During the six months ended March 31, 2020, Daily Journal
Corporation (NASDAQ:DJCO) had consolidated revenues of $24,033,000
as compared with $21,140,000 in the prior year period. This
increase of $2,893,000 was primarily from (i) Journal Technologies’
increased license and maintenance fees of $1,285,000, consulting
fees of $978,000 and public service fees of $770,000, and (ii) the
Traditional Business’ increases of legal notice advertising and
service fee net revenues of $215,000 and government notice
advertising and service fee net revenues of $38,000, partially
offset by reductions in the Traditional Business’ display
advertising net revenues of $252,000 (including conferences),
classified advertising net revenues of $40,000, trustee sale notice
advertising net revenues of $57,000 and circulation revenues of
$13,000.
The Traditional Business had pretax income of
$115,000, representing a $304,000 increase from a pretax loss of
$189,000 in the prior year period. Journal Technologies’
pretax loss decreased by $2,274,000 to $2,774,000 from
$5,048,000.
The Company believes that the Coronavirus
pandemic has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact
on the Company’s business. For the six months ended March 31,
2020, the Company experienced a material negative impact on its
financial results primarily because of the recording of the
unrealized losses on investments of $57,680,000 for its marketable
securities as the stock market plunged. These investments generated
approximately $2,977,000 in dividends income during such period. In
the future, dividends income from the Company’s portfolio may be
reduced. At March 31, 2020, the Company held marketable
securities valued at $136,901,000, including net unrealized gains
of $83,012,000, and accrued a deferred tax liability of $21,816,000
for estimated income taxes due only upon the sales of the net
appreciated securities. From an operating perspective, the
Company believes that the Coronavirus pandemic is likely to impact
both of its businesses because of, among other things, the
unprecedented closure or scaling back of operations of courts and
other governmental agencies that are the customers of Journal
Technologies, and fundamental changes in the way the advertisers
and subscribers of the Traditional Business conduct operations.
For the six months ended March 31, 2020, the
Company recorded an income tax benefit of $15,580,000 on a pretax
loss of $57,696,000. This was the net result of applying the
effective tax rate anticipated for fiscal 2020 to the pretax loss,
before the unrealized losses on investments, for the six months
ended March 31, 2020. The effective tax rate was more than
the statutory rate primarily due to the dividends received
deduction, which increased the taxable loss, and state tax
benefits. In addition, the Company recorded tax benefits
of (i) $187,000 resulting from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security (“CARES”) Act (see below) and (ii) $15,425,000
for the unrealized losses on investments during the six months
ended March 31, 2020. The effective tax rate for the six
months ended March 31, 2020 was 27%, after including the tax
benefits from the CARES Act and the unrealized losses on
investments.
The CARES Act, which was signed into law on
March 27, 2020, contains two federal tax provisions beneficial to
the Company. One provision provides that net operating losses
arising in tax years beginning in 2018, that were previously only
available to be carried forward, can now be carried back to the
five previous years. In addition, any alternative minimum tax
credits carried forward from prior years can be claimed as a refund
in years beginning in 2018. Consequently, the Company
recorded a tax benefit resulting from carrying back a portion of
the net operating loss generated in fiscal 2019 to fiscal
2014. The Company anticipates receiving a refund for all
taxes and alternative minimum taxes paid in fiscal 2014. The
resulting tax benefit from carrying back the net operating loss is
primarily attributable to the difference in the federal tax rates
of 34% in fiscal 2014 and 21% in fiscal 2019.
For the six months ended March 31, 2019, the
Company recorded an income tax benefit of $6,600,000 on a pretax
loss of $23,115,000. This was the net result of
applying the effective tax rate anticipated for fiscal 2019 to the
pretax loss for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The effective
tax rate was greater than the statutory rate primarily due to state
tax benefits.
For risk factors associated with the Company’s
businesses, please see “Item 1A – Risk Factors” of the Company’s
annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30,
2019, as well as the information relating to the Coronavirus
pandemic contained in “Item 1A – Risk Factors” on the Company’s
Form 10-Q for the six-month period ended March 31, 2020.
**********
Daily Journal Corporation publishes newspapers
and web sites covering California and Arizona, and produces several
specialized information services. Journal Technologies, Inc.
is a wholly-owned subsidiary and supplies case management software
systems and related products to courts and other justice
agencies.
This press release includes “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. Certain statements contained in this press
release are “forward-looking” statements that involve risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual future events or results to
differ materially from those described in the forward-looking
statements. Words such as “expects,” “intends,”
“anticipates,” “should,” “believes,” “will,” “plans,” “estimates,”
“may,” variations of such words and similar expressions are
intended to identify such forward-looking statements. We
disclaim any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking
statements whether as a result of new information, future
developments, or otherwise. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will
prove to have been correct. Additional information concerning
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to
time in documents we file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
# # #
Contact: Tu To
(213) 229-5436
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