, which we expense in the period in which they are incurred. Marketing and event costs also include expenses associated with our sponsorship of the Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake. Once our agreement with Real Salt Lake ends, our marketing and event costs will materially decrease.
Sales to customers outside the United States are transacted in the respective local currencies and are translated to U.S. Dollars at weighted-average currency exchange rates for each monthly accounting period to which they relate. Consequently, our net sales and earnings are affected by changes in currency exchange rates. In general, sales and gross profit are affected positively by a weakening U.S. Dollar and negatively
by a strengthening U.S. Dollar. Currency fluctuations, however, have the opposite effect on our commissions paid to independent consultants and selling, and general and administrative expenses. In our revenue discussions that follow, we approximate the impact of currency fluctuations on revenue by translating current year revenue at the average exchange rates in effect during the comparable prior year periods.
Results of Operations
For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we generated net revenue of $213.4 million and $206.4 million, respectively, recognized operating income of $4.3 million and $7.6 million, respectively, and recognized net income of $2.5
million and $3.1 million, respectively.
The following table presents certain consolidated earnings data as a percentage of net revenue for the years indicated(1):
Net Revenue. We generated net revenue of $213.4 million and $206.4 million during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The overall increase in revenue is attributed mainly to increases in our average revenue per account driven by the launch of our TrueScience®
Liquid Collagen product during our Activate 2022 event held in June 2022 in the United States and during our Evolve 2023 event held in March 2023 in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Total TrueScience® Liquid Collagen related revenue, including the product when sold as part of a bundle, was $39.8 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. We also increased product and shipping prices during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. Offsetting the increase in our TrueScience® Liquid Collagen product was a decrease of $15.9 million in sales from our Protandim®
products as well as decreases in other product lines of approximately $9.5 million, and the negative impacts of foreign currency fluctuations compared to fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. Our total active accounts also reduced by 8.3% during fiscal year 2023.
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Revenue in the United States increased on a year over year basis partially offset by decreases of 27.3% in our Australia and New Zealand market, and 37.6% in our Greater China market. Foreign currency fluctuations negatively impacted our net revenue $7.4 million or 3.6%.
Americas.
The following table sets forth revenue for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 for the Americas region (in thousands):
Revenue
in the Americas region for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 increased $17.0 million, or 12.3%, compared to the prior year. Total active accounts decreased 3.8% in the region compared to the prior fiscal year which offset increases in revenue. The launch of our TrueScience® Liquid Collagen product in June 2022 provided a full year of revenue during fiscal 2023. In the United States, revenue from TrueScience® Liquid Collagen was $36.2 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. As a result of this launch and continued efforts from our independent consultants and employees, we hope to see continued revenue growth in the Americas region in the upcoming fiscal year.
Asia/Pacific
& Europe. The following table sets forth revenue for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 for the Asia/Pacific & Europe region and its principal markets (in thousands):
Revenue in theAsia/Pacific and Europe region for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 decreased $10.0 million, or 14.7%, compared to the prior year. Revenue in the region was negatively impacted approximately $7.3 million, or 10.9%, by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Revenue in our Japan market decreased
12.8% year over year on a U.S. Dollar basis and increased 2.1% on a constant currency basis. Contributing to the increase in revenue on a constant currency basis was revenue related to the launch of TrueScience® Liquid Collagen in March 2023. Total revenue related to this product was $2.3 million for the fiscal year. ended June 30, 2023.During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Japanese yen, on average, weakened against the U.S. Dollar, negatively impacting our revenue in this market by $5.5 million or 14.8%.
Revenue in our Australia and New Zealand markets decreased $3.4 million, or 27.3%, during fiscal year 2023. We saw revenues decline in these markets during the first three
quarters of fiscal 2023 as a result of decreases in our active accounts, which was partially offset by revenue from the launch of TrueScience® Liquid Collagen in March 2023. With the launch of TrueScience® Liquid Collagen in these markets, we are seeing renewed synergies between our Australia and New Zealand independent consultant organizations and customer bases, increasing our ability to attract experienced direct selling leaders, which we believe will drive future growth within that region.
Revenue in our Greater China region decreased by 37.6% year over year as we experienced revenue declines in our Taiwan market due primarily to a 45.9% decline in active accounts. Also contributing to the decline in revenue was the closure of our
e-commerce business in China on March 15, 2023.
Revenue in our other markets were driven by increases in revenue from the Philippines. Revenue from our Philippines market was $5.9 million during fiscal year 2023 compared to $4.1 million during fiscal year 2022. This market launched in November 2021 and we are encouraged by the engagement by our consultants and customers in that market. Increases from the Philippines were offset by decreases in Europe and Thailand of approximately $1.2 million and $0.4 million, respectively.
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Globally, our sales and marketing efforts continue to be directed toward strengthening our core business
through our fiscal year initiatives and building our worldwide sales. TrueScience® Liquid Collagen was launched in the US during June 2022 and we continued our successful launch of this product to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in March 2023. We will continue the refinement and expansion of our product offerings internationally during fiscal year 2024 and beyond. We expect this expansion will continue to drive revenue growth globally through increased average order size and increased ability to attract and retain new independent consultants and customers with a compelling product lineup.
In January 2023, we announced the adoption our Evolve Compensation Plan for our independent consultants, which became effective March 1, 2023, in our United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan markets. This new compensation plan is designed to reward our independent consultants based
on attracting and retaining other independent consultants and customers.
In March 2023, we launched Rewards Circle, our first-ever customer loyalty program, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The program rewards customer loyalty through subscription purchases. Rewards Circle is focused on supporting customer retention for independent consultants, supporting their efforts to grow and maintain their LifeVantage business.
During fiscal year 2024, our main focus will be to increase our average account base through concentrating our efforts on the enrollment of new independent consultants and customers, who will in turn help grow the business through incremental product sales, and on increasing the number of accounts that place an order in the month following their initial enrollment. This will be achieved through the rollout of our Evolve Compensation Plan and
Rewards Circle loyalty program to other markets. We will continue investing in our red carpet program, which we believe has increased our ability to attract and retain strong consultant leadership and is a significant opportunity to drive revenue growth throughout our markets. We remain committed to further expanding the functionality and availability of our mobile application, which we believe will aid independent consultants in initiating and expanding their businesses.
Cost of Sales. Cost of sales were $43.4 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, and $38.1 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, resulting in a gross margin of $170.0 million, or 79.7%, and $168.3 million, or 81.5%, respectively. The increase in
cost of sales as a percentage of revenue is primarily due shift in product mix, increased raw material and manufacturing related costs, shipping to customer expenses, and warehouse fulfillment expenses during the current fiscal year.
Commissions and Incentives. Commissions and incentives expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 were $94.7 million or 44.4% of revenue compared to $97.3 million or 47.1% of revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $2.5 million in fiscal year 2023 was primarily due to a decrease in incentive trip expenses of $1.9 million along with decreases in commission expenses as a result of the change to our Evolve Compensation Plan in March 2023 in the United States, Australia, New
Zealand, and Japan markets. The decrease in commissions and incentives as a percentage of revenue is also due to an increase in non-commissionable sales during fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022.
Commissions and incentives expenses, as a percentage of revenue, may fluctuate in future periods based on ability to hold incentive trips and events and the timing and magnitude of compensation, incentive and promotional programs.
Selling, General and Administrative. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 were $71.1 million or 33.3% of revenue compared to $63.4 million or 30.7% of revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The
increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue during fiscal year 2023 primarily was due to increases in employee salaries and related compensation of $2.9 million, events and travel expenses of $1.3 million, and stock compensation expense of $1.4 million.
Primary factors that may cause our selling, general and administrative expenses to fluctuate in the future include changes in the number of employees, the timing and number of events we hold, the termination of material agreements like our agreement with Real Salt Lake, marketing and branding initiatives and costs related to legal matters, if and as they arise. A fluctuation in our stock price may also impact our stock-based compensation expense recorded for equity awards made in future years.
Interest
Income. Interest income, net, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was $0.2 million as compared to interest expense, net, of $10,000 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, we transferred cash into money market accounts to capitalize on higher interest rates within the market.
Other Expense, Net. We recognized other expense, net, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 of $0.5 million as compared to $0.7 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the impact of foreign currency
fluctuations recognized during fiscal year 2023.
Impairment of Investment. We recognized an impairment of $2.2 million on our investment in Gig Economy Group ("GEG") during fiscal year 2022 as we determined our investment in GEG had declined significantly as a result of the business
48
failing to achieve profitability due to weak market conditions for its products. There was no change in this valuation during fiscal year 2023.
Income Tax Expense. Our income tax expense for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2023 was $1.5 million as compared to income tax expense of $1.6 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
The effective tax rate was 36.5% of pre-tax income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, compared to 33.5% for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The increase in the effective tax rate for fiscal year 2023 compared to the prior year is mainly due to the impact of permanent items in relation to pre-tax income.
Our provision for income taxes for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 consisted primarily of federal, state, and foreign tax on anticipated fiscal year 2023 income which was partially
offset by tax benefits. We expect our effective rate to fluctuate in future periods based on the impact of permanent items in relation to pre-tax income.
Net Income. As a result of the foregoing factors, net income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023decreased to $2.5 million compared to $3.1 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
For a discussion of our results of operations for the fiscal year 2022 compared with fiscal year 2021, refer to “Part II. Item 7. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, as filed with the SEC on August 23, 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity
Our primary liquidity and capital resource requirements are to service our debt, which includes any outstanding balances under the 2016 Credit Facility, and finance the cost of our planned operating expenses and working capital (principally inventory purchases), as well as capital expenditures. We have generally relied on cash flow from operations to fund operating activities and we have,
at times, incurred long-term debt in order to fund stock repurchases and strategic transactions.
At June 30, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents were $21.6 million. This represented an increase of $1.4 million from the $20.2 million in cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2022.
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, our net cash provided by operating activities was $6.8 million as compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $8.0 million during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities during the fiscal year ended June 30,
2023 primarily was due to decreases in net income, accounts payable, lease liabilities, and income tax payable.
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, our net cash used in investing activities was $3.1 million, as a result of the purchase of fixed assets, primarily from investing in changes to our Evolve Compensation Plan and Rewards Circle loyalty program through software, website, and mobile application development. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, our net cash used in investing activities was $1.5 million, as a result of the purchase of fixed assets.
Cash used in financing activities during the fiscal year ended June 30,
2023 was $2.4 million, as a result of the payment of quarterly cash dividends, the repurchase of company stock, and shares purchased as payment of tax withholding upon vesting of employee equity awards, partially offset by proceeds from purchases of company stock under our employee stock purchase plan. Cash used in financing activities during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 was $9.0 million, as a result of the repurchase of company stock, a payment of a cash dividend, and shares purchased as payment of tax withholding upon vesting of employee equity awards, partially offset by proceeds from stock option exercises and proceeds from purchases of company stock under our employee stock purchase plan.
At June 30, 2023 and 2022, the total amount of our foreign subsidiary cash
was $6.2 million and $7.0 million, respectively. Under current U.S. tax law, in the future, if needed, we expect to be able to repatriate cash from foreign subsidiaries without paying additional U.S. taxes.
At June 30, 2023, we had working capital (current assets minus current liabilities) of $24.7 million compared to working capital of $21.2 million at June 30, 2022. The increase in working capital primarily was due to increases in cash, decreases in accounts payable, commissions payable and lease liabilities, offset slightly by decreases in accounts receivable and prepaid expenses. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents balances and our ongoing cash flow from operations will be sufficient
to satisfy our cash requirements for at least the next 12 months. The majority of our historical expenses have been variable in nature and as such, a potential reduction in the level of revenue would reduce our cash flow. In the event that our current cash balances and future cash flow from operations are not sufficient to meet our obligations or strategic needs, we would consider
49
raising additional funds, which may not be available on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. Our credit facility, however, contains covenants that restrict our ability to raise additional funds in the debt markets and repurchase our equity securities without prior approval from the lender. Additionally, our credit facility provides for a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal
amount up to $5.0 million. We would also consider realigning our strategic plans including a reduction in capital spending and expenses.
Capital Resources
Shelf Registration Statement
On March 24, 2020, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Prior Shelf Registration”) with the SEC that was declared effective April 3, 2020, which permitted us to offer up to $75 million of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in one or more offerings and in any combination, including in units from time to time. The Prior Shelf Registration expired on April 3, 2023.
On March
31, 2023, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the “2023 Shelf Registration”) with the SEC that was declared effective on April 6, 2023, which permits us to offer up to $75 million of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in one or more offerings and in any combination, including in units from time to time. Our 2023 Shelf Registration is intended to provide us with additional flexibility to access capital markets for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other purposes, working capital, capital expenditures, other corporate expenses and acquisitions of assets, licenses, products, technologies or businesses.
2016 Credit Facility
On March 30, 2016, we entered into a loan agreement (the "2016 Loan Agreement") to refinance
our outstanding debt. In connection with the 2016 Loan Agreement and on the same date, we entered into a security agreement (the "Security Agreement"). The 2016 Loan Agreement provides for a term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $10.0 million (the "2016 Term Loan") and a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $2.0 million (the "2016 Revolving Loan," and collectively with the 2016 Term Loan, the 2016 Loan Agreement and the Security Agreement, the "2016 Credit Facility"). During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, we repaid, in full, the balance of the 2016 Term Loan.
On May 4, 2018 and February 1, 2019, we entered into loan modification agreements (“Amendment No. 1” and “Amendment No. 2”, respectively). These
loan modification agreements amended certain financial covenants and the available borrowing amount under the 2016 Revolving Loan.
On April 1, 2021, we entered into a loan modification agreement ("Amendment No. 3"), which amended the 2016 Credit Facility, as previously amended. Amendment No. 3, with an available borrowing amount of $5.0 million, revised the maturity date from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2024 and modified the variable interest rate based on the one-month United States Treasury Rate, plus a margin of 3.00%, with an interest rate floor of 4.00%. Amendment No. 3 also revised the debt (total liabilities) to tangible net worth ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 3) covenant to require that the
company maintain this ratio not in excess of 2.00 to 1.00, measured as of the end of each fiscal quarter, and revised the definition and calculation of the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 3). There were no other changes to the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.10 to 1.00 or the minimum working capital of $6.0 million as set forth in previous amendments.
We entered into a loan modification agreement ("Amendment No. 4"), effective September 30, 2022, which amended the 2016 Credit Facility, as previously amended. Amendment No. 4 revised the calculation of the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 4) and allows us to declare and pay dividends, up to $500,000 per quarter, through September 30, 2023. There were no other changes to the covenants or revolving
loan facility as set forth in Amendment No. 3.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains customary covenants, including affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to create certain types of liens, incur additional indebtedness, declare or pay dividends on or redeem capital stock without prior approval, make other payments to holders of our equity interests, make certain investments, purchase or otherwise acquire all or substantially all the assets or equity interests of other companies, sell assets or enter into consolidations, mergers or transfers of all or any substantial part of our assets.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains cross-default provisions, whereby a default under the terms of certain indebtedness or an uncured default of a payment or other material obligation of ours under a material
contract of ours will cause a default on the remaining indebtedness under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended. Our obligations under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets.
As of June 30, 2023, we were in compliance with all financial covenants under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended. As of June 30, 2023, the effective interest rate is 8.20%. If we borrow under the 2016 Revolving Loan, interest will be payable
50
quarterly in arrears on the last day of each fiscal quarter. As of June 30, 2023, there was
no balance outstanding on this credit facility.
Commitments and Obligations
Please refer to Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements contained in this report for information regarding our contingent liabilities.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We prepare our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. As such, we are required to make certain estimates, judgments, and assumptions that we believe are reasonable based upon the information available. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported
amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods presented. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements. Certain of these significant accounting policies require us to make difficult, subjective, or complex judgments or estimates. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if (1) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made and (2) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period, or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
There are other items within our financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical as defined above. Changes in estimates
used in these and other items could have a material impact on our financial statements. Management has discussed the development and selection of these critical accounting estimates with our board of directors, and the audit committee has reviewed the disclosures noted below.
Inventory Valuation
We reduce our inventories for the diminution of value resulting from product obsolescence, damage or other issues affecting marketability equal to the difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated net realizable value. Factors utilized in the determination of estimated net realizable value include (i) current sales data and historical return rates, (ii) estimates of future demand, (iii) competitive pricing pressures, (iv) new production introductions, (v) product expiration dates, and (vi) component and packaging obsolescence. If inventory on hand exceeds projected demand
or the expected market value is less than the carrying value, the excess is written down to its net realizable value. If actual demand or the estimate of market value decreases, additional write-downs would be required.
During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we recognized expenses of $1.2 million and $1.5 million, respectively, related to obsolete and slow-moving inventory.
Stock-Based Compensation
We use the fair value approach to account for stock-based compensation in accordance with current accounting guidance. We recognize compensation costs for awards with performance conditions when we conclude it is probable that the performance conditions will be achieved. We reassess
the probability of vesting at each balance sheet date and adjust compensation costs based on our probability assessment. For awards with market-based performance conditions, the cost of the awards is recognized as the requisite service is rendered by the employees, regardless of when, if ever, the market-based performance conditions are satisfied.
Historically, our estimates and underlying assumptions have not materially deviated from our actual reported results and rates. However, we base assumptions we use on our best estimates, which involves inherent uncertainties based on market conditions that are outside of our control. If actual results are not consistent with the assumptions we use, the stock-based compensation expense reported in our consolidated financial statements may not be representative of the actual economic cost of stock-based compensation. For example, if actual employee forfeitures significantly differ
from our estimated forfeitures, we may be required to adjust our consolidated financial statements in future periods.
Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes includes income from U.S. and foreign subsidiaries taxed at statutory rates, the accrual or release of amounts for tax uncertainties, and U.S. tax impacts of foreign income in the U.S.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities on the financial statements and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets also are recognized for net operating losses and credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured
51
using
the enacted rates applicable to taxable income in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse and the credits are expected to be used. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. An assessment is made as to whether or not a valuation allowance is required to offset deferred tax assets. This assessment requires estimates as to future operating results, as well as an evaluation of the effectiveness of our tax planning strategies. These estimates are made on an ongoing basis based upon our business plans and growth strategies in each market and consequently, future material changes in the valuation allowance are possible. The valuation allowance reduces the deferred tax assets to an amount that management determined is more-likely-than-not to be realized.
We operate in and file income tax returns in
the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions with complex tax laws and regulations, which are subject to examination by tax authorities. The complexity of our global structure requires specialized knowledge and judgment in determining the application of tax laws in various jurisdictions. Years open to examination contain matters that could be subject to differing interpretations of applicable tax laws and regulations related to the amount and/or timing of income, deductions, and tax credits. We account for uncertain tax positions in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 740, Income Taxes. This guidance prescribes a minimum probability threshold that a tax position must meet before a financial statement benefit is recognized. The minimum threshold is defined as a tax position that is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based
on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit to be recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Interest and penalties related to tax contingency or settlement items are recorded as a component of the provision for income taxes in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. We record accruals for tax contingencies as a component of accrued liabilities or other long-term liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
Refer to “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part IV,
Item 15 of this report for discussion regarding the impact of accounting standards that were recently issued but not yet effective, on our consolidated financial statements.
ITEM 7A — QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
ITEM 8 — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The information required by this Item 8 is set forth in the consolidated financial statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report and is incorporated into this Item 8 by reference.
ITEM 9
— CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A — CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (a) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and (b) accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosure. As of June 30, 2023, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness and design and operation of such disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were designed and operating effectively as of June 30, 2023.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f)
and 15d-15(f). Our system of internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of our consolidated and combined financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.
52
Our management, under the supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023. In making this assessment, we used the framework included in Internal Control - Integrated Framework published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 2013 (COSO). Based on that evaluation, our management
has concluded that internal control over financing reporting was effective as of June 30, 2023.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, cannot provide absolute assurance that our disclosure controls or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter
how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Further, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future
events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of controls effectiveness to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.
ITEM 9B — OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C — DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
None.
PART
III
Certain information required by Part III of this report is omitted from this report pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K because we will file a definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A for our fiscal year 2024 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”) not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report, and the information included in the Proxy Statement that is required by Part III of this report is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 10 — DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following documents are being filed as part of this report:
Financial Statements
(a)(1) Financial Statements. The following consolidated financial statements of LifeVantage Corporation and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are included in a separate section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(a)(2) All schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the SEC are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable, or because the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto, and therefore have been omitted.
Exhibits
(a)(3)
The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following financial information from the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023 formatted in Inline XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Income; (iii) Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Deficit; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks
of text.
The company has been granted confidential treatment for portions of this agreement. Accordingly, certain portions of this agreement have been omitted in the version filed with this report and such confidential portions have been filed with the SEC.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Each person whose individual signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Steven R. Fife with full power of substitution and re-substitution and full power to act without the other, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in the name and on behalf of each person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file any and all amendments to this report, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing, ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them or their or his
substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of LifeVantage Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet
of LifeVantage Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of June 30, 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, for the year ended June 30, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended June 30, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance
with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to
error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters
does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Income Taxes—Refer to Notes 2 and 12 to the financial statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company operates and is subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions with complex tax laws and regulations which resulted in income tax expense of $1.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2023, and $7.9 million in gross deferred tax assets, $4.2M in gross deferred tax liabilities and a valuation allowance of $0.7 million
as of June 30, 2023. The complexity of the Company’s global structure requires specialized knowledge, skills, and judgment in determining the application of tax laws in various jurisdictions.
We identified the accounting for income taxes as a critical audit matter because of the complexity of the Company’s global structure and the application of tax laws in the U.S. and Japan jurisdictions. This required an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our income tax specialists to evaluate the Company’s income tax expense, especially the interpretation and application of tax laws in the U.S. and Japan and the income
tax impact of the global structure.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to the calculation of income tax expense, including the interpretation and application of tax laws in the U.S. and Japan and evaluation of the Company’s application of such tax law on its global structure included the following:
59
•Obtained an understanding of the Company’s overall legal entity structure by reading and evaluating the
Company’s organizational charts and associated documentation, including legal documents.
•Evaluated the Company’s domestic income tax expense calculation, including: (1) testing the appropriateness of income tax rates applied by agreeing to applicable Federal and state tax laws, (2) testing the accuracy of income allocations and apportionment among the Federal and state taxing jurisdictions based on the Company’s structure, (3) testing, on a sample basis, the completeness and accuracy of book to tax differences, and (4) testing the mathematical accuracy of the income tax expense calculation.
•With the assistance of our income tax specialists, we evaluated management’s
application of relevant tax laws to its legal entity structure and the effect on the Company’s income tax expense, including the Company’s calculations of current period income tax expense and deductions associated with foreign operations, by examining and evaluating management’s income tax calculations and assessing the Company’s compliance with tax laws.
•With the assistance of our income tax specialists, we evaluated management’s consideration of tax requirements in the U.S. and Japan tax jurisdictions in which the Company operates.
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2023.
60
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
of LifeVantage Corporation
Lehi, Utah
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of LifeVantage Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company) as of June 30, 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively
referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at June 30, 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based
on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing
procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Preferred stock
— par value $ii0.0001/ per share, ii5,000/
shares authorized, iiiino///
shares issued or outstanding
i—
i—
Common
stock — par value $ii0.0001/ per share, ii40,000/
shares authorized and ii12,622/ and ii12,493/
issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively
i1
i1
Additional
paid-in capital
i134,314
i131,075
Accumulated
deficit
(i98,305)
(i98,437)
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
(i1,361)
(i1,123)
Total
stockholders’ equity
i34,649
i31,516
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY
$
i66,123
$
i70,706
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
LifeVantage Corporation (the "Company" or "we" or "our" or "us") is a company focused on nutrigenomics, the study of how nutrition and naturally occurring compounds affect human genes to support good health. The Company is dedicated to helping people achieve their health, wellness and financial goals. The Company provides quality, scientifically-validated products to customers and independent consultants as well as a financially rewarding commission-based direct sales opportunity to its independent consultants. LifeVantage sells its products in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand,
Singapore, and the Philippines. The Company sold its products in China through a China approved cross-border e-commerce business model until March 15, 2023, at which time the Company closed its e-commerce business in China.
The Company engages in the identification, research, development, formulation and sale of advanced nutrigenomic activators, dietary supplements, nootropics, pre- and pro-biotics, weight management, skin and hair care, bath & body, and targeted relief products. The Company’s line of scientifically validated dietary supplements
includes its flagship Protandim® family of products, LifeVantage®Omega+, ProBio, IC Bright®, Daily Wellness, Rise AM, Reset PM and D3+ dietary supplements. TrueScience® is the Company's line of skin, hair, bath & body, and targeted relief products. The Company also markets and sells Petandim®, its companion pet supplement formulated to combat oxidative stress in dogs, AXIO® its nootropic energy drink mixes, and PhysIQ™, its smart weight management
system.
The Company was incorporated in Colorado in June 1988 under the name Andraplex Corporation. The Company changed its corporate name to Yaak River Resources, Inc. in January 1992, and subsequently changed it again in October 2004 to Lifeline Therapeutics, Inc. In October 2004 and March 2005, the Company acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Lifeline Nutraceuticals Corporation. In November 2006, the Company changed its name to LifeVantage Corporation.
In March 2018, the
Company reincorporated from the state of Colorado to the state of Delaware. All outstanding shares of common stock, options and share units of the Colorado corporation were converted into an equivalent share, option or share unit of the Delaware corporation and the par value of the Company's common stock was adjusted to $i0.0001.
Note 2 — iSummary
of Significant Accounting Policies
iConsolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
i
Use
of Estimates
The Company prepares the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). In preparing these statements, the Company is required to use estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions. On an ongoing basis, the Company reviews its estimates, including, but not limited to, those
related to inventory valuation and obsolescence, sales returns, income taxes and tax valuation reserves, transfer pricing methodology and positions, impairment of assets, stock-based compensation, and loss contingencies.
i
Foreign Currency Translation
A portion of the Company’s business operations occurs outside the United States. The local currency of each of the Company’s subsidiaries
generally is its functional currency. All assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. Dollars at exchange rates existing at the balance sheet dates, revenue and expenses are translated at weighted-average exchange rates and stockholders’ equity is recorded at historical exchange rates. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustments are recorded as a separate component of stockholders’ equity in the consolidated balance sheets and as a component of comprehensive income. Transaction gains and losses are included in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
67
i
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for assets and liabilities using a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company's market assumptions. These two types of inputs have created the fair-value hierarchy below. This hierarchy requires the Company to minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to use observable market data, if available, when determining fair value.
•Level 1—Quoted prices for identical
instruments in active markets;
•Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and
•Level 3—Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
Our financial instruments, consisting primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. Equity securities held by the Company are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis;
that is, the assets are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis but are instead subject to fair value adjustments using fair value measurements with unobservable inputs (level 3), in certain circumstances (e.g., when there is evidence of impairment).
i
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers only its monetary liquid assets with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents.
iAccounts
Receivable
The Company’s accounts receivable for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 consist primarily of credit card receivables. Based on the Company’s verification process for customer credit cards and historical information available, management has determined that an allowance for doubtful accounts on credit card sales related to its customer sales as of June 30, 2023 or 2022 is not necessary. Bad debt expense for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was $i0.1
million. There was ino bad debt expense recorded for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
Inventory
i
As of June 30,
2023 and 2022, inventory consisted of (in thousands):
iInventories
are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value, using the first-in, first-out method, which includes a reduction in inventory values of $i1.3 million and $i1.3 million at June 30, 2023
and 2022, respectively, related to obsolete and slow-moving inventory.
Reserves of inventories consist of the following (in thousands):
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the following useful lives:
Years
Equipment (includes computer hardware and software)
i3
- i5
Furniture and fixtures
i5
Vehicles
i5
/
Leasehold
improvements are depreciated over the shorter of estimated useful life of the related asset or the lease term.
The cost of normal maintenance and repairs is charged to expense as incurred. When an asset is sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and associated accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income in other expense, net. Significant expenditures that increase the useful life of an asset are capitalized and depreciated over the estimated useful life of the asset. Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable.
/i
Intangible
Assets
Intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their related useful lives, using a straight-line method, consistent with the underlying expected future cash flows related to the specific intangible asset. Finite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances exist that indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. When indicators of impairment exist, an estimate of undiscounted net cash flows is used in measuring whether the carrying amount of the asset or related asset group is recoverable. Measurement of the amount of impairment, if any, is based upon the difference between the asset’s carrying value and estimated fair value.
Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized; however, they are tested at least annually for
impairment or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances exist that may indicate impairment. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value. Annual impairment tests on intangible assets were completed for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, resulting in iino/
impairment charges.
iImpairment of Long-Lived Assets
Pursuant to guidance established for impairment or disposal of assets, the Company assesses impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. When an assessment for impairment of long-lived assets, long-lived assets to be disposed of, and certain identifiable intangibles related to those assets is
performed, the Company is required to compare the net carrying value of long-lived assets on the lowest level at which cash flows can be determined on a consistent basis to the related estimates of future undiscounted net cash flows for such assets. If the net carrying value exceeds the net cash flows, then an impairment is recognized to reduce the carrying value to the estimated fair value, generally equal to the future discounted net cash flow. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, management has concluded that there are no indications of impairment.
iConcentration
of Credit Risk
Accounting guidance for financial instruments requires disclosure of significant concentrations of credit risk regardless of the degree of such risk. Financial instruments with significant credit risk include cash and cash equivalents. At June 30, 2023, the Company had $i17.0 million in cash accounts at one financial
institution and $i4.6 million in other financial institutions. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, and during the years then ended, the Company’s cash balances exceeded federally insured limits.
i
Commissions
and Incentives
Commissions and incentives expenses are the Company’s most significant expenses and are classified as operating expenses. Commissions and incentives expenses include sales commissions paid to the Company's independent consultants, special incentives, costs for incentive trips and other rewards. Commissions and incentives expenses do not include any amounts the Company pays to its independent consultants for personal purchases. Commissions paid to independent consultants on personal purchases are considered a sales discount and are reported as a reduction to net revenue.
69
i
Shipping
and Handling
Shipping and handling costs associated with inbound freight and freight out to customers, including independent consultants, are included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling fees charged to all customers are included in sales.
iResearch and Development Costs
The Company expenses all costs related to research and development activities as incurred. Research and development expenses for the fiscal years ended June 30,
2023 and 2022 were $i0.6 million and $i0.7 million, respectively.
i
Leases
The
Company accounts for leases in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 842. The Company reviews all contracts and determines if the arrangement is or contains a lease, at inception. Operating leases are included in right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, current lease liabilities and long-term lease liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company does inot
have any finance leases.
Operating lease ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the estimated present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company uses its estimated incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any upfront lease payments made and excludes lease incentives and initial direct
costs incurred. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any residual value guarantees.
/i
Stock-Based
Compensation
The Company recognizes stock-based compensation by measuring the cost of services to be rendered based on the grant date fair value of the equity award. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation, net of any estimated forfeitures, over the period an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, generally referred to as the requisite service period. The Company estimates forfeitures based on historical information and other management assumptions. For awards with market-based performance conditions, the cost of the awards is recognized as the requisite service is rendered by employees, regardless of when, if ever, the market-based performance
conditions are satisfied.
The Black-Scholes option pricing model is used to estimate the fair value of stock options and options under the Company's 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The determination of the fair value of options is affected by the Company's stock price and a number of assumptions, including expected volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The Company uses historical data for estimating the expected volatility and expected life of stock options required in the Black-Scholes model. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based on observed interest rates appropriate for the expected terms of the stock options.
The
fair value of restricted stock grants, including performance restricted stock units that include non-market based performance conditions, is based on the closing market price of the Company's stock on the date of grant less the Company's expected dividend yield. The fair value of cash-settled performance-based awards, accounted for as liabilities, is remeasured at the end of each reporting period and is based on the closing market price of the Company’s stock on the last day of the reporting period. The Company recognizes compensation costs for awards with performance conditions when it concludes it is probable that the performance conditions
will be achieved. The Company reassesses the probability of vesting at each balance sheet date and adjusts compensation costs accordingly.
i
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities
are measured using statutory tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled, updated as needed for changes in corporate tax rates. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities from a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the effective date of the change. The Company recognizes tax liabilities or benefits from an uncertain position only if it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the issue. The amount recognized would be the largest liability or benefit that the Company believes has greater than a 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement.
70
i
Income
Per Share
Basic income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, less unvested restricted stock awards. Diluted income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average common shares and potentially dilutive common share equivalents using the treasury stock method.
For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the effects of approximately i0.2
million andi0.2 million common shares, respectively, issuable upon exercise of options and non-vested shares of restricted stock, are not included in the computations as their effect was anti-dilutive.
i
The
following is a reconciliation of net income per share and the weighted-average common shares outstanding for purposes of computing basic and diluted net income per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):
Diluted
weighted-average common shares outstanding
i12,567
i13,069
Net
income per share, basic
$
i0.20
$
i0.24
Net
income per share, diluted
$
i0.20
$
i0.24
/
iSegment
Information
The Company operates in a single operating segment by selling products directly to customers through an international network of independent consultants that operates in an integrated manner from market to market. Commissions and incentives expenses are the Company’s largest expense comprised of the commissions paid to its independent consultants. The Company manages its business primarily by managing its international network of independent consultants. The Company disaggregates revenue in itwo
geographic regions: the Americas region and the Asia/Pacific & Europe region. See disaggregated revenue in Note 3.
i
The following table presents the Company's long-lived assets for its most significant geographic markets (in thousands):
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). This standard adds to U.S. GAAP an impairment model known as the current expected credit loss (“CECL model”) that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. Under the new guidance, an entity recognizes as an allowance its estimate of expected credit losses, which is intended to result in the more timely recognition of losses. Under the CECL model, entities will estimate credit losses over the entire contractual term of the instrument (considering estimated prepayments, but not expected extensions or modifications) from the date of initial recognition of the financial instrument. Measurement of expected credit losses are to be based on relevant forecasts that affect collectability. The scope of financial assets
within the CECL methodology is broad and includes trade receivables from certain revenue transactions and certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. Different components of the guidance require modified retrospective or prospective adoption. ASU 2019-10 deferred the effective date of ASU 2016-13 for smaller reporting companies. This standard became effective for us on July 1, 2023. ASU 2016-13 will only have applicability to our receivables from revenue transactions. Under ASC Topic 606, revenue is recognized when, among other criteria, it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration to which it is entitled for goods or services transferred to a customer. At the point that trade
71
receivables are
recorded, they become subject to the CECL model and estimates of expected credit losses on trade receivables over their contractual life will be required to be recorded at inception based on historical information, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Company has reviewed the pronouncement and not found any indication, nor do we expect to find that the new guidance will have an impact on our consolidated financial statements or existing internal controls.
Other recently issued accounting pronouncements did not or are not believed by management to have a material impact on the Company's present or future financial statements.
Note
3 — iRevenue
Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Sales, value add, and other taxes the Company collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue.
The
Company generates the majority of its revenue through product sales to customers. These products include the Protandim® line of dietary supplements, LifeVantage® Omega+, ProBio, Daily Wellness, Rise AM, Reset PM, and D3+ dietary supplements, TrueScience® skin, hair, bath & body and targeted relief, IC Bright®, Petandim®, Axio® nootropic energy drink mixes, and the PhysIQ smart weight management system. The Company ships most of its product directly to the consumer and receives substantially all payment for product sales in the form of credit card receipts. Revenue from direct product sales to
customers is recognized upon shipment, which is when passage of title and risk of loss occurs. For items sold in packs and bundles, the Company determines the standalone selling price at contract inception for each distinct good, and then allocates the transaction price on a relative standalone selling price basis. Any discounts are accounted for as a direct reduction to the transaction price. Shipping and handling revenue is recognized upon shipment when the performance obligation is completed.
The Company also charges amounts to independent consultants to attend events that it holds. Tickets to events are sold as standalone items or included within packs. For event
tickets sold in packs, the Company allocates a portion of the transaction price to the ticket on a relative standalone selling price basis, adjusted for the probability of the tickets being redeemed for attendance at a future event. Any discounts are accounted for as a direct reduction to the transaction price. Fee revenue associated with ticket sales is recorded in the month that the event is held, which is when the Company has performed its obligations under the contract.
Deferred Revenue
On March 1, 2023, the
Company launched its Rewards Circle loyalty program. Contract liabilities, recorded as deferred revenue, include these loyalty program credit deferrals with certain customers which are accounted for as a reduction in the transaction price and are generally recognized as credits are redeemed for additional products at a later date.
The Company also records deferred revenue when cash payments are received or due in advance of performance, including amounts which are refundable. The Company pre-sells tickets to its events. When cash payments are received in advance of events, the cash received is recorded to deferred revenue until the event is held, at which time the
Company has performed its obligations under the contract and the revenue is recognized.
Deferred revenue is included in accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheets. The balance of deferred revenue related to contract liabilities was $i0.8 million and $i0.1
million as of June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The contract liabilities impact to revenue for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was a decrease of $i0.7 million and an increase of $i0.2
million, respectively.
Sales Returns and Allowances
Estimated returns are recorded when product is shipped. Subject to some exceptions based on local regulations, the Company’s return policy is to provide a full refund for product returned within i30 days. After 30 days of purchase, only unopened product that is in a resalable and restockable condition may be returned within twelve months of purchase and shall receive a 100% refund, less a i10%
handling and restocking fee and any shipping and handling costs. The Company establishes a refund liability reserve, and an asset reserve for its right to recover products, based on historical experience. The returns asset reserve and returns liability reserve are evaluated on a quarterly basis. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company’s return liability reserve, net was $i0.1
million and $i0.1 million, respectively.
iReserves for sales returns consist of the following (in thousands):
The Company reports revenue in itwo geographic regions: the Americas region and the Asia/Pacific & Europe region. The following table presents the Company's revenue disaggregated by these itwo geographic
regions (in thousands):
The Company's revenue is largely attributed to iitwo/
product lines, Protandim® and TrueScience® each of which accounted for more than 10% of total revenue for each of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. On a combined basis, the Protandim® and TrueScience® product lines represent approximately i79.3% andi76.8%
of the Company's total revenue for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. iThe following table shows revenue by major product line for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
Trademarks
and other indefinite-lived intangible assets
i245
i245
Total
intangible assets, net
$
i455
$
i587
/
Amortization
expense totaled $i0.1 million and $i0.1 million for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022,
respectively. As of June 30, 2023, the remaining weighted-average amortization period for finite-lived intangible assets was i1.75 years. Annual estimated amortization expense is expected to approximate $ii0.1/
million for each of the two succeeding fiscal years.
Note 6 — iGig Economy Group Investment
Convertible Note Receivable
The Company entered into a convertible promissory note agreement with Gig Economy Group, Inc. ("GEG") pursuant to which the
Company agreed to loan to GEG up to an aggregate of $i2.0 million in a series of loan installments, evidenced by a convertible promissory note having a maturity date of May 31, 2019 ("Convertible Note"). The Convertible Note accrued interest at a rate of i8%
per annum, compounded annually. On May 17, 2019, the Company and GEG entered into an amendment agreement to extend the maturity date of the Convertible Note to December 31, 2019. In all other aspects, the Convertible Note remained unchanged from the original agreement. Pursuant to a Common Stock Purchase Agreement between the Company and GEG dated December 16, 2019, GEG issued to the Companyi1,000,000
shares of GEG’s common stock, par value $i0.0001 per share, in consideration for conversion and cancellation of all principal, interest and other amounts due under the Convertible Note (representing $i2.2 million in aggregate consideration).
Equity
Securities under ASC 321
At December 31, 2019, the Company held a minority interest (less than 20%) in GEG, accounted for under ASC 321, Investments - Equity Securities ("ASC 321"), which is included in equity securities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Dividends received are reported in earnings if and when received. The Company reviews securities individually for impairment by evaluating if events or circumstances have occurred that may indicate the fair value of the investment is less than its carrying value. If such events or circumstances have occurred, the
Company estimates the fair value of the investment and recognizes an impairment loss in other expense, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income equal to the difference between the fair value of the investment and its carrying value. The estimated fair value of the investment is determined using unobservable inputs including assumptions by GEG's management and quantitative information such as lower valuations in recently completed or proposed financings. These inputs are classified as Level 3.
Equity securities held by the Company lack readily determinable fair values and therefore the securities are measured at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or similar equity securities of the same issuer.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, the
74
Company determined its investment in GEG had declined significantly as a result of the business failing to achieve profitability due to weak market conditions for its products. The Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $i2.2 million
related to these equity securities the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The carrying amount of equity securities held by the Company without readily determinable fair values was iizero/
at June 30, 2023 and 2022.
On March 30, 2016, the Company entered into a loan agreement (the "2016 Loan Agreement") to refinance its outstanding debt. In connection with the 2016 Loan Agreement and on the same date, the Company entered into a security agreement (the "Security Agreement"). The 2016 Loan Agreement provides for a term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $i10.0
million (the "2016 Term Loan") and a revolving loan facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $i2.0 million (the "2016 Revolving Loan," and collectively with the 2016 Term Loan, the 2016 Loan Agreement and the Security Agreement, the "2016 Credit Facility"). During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, the Company repaid, in full, the balance of the 2016 Term Loan.
On
May 4, 2018 and February 1, 2019, the Company entered into loan modification agreements (“Amendment No. 1” and “Amendment No. 2”, respectively). These loan modification agreements amended certain financial covenants and the available borrowing amount under the 2016 Revolving Loan.
On April 1, 2021, the Company entered into a loan modification agreement ("Amendment No. 3"), which amended the 2016 Credit Facility, as previously amended. Amendment No. 3, with an available borrowing amount of $i5.0
million, revised the maturity date from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2024 and modified the variable interest rate based on the one-month United States Treasury Rate, plus a margin of i3.00%, with an interest rate floor of i4.00%.
Amendment No. 3 also revised the debt (total liabilities) to tangible net worth ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 3) covenant to require that the Company maintain this ratio not in excess of i2.00 to 1.00, measured as of the end of each fiscal quarter, and revised the definition and calculation of the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 3). There were no other changes to the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of i1.10
to 1.00 or the minimum working capital of $i6.0 million as set forth in previous amendments.
The Company entered into a loan modification agreement ("Amendment No. 4"), effective September 30, 2022, which amended the 2016 Credit Facility, as previously amended. Amendment No. 4 revised the calculation of the minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in Amendment No. 4) and allows
the Company to declare and pay dividends, up to $i500,000 per quarter, through September 30, 2023. There were no other changes to the covenants or revolving loan facility as set forth in Amendment No. 3.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains customary covenants, including affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, restrict the
Company's ability to create certain types of liens, incur additional indebtedness, declare or pay dividends on or redeem capital stock without prior approval, make other payments to holders of equity interests in the Company, make certain investments, purchase or otherwise acquire all or substantially all the assets or equity interests of other companies, sell assets or enter into consolidations, mergers or transfers of all or any substantial part of the Company's assets.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains cross-default provisions, whereby a default under the terms of certain indebtedness or an uncured default of a payment or other material obligation of the Company
under a material contract of the Company will cause a default on the remaining indebtedness under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended. The Company’s
75
obligations under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, are secured by a security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets
As of June 30, 2023, the
Company was in compliance with its financial covenants under the 2016 Credit Facility, as amended. As of June 30, 2023, the effective interest rate is i8.20%. If the Company borrows under the 2016 Revolving Loan, interest will be payable quarterly in arrears on the last day of each fiscal quarter. As of June 30, 2023, there was no balance outstanding on the 2016 Credit Facility.
Note
9 — iStockholders’ Equity
During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company issued izero
and i30,000 shares, respectively, of common stock as a result of the exercise of options. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company issued i0.3
million andi0.2 million shares, respectively, under the Company's equity incentive plans. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, i47,000
andi39,000 shares, respectively, of restricted stock were canceled or surrendered as payment of tax withholding upon vesting. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company sold i0.1
million and i0.1 million shares under its 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, respectively.
On November 27, 2017, the Company's board of directors approved a stock repurchase program, which was subsequently amended on February 1, 2019. Under the currently approved repurchase program, the
Company is authorized to purchase up to $i60 million through December 31, 2026. The stock repurchase program permits the Company to purchase shares from time to time through a variety of methods, including in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions or other means as determined by the Company's management, in accordance with applicable securities
laws. As part of the stock repurchase program, the Company may enter into a pre-arranged stock repurchase plan which operates in accordance with guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Accordingly, any transactions under such stock repurchase plan would be completed in accordance with the terms of the plan, including specified price, volume and timing conditions. The stock repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. During the year ended June 30, 2023, the Company purchased i0.2
million shares of its common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $i0.8 million under this repurchase program. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, the Company purchased i1.3
million shares of its common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $i8.8 million under this repurchase program. At June 30, 2023, there is $i26.9
million remaining under this stock repurchase program.
The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the designation and issuance of shares of preferred stock. However, as of June 30, 2023, none have been issued nor have any rights or preferences been assigned to the preferred stock by the Company’s board of directors.
Dividends
The Company paid quarterly cash dividends of $iii0.03//
per share of common stock to stockholders of record in September 2022, December 2022 and March 2023, and $i0.035 per share of common stock in June 2023 which were in the aggregate amount of $i1.6 million for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, the Company paid to stockholders a quarterly cash dividend of $i0.4 million, or $i0.03
per share of common stock, in June 2022.
The 2016 Credit Facility, as amended, contains customary covenants that among other things, restrict the Company’s ability to pay dividends absent consent from its lender. The Company received consent from its lender to declare and pay dividends up to $i500,000 per quarter, through September 30, 2023.
The
declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors, including our earnings, financial condition, restrictions imposed by any indebtedness that may be outstanding, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.
Note 10 — iShare-Based Compensation
Long-Term Incentive
Plans
Equity-Settled Plans
The Company adopted, and the stockholders approved, the 2017 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”), effective February 16, 2017, to provide incentives to eligible employees, directors and consultants. The initial share pool approved was i650,000
shares. On November 12, 2022, the stockholders approved amendments to the 2017 Plan to increase the number of shares of the Company's common stock that are available for issuance under the 2017 Plan by i1,052,000 shares. As of June 30, 2023, a maximum of i4.0
million shares of the Company's common stock can be issued under the 2017 Plan in connection with the grant of awards which is calculated as the sum of (i) i3,492,000 shares and (ii) up to i475,000 shares
previously reserved for issuance under the Company's prior 2010 Long Term Incentive Plan, including shares returned upon cancellation, termination
76
or forfeiture of awards that were previously granted under that plan. Outstanding stock options awarded under the 2017 Plan have exercise prices of $i4.44 per
share, vest over a three year vesting period, and have a contractual term of ten years. Awards expire in accordance with the terms of each award and, upon expiration of the award, the shares subject to the award are added back to the 2017 Plan. As of June 30, 2023, under the 2017 Plan, there were stock option awards outstanding, net of awards expired, for an aggregate of i0.1 million shares
of the Company’s common stock.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
General.The Company’s 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP") was adopted by its board of directors in September 2018 and its stockholders approved it in November 2018. The ESPP is intended to qualify under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Share Reserve.The Company has reserved i0.4
million shares of its common stock for issuance under the ESPP. As of June 30, 2023, i0.1 million shares were available for issuance. The number of shares reserved under the ESPP will automatically be adjusted in the event of a stock split, stock dividend or a reverse stock split (including an adjustment to the per-purchase period share limit).
Purchase Price. Employees
may purchase each share of common stock under the ESPP at a price equal to i85% of the lower of the fair market values of the stock as of the beginning or the end of the six-month offering periods. An employee’s contributions to the ESPP are limited to i15%
of the compensation, and up to a maximum of i3,000 shares may be purchased by an employee during any offering period. A participant shall not be granted an option under the ESPP if such option would permit the participant’s rights to purchase stock to accrue at a rate exceeding $i25,000
fair market value of stock for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any time.
Offering Periods. Unless otherwise determined by the compensation committee, the ESPP will be operated through a series of successive isix-month offering periods, which will begin each year on March 1 and September 1.
During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, i0.1
million and i0.1 million shares of common stock were purchased under the ESPP, respectively.
Stock-Based Compensation
In accordance with accounting guidance for stock-based compensation, payments in equity instruments for goods or services are accounted for by the fair value method. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, stock-based compensation
of $i3.2 million and $i1.8
million, respectively, was reflected as an increase to additional paid in capital.
At June 30, 2023, there was $i2.7 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock-based compensation arrangements under the 2017 Plan, based on management's estimate of the shares that will ultimately vest. The
Company expects to recognize such costs over a weighted-average period of i1.45 years.
Stock Options
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, the Company awarded stock options ("FY 2018 Stock Options") to its executive officers and senior management. The vesting
period for the FY 2018 Stock Options is ithree years and occurs as follows, subject to continued service through the applicable vesting dates: one-third of the total number of shares awarded vests on January 1, 2019; and one-twelfth of the total number of shares awarded vests on the last day of each fiscal quarter following January 1, 2019. The fair value of the stock options will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards.
There
were iiino//
stock option grants during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022.
iThe following is a summary of stock option activity for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
77
Options
(in thousands)
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)
The
total vesting date fair value of restricted shares that vested during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $i0.3 million and $i0.3
million, respectively.
Restricted Stock Units
i
The following is a summary of restricted stock units activity during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
The
total vesting date fair value of restricted stock units that vested during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $i0.6 million and $i0.6
million, respectively.
Performance Restricted Stock Units
The Company awards performance restricted stock units to certain employees (the "Recipients"). Each performance restricted stock unit represents a contingent right for the Recipients to receive a distribution of shares of common stock of the Company equal to i0%
to i200% of the target number of performance restricted stock units subject to the award. The actual number of shares distributed will be based on the Company's achievement of specified financial performance metrics. The performance period for the performance restricted stock unit ends on the last day of the fiscal year the awards are issued. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the number of performance
restricted stock units distributed were based on i133.13% achievement of specified financial performance metrics. The performance restricted stock units will vest only to the extent the specified financial performance criteria are achieved and subject to the Recipient’s continued service with the Company, as follows: (i) a portion of the earned award will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and (ii) an additional portion of the earned award will
vest thereafter in a series of quarterly installments. The fair values of the performance restricted stock units are based on the grant date fair value which is the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company awarded performance restricted stock units ("FY 2023 Performance Restricted Stock Units" and "FY 2022 Performance Restricted Stock Units") to certain employees.
i
The
following is a summary of performance restricted stock units activity during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022:
Includes
shares added based on achievement of performance goals in excess of target.
/
The total vesting date fair value of performance restricted stock units that vested during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was approximately $i4,000
and $i0.1 million, respectively.
Note 11 — iOther
Expense, Net
i
Other expense, net consists of the following (in thousands):
The
effective income tax rate for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 differs from the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate due to the following:
Federal,
state, and foreign net operating loss carryovers
$
i250
$
i292
Stock
option compensation
i549
i232
Section
174 costs
i955
i—
Lease
liability
i3,100
i3,388
Accrued
vacation, allowance for returns, bonuses & other
i3,005
i2,780
Gross
deferred tax asset
$
i7,859
$
i6,692
Deferred
tax liabilities:
Patents and trademarks
$
(i66)
$
(i78)
Property &
equipment
(i1,571)
(i1,996)
Right
of use asset
(i2,057)
(i2,245)
Other
(i470)
(i409)
Gross
deferred tax liabilities
(i4,164)
(i4,728)
Less:
valuation allowance
(i704)
(i675)
Deferred tax assets, net
$
i2,991
$
i1,289
/
The
Company has adopted accounting guidance for uncertain tax positions which provides that in order to recognize an uncertain tax benefit, the taxpayer must be more likely than not of sustaining the position. The measurement of the benefit is calculated as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon recognition of the benefit. Currently, the Company has no material uncertain tax positions and does not expect significant changes within the next twelve months. Accordingly, the Company has not reserved for any corresponding interest or penalties.
In fiscal 2020, LifeVantage recorded an uncertain tax position related to withholding taxes in Taiwan. During fiscal 2021, the
Company determined that this liability was owed, and moved it out of the UTP into taxes payable. The Company applied for a reduced withholding rate with the Taiwan government and was advised by its tax service providers who assisted with the application to hold payment until after a decision was made on the application. Near the end of fiscal 2021, the Taiwan government approved the application, and accordingly, LifeVantage made the required payments in the beginning of fiscal 2022.
During fiscal 2022, the Company impaired its investment in GEG Corporation for book purposes. The Company performed an analysis and determined that for tax purposes the loss would be capital
in nature, but that the tax event had not yet occurred. The Company recorded a deferred tax asset for the loss in the current year, but recorded a full valuation allowance against the deferred tax asset because the Company believes that when the tax event does occur, it will not be able to utilize the capital loss within the carryback or carryforward period.
During fiscal 2022, the Company removed its permanent reinvestment assertion in Japan. As a result, the Company recorded provisions for withholding tax that it will pay to Japan and income taxes it will pay to various states when the
cash is repatriated from Japan to Singapore. During fiscal 2022, the Company made a check the box election for LifeVantage Asia to be taxed as a disregarded entity ("DRE") of the parent company, so dividends from Japan to Singapore are treated as received by the United States for USA income tax purposes. The Company also recorded an unborn foreign tax credit related to the 965(a) PTEP in Japan that will be given a partial FTC when the cash is repatriated. The Company has historically had little or no excess FTC limitation in the 951A basket and has therefore chosen not to record the unborn foreign tax credit related to that basket.
There were iino/
unrecognized tax benefits and no changes to the liability for uncertain tax positions for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2023 and 2022.
The tax years open for examination by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) include returns for fiscal years June 30, 2020 through present and the open tax years by state tax authorities include returns for fiscal years June 30, 2019 through present. In addition, the IRS and state tax authorities may examine net operating losses ("NOLs") for any previous years if utilized by the Company.
81
i
The
change in the valuation allowance were as follows (in thousands):
The
change in valuation allowance during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 related to current year income in entities with a full valuation allowance along with a change to the United States valuation allowance based on updated projections and changes to the blended rate. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, the Company placed a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax asset for the impairment on the GEG investment. The Company does not expect to recognize future capital gains to benefit the future tax capital loss.
As of June 30, 2023, the
Company had utilized all of its Federal NOL carry-forwards. The net operating losses were to expire by June 30, 2024 and are subject to review by the Internal Revenue Service, and are subject to U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 382 limitations. As of June 30, 2023, state NOLs were $i6.1 million and foreign NOLs were $i0.3
million.
The total recognized tax benefit from settlement of stock-based awards for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2023 and 2022, was $i0.2 million and $i0.2
million, respectively.
The Company conducts its business globally. As a result, the Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions, and are subject to examination for the open tax years of June 30, 2019 through June 30, 2023.
Note 13 — iLeases
The
Company has operating leases for current corporate offices and certain equipment. These leases have remaining terms of approximately one to inine years. As of June 30, 2023, the weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for operating leases was i8.27
years and i3.25%, respectively. As of June 30, 2022, the weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for operating leases was i8.51 years and i3.27%,
respectively.
i
The components of lease expense for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, were as follows:
iMaturity
of lease liabilities at June 30, 2023 are as follows (in thousands):
82
Year ended June 30,
Amount
2024
$
i1,917
2025
i1,606
2026
i1,646
2027
i1,687
2028
i1,729
Thereafter
i6,394
Total
i14,979
Less:
imputed interest
(i1,892)
Present value of lease liabilities
$
i13,087
In
July 2023, LifeVantage Japan entered into a lease agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited, for a new office located in the Shinagawa Grand Central Tower in Tokyo, Japan. The lease is for approximately i5,200 square feet and has a lease term from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026 with the option to renew for an additional itwo
years. Lease payments begin in November 2023 totaling approximately i28,000 per month, or $i0.3 million per year.
Note
14 — iCommitments and Contingencies
Contingencies
The Company accounts for contingent liabilities in accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies. This guidance requires management to assess potential contingent liabilities that may exist as of the date of the financial statements to determine the probability and amount of loss that may have occurred, which inherently involves an exercise of judgment. If the assessment
of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potential material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, and an estimate of the range of possible losses, if determinable and material, would be disclosed. For loss contingencies considered remote, no accrual or disclosures are generally made. Management has assessed potential contingent liabilities as of June 30, 2023, and based on the assessment there are no probable loss contingencies requiring accrual or disclosures within its financial statements.
Legal
Accruals
In addition to commitments and obligations in the ordinary course of business, from time to time, the Company is subject to various claims, pending and potential legal actions, investigations relating to governmental laws and regulations and other matters arising out of the normal conduct of its business. Management assesses contingencies to determine the degree of probability and range of possible loss for potential accrual in the consolidated financial statements. An estimated loss contingency is accrued in the consolidated financial statements if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Because evaluating legal claims and litigation results are inherently unpredictable and unfavorable results could occur, assessing contingencies is highly subjective and requires judgments
about future events. When evaluating contingencies, management may be unable to provide a meaningful estimate due to a number of factors, including the procedural status of the matter in question, the presence of complex or novel legal theories, and/or the ongoing discovery and development of information important to the matters. In addition, damage amounts claimed or asserted against the Company may be unsupported, exaggerated or unrelated to possible outcomes, and as such are not meaningful indicators of a potential liability. Management regularly reviews contingencies to determine the adequacy of financial statement accruals and related disclosures. The amount of ultimate loss may differ from these estimates. It is possible that cash flows or results of operations could be materially affected in any particular period by the unfavorable publicity or resolution of one or more of these
contingencies. Whether any losses finally determined in any claim, action, investigation or proceeding or publicity related to such could reasonably have a material effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows will depend on a number of variables, including: the timing and amount of such losses; the structure and type of any remedies; the significance of the impact of any such losses, damages or remedies may have on the consolidated financial statements; and the unique facts and circumstances of the particular matter that may give rise to additional factors.
Class Action Lawsuit (Smith v. LifeVantage Corp.): On January 24, 2018, a purported class action was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut,
entitled Smith v. LifeVantage Corp., Case No. 3:18-cv-a35 (D. Connecticut filed Jan. 24, 2018). In this action, Plaintiffs alleged that the Company, its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Sales Officer and Chief Marketing Officer operated a pyramid scheme in violation of a variety of federal and state statutes, including
83
RICO and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. On April 16, 2018, the Company filed motions with the court to dismiss the complaint against LifeVantage, dismiss the complaint against
the Company's executives, transfer the venue of the case from the State of Connecticut to the State of Utah, and contest class certification. On July 23, 2018, the parties filed a stipulation with the Court agreeing to transfer the case to the Federal District Court for Utah. On September 20, 2018, Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in Utah. As per the parties stipulated agreement, Plaintiffs' amended complaint dropped the RICO and Connecticut state law claims and removed the Company's Chief Sales Officer and Chief Marketing Officer as individual defendants (the former Chief Executive Officer remained a defendant in the case at that time). The Plaintiffs' amended complaint added an antitrust claim,
alleging that the Company fraudulently obtained patents for its products and was attempting to use those patents in an anti-competitive manner. The Company filed a Motion to Dismiss the amended complaint on November 5, 2018, Plaintiffs filed a response to the Company’s Motion to Dismiss on December 17, 2018, and the Company filed a reply brief on January 10, 2019. The Court ruled on the motion on December 5, 2019, dismissing ithree
of the Plaintiff's ifour claims, including the antitrust claim, unjust enrichment claim, and the securities claim for the sale of unregistered securities. On December 19, 2019, Plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint which included three causes of action, including a 10(b)(5) securities fraud claim, and renewed claims relating to the sale of unregistered securities and unjust enrichment. LifeVantage filed a Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint on January 28, 2020, and with the Motion
fully briefed by the parties as of March 17, 2020, the Court decided the matter on the parties’ briefs only on November 25, 2020. In its decision, the Court dismissed with prejudice the Plaintiffs’ Section 12(1) claim (sale of an unregistered security), because the Court concluded the claim was time barred. The Court also dismissed the Plaintiffs’ claim for unjust enrichment against LifeVantage without prejudice, and the Plaintiffs did not amend their complaint following the Court’s order to re-plead unjust enrichment. The court found that the Plaintiffs had sufficiently pled their claim under Section 12(2) (offer to sell a security that misstates or omits a material fact by means of a prospectus or oral communication). LifeVantage filed its Answer to the Second Amended Complaint on December 23, 2020, responding to the
Plaintiffs’ remaining securities claims. On February 2, 2021, the Court issued an amended scheduling order that reflects the parties’ agreement on a schedule for discovery and other litigation matters. On June 15, 2021, the plaintiffs filed their motion for class certification, and on July 13, 2021, the defendants, including LifeVantage Corporation, filed their opposition brief that opposed class certification. On July 27, 2021, the Plaintiffs filed their reply to the Company's opposition brief. The court held a hearing for the motion for class certification on March 28, 2022. On April 19, 2022,
the court issued an order denying the Plaintiff’s motion for class certification. On December 15, 2022, the case was dismissed with prejudice, which concluded litigation.
Other Matters. In addition to the matters described above, the Company also may become involved in other litigation and regulatory matters incidental to its business and the matters disclosed in this annual report on Form 10-K, including, but not limited to, product liability claims, regulatory actions, employment matters and commercial disputes. The Company intends to defend itself in any such matters and does not currently believe that the outcome of any such matters will have a material adverse effect on the
Company's business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Note 15 — iSubsequent Events
On August 24, 2023, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $i0.035
per share of common stock to be paid on September 22, 2023, to stockholders of record on September 8, 2022. In addition, the board of directors approved a one-time cash dividend of $i0.40 per share of common stock to be paid on September 22, 2023, to stockholders of record on September 8, 2023.
84
Dates Referenced Herein and Documents Incorporated by Reference
