Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


FORM 10-Q

 

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

 

     FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2007

 

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

Commission file number 000-50947

 


COGENT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   95-4305768

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or

organization)

  (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

209 Fair Oaks Avenue

South Pasadena, California

  91030
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (626) 799-8090

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a larger accelerated filer, an accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  x            Accelerated filer  ¨            Non-accelerated filer  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes  ¨    No  x

As of November 1, 2007, there were 94,861,784 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

 



Table of Contents

COGENT, INC.

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2007

INDEX

 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION    Page
Item 1.    Financial Statements   
  

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007 (unaudited)

   1
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 (unaudited)

   2
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 (unaudited)

   3
  

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

   4

Item 2.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    13

Item 3.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    25

Item 4.

   Controls and Procedures    25
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

   Legal Proceedings    26

Item 1A.

   Risk Factors    26

Item 4.

   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    36

Item 6.

   Exhibits    37


Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

COGENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(amounts in thousands, except share data)

(unaudited)

 

     December 31,
2006
    September 30,
2007
 
ASSETS     

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 18,801     $ 22,582  

Investments in marketable securities

     318,070       309,133  

Billed accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $692 and $676 at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively

     26,798       15,050  

Unbilled accounts receivable

     530       914  

Inventory and contract related costs

     19,439       9,026  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     1,854       1,229  

Deferred income taxes

     24,929       24,861  
                

Total current assets

     410,421       382,795  

Investments in marketable securities

     77,355       126,447  

Property and equipment, net

     32,874       33,476  

Restricted cash

     576       —    

Deferred income taxes

     18,494       6,065  

Intangible and other assets

     1,221       985  
                

Total assets

   $ 540,941     $ 549,768  
                
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY     

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 4,102     $ 8,671  

Accrued expenses

     4,260       7,328  

Income taxes payable

     4,386       4,176  

Deferred revenues

     32,343       12,552  
                

Total current liabilities

     45,091       32,727  

Long-term liabilities

    

Deferred revenues

     5,161       2,875  

Other liabilities

     130       1,392  
                

Total liabilities

     50,382       36,994  
                

Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)

    

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively

     —         —    

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 245,000,000 shares authorized;

    

94,493,209 and 94,844,019 shares issued and outstanding at

    

December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively

     120       120  

Additional paid-in capital

     419,446       421,940  

Retained earnings

     75,019       94,492  

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

     (154 )     94  

Treasury stock, at cost: 340,000 shares at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively

     (3,872 )     (3,872 )
                

Total stockholders’ equity

     490,559       512,774  
                

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 540,941     $ 549,768  
                

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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COGENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

 

     For the three months
ended September 30,
    For the nine months
ended September 30,
     2006    2007     2006    2007

Revenues:

          

Product revenues

   $ 18,399    $ 16,016     $ 42,586    $ 65,714

Maintenance and services revenues

     4,976      6,496       16,737      18,205
                            

Total revenues

     23,375      22,512       59,323      83,919
                            

Cost of revenues:

          

Cost of product revenues

     9,942      8,144       21,327      28,906

Cost of maintenance and services revenues

     1,464      1,955       4,604      5,446
                            

Total cost of revenues

     11,406      10,099       25,931      34,352
                            

Gross profit

     11,969      12,413       33,392      49,567
                            

Operating expenses:

          

Research and development

     2,098      2,670       6,315      7,775

Selling and marketing

     1,955      2,361       5,700      6,422

General and administrative

     3,490      5,670       8,852      17,546
                            

Total operating expenses

     7,543      10,701       20,867      31,743
                            

Operating income

     4,426      1,712       12,525      17,824

Other income:

          

Interest income

     4,654      5,756       12,325      16,530

Other, net

     19      (195 )     476      185
                            

Total other income

     4,673      5,561       12,801      16,715
                            

Income before income taxes

     9,099      7,273       25,326      34,539

Income tax provision

     3,366      3,129       9,276      13,607
                            

Net income

   $ 5,733    $ 4,144     $ 16,050    $ 20,932
                            

Basic net income per share

   $ 0.06    $ 0.04     $ 0.17    $ 0.22
                            

Diluted net income per share

   $ 0.06    $ 0.04     $ 0.17    $ 0.22
                            

Shares used in computing basic net income per share

     94,178      94,436       94,024      94,331
                            

Shares used in computing diluted net income per share

     95,988      95,976       96,153      95,972
                            

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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COGENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Nine Months Ended,
September 30,
 
     2006     2007  

Cash Flows from operating activities:

    

Net income

   $ 16,050     $ 20,932  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     1,423       1,369  

Allowance for doubtful accounts

     206       (16 )

Realized loss on investments

     4       —    

Share-based compensation expense

     3,562       2,193  

Amortization of discount on available for sale securities

     (1,512 )     (4,391 )

Deferred income taxes

     8,849       11,411  

Changes in assets and liabilities:

    

Billed accounts receivable

     30,022       11,784  

Unbilled accounts receivable

     620       (384 )

Inventory and contract related costs

     1,090       10,289  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     (736 )     664  

Other assets

     (129 )     124  

Accounts payable

     (116 )     4,424  

Accrued expenses

     851       2,694  

Income taxes payable

     339       852  

Deferred revenues

     (7,578 )     (22,077 )

Other liabilities

     —         56  
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     52,945       39,924  
                

Cash Flows from investing activities:

    

Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale securities

     893,420       1,243,467  

Purchase of available-for-sale securities

     (935,762 )     (1,279,046 )

Restricted cash

     —         585  

Purchase of property and equipment

     (934 )     (1,814 )
                

Net cash used in investing activities

     (43,276 )     (36,808 )
                

Cash Flows from financing activities:

    

Proceeds from the exercise of stock options

     834       468  

Repurchase of common stock

     (3,872 )     —    
                

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (3,038 )     468  
                

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     64       197  
                

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     6,695       3,781  

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     19,805       18,801  
                

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 26,500     $ 22,582  
                

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

    

Cash received (paid) during the period for:

    

Interest income

   $ 10,219     $ 11,808  

Income taxes

   $ (1 )   $ (705 )

Non-cash financing activities

    

Capitalized share-based compensation expense (inventory and contract related costs)

   $ 173     $ 36  

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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COGENT, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

Note 1. General

Company Background

Cogent, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Cogent” or the “Company”) was initially incorporated in the state of California on April 20, 1990 as Cogent Systems, Inc. and was reincorporated in Delaware on May 3, 2004 as Cogent, Inc. Cogent is a provider of advanced automated fingerprint identification systems (“AFIS”) solutions, which typically consist of Cogent’s Programmable Matching Accelerator (“PMA”) servers and other AFIS equipment, including work stations and live-scans, bundled with Cogent’s proprietary software and other fingerprint biometrics products and solutions, to governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations worldwide. Cogent also provides professional services, technical support and maintenance services to its customers.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2007 and the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 are unaudited. These statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes, together with management’s discussion and analysis of financial position and results of operations, contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 1, 2007.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). In the opinion of the Company’s management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s statement of financial position as of September 30, 2007, and its results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 and its cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2006 has been derived from the December 31, 2006 audited financial statements. The interim financial information contained in this quarterly report is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year.

Classification of Revenues

Product Revenues

The timing of product revenues recognition is dependent on the nature of the product sold. Product revenues are generally comprised of the following:

 

   

Revenues associated with AFIS solutions that do not require significant modification or customization of the Company’s software, exclusive of amounts allocated to maintenance for which the Company has vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value, or VSOE, are recognized upon installation and receipt of written acceptance of the solution by the customer when required by the provisions of the contract, provided all other criteria for revenue recognition have been met. For example, the Company recognizes revenue in this manner from sales of its PMA servers to the DHS under a blanket purchase agreement with the DHS. Revenue resulting from arrangements for which VSOE of the maintenance element does not exist is recognized ratably over the maintenance period.

 

   

Revenues associated with AFIS solutions that require significant modification or customization of the Company’s software, are recognized using the percentage-of-completion method as described by SOP 81-1. The percentage-of-completion method reflects the portion of the anticipated contract revenue, excluding maintenance that has VSOE, which has been earned, equal to the ratio of labor effort expended to date to the anticipated final labor effort, based on current estimates of total labor effort necessary to complete the project. Material differences may result in the amount and timing of the Company’s revenue for any period if actual results differ from the Company’s judgments and estimates. The Company recognizes revenue in this manner from sales of significant initial AFIS deployments. Revenue resulting from arrangements for which VSOE of the maintenance element does not exist is recognized ratably over the contractual maintenance period or until the time when such VSOE is established. Revenues recognized under such arrangements were $7.2 million and zero for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively, and $9.7 million and $11.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively.

 

   

Revenue associated with the sale of the Company’s application specific integrated circuit, or ASIC applications, stand-alone live-scans and other biometric products, excluding maintenance when applicable, is recognized upon shipment to the customer provided (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collection is deemed probable.

 

   

Revenue associated with service offerings where the Company maintains and operates a portion of the AFIS systems on an outsourced application-hosting basis is recognized on a per transaction basis provided (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collection is deemed probable.

 

   

Revenue associated with contracts where sufficient VSOE cannot be established for the allocation of revenue to the various elements of the arrangement is deferred until the earlier of the point at which (i) such sufficient VSOE does exist or (ii) all elements of the arrangement have been delivered.

 

   

Cash received from customers in advance of recognition of the related revenue is recorded as deferred revenue.

Maintenance Revenues

Maintenance revenue consists of fees for providing technical support and software updates on a when-and-if available basis. The Company recognizes all maintenance revenue ratably over the applicable maintenance period. The Company determines the amount of maintenance revenue to be deferred through reference to substantive maintenance renewal provisions contained in a particular arrangement or, in the absence of such renewal provisions, through reference to VSOE of maintenance renewal rates. The Company considers substantive maintenance provisions to be provisions where the stated maintenance renewal as a percentage of the product fee is comparable to its normal pricing for maintenance only renewals. In the event that maintenance included in an AFIS solutions contract does not have VSOE, the entire arrangement fee, including the contractual amount of the maintenance obligation, is included in product revenues and recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance period.

Services Revenues

Professional services revenue is primarily derived from engineering services and AFIS system operation and maintenance services that are not an element of an arrangement for the sale of products. These services are generally billed on a time-and-materials basis. The majority of the Company’s professional services are performed either directly or indirectly for U.S. government organizations. Revenue from such services is recognized as the services are provided.

Consistent with EITF Issue No. 99-19, “Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent,” the amount of revenue recognized from commissions where the Company is acting as an agent is the net amount after payments are made to the primary obligor responsible for delivering the services.

 

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Concentration

The Company derives a significant portion of its revenues and accounts receivable from a limited number of customers as described below:

 

     Three months ended
September 30,
    Nine months ended
September 30,
 

Percentage of Revenues

           2006                     2007                     2006                     2007          

Customer A

   *     18 %   17 %   15 %

Customer B

   31 %   *     21 %   17 %

Customer C

   *     *     *     10 %

Customer D

   18 %   26 %   *     *  

Percentage of Billed Accounts Receivable

               December 31,
2006
    September 30,
2007
 

Customer D

       24 %   *  

Customer E

       *     10 %

(*) Amounts do not exceed 10% for such period

Note 2 – Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”). SFAS 157 does not require new fair value measurements but rather defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure of fair value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact of SFAS 157 on its consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115” (“SFAS 159”). SFAS 159, permits an entity, through an irrevocable option, to measure certain financial assets and financial liabilities, on an instrument-by-instrument basis, at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings. SFAS 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year that begins after November 15, 2007 with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins on or before November 15, 2007 provided that the entity elects to apply the provisions of SFAS 157. The Company is currently assessing the impact of SFAS 159 on its consolidated financial position and results of operations.

Note 3 – Share-Based Compensation

The Company has two stock option plans, the 2000 Stock Option Plan and the 2004 Equity Incentive Plan, which authorize the issuance of stock options, restricted stock and other share-based instruments to employees. Effective January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, (SFAS 123R) using the modified prospective transition method.

The fair values of each award granted under the Company’s stock option plans during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 were estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the following weighted average assumptions:

 

     Three months ended
September 30,
    Nine months ended
September 30,
 
             2006                     2007                     2006                     2007          

Volatility

   46 %   46 %   46 %   46 %

Risk-free interest rate

   4.85 %   4.62 %   4.80 %   4.68 %

Dividend yield

   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.00 %

Expected life (years)

   6.1     6.1     6.1     6.1  

 

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Table of Contents

The weighted average estimated grant date fair values of options granted under the Company’s stock option plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 were as follows:

 

     Three months
ended
September 30,
   Nine months
ended
September 30,
     2006    2007    2006    2007

Weighted average fair value

   $ 7.11    $ 7.20    $ 8.45    $ 6.55

As of September 30, 2007, there was approximately $2.8 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested share-based compensation that is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.8 years. Based on currently outstanding options, total share-based compensation expense for fiscal year 2007 is expected to be approximately $2.5 million.

The options outstanding as of September 30, 2007 have generally been granted with a 10-year term, vest 25% at the completion of the first year and vest quarterly thereafter over the remaining three-year period. A summary of option activity under the plans for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 is as follows:

 

     Number of
Options
    Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Outstanding, December 31, 2006

   2,489,607     $ 4.33

Granted

   278,150       12.89

Exercised

   (350,810 )     1.41

Canceled or forfeited

   (22,437 )     16.79
        

Outstanding, September 30, 2007

   2,394,510     $ 5.64
        

Exercisable at September 30, 2007

   1,620,002     $ 3.45
        

A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested shares as of September 30, 2007, and changes during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 is presented below:

 

     Number of
Options
    Weighted
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

Nonvested options at December 31, 2006

   1,147,680     $ 7.76

Granted

   278,150       6.55

Vested

   (628,885 )     6.99

Canceled or forfeited

   (22,437 )     11.67
        

Nonvested options at September 30, 2007

   774,508       7.9
        

A total of 3,540,023 options remain available for grant under the Company’s share-based compensation plans at September 30, 2007.

 

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Table of Contents

The following tables further describe stock options outstanding at September 30, 2007:

 

          Options Outstanding    Options Exercisable

Range of

Exercise Prices

   Number
Outstanding at
September 30,
2007
   Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
in Years
   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
   Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
   Number
Exercisable at
September 30,
2007
   Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
in Years
   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
   Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
                         (in thousands)                   (in thousands)
$  0.30    $  0.60    157,252    3.1    $ 0.35    $ 2,411    157,252    3.1    $ 0.35    $ 2,411
    0.75        0.75    348,997    5.5      0.75      5,211    336,372    5.5      0.75      5,022
    1.00        1.00    823,377    6.3      1.00      12,087    637,691    6.3      1.00      9,361
    4.50        8.50    471,284    6.7      4.89      5,086    347,968    6.7      4.81      3,783
  11.00      34.43    593,600    8.9      16.90      926    140,719    8.2      21.20      57
                                      
    0.30      34.43    2,394,510    6.7      5.64    $ 25,721    1,620,002    6.1      3.45    $ 20,634
                                      
          Nonvested Options Expected to Vest                    

Range of

Exercise Prices

   Number
Expected to
Vest at
September 30,
2007
   Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
in Years
   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
   Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
                   
                         (in thousands)                    
$  0.75    $0.75    12,625    6.0    $ 0.75    $ 188            
    1.00    1.00    185,686    6.3      1.00      2,726            
    4.50    8.50    123,316    6.7      5.11      1,303            
  11.00    34.43    394,120    5.6      13.60      757            
                                
    0.75    34.43    715,747    6.0      9.02    $ 4,974            
                                

The Company defines in-the-money options at September 30, 2007 as options that had exercise prices that were lower than the $15.68 market value of its common stock at that date. The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding at September 30, 2007 is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying options and the market value of the Company’s common stock for the 2.2 million shares that were in-the-money at that date. There were 1.5 million in-the-money options exercisable at September 30, 2007. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 was $24.1 million and $4.2 million, respectively, determined as of the date of exercise.

The share-based compensation expense included in the Company’s results of operations was as follows:

 

     For the three months ended
September 30,
   For the nine months ended
September 30,
             2006                    2007                    2006                    2007        
     (in thousands)

Cost of product revenues

   $ 87    $ 48    $ 246    $ 285

Cost of maintenance and services revenues

     70      57      373      262

Research and development expenses

     118      72      529      274

Selling and marketing expenses

     331      266      1,103      726

General and administrative expenses

     383      168      1,311      646
                           
   $ 989    $ 611    $ 3,562    $ 2,193
                           

 

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Note 4. Fair Value of Investments in Marketable Securities

The Company has investments classified as available-for-sale securities included in short-term and long-term investments, categorized as follows:

 

     December 31,
2006
   September 30,
2007
     (in thousands)

Type of Security:

     

Short-term instruments

   $ 87,861    $ 103,288

Corporate debt securities with maturities of less than one year

     122,831      123,318

Municipal securities with maturities of less than one year

     52,811      49,626

U.S. government securities with maturities of less than one year

     54,567      32,901
             

Total short-term investments

     318,070      309,133
             

Corporate debt securities with maturities between one and three years

     64,679      99,831

U.S. government securities with maturities between one and three years

     12,676      26,616
             

Total long-term investments

     77,355      126,447
             
   $ 395,425    $ 435,580
             

The Company’s short-term instruments consist primarily of money market funds, certificates of deposit and commercial paper. These available-for-sale securities are accounted for at their fair value, and unrealized gains and losses on these securities are reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. The accumulated unrealized loss on available for sale securities at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007 was as follows:

 

     December 31,
2006
   September 30,
2007
     (in thousands)

Accumulated unrealized loss

   $ 351    $ 102

The Company utilizes specific identification in computing realized gains and losses on the sale of investments. The Company recorded a realized loss of $4,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and no realized gain or loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007.

Note 5. Inventory and Contract Related Costs

Inventory and contract related costs consist of the following:

 

     December 31,
2006
   September 30,
2007
     (in thousands)

Materials and components

   $ 2,908    $ 3,980

Inventory and costs related to long-term contracts

     8,237      2,634

Deferred costs of revenue

     8,294      2,412
             
   $ 19,439    $ 9,026
             

Materials and components are stated at the lower of cost or market determined using the first-in, first-out method. Inventoried costs relating to long-term contracts are stated at actual production costs incurred to date reduced by amounts identified with revenue recognized on progress completed. Deferred costs of revenue relate to contracts for which revenue has been deferred, and such costs are stated at actual production costs incurred to date, which primarily include materials, labor and subcontract costs which are directly related to the contract. Deferred costs of revenue are amortized to costs of revenue at the time revenues are recognized.

 

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Note 6. Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per common share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted net income per common share reflects the effects of potentially dilutive securities, which consist of stock options. A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per share follows:

 

     Three months ended
September 30,
   Nine months ended
September 30,
     2006    2007    2006    2007
     (in thousands, except per share data)

Numerator:

           

Net income available to common stockholders

   $ 5,733    $ 4,144    $ 16,050    $ 20,932
                           

Denominator:

           

Denominator for basic net income per share—weighted average shares

     94,178      94,436      94,024      94,331

Dilutive potential common stock

           

Stock options

     1,810      1,540      2,129      1,641
                           

Denominator for diluted net income per share— adjusted weighted average shares

     95,988      95,976      96,153      95,972
                           

Basic net income per share

   $ 0.06    $ 0.04    $ 0.17    $ 0.22
                           

Diluted net income per share

   $ 0.06    $ 0.04    $ 0.17    $ 0.22
                           

During the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, options to purchase 317,000 and 274,350, shares of common stock, respectively, were outstanding but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the options’ exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares for each of these respective periods. For the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, options to purchase 209,000 and 445,100, respectively, were similarly excluded.

Note 7. Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of net income and other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income includes certain changes in equity that are excluded from net income. Specifically, cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains or losses on the Company’s investments in marketable securities are included in accumulated other comprehensive income.

 

     Three Months
Ended
September 30,
   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
     2006    2007    2006    2007
     (In thousands)

Net income

   $ 5,733    $ 4,144    $ 16,050    $ 20,932

Other comprehensive income:

           

Change in unrealized loss, net of tax

     414      265      523      112

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

     18      61      28      136
                           

Total comprehensive income

   $ 6,165    $ 4,470    $ 16,601    $ 21,180
                           

Note 8. Income Taxes

Effective January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – an interpretation of FASB Statement 109” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 prescribes a comprehensive model for recognizing, measuring, presenting and disclosing in the financial statements tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return, including a decision whether to file or not to file in a particular jurisdiction. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

 

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The Company had cumulative unrecognized tax benefits of $9.0 million as of January 1, 2007. As a result of the adoption of FIN 48, the cumulative effects of applying this interpretation have been recorded as a decrease of $1.5 million to retained earnings, an increase of $2.3 million to deferred income tax assets and an increase of $3.8 million to liabilities. The liability for unrecognized tax benefits is recorded in income taxes payable and other long-term liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits at January 1, 2007 and September 30, 2007 are $1.5 million of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. As of September 30, 2007, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of $6.1 million. During the third quarter of 2007, the Company completed its calculations for a tax return filing in a foreign jurisdiction, and in doing so has changed its estimate of its unrecognized tax benefit in the foreign jurisdiction. As a result of the change in estimate, the Company has decreased its FIN 48 liability by $2.9 million, and has correspondingly decreased its deferred tax asset for $2.9 million related to the foreign tax credit in the United States. The result of this change in estimate had no impact upon net income. The unrecognized tax benefit balance as of the date of adoption and as of September 30, 2007 also included approximately $7.5 million and $4.6 million, respectively, related to items that would affect other tax accounts, primarily deferred income taxes, if recognized. In addition, the balance of unrecognized tax benefits as of the date of adoption and as of September 30, 2007 included approximately $6.4 million and $3.5 million, respectively, related to tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts could significantly change during the next twelve months as a result of ongoing activities to resolve uncertainty with respect to the Company’s tax obligations in foreign jurisdictions; however, quantification of an estimated range cannot be made at this time.

The Company continues to recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the income tax provision. As of January 1, 2007, the total amount of accrued income tax-related interest and penalties before tax benefits was $638,000. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, an additional $308,000 and $568,000, respectively, of interest and penalties before tax benefits was accrued.

The Company files Federal income tax returns, as well as multiple state, local and foreign jurisdiction tax returns. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to examination for its U.S. Federal and state, foreign and local jurisdictions for years prior to 2003. The Internal Revenue Service completed its examination of the Company’s Federal consolidated tax returns for 2004 and 2005 and issued a “no change” letter.

Note 9. Deferred Revenues and Deferred Costs

In the second quarter of 2005, the Company entered into a contract with a total value of $31.8 million with the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (“CNE”). The contract required the Company to provide a full identification solution to the CNE including licensed software, hardware, installation, maintenance and services. The contract also provided for the short-term lease of equipment to be used by the CNE in connection with the November 8, 2005 Venezuela local elections. The estimated relative fair value of the lease component of approximately $3.0 million, which was based upon an independent valuation, was recognized as revenue in the third quarter of 2005. Because vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of the maintenance element of this contract did not exist, all revenue in excess of the fair value of the lease component was amortized over the life of the contract upon customer acceptance of all deliverables which was received in the second quarter of 2006. Revenues recognized under the arrangement with the CNE were zero and $14.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, respectively. Deferred revenue related to the CNE contract was $11.8 million and zero as of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively.

In October 2005, the Company entered into an initial contract and several follow-on orders with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (the “RCMP”) to replace an AFIS in conjunction with the RCMP’s Real Time Identification Project. Revenues recognized under the arrangement with the RCMP were $812,000 and $8.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, respectively. Deferred revenue related to the RCMP contract was $6.8 million and $77,000 as of December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively. Deferred costs related to the RCMP contract are included in inventory and will be recognized as the related services are delivered.

 

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Note 10. Segment Information

The Company considers its business activities to constitute a single segment. A summary of the Company’s revenues by geographic area follows (in thousands):

 

     Three months ended September 30, 2006
     Americas    Europe    Asia    Other    Total

Revenues:

              

Product revenues

   $ 13,899    $ 125    $ 19    $ 4,356    $ 18,399

Maintenance and services revenues

     4,241      411      110      214      4,976
                                  

Total

   $ 18,140    $ 536    $ 129    $ 4,570    $ 23,375
                                  
     Three months ended September 30, 2007
     Americas    Europe    Asia    Other    Total

Revenues:

              

Product revenues

   $ 9,674    $ 69    $ 345    $ 5,928    $ 16,016

Maintenance and services revenues

     5,608      646      238      4      6,496
                                  

Total

   $ 15,282    $ 715    $ 583    $ 5,932    $ 22,512
                                  
     Nine months ended September 30, 2006
     Americas    Europe    Asia    Other    Total

Revenues:

              

Product revenues

   $ 33,521    $ 2,361    $ 1,883    $ 4,821    $ 42,586

Maintenance and services revenues

     14,370      1,271      475      621      16,737
                                  

Total

   $ 47,891    $ 3,632    $ 2,358    $ 5,442    $ 59,323
                                  
     Nine months ended September 30, 2007
     Americas    Europe    Asia    Other    Total

Revenues:

              

Product revenues

   $ 54,211    $ 2,863    $ 522    $ 8,118    $ 65,714

Maintenance and services revenues

     15,529      1,751      699      226      18,205
                                  

Total

   $ 69,740    $ 4,614    $ 1,221    $ 8,344    $ 83,919
                                  

At December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, the Company’s property and equipment and intangible assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization in the United States and in other countries was as follows (in thousands):

 

     December 31,
2006
   September 30,
2007

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation in the United States

   $ 31,433    $ 32,043

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation in other countries

     1,441      1,433
             
   $ 32,874    $ 33,476
             

Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization in the United States

   $ 500    $ 388
             

 

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Note 11. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company periodically evaluates all pending or threatened contingencies and any commitments, if any, which are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on its operations or financial position. The Company assesses the probability of an adverse outcome and determines if it is remote, reasonably possible or probable as defined in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies” (“SFAS 5”). If information available prior to the issuance of the Company’s financial statements indicates that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred at the date of the Company’s financial statements, and the amount of the loss, or the range of probable loss can be reasonably estimated, then such loss is accrued and charged to operations. If no accrual is made for a loss contingency because one or both of the conditions pursuant to SFAS 5 are not met, but the probability of an adverse outcome is at least reasonably possible, the Company will disclose the nature of the contingency and provide an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss, or state that such an estimate cannot be made.

During the normal course of business, the Company may be subject to litigation involving various business matters. Management believes that an adverse outcome of any such known matters would not have a material adverse impact on the Company.

In April 2005, the Company initiated a lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, in California state court (COGENT SYSTEMS, INC., vs. NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION, NORTHROP GRUMMAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OVERSEAS, INC., et al., Superior Court of the State of California, In and For the County of Los Angeles, Case No. BC 332199), based on claims of breach of contract, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of trust, interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of the implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing and unfair competition. As of September 30, 2007, the Company had incurred $14.4 million in legal expenses related to this action, including $10.5 million incurred in the nine months ended September 30, 2007. On September 10, 2007, the Company and Northrop Grumman Corporation announced their agreement to settle the lawsuit. Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman agreed to pay Cogent $25 million to settle the litigation and $15 million for a non-exclusive license to use specified Cogent AFIS Software in certain existing programs, including IDENT1, a biometric based identification system in the U.K. In addition, Northrop Grumman and the Company agreed to enter into a five-year research and development, service and products agreement, under which Northrop will pay the Company $20 million for products and services over the term of the agreement. While Cogent and Northrop Grumman have an agreement in principle, the parties are still engaged in the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements. As such, the Company has not yet determined the classification of the amounts to be recorded, nor the timing of recognition. The Company will make such determinations upon a review and analysis of final signed definitive agreements.

Note 12. Stock Repurchase Program

In October 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase shares of Cogent’s common stock. Acting pursuant to this approval, the Company announced on November 1, 2007 that it may repurchase up to $100 million of shares over a period of 12 months following that announcement. The shares are to be purchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in accordance with the requirements of the SEC, and subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The repurchase of shares will be made using the Company’s cash resources. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This report contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we, nor any other person, assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the filing of this Quarterly Report to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us which attempt to advise interested parties of the factors which affect our business, including without limitation the disclosures made in Item 1A of Part II of this Quarterly Report under the Caption “Risk Factors” and under the captions “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Risk Factors” and in our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: changes in government policies; uncertain political conditions in international markets; deriving a significant portion of revenues from a limited number of customers; deriving a significant portion of revenues from the sale of solutions pursuant to government contracts; failure of the biometrics market to experience significant growth; failure of our products to achieve broad acceptance; potential fluctuations in quarterly and annual results; changes in our effective tax rate; failure to successfully compete; failure to comply with government regulations; failure to accurately predict financial results due to long sales cycles; negative publicity and/or loss of clients due to security breaches resulting in the disclosure of confidential information; loss of export licenses or changes in export laws; failure to manage projects; rapid technology change in the biometrics market; loss of a key member of management team; termination of backlog orders; loss of limited source suppliers; negative audits by government agencies; failure to protect intellectual property; and exposure to intellectual property and product liability claims.

Overview

We are a leading provider of advanced Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems, or AFIS, and other fingerprint biometrics solutions to governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations worldwide. We were incorporated and commenced operations in 1990. We have been researching, designing, developing and marketing AFIS and other fingerprint biometrics solutions since inception. During most of our operating history, we have achieved positive income and cash flows from operations. From the fourth quarter of 2003 through the year ended December 31, 2005, we experienced significant increases in our revenues and net income as the market for our AFIS solutions expanded primarily due to increased demand by the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, as well as the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, or CNE. We experienced a decline in revenues during the year ended December 31, 2006 due to the completion of a number of significant contracts and the timing of revenue recognition related to contracts entered into in previous periods and slowdowns in the procurement process at the U.S. government. As a result of new core customers added since the beginning of 2006, in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recorded revenue from an increased number of customers. We believe that this improved customer diversity will result in more consistent quarterly performance in 2007, as compared to prior years when our quarterly results often fluctuated due to the spending patterns of the DHS and the CNE, who have historically been our two largest customers. Further, we believe that we are positioned to experience an increase in revenues in 2007 over 2006 levels.

Sources of Revenue

We generate product revenues principally from sales of our AFIS solutions, which typically consist of our Programmable Matching Accelerator, or PMA, servers and other AFIS equipment, including workstations and live-scans, bundled with our proprietary software. Also included in product revenues are fees generated from design and deployment of our AFIS solutions. We generate maintenance revenues from maintenance contracts that are typically included with the sale of our AFIS solutions. Maintenance contracts for technical support and software updates generally cover a period of one year, and after contract expiration,

 

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our customers have the right to purchase maintenance contract renewals, which generally cover a period of one year. Revenues from maintenance contracts are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the maintenance obligation. We generate services revenues from engineering services and AFIS system operation services that are not an element of an arrangement for the sale of products. These services are typically performed under fixed-price and time-and-material agreements.

We market our solutions primarily to U.S. and foreign government agencies and law enforcement agencies. In a typical contract with a government agency for an initial AFIS deployment, we agree to design the AFIS, supply and install equipment and software and integrate the AFIS within the agency’s existing network infrastructure. These initial deployment contracts frequently require significant modification and customization of our solution as part of our integration services. These contracts provide for billings up to a fixed price total contract value upon completion of agreed milestones or deliveries, with each milestone or delivery typically having a value specified in the contract. These customers usually impose specific performance and acceptance criteria that must be satisfied prior to invoicing for each milestone or delivery. When customers purchase AFIS solutions that do not require significant modification and customization of our software, whether as an initial deployment or as an expansion of an existing AFIS, we typically agree to deliver the products and perform limited installation services subject to customer-specific acceptance criteria. Certain of our customers, including the DHS, submit purchase orders under blanket purchase order agreements. Blanket purchase order agreements set out the basic terms and conditions of our arrangement with the customer and simplify the procedures for ordering our products to avoid administrative processes that would otherwise apply, particularly with the federal government. The billing of these contracts is generally tied to delivery and acceptance of specific AFIS equipment, usually our PMA servers or live-scans. Most of our contracts for AFIS solutions also include an ongoing maintenance obligation that we honor over a term specified in the deployment contract or the blanket purchase order agreement. The nature of our business and our customer base is such that we negotiate a set of unique terms for each contract that are based upon the purchaser’s standard form of documentation.

The most significant portion of our revenues since the fourth quarter of 2003 has arisen from increased demand by the DHS and the CNE for our AFIS solutions. The DHS uses our solutions in connection with the implementation of the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US-VISIT, program, and the CNE uses our solutions for national, regional and local elections. We anticipate that the DHS will account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. Our most recent arrangement with the CNE was completed in December 2006 and revenues from all of our arrangements with the CNE were fully recognized by June 30, 2007. We do not have any long-term contracts with any of our customers, including the DHS for the sale of our products, and our future sales will depend upon the receipt of new orders. Any delay or other change in the rollout of US-VISIT or any failure to obtain new orders from the DHS could cause our revenues to fall short of our expectations.

We also expect to experience continued demand from a number of other governments as they deploy AFIS solutions in elections, at points of entry and exit, including borders, seaports and airports, and in connection with national identification programs. For example, in Canada we have been awarded an initial contract and several follow-on orders, and we believe we may receive additional follow-on orders related to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s Real Time Identification Initiative. Another example is our September 2005 contract with the Direction Générale De la Sureté Nationale of Morocco (DGSN) to provide an integrated turn-key AFIS. The quantity and timing of orders from both U.S. and foreign government entities depends on a number of factors outside of our control, such as the level and timing of budget appropriations. Government contracts for security solutions in elections, at points of entry and exit and in connection with national identification programs are typically awarded in open competitive bidding processes. Therefore, our future level of sales of AFIS solutions for deployments in elections and at points of entry and exit may vary substantially, and will depend on our ability to successfully compete for this business. In September 2006, the UKvisas unit of the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the United Kingdom selected Cogent as the supplier of biometric recording and verification software in connection with the U.K. government program to improve immigration control and border integrity (the “UKvisas Contract”). Under the four year “framework agreement”, Cogent will provide technology to be used at embassy and visa application centers worldwide to capture fingerprint and facial recognition biometric data on an order by order basis. Cogent is also providing software consulting, help desk, and incident management services. Other U.K government agencies will be able to purchase products and services under the framework agreement as well.

 

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Cost of Revenues and Operating Expenses

Cost of Revenues. Cost of product revenues consists principally of compensation costs incurred in designing, integrating, installing and customizing AFIS solutions, the costs associated with manufacturing, assembling and testing our AFIS solutions and subcontractor costs. A substantial portion of these costs is comprised of the costs of components, such as servers, integrated circuits, workstations, live-scans and other hardware. Cost of product revenues also includes related overhead, compensation, final assembly, quality-assurance, inventory management, support costs and payments to contract manufacturers that perform assembly functions. Cost of maintenance and services revenues consists of customer support costs and training and professional service expenses, including compensation. Cost of revenues also includes share-based compensation allocable to personnel performing services related to cost of revenues. We expect our gross margin to be affected by many factors, including our mix of products and our resale of third party hardware included in our AFIS solutions. Other factors that may affect our gross margin include changes in selling prices of our products, maintenance and services, fluctuations in demand for our products, the timing and size of customer orders, fluctuations in manufacturing volumes, changes in costs of components and new product introductions by us and our competitors and agreements entered into with our subcontractors.

Research and Development. Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses for engineering personnel, fees paid to consultants and outside service providers, depreciation of development and test equipment, prototyping expenses related to the design, development, testing and enhancements of our products, and the cost of computer support services. We expense all research and development costs as incurred. Under our customer contracts, we typically obtain the rights to use any improvements to our technology developed on a particular customer deployment on other customer deployments. As a result, we have historically been able to moderate our research and development expenses by leveraging the improvements developed by our personnel working on customer engagements. Research and development expenses also include share-based compensation allocable to personnel performing services related to research and development.

Selling and Marketing. Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries, commissions and related expenses for personnel engaged in marketing, sales, public relations and advertising, along with promotional and trade show costs and travel expenses. Sales and marketing expenses also include share-based compensation allocable to personnel performing services related to sales and marketing.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses include salaries and related expenses for personnel engaged in finance, human resources, insurance, information technology, administrative activities and legal and accounting fees. General and administrative expenses also include share-based compensation allocable to personnel performing general and administrative services.

In April 2005, we initiated a lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, based on claims of breach of contract, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of trust, interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of the implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing and unfair competition. On September 10, 2007 we announced that we had reached an agreement to settle this lawsuit. Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman agreed to pay Cogent $25 million to settle the litigation and $15 million for a non-exclusive license to use specified Cogent AFIS Software in certain existing programs, including IDENT1, a biometric based identification system in the U.K. In addition, Northrop Grumman and Cogent agreed to enter into a five-year research and development, service and products agreement, under which Northrop will pay Cogent $20 million for products and services over the term of the agreement. While Cogent and Northrop Grumman have an agreement in principle, the parties are still engaged in the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements. As such, we have not yet determined the classification of the amounts to be recorded, nor the timing of recognition. We will make such determinations upon a review and analysis of final signed definitive agreements.

Application of Critical Accounting Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate these estimates, including those related to percentage-of-completion, bad debts, inventories, investments, income taxes, commitments, contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

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We consider the following accounting estimates to be both those most important to the portrayal of our results of operations and financial condition and those that require the most subjective judgment:

 

   

revenue recognition;

 

   

commitments and contingencies;

 

   

allowance for doubtful accounts;

 

   

accounting for taxes; and

 

   

accounting for share-based compensation.

Revenue Recognition. Because our proprietary software is essential to the functionality of our AFIS solutions and other biometrics products, we apply the provisions of Statement of Position (SOP) 97-2, “Software Revenue Recognition,” as amended by SOP 98-9, “Modification of SOP 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition, With Respect to Certain Transactions.” For arrangements that require significant production, modification, or customization of software, we apply the provisions of Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB) No. 45, “Long-Term Construction-Type Contracts,” and SOP 81-1, “Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Production Type Contracts.” To the extent an element within our software arrangements falls within a level of accounting literature that is higher than SOP 97-2, we record revenue on such element in accordance with the relevant authoritative literature. For arrangements that contain the lease of equipment, we account for the lease element in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 13, “Accounting for Leases” and account for the remaining elements in the arrangement in accordance with SOP 97-2. For arrangements that contain a non-software deliverable such as hardware, we apply the provisions of Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) 03-05, “Applicability of AICPA Statement of Position 97-2 to Non-Software Deliverables in an Arrangement Containing More-Than-Incidental Software” and recognize revenue when all other revenue recognition criteria are met. For multiple element arrangements not subject to accounting under SOP 97-2, we account for these arrangements in accordance with EITF No. 00-21, “Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” The application of the appropriate accounting principle to our revenue is dependent upon the specific transaction and whether the sale includes systems, software and services or a combination of these items. As our business evolves, the mix of products and services sold will impact the timing of when revenue and related costs are recognized. Additionally, revenue recognition involves judgments, including estimates of costs to complete contracts accounted for using the percentage of completion method of accounting and assessments of the likelihood of nonpayment. We analyze various factors, including a review of specific transactions, the credit-worthiness of our customers, our historical experience and market and economic conditions. Changes in judgments on these factors could materially impact the timing and amount of revenue and costs recognized.

Product Revenues

The timing of product revenues recognition is dependent on the nature of the product sold.

 

   

Revenues associated with AFIS solutions that do not require significant modification or customization of our software, exclusive of amounts allocated to maintenance for which we have vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value, or VSOE, are recognized upon installation and receipt of written acceptance of the solution by the customer when required by the provisions of the contract, provided all other criteria for revenue recognition have been met. For example, we recognize revenue in this manner from sales of our PMA servers to the DHS under our blanket purchase agreement with the DHS. Revenue resulting from arrangements for which VSOE of the maintenance element does not exist is recognized ratably over the maintenance period.

 

   

Revenues associated with AFIS solutions that require significant modification or customization of our software, are recognized using the percentage-of-completion method as described by SOP 81-1. The percentage-of-completion method reflects the portion of the anticipated contract revenue, excluding maintenance that has VSOE, which has been earned, equal to the ratio of labor effort expended to date to the anticipated final labor effort, based on current estimates of total labor effort necessary to complete the project. Material differences may result in the amount and timing of our revenue for any period if actual results differ from our judgments and estimates. We recognize revenue in this manner from sales of significant initial AFIS deployments. Revenue resulting from arrangements for which VSOE of the maintenance element does not exist is recognized ratably over the contractual maintenance period or until the time when such VSOE is established. Revenues recognized under such arrangements were $7.2 million and zero for the three months ended

 

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September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively, and $9.7 million and $11.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively.

 

   

Revenue associated with the sale of our application specific integrated circuit, or ASIC applications, stand-alone live-scans and other biometric products, excluding maintenance when applicable, is recognized upon shipment to the customer provided (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collection is deemed probable.

 

   

Revenue associated with service offerings where we maintain and operate a portion of the AFIS systems on an outsourced application-hosting basis is recognized on a per transaction basis provided (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collection is deemed probable.

 

   

Revenue associated with contracts where sufficient VSOE cannot be established for the allocation of revenue to the various elements of the arrangement is deferred until the earlier of the point at which (i) such sufficient VSOE does exist or (ii) all elements of the arrangement have been delivered.

 

   

Cash received from customers in advance of recognition of the related revenue is recorded as deferred revenue.

Maintenance Revenues

Maintenance revenue consists of fees for providing technical support and software updates on a when-and-if available basis. We recognize all maintenance revenue ratably over the applicable maintenance period. We determine the amount of maintenance revenue to be deferred through reference to substantive maintenance renewal provisions contained in a particular arrangement or, in the absence of such renewal provisions, through reference to VSOE of maintenance renewal rates. We consider substantive maintenance provisions to be provisions where the stated maintenance renewal as a percentage of the product fee is comparable to our normal pricing for maintenance only renewals. In the event that maintenance included in an AFIS solutions contract does not have VSOE, the entire arrangement fee, including the contractual amount of the maintenance obligation, is included in product revenues and recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance period.

Services Revenues

Professional services revenue is primarily derived from engineering services and AFIS system operation and maintenance services that are not an element of an arrangement for the sale of products. These services are generally billed on a time-and-materials basis. The majority of our professional services are performed either directly or indirectly for U.S. government organizations. Revenue from such services is recognized as the services are provided.

Consistent with EITF Issue No. 99-19, “Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal Versus Net as an Agent,” the amount of revenue recognized from commissions where we are acting as an agent is the net amount after payments are made to the primary obligor responsible for delivering the services.

Revenue Recognition Criteria

We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the element has been delivered, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection of the resulting receivable is probable.

Persuasive evidence of an arrangement: We use either contracts signed by both the customer and us or written purchase orders issued by the customer that legally bind us and the customer as evidence of an arrangement.

Product delivery: We deem delivery to have occurred when AFIS solutions are installed and, when required under the terms of a particular arrangement, upon acceptance by the customer. Shipments of our ASICs, stand-alone live-scans and other biometric products are recognized as revenue when shipped and title and risk of ownership has passed to the buyer.

Fixed or determinable fee: For product arrangements not accounted for using the percentage-of-completion method, we consider the fee to be fixed or determinable if the fee is not subject to refund or adjustment and the payment terms are within normal established practices. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, we recognize the revenue as amounts become due and payable.

 

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Collection is deemed probable: We conduct a credit review for all significant transactions at the time of the arrangement to determine the credit-worthiness of the customer. Collection is deemed probable if we expect that the customer will pay amounts under the arrangement as payments become due.

Deferred Revenue. Our deferred revenue balance results primarily from payments received from customers in advance of recognition of the related revenue and, to a lesser extent, from invoicing of customers prior to recognition of the related revenue. For example, certain customers, such as the CNE, make upfront payments resulting in cash collected prior to our recognition of revenue. These payments can be significant. We record this upfront payment as deferred revenue and reduce the deferred revenue balance as revenue is recognized. As a result, our deferred revenue balance fluctuates from quarter to quarter because it is a function of the timing of (i) the receipt of cash payments from those customers who pay in advance of revenue recognition, (ii) invoicing of customers in advance of revenue recognition and (iii) amortization of deferred revenues into revenues. Deferred revenues also consist of payments received in advance from our customers for maintenance agreements, under which revenues are recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance period. However, the fluctuation in the deferred revenue balance from quarter to quarter is generally not significantly affected by the deferred maintenance revenue. Because the mix of customers who pay or are invoiced in advance of revenue recognition changes from period to period, fluctuations in our deferred revenue balance are not a reliable indicator of total revenue to be recognized in any future period. Our cash flow from operations is also affected each quarter as a result of fluctuations in the deferred revenue balance.

Commitments and Contingencies. We periodically evaluate all pending or threatened contingencies and commitments, if any, that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our operations or financial position. We assess the probability of an adverse outcome and determine if it is remote, reasonably possible or probable as defined in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 5, “Accounting for Contingencies.” If information available prior to the issuance of our financial statements indicates that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred at the date of our financial statements, and the amount of the loss, or the range of probable loss can be reasonably estimated, then such loss is accrued and charged to operations. If no accrual is made for a loss contingency because one or both of the conditions pursuant to SFAS 5 are not met, but the probability of an adverse outcome is at least reasonably possible, we will disclose the nature of the contingency and provide an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss, or state that such an estimate cannot be made.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments, which results in a provision for bad debt expense. We determine the adequacy of this allowance by evaluating individual customer accounts receivable, through consideration of the customer’s financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. If the financial condition of our customers was to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.

Accounting for Taxes. In preparing our consolidated financial statements, we estimate our income tax liability in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate by estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and financial statement purposes. As of September 30, 2007, our net deferred tax assets were approximately $30.9 million. Management judgment is required in assessing the realizability of our deferred tax assets. In performing this assessment, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. We consider the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. In the event that actual results differ from our estimates or we adjust our estimates in future periods, we may need to make or adjust valuation allowances with respect to our deferred tax assets, which could materially impact our financial position and results of operations. Our income tax provision is based on calculations and assumptions that may be subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. Should the actual results differ from our estimates, we would have to adjust the income tax provision in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known. Tax law and rate changes are reflected in the income tax provision in the period in which such changes are enacted.

Our effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was, and we expect our tax rate to continue to be, impacted as a result of research and development tax credits and the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options. Our effective tax rate may continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter primarily as a result of disqualifying dispositions that may continue to occur related to incentive stock options currently outstanding. The tax benefit resulting from the disqualifying dispositions of incentive stock options is only recognized when the actual disposition takes place thus impacting the effective tax rate on a quarterly basis. The benefit resulting from disqualifying dispositions results in a tax deduction on our corporate tax return with no expense recorded in our consolidated financial statements. To the extent we have previously recorded share-based compensation expense related to incentive

 

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stock options in our consolidated financial statements, we record the benefit from the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options as a reduction to our provision for income taxes.

Effective January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48 “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes – an interpretation of FASB Statement 109” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 requires significant judgment in determining what constitutes an individual tax position as well as assessing the outcome of each tax position. Changes in judgment as to recognition or measurement of tax positions can materially affect the estimate of the effective tax rate and consequently, affect our operating results.

We generate a significant portion of our revenues from contracts with foreign government agencies. Each country with which we do business has its own particular rules to determine the point at which our activities within such country will become subject to taxes, if any. To the extent our contracts with foreign government agencies are subject to income taxes and we do not generate adequate foreign tax credits for purposes of our Federal income tax return, our effective tax rate may be impacted.

Accounting for Share-Based Compensation. Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted the provisions of SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, (SFAS 123R) using the modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method, compensation expense recognized includes: (a) compensation expense for all share-based awards granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the original provisions of SFAS 123, and (b) compensation expense for all share-based awards granted subsequent to January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 123R.

The calculation of share-based employee compensation expense involves estimates that require management’s judgment. These estimates include the fair value of each of our stock option awards, which is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model as discussed in Note 3 of our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. The fair value of our stock option awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting life of the options. We estimate the volatility of our common stock at the date of grant based on the implied volatility of publicly traded 30-day to 270-day options on our common stock, consistent with SFAS 123R and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107. Our decision to use implied volatility was based upon the availability of actively traded options on our common stock and our belief that implied volatility is more representative of future stock price trends than historical volatility. We base the risk-free interest rate that we use in the Black-Scholes option valuation model on the implied yield in effect at the time of option grant on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with equivalent remaining terms. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, we use an expected dividend yield of zero in the Black-Scholes option valuation model. SFAS 123R requires us to estimate forfeitures at the time of grant and revise those estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. We use historical data to estimate pre-vesting option forfeitures and record share-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest. For options granted before January 1, 2006, we amortize the fair value on an accelerated basis. For options granted on or after January 1, 2006, we amortize the fair value on a straight-line basis. All options are amortized over the requisite service periods of the awards, which are generally the vesting periods. We may elect to use different assumptions under the Black-Scholes option valuation model in the future, which could materially affect our net income or loss and net income or loss per share.

 

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth selected statements of income data for each of the periods indicated expressed as a percentage of total revenues:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
         2006             2007             2006             2007      

Consolidated Statements of Income Data:

        

Revenues:

        

Product revenues

   78.7 %   71.1 %   71.8 %   78.3 %

Maintenance and services revenues

   21.3     28.9     28.2     21.7  
                        

Total revenues

   100.0     100.0     100.0     100.0  
                        

Cost of revenues:

        

Cost of product revenues

   42.5     36.2     36.0     34.4  

Cost of maintenance and services revenues

   6.3     8.7     7.8     6.5  
                        

Total cost of revenues

   48.8     44.9     43.8     40.9  
                        

Gross profit

   51.2     55.1     56.2     59.1  
                        

Operating expenses:

        

Research and development

   9.0     11.9     10.6     9.3  

Selling and marketing

   8.4     10.5     9.6     7.7  

General and administrative

   14.9     25.2     14.9     20.9  
                        

Total operating expenses

   32.3     47.6     35.1     37.9  
                        

Operating income

   18.9     7.5     21.1     21.2  

Other income:

        

Interest income

   19.9     25.6     20.8     19.7  

Other, net

   0.1     (0.9 )   0.8     0.2  
                        

Income before income taxes

   38.9     32.2     42.7     41.1  

Income tax provision

   14.4     13.9     15.6     16.2  
                        

Net income

   24.5 %   18.3 %   27.1 %   24.9 %
                        

Comparison of Results for the three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006

Revenues. Revenues were $22.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $23.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Product revenues were $16.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $18.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006. The $2.4 million decrease in product revenues resulted primarily from a $7.2 million decrease in revenues from the CNE during the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to the same period in the prior year. The effect of the decrease in revenues from the CNE was partially offset by an aggregate increase in revenues from other customers including the DHS and its logistical partners, the DGSN, the City of Houston and the RCMP of $5.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period of the prior year.

Maintenance and services revenues increased to $6.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007 from $5.0 million for the same period of the prior year. The increase of $1.5 million or 30.5% resulted primarily from the general increase in our base of customers and revenues earned under our recent arrangement to operate and maintain an AFIS used to obtain, transmit, and match finger images for applicants and recipients of food stamp benefits in the state of Texas.

Gross Profit. Gross profit as a percentage of revenues was 55.1% for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to 51.2% for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Product gross margins were 49.2% for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to 46.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Margins on product revenues were fairly consistent as the mix of products sold remained significantly unchanged during the three months ended September 30, 2007 as compared to the same period of the prior year. Generally, our software intensive solutions have higher margins than hardware and third party equipment components.

 

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Costs of maintenance and service revenues increased $491,000 or 33.5% to $2.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007 from $1.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Maintenance and services gross margins decreased to 69.9% during the three months ended September 30, 2007 from 70.6% during the three months ended September 30, 2006.

Research and Development. Research and development expenses increased to $2.7 million, or 11.9% of revenues, for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $2.1 million or 9.0% of revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2006. The increase of $572,000 or 27.3% was primarily due to an increase in salary expense and other labor related costs driven by an increase in headcount in connection with the Company’s effort to develop new products for both its core government and its commercial customers. Our research and development headcount was 113 and 81 as of September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Selling and Marketing. Selling and marketing expenses were $2.4 million, or 10.5% of revenues, for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $2.0 million, or 8.4% of revenues, for the same period of the prior year. The increase in selling and marketing expenses of $406,000, or 20.8%, was primarily due to an increase in salary expenses and other labor related costs of $257,000 driven by an increase in headcount. In anticipation of a general increase in the number and size of contracts coming up for proposal in the biometric security industry, management instituted a general effort to expand its marketing and business development capabilities during 2007. This effort included an expansion in the Company’s selling and marketing related headcount, including the hiring of several key executives in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. An increase in consulting fees of $142,000, to support business development and proposal activities, also contributed to the increase in selling and marketing expenses during the three months ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the same period of the prior year.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses increased to $5.7 million, or 25.2% of revenues, for the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $3.5 million or 14.9% of revenues, for the three months ended September 30, 2006. The increase of $2.2 million or 62.5% was primarily due to a $2.4 million increase in legal fees related to our lawsuit with Northrop Grumman. Legal fees incurred in connection with the Company’s legal action against Northrop Grumman were $3.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Our costs associated with the lawsuit increased at an accelerated rate as we approached our scheduled court date in September 2007. On September 10, 2007, we announced the general terms of our settlement agreement with Northrop Grumman.

Interest Income. We earned interest income of $5.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $4.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in interest income was primarily due to higher interest rates and higher cash and investment balances as a result of net cash generated from operations.

Income Tax Provision. We recognized an income tax provision of $3.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2007 as a result of the net income earned in the period. Our effective tax rate of 43.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2007 represents federal, state and foreign taxes on our income reduced primarily as a result of research and development credits and benefits resulting from the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options. We recognized an income tax provision of $3.4 million, with an effective tax rate of 37.0%, during the three months ended September 30, 2006 as a result of the net income earned in the period. Our effective tax rate of 37.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2006 represents federal, state and foreign taxes on our income reduced primarily as a result of benefits resulting from the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options and by research and development credits. The increase in the effective tax rate from 37.0% during the three months ended September 30, 2006 to 43.0% during the three months ended September 30, 2007 is primarily due to a significant decrease in disqualifying dispositions of incentive stock options and the associated tax benefit recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2007 compared to the same period of the prior year coupled with the income tax-related interest of $308,000 recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2007 in accordance with FIN 48. We expect our effective tax rate may fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of disqualifying dispositions that may continue to occur related to incentive stock options currently outstanding and held by our employees. The tax benefit resulting from the disqualifying dispositions of incentive stock options is only recognized when the actual disposition takes place.

 

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Comparison of Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006

Revenues. Revenues were $83.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $59.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. We experienced growth in revenues primarily due to higher revenues from the DHS, as well as contributions from an increasing number of customers, including the DGSN and the RCMP as we continued to diversify our customer base. Product revenues were $65.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $42.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The $23.1 million increase in product revenues resulted primarily from an aggregate increase of $22.8 million in revenues from the DHS and its logistical partners, the CNE, the RCMP and the DGSN. In addition, revenue contributions from a number of other customers, such as the city of Montreal, the UKvisas, the office of the Attorney General of Ohio, the County of Oakland, Michigan and the County of Sonoma, also contributed to the increase in product revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to the same period in the prior year.

Maintenance and services revenues were $18.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $16.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. An increase of $1.5 million or 8.8% in maintenance and services revenues resulted primarily from the general increase in our base of customers and revenues earned under our recent arrangement to operate and maintain an AFIS used to obtain, transmit, and match finger images for applicants and recipients of food stamp benefits in the state of Texas.

Gross Profit. Gross profit as a percentage of revenues was 59.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to 56.3% for the same period of the prior year. Product gross margins were 56.0% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to 49.9% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in margins on product revenues was primarily due to a change in contract mix. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, a higher portion of our revenues was recognized on software intensive solutions which typically have higher margins than hardware and third party equipment components. During the same period of the prior year a significant portion of our revenues was earned from AFIS solutions which required significant hardware components.

Maintenance and services gross margins were 70.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 72.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Costs of maintenance and service revenues increased to $5.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 from $4.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. As our customer base continues to diversify and grow we have increased the number of personnel engaged in providing maintenance and engineering services, contributing to the decrease in maintenance and services gross margins.

Research and Development. Research and development expenses increased to $7.8 million, or 9.3% of revenues, for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $6.3 million, or 10.6% of revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The increase of $1.5 million or 23.1% was primarily due to an increase in salary expense and other labor related costs driven by an increase in headcount. Our research and development headcount was 113 and 81 as of September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Selling and Marketing. Selling and marketing expenses were $6.4 million, or 7.7% of revenues, for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $5.7 million, or 9.6% of revenues, for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in selling and marketing expenses of $722,000 or 12.7%, was primarily due to an increase in salary expenses and other labor related costs of $638,000 driven by an increase in headcount, including the hiring of several key executives in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The effect of the increase in salary expenses was partially offset by a reduction in share based compensation of $377,000. An increase in consulting fees of $331,000, to support business development and proposal activities, also contributed to the increase in selling and marketing expenses during the nine months ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the same period of the prior year.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses increased to $17.5 million, or 20.9% of revenues, for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $8.9 million, or 14.9% of revenues, for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The $8.6 million increase was primarily due to an $8.4 million increase in legal fees related to our lawsuit against Northrop Grumman. Legal fees associated with the action were $10.5 million and $2.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Our costs associated with the lawsuit increased at an accelerated rate as we approached our scheduled court date in September 2007. On September 10, 2007, we announced the general terms of our settlement agreement with Northrop Grumman.

Interest Income. We earned interest income of $16.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to $12.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in interest income was primarily due to higher interest rates and higher cash and investment balances as a result of net cash generated from operations.

 

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Income Tax Provision. We recognized an income tax provision of $13.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 as a result of the net income earned in the period. Our effective tax rate of 39.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 represents federal, state and foreign taxes on our income reduced primarily as a result of benefits resulting from the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options and by state research and development credits. We recognized an income tax provision of $9.3 million, with an effective tax rate of 36.6%, during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 as a result of the net income earned in the period. Our effective tax rate of 36.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 represents federal, state and foreign taxes on our income reduced primarily as a result of benefits resulting from the disqualifying disposition of incentive stock options and by research and development credits. The increase in the effective tax rate from 36.6% during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to 39.4% during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 is primarily due to a significant decrease in disqualifying dispositions of incentive stock options and the associated tax benefit recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 compared to the same period of the prior year coupled with the income tax-related interest of $568,000 recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 in accordance with FIN 48.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since our inception, we have financed our operations by generating cash from operations. Since September 2004 we have supplemented our cash resources through public offerings of our common stock, raising $228.6 million in our initial public offering in September 2004 and $96.8 million in a subsequent public offering in June 2005. As of September 30, 2007, we had $22.6 million in cash and cash equivalents and $435.6 million in investments in marketable securities.

In addition to our net income, the key drivers of our cash flows from operations are changes in accounts receivable, accounts payable, deferred revenues, inventory and deferred taxes. The effect of these key drivers on our cash from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 was as follows:

 

     Nine Months Ended,
September 30,
 
     2006     2007  

Primary Drivers of Cash from Operations

    

Net income

   $ 16,050     $ 20,932  

Changes in :

    

Billed accounts receivable

     30,022       11,784  

Inventory and contract related costs

     1,090       10,289  

Accounts payable

     (116 )     4,424  

Deferred revenues

     (7,578 )     (22,077 )

Deferred income taxes

     8,849       11,411  

Net other activity

     4,628       3,161  
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

   $ 52,945     $ 39,924  
                

A substantial portion of our revenues represents sales of multiple element software based solutions. Elements of our software based solutions may be delivered immediately or may be delivered over several years. The timing for the recognition of our revenues, as well as the related costs, is dependent on the nature of the products sold and does not necessarily coincide with cash collections. On the other hand, the timing of cash collections under our arrangements with our customers depends on our customers’ budgeting processes, the length of the arrangement and the competitive bidding process. The increase in accounts payable during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was primarily due to fees related to our lawsuit with Northrop Grumman. Our costs associated with the lawsuit increased at an accelerated rate as we approached our scheduled court date in September 2007. Deferred revenue balances representing significant customers such as the CNE, the RCMP and the DGSN, as of December 31, 2006, were recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2007. The reduction in inventory is primarily due to the recognition of the costs associated with those previously deferred revenues. We continue to benefit from substantial deferred tax assets accumulated in prior years. The deferred tax assets represent net operating losses from items such as disqualifying dispositions from stock options exercises, deferred revenue, research and development credits and foreign tax credits. While our net income includes our provision for income taxes at 36.6% and 39.4% of pre-tax income for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively, our actual cash expenditures for taxes during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007 were minimal.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, net cash used in investing activities was $36.8 million and $43.3 million, respectively. Investing activities consisted of purchases and sales of available-for-sale securities and capital expenditures, which consisted primarily of computer equipment and software for our engineering, service and information technology departments. Contractual restrictions on $585,000 in cash expired during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

 

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Cash of $42.3 million and $35.6 million used during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively, represented the net increase of investments in marketable securities.

Net cash provided by financing activities of $468,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2007, represented proceeds collected from the exercise of stock options. Net cash used in financing activities of $3.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 represented $3.9 million to repurchase shares of our common stock under the stock repurchase program that was announced in August 2006 and expired in February 2007. The effect of the share repurchase was partially offset by proceeds of $834,000 collected from the exercise of stock options.

In 2005, we paid $26.0 million to acquire a facility in Pasadena, California, which we expect will eventually house our corporate headquarters. The development of such acquired property may require an expenditure of a material amount of capital resources. We currently have no other material cash commitments, except our normal recurring trade payables, expense accruals and operating leases, all of which are currently expected to be funded through existing working capital and future cash flows from operations. We believe that our cash and cash equivalent balances will be sufficient to satisfy our cash requirements for at least the next twelve months. Although we cannot accurately anticipate the effect of inflation or foreign exchange markets on our operations, we do not believe these external economic forces have had, or are likely in the foreseeable future to have, a material impact on our liquidity or capital resources.

In October 2007, our Board of Directors authorized a program to repurchase shares of our common stock. Acting pursuant to this approval, we announced on November 1, 2007 that we may repurchase up to $100 million of shares over a period of 12 months following that announcement. The shares are to be purchased in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in accordance with the requirements of the SEC, and subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The repurchase of shares will be made using our cash resources. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

At September 30, 2007, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance, special purpose, or variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. In addition, we did not engage in trading activities involving non-exchange traded contracts. As a result, we are not exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in such relationships. We do not have material relationships and transactions with persons or entities that derive benefits from their non-independent relationship with us or our related parties.

Commitments and contingencies as discussed in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements do not include payments that could be made related to our unrecognized tax benefits liability, which amounted to $9.0 million as of January 1, 2007, the date we adopted FIN 48. The timing and amount of any future payments is not reasonably estimable, as such payments are dependent on the completion and resolution of examinations with tax authorities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”). SFAS 157 does not require new fair value measurements but rather defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure of fair value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007 and interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS 157 on our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115” (“SFAS 159”). SFAS 159 permits an entity, through an irrevocable option, to measure certain financial assets and financial liabilities, on an instrument-by-instrument basis, at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings. SFAS 159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year that begins after November 15, 2007 with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins on or before November 15, 2007 provided that the entity elects to apply the provisions of SFAS 157. We are currently assessing the impact of SFAS 159 on our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

 

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Although we generally bill for our products and services mostly in U.S. dollars, our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency rates or weak economic conditions in foreign markets. A strengthening of the dollar could make our products and services less competitive in foreign markets and therefore could reduce our revenues. We are billed by and pay substantially all of our vendors in U.S. dollars. In the future, an increased portion of our revenues and costs may be denominated in foreign currencies. To date, exchange rate fluctuations have had little impact on our operating results. We do not enter into derivative instrument transactions for trading or speculative purposes.

Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk. The fair value of our investment portfolio would not be significantly impacted by either a 100 basis point increase or decrease in interest rates due mainly to the short-term nature of the major portion of our investment portfolio. The portfolio is diversified and consists primarily of investment grade securities to minimize credit risk.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

As required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act, we conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on the foregoing evaluation, our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this report our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal controls over financial reporting.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

In April 2005, we initiated a lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, in California state court (COGENT SYSTEMS, INC., vs. NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION, NORTHROP GRUMMAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OVERSEAS, INC., et al., Superior Court of the State of California, In and For the County of Los Angeles, Case No. BC 332199), based on claims of breach of contract, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of trust, interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of the implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing and unfair competition. As of September 30, 2007, we had incurred $14.4 million in legal expenses related to this action, including $10.5 million incurred in the nine months ended September 30, 2007. On September 10, 2007, we announced our agreement to settle the lawsuit. Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman agreed to pay Cogent $25 million to settle the litigation and $15 million for a non-exclusive license to use specified Cogent AFIS Software in certain existing programs, including IDENT1, a biometric based identification system in the U.K. In addition we agreed to enter into a five-year research and development, service and products agreement with Northrop Grumman under which Northrop will pay Cogent $20 million for products and services over the term of the agreement. While Cogent and Northrop Grumman have an agreement in principle, the parties are still engaged in the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements.

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. Except as described above, we are not currently aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse affect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should consider each of the following factors as well as the other information in this Quarterly Report in evaluating our business and our prospects. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business and financial results could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline. You should also refer to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report, including our financial statements and the related notes.

Our business could be adversely affected by significant changes in the contracting or fiscal policies of governments and governmental entities.

We derive substantially all of our revenues from contracts with international, federal, state and local governments and government agencies, and subcontracts under federal government prime contracts, and we believe that the success and growth of our business will continue to depend on our successful procurement of government contracts either directly or through prime contractors. Accordingly, changes in government contracting policies or government budgetary constraints could directly affect our financial performance. Among the factors that could adversely affect our business are:

 

   

changes in fiscal policies or decreases in available government funding;

 

   

changes in government programs or applicable requirements;

 

   

the adoption of new laws or regulations or changes to existing laws or regulations;

 

   

changes in political or social attitudes with respect to security and defense issues;

 

   

potential delays or changes in the government appropriations process; and

 

   

delays in the payment of our invoices by government payment offices.

These and other factors could cause governments and governmental agencies, or prime contractors that use us as a subcontractor, to reduce their purchases under existing contracts, to exercise their rights to terminate contracts at-will or to abstain from exercising options to renew contracts, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Many of our government customers are subject to stringent budgetary constraints. The award of additional contracts from government agencies could be adversely affected by spending reductions or budget cutbacks at these agencies.

 

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In 2006 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we derived 48% and 42%, respectively, of our revenues from a limited number of customers.

In each fiscal period we have derived, and we believe that in each future fiscal period we will continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenues from a limited number of customers. We had three customers that collectively accounted for 42% of revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2007, including the DHS, the CNE and the RCMP, which accounted for 15%, 17% and 10% of revenues, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2006, the DHS and the CNE collectively accounted for 48% of revenues, or 11% and 37%, respectively. The success of our business is substantially dependent on the continuation of our relationships with, and additional sales to, our significant customers. In addition, our business is dependent upon entering into relationships with additional significant customers. To the extent that any significant customer reduces or delays its purchases from us or terminates its relationship with us, our revenues would decline significantly and our financial condition and results of operations would suffer substantially. None of our customers are obligated to purchase additional solutions from us. As a result, the amount of revenue that we derive from a specific customer may vary from period to period, and a significant customer in one period may not be a significant customer in any subsequent period. For example, our most recent arrangement with the CNE was completed in December 2006 and revenues from all of our arrangements with the CNE were fully recognized by June 30, 2007. We do not have any agreements to sell additional solutions to the CNE.

In 2006 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we derived 42% and 51%, respectively, of our revenues from the sale of our solutions either directly or indirectly to U.S. government entities pursuant to government contracts, which differ materially from standard commercial contracts, involve competitive bidding and may be subject to cancellation or delay without penalty, any of which may produce volatility in our revenues and earnings.

Our performance in any one reporting period is not necessarily indicative of future operating performance because of our reliance on a small number of customers, the majority of which are government entities. Government contracts frequently include provisions that are not standard in private commercial transactions. For example, government contracts may include bonding requirements and provisions permitting the purchasing agency to cancel or delay the contract without penalty in certain circumstances. Many of our government customer contracts have these provisions.

In addition, government contracts are frequently awarded only after formal competitive bidding processes, which have been and may continue to be protracted, and typically impose provisions that permit cancellation in the event that necessary funds are unavailable to the public agency. In many cases, unsuccessful bidders for government agency contracts are provided the opportunity to formally protest certain contract awards through various agency, administrative and judicial channels. The protest process may substantially delay a successful bidder’s contract performance, result in cancellation of the contract award entirely and distract management. We may not be awarded contracts for which we bid, and substantial delays or cancellation of purchases may even follow our successful bids as a result of such protests.

In addition, local government agency contracts may be contingent upon availability of matching funds from federal or state entities. Also, law enforcement and other government agencies are subject to political, budgetary, purchasing and delivery constraints which may cause our quarterly and annual revenues and operating results to fluctuate in a manner that is difficult to predict.

If the biometrics market does not experience significant growth or if our products do not achieve broad acceptance both domestically and internationally, we will not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth.

Our revenues are derived from sales of our biometrics solutions. We cannot accurately predict the future growth rate or the size of the biometrics market. The expansion of the biometrics market and the market for our biometrics solutions depends on a number of factors, such as:

 

   

the cost, performance and reliability of our solutions and the products and services offered by our competitors;

 

   

customers’ perceptions regarding the benefits of biometrics solutions;

 

   

the development and growth of demand for biometric solutions in markets outside of government and law enforcement;

 

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public perceptions regarding the intrusiveness of these solutions and the manner in which organizations use the biometric information collected;

 

   

public perceptions regarding the confidentiality of private information;

 

   

proposed or enacted legislation related to privacy of information;

 

   

customers’ satisfaction with biometrics solutions; and

 

   

marketing efforts and publicity regarding biometrics solutions.

Even if biometrics solutions gain wide market acceptance, our solutions may not adequately address market requirements and may not continue to gain market acceptance. If biometrics solutions generally or our solutions specifically do not gain wide market acceptance, we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth and our revenues and results of operations would suffer.

Our financial results often vary significantly from quarter to quarter and may be negatively affected by a number of factors.

Since individual orders can represent a meaningful percentage of our revenues and net income in any single quarter, the deferral or cancellation of or failure to close a single order in a quarter can result in a revenue and net income shortfall that results in our failing to meet securities analysts’ expectations for that period. We base our current and future expense levels on our internal operating plans and sales forecasts, and our operating costs are to a large extent fixed. As a result, we may not be able to sufficiently reduce our costs in any quarter to adequately compensate for an unexpected near-term shortfall in revenues, and even a small shortfall could disproportionately and adversely affect financial results for that quarter.

In addition, our financial results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and be negatively affected by a number of factors, including the following:

 

   

the lack or reduction of government funding and the political, budgetary and purchasing constraints of our government agency customers;

 

   

the terms of customer contracts that affect the timing of revenue recognition;

 

   

the size and timing of our receipt of customer orders;

 

   

significant fluctuation in demand for our solutions;

 

   

price reductions or adjustments, new competitors, or the introduction of enhanced solutions from new or existing competitors;

 

   

cancellations, delays or contract amendments by government agency customers;

 

   

protests of federal, state or local government contract awards by competitors;

 

   

unforeseen legal expenses, including litigation and/or administrative protest costs;

 

   

expenses related to acquisitions or mergers;

 

   

potential effects of providing services as a prime contractor that may not carry gross margins as high as those of our core solutions;

 

   

impairment charges arising out of our assessments of goodwill and intangibles; and

 

   

other one-time financial charges.

We face intense competition from other biometrics solutions providers, including diversified technology providers, alternative solutions providers and providers of biometric products.

A significant number of established companies have developed or are developing and marketing software and hardware for fingerprint biometrics products and applications that currently compete with or will compete directly with our offerings. Our offerings also compete with non-biometric technologies such as public key infrastructure solutions, smart card security solutions and traditional key, card surveillance and password systems. We believe that additional competitors will enter the biometrics market and become

 

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significant long-term competitors, and that, as a result, competition will increase. In certain instances, we compete with third parties who are also our suppliers or prime contractors. Companies competing with us may introduce solutions that are competitively priced, have increased performance or functionality or incorporate technological advances we have not yet developed or implemented. Our current principal competitors include:

 

   

diversified technology providers such as Motorola (through its Motorola Biometrics Solutions division), NEC and Safran Group (through its wholly owned subsidiary Sagem Morpho) that offer integrated AFIS solutions to governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations;

 

   

companies that are AFIS component providers, such as Cross Match Technologies, L-1 Identity Solutions;

 

   

prime government contractors, such as Northrop Grumman, that develop integrated information technology products and services that include biometrics-related solutions that are frequently delivered in partnership with diversified technology providers and biometrics-focused companies; and

 

   

companies focused on other fingerprint biometric solutions, such as AuthenTec, BioScrypt, Dermalog and UPEK.

We expect competition to intensify in the near term in the biometrics market. Many current and potential competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, research and manufacturing resources than we have. To compete effectively in this environment, we must continually develop and market new and enhanced solutions and technologies at competitive prices and must have the resources available to invest in significant research and development activities. Our failure to compete successfully could cause our revenues and market share to decline.

We are subject to extensive government regulation, and our failure to comply with applicable regulations could subject us to penalties that may restrict our ability to conduct our business.

We are affected by and must comply with various government regulations that impact our operating costs, profit margins and the internal organization and operation of our business. Furthermore, we may be audited to assure our compliance with these requirements. Our failure to comply with applicable regulations, rules and approvals could result in the imposition of penalties, the loss of our government contracts or our disqualification as a U.S. government contractor, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Among the most significant regulations affecting our business are:

 

   

the Federal Acquisition Regulations, or the FAR, and agency regulations supplemental to the FAR, which comprehensively regulate the formation and administration of, and performance under government contracts;

 

   

the Truth in Negotiations Act, which requires certification and disclosure of all cost and pricing data in connection with contract negotiations;

 

   

the Cost Accounting Standards, which impose accounting requirements that govern our right to reimbursement under cost-based government contracts;

 

   

the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and

 

   

laws, regulations and executive orders restricting the use and dissemination of information classified for national security purposes and the exportation of certain products and technical data.

These regulations affect how our customers and we can do business and, in some instances, impose added costs on our business. Any changes in applicable laws and regulations could restrict our ability to conduct our business. Any failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in contract termination, price or fee reductions or suspension or debarment from contracting with the federal government generally.

Our lengthy and variable sales cycle will make it difficult to predict financial results.

Our AFIS solutions often require a lengthy sales cycle ranging from several months to sometimes over a year before we can receive approvals for purchase. The length of the sales cycle depends on the size and complexity of the solutions, the customer’s budgeting process, the customer’s in-depth evaluation of our solutions and a competitive bidding process. As a result, we may incur

 

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substantial expense before we earn associated revenues, since a significant portion of our operating expenses is relatively fixed. The lengthy sales cycles of our solutions make forecasting the volume and timing of sales difficult. In addition, the delays inherent in lengthy sales cycles raise additional risks that customers may cancel contracts or change their minds. If customer cancellations occur, they could result in the loss of anticipated sales without allowing us sufficient time to reduce our operating expenses.

Security breaches in systems that we sell or maintain could result in the disclosure of sensitive government information or private personal information that could result in the loss of clients and negative publicity.

Many of the systems we sell manage private personal information and protect information involved in sensitive government functions. A security breach in one of these systems could cause serious harm to our business as a result of negative publicity and could prevent us from having further access to such systems or other similarly sensitive areas for other governmental clients.

As part of our service offerings, we agree from time to time to maintain and operate a portion of the AFIS systems of our customers on an outsourced application hosting basis. Our ability to continue this service is subject to a number of risks. For example, our systems may be vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins and service disruptions that could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of data or the inability to process user requests. If any such compromise of our security were to occur, it could be very expensive to cure, could damage our reputation and could discourage potential customers from using our services. Although we have not experienced attempted break-ins, we may experience such attempts in the future. Our systems may also be affected by outages, delays and other difficulties. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover losses and liabilities that may result from such events.

If we are unable to continue to obtain U.S. government authorization regarding the export of our products, or if current or future export laws limit or otherwise restrict our business, we could be prohibited from shipping our products to certain countries, which could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.

We must comply with U.S. laws regulating the export of our products. In some cases, explicit authorization from the U.S. government is needed to export our products. The export regimes and the governing policies applicable to our business are subject to changes. We cannot assure you that such export authorizations will be available to us or for our products in the future. For example, U.S. export restrictions currently restrict the sale of fingerprint technology to China, which limits our ability to pursue opportunities there that are open to many of our competitors. In some cases where we act as a subcontractor, we rely upon the compliance activities of our prime contractors, and we cannot assure you that they have taken or will take all measures necessary to comply with applicable export laws. If we or our prime contractor partners cannot obtain required government approvals under applicable regulations, we may not be able to sell our products in certain international jurisdictions.

Failure to properly manage projects may result in costs or claims against us, and our financial results could be adversely affected.

Deployments of our solutions often involve large-scale projects. The quality of our performance on such projects depends in large part upon our ability to manage relationships with our customers and to effectively manage the projects and deploy appropriate resources, including our own project managers and third party subcontractors, in a timely manner. Any defects or errors or failures to meet clients’ expectations could result in reputational damage or even claims for substantial monetary damages against us. In addition, we sometimes guarantee customers that we will complete a project by a scheduled date or that our solutions will achieve defined performance standards. If our solutions experience a performance problem, we may not be able to recover the additional costs we will incur in our remedial efforts, which could materially impair profit from a particular project. Moreover, 57% of our revenues in 2006 and 50% of our revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 were derived from fixed price contracts. Changes in the actual and estimated costs and time to complete fixed-price, time-certain projects may result in revenue adjustments for contracts where revenue is recognized under the percentage of completion method. Finally, if we miscalculate the amount of resources or time we need to complete a project for which we have agreed to capped or fixed fees, our financial results could be adversely affected.

The biometrics industry is characterized by rapid technological change and evolving industry standards, which could render our existing solutions obsolete.

Our future success will depend upon our ability to develop and introduce a variety of new capabilities and enhancements to our existing solutions in order to address the changing and sophisticated needs of the marketplace. Frequently, technical development programs in the biometrics industry require assessments to be made of the future direction of technology, which is inherently difficult to predict. Delays in introducing new products and enhancements, the failure to choose correctly among technical alternatives or the

 

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failure to offer innovative products or enhancements at competitive prices may cause customers to forego purchases of our solutions and purchase our competitors’ solutions. We may not have adequate resources available to us or may not adequately keep pace with appropriate requirements in order to effectively compete in the marketplace.

We are dependent on our management team, particularly Ming Hsieh, our founder and Chief Executive Officer, and the loss of any key member of our team may impair our ability to operate effectively and may harm our business.

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key personnel, particularly Ming Hsieh, our founder and Chief Executive Officer. The relationships that our key managers have cultivated with our customers makes us particularly dependent upon their continued employment with us. We are also substantially dependent on the continued services of our existing engineering and project management personnel because of the highly technical nature of our solutions. We do not have employment agreements with any of our executive officers or key personnel obligating them to provide us with continued services and therefore, they could terminate their employment with us at any time without penalty. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees. The loss of one or more members of our management team could seriously harm our business.

Our strategy to increase our sales of other fingerprint biometrics products and solutions may not be successful.

Historically, our business and products have been focused on the government and law enforcement markets. Sales to customers in these markets accounted for 98% of our revenues in 2006 and 99% during the nine months ended September 30, 2007. A component of our strategy is to develop and grow our sales of other fingerprint biometrics solutions. The market for these solutions is at an early stage of development compared to the market for law enforcement and other government sector biometrics products. We cannot assure you that other fingerprint biometrics products and solutions will gain wide market acceptance, that this market will develop and grow as we expect, that we will successfully develop products for this market or that we will have the same success in this market as we have had in the government and law enforcement markets. In addition, we cannot assure you that our strategy of expanding our business to cover biometric solutions and products based on biometrics other than fingerprints will be successful.

Termination of all or some of our backlog of orders could negatively affect our sales.

We record an item as backlog when we receive a contract, purchase order or other notification indicating the specific products and/or services to be purchased, the purchase price, specifications and other customary terms and conditions. Our backlog includes deferred revenue reflected on our consolidated balance sheet. There can be no assurance that any of the contracts comprising our backlog will result in actual revenue in any particular periods or that the actual revenue from such contracts will equal our backlog estimates. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any contract included in our estimated backlog that actually generates revenue will be profitable. These estimates are based on our experience under such contracts and similar contracts and may not be accurate

Loss of limited source suppliers may result in delays or additional expenses.

We obtain hardware components and complete products from a limited group of suppliers, and we do not have any long term agreements with any of these suppliers obligating them to continue to sell components or products to us. Our reliance on them involves significant risks, including reduced control over quality, price, and delivery schedules. Moreover, any financial instability of, or consolidation among, our manufacturers or contractors could result in our having to find new suppliers. We may experience significant delays in manufacturing and shipping our products to customers if we lose these sources or if the supplies from these sources are delayed, or are of poor quality or supplied in insufficient amounts. As a result, we may be required to incur additional development, manufacturing and other costs to establish alternative sources of supply. It may take several months to locate alternative suppliers, if required, or to re-tool our products to accommodate components from different suppliers. We cannot predict if we will be able to obtain replacement components within the time frames we require at an affordable cost, or at all. Any delays resulting from suppliers failing to deliver components or products on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities and of sufficient quality or any significant increase in the price of components from existing or alternative suppliers could disrupt our ability to meet customer demands or reduce our gross margins.

 

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Our business could be adversely affected by negative audits by government agencies, and we could be required to reimburse the U.S. government for costs that we have expended on our contracts, and our ability to compete successfully for future contracts could be materially impaired.

Government agencies may audit us as part of their routine audits and investigations of government contracts. As part of an audit, these agencies may review our performance on contracts, cost structures and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. These agencies may also review the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies, including our purchasing, property, estimating, compensation and management information systems. If any of our costs are found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract, the costs may not be reimbursed and any costs already reimbursed for such contract may have to be refunded. An audit could materially affect our competitive position and result in a material adjustment to our financial results or statement of operations. If a government agency audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or debarment from doing business with the federal government. In addition, we could suffer serious reputational harm if allegations of impropriety were made against us. While we have never had a negative audit by a governmental agency, we cannot assure you that one will not occur. If we were suspended or debarred from contracting with the federal government generally, or if our reputation or relationships with government agencies were impaired, or if the government otherwise ceased doing business with us or significantly decreased the amount of business it does with us, our revenues and prospects would be materially harmed.

Any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could impair our ability to protect our proprietary technology which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and on our ability to compete effectively.

The core technology used in our products and solutions is not the subject of any patent protection, and we may be unable to obtain patent protection in the future. Although we have patent protection on some of our technology related to optical sensors and image reconstruction for the commercial market, we rely primarily on trade secrets and confidentiality procedures to protect our proprietary technology, and cannot assure you that we will be able to enforce the patents we own effectively against third parties. Despite our efforts, these measures can only provide limited protection. Unauthorized third parties may try to copy or reverse engineer portions of our products or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, our competitors may gain access to our technology, and our business would thus be harmed. In addition, defending our intellectual property rights may entail significant expense. Any of our trademarks or other intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative processes or litigation. In addition, our patents, or any patents that may be issued to us in the future, may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be challenged by third parties. Furthermore, legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights are uncertain. Effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available to us in every country in which we market our solutions. The laws of some foreign countries may not be as protective of intellectual property rights as those in the United States, and domestic and international mechanisms for enforcement of intellectual property rights may be inadequate. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may be unable to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property or otherwise gaining access to our technology.

We may be required to expend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights. We may initiate claims or litigation against third parties for infringement of our proprietary rights or to establish the validity of our proprietary rights. Any such litigation, whether or not it is ultimately resolved in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel. For example, in April 2005, we initiated a lawsuit against Northrop Grumman which asserted that Northrop caused us harm by misappropriating our trade secrets. We spent a substantial amount of funds in connection with this lawsuit and our management devoted a significant amount of time to this lawsuit.

We may be sued by third parties for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights.

As the size of our market increases, the likelihood of an intellectual property claim against us increases. Our technologies may not be able to withstand third-party claims against their use. Any intellectual property claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to litigate or settle, and could divert management attention away from the execution of our business plan. In addition, we may be required to indemnify our customers for third-party intellectual property infringement claims, which would increase the cost to us of an adverse ruling in such a claim. An adverse determination could also prevent us from offering our solutions to others.

Ming Hsieh controls a majority of our outstanding stock, and this may delay or prevent a change of control of our company or adversely affect our stock price.

Ming Hsieh, our Chief Executive Officer, controlled approximately 54% of our outstanding common stock as of September 30,

2007. As a result, he is able to exercise control over matters requiring stockholder approval, such as the election of directors and the

 

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approval of significant corporate transactions. These types of transactions include transactions involving an actual or potential change of control of our company or other transactions that the non-controlling stockholders may deem to be in their best interests and in which such stockholders could receive a premium for their shares. We are a “controlled company” under the Nasdaq corporate governance rules, and therefore we are entitled to exemptions from certain of the Nasdaq corporate governance rules. These requirements are generally intended to increase the likelihood that boards will make decisions in the best interests of stockholders. Specifically, we are not required to have a majority of our directors be independent or to have compensation, nominating and corporate governance committees comprised solely of independent directors. We do not intend to avail ourselves of the controlled company exemptions, but our intentions may change and in such event, if our stockholders’ interests differed from those of Mr. Hsieh, our stockholders would not be afforded the protections of these Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.

Because competition for highly qualified project managers and technical personnel is intense, we may not be able to attract and retain the managers we need to support our planned growth.

To execute our growth plan, we must attract and retain highly qualified project managers. Competition for hiring these managers is intense, especially with regard to engineers with high levels of experience in designing, developing and integrating biometrics solutions. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified managers. Many of the companies with which we compete for hiring experienced managers have greater resources than we have. In addition, in making employment decisions, particularly in the Internet and high-technology industries, job candidates often consider the value of the stock options they are to receive in connection with their employment. Significant volatility in the price of our stock may, therefore, adversely affect our ability to attract or retain key managers. Furthermore, recent changes to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States relating to the expensing of stock options may discourage us from granting the sizes or types of stock options that job candidates may require to join our company. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current managers, our business and future growth prospects could be severely harmed.

Competition for skilled personnel in our industry is intense and companies such as ours sometimes experience high attrition rates with regard to their skilled employees. In addition, we often must comply with provisions in federal government contracts that require employment of persons with specified levels of education and work experience. The loss of any significant number of our existing key technical personnel or our inability to attract and retain key technical employees in the future could have a material adverse effect on both our ability to win new business and our financial results.

International uncertainties and fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies could harm our profitability.

For the year ended December 31, 2006 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, revenues outside of the Americas accounted for approximately 14% and 17%, respectively, of our total revenues. We also currently have international operations, including offices in Austria, Canada, China, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Our international revenues and operations are subject to a number of material risks, including, but not limited to:

 

   

difficulties in building and managing foreign operations;

 

   

regulatory uncertainties in foreign countries;

 

   

difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through foreign legal systems and other relevant legal issues;

 

   

longer payment cycles;

 

   

foreign and U.S. taxation issues;

 

   

potential weaknesses in foreign economies;

 

   

fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies;

 

   

general economic and political conditions in the markets in which we operate; and

 

   

unexpected domestic and international regulatory, economic or political changes.

Our sales, including sales to customers outside the United States, are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars, and therefore downward fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar may make our solutions more expensive than local solutions in international locations. This would make our solutions less price competitive than local solutions, which could harm our

 

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business. We do not currently engage in currency hedging activities to limit the risks of currency fluctuations. Therefore, fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies could harm our profitability.

If biometrics solutions and products based on biometrics other than fingerprints become predominant or more significant in the biometrics market, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer materially.

Our current business and products are based primarily on fingerprint biometrics. It is possible that other biometrics solutions could become predominant or more significant in the future, such as biometrics based on face or iris recognition. In such event, we cannot assure you that we would be able to develop successful products and solutions based on these other biometrics or that any such products or solutions we develop would be as successful as our fingerprint biometric solutions.

Our products and solutions could have unknown defects or errors, which may give rise to claims against us or divert application of our resources from other purposes.

Products and solutions as complex as those we offer frequently develop or contain undetected defects or errors. Despite testing, defects or errors may arise in our existing or new products and solutions, which could result in loss of revenue or market share, failure to achieve market acceptance, diversion of development resources, injury to our reputation and increased service and maintenance costs. Defects or errors in our products and solutions might discourage customers from purchasing future products and services.

Potential future acquisitions could be difficult to integrate, divert the attention of key management personnel, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our financial results.

As part of our business strategy, we intend to consider acquisitions of companies, technologies and products that we feel could accelerate our ability to compete in our core markets or allow us to enter new markets. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:

 

   

difficulties in integrating operations, technologies, accounting and personnel;

 

   

difficulties in supporting and transitioning customers of our acquired companies;

 

   

diversion of financial and management resources from existing operations;

 

   

risks of entering new markets;

 

   

potential loss of key employees; and

 

   

inability to generate sufficient revenues to offset acquisition costs.

Acquisitions also frequently result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairments in the future that could harm our financial results. In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing convertible debt or equity securities, our existing stockholders may be diluted, which could affect the market price of our stock. As a result, if we fail to properly evaluate acquisitions or investments, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any such acquisitions, and we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate.

Our charter documents and Delaware law may deter potential acquirers of our business and may thus depress our stock price.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company that our stockholders might consider favorable. In addition, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which may discourage, delay or prevent certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These and other provisions in our charter documents may make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors, including delaying or impeding a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest or other change of control transaction involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction could cause stockholders to lose a substantial premium over the then current market price of their shares.

 

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The trading price of our common stock is volatile.

The trading prices of the securities of technology companies have historically been highly volatile. Accordingly, the trading price of our common stock is likely to be subject to wide fluctuations. Factors affecting the trading price of our common stock may include:

 

   

variations in our financial results;

 

   

announcements of technological innovations, new solutions, strategic alliances or significant agreements by us or by our competitors;

 

   

recruitment or departure of key personnel;

 

   

changes in the estimates of our financial results or changes in the recommendations of any securities analysts that elect to follow our common stock; and

 

   

market conditions in our industry, the industries of our customers and the economy as a whole.

In addition, if the market for biometrics or other technology stocks or the stock market in general experiences continued or greater loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business or financial results. The trading price of our common stock might also decline in reaction to events that affect other companies in our industry even if these events do not directly affect us.

Future sales of shares by existing stockholders could cause our stock price to decline.

All of our outstanding shares are eligible for sale in the public market, subject in certain cases to volume limitations under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Also, shares subject to outstanding options and rights under our 2000 Stock Option Plan and 2004 Equity Incentive Plan are eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of various vesting agreements and Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. If these shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

In addition, Ming Hsieh, who was our sole stockholder prior to our initial public offering, continues to hold a substantial number of shares of our common stock. Sales by Mr. Hsieh of a substantial number of shares, or the expectation that such sales may occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports, our operating results could be misstated, our reputation may be harmed and the trading price of our stock could be negatively affected. There can be no assurance that our controls over financial processes and reporting will be effective in the future.

 

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Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

On July 30, 2007, we held our annual stockholders’ meeting, at which our stockholders (i) elected four (4) directors to hold office until the next annual election of directors (ii) ratified the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2007, and (iii) approved an amendment and restatement of the Cogent, Inc. 2004 Equity Incentive Plan to permit certain awards to qualify for exemption under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for performance based compensation. The vote on such matters was as follows:

 

I. Election of Directors

 

Nominee

 

Total Vote for Each Nominee

 

Total Vote Withheld from Each Nominee

Ming Hsieh   89,278,032   509,422
John C. Bolger   87,830,029   957,425
John P. Stenbit   87,937,338   850,116
Kenneth R. Thornton   88,285,426   502,028

 

II. Ratification of Appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2007:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

 

Broker Non-Votes

88,306,552   440,559   40,343   —  

 

III. To approve an amendment and restatement of the Cogent, Inc. 2004 Equity Incentive Plan:

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

 

Broker Non-Votes

79,960,052   2,447,013   46,320   9,334,069

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

 

Exhibit
Number
 

Description of Documents

3.2(1)   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant
3.4(2)   Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant
4.1(3)   Specimen Common Stock Certificate
31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

(1) Filed with the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated November 1, 2004.

 

(2) Filed with the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated October 29, 2007.

 

(3) Filed with the Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-115535) dated September 23, 2004.

 

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

Cogent, Inc.
By:   /s/ Paul Kim
 

Paul Kim

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Date: November 8, 2007

 

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