Frequency Electronics Inc: Form 10-K/A for the period ended Apr 30, 2022

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Frequency Electronics, Inc. (sometimes referred to as “Registrant”, “FEI”, “Frequency Electronics” or the “Company”) is a world leader in precision time and frequency generation technology, which is incorporated into commercial and Government Satellites, Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (“C4ISR”), and Electronic Warfare (“EW”) systems. Its technology is used for a wide range of space and non-space applications.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, references to the Registrant or the Company are to Frequency Electronics, Inc. and its subsidiaries. References to “FEI” are to the parent company alone and do not refer to any of the subsidiaries. Frequency Electronics, a Delaware corporation, has its principal executive office at 55 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, Mitchel Field, New York 11553. Its telephone number is 516-794-4500 and its website is www.frequencyelectronics.com (http://www.frequencyelectronics.com).

Frequency Electronics was founded in 1961 as a research and development firm generating proprietary precision time and frequency technology primarily under contracts for end-use by the United States (“U.S.”) Government. In the mid-1990’s, the Company evolved into a designer, developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art products for both commercial and government end-use. The Company’s present mission is to be the world leader in providing precision time and low phase noise frequency generation systems, from 1 Hz to 46 GHz for space and other challenging environments. The Company’s technology is the key element in enhancing the functionality and performance of many electronic systems.

MARKETS

The Company’s principal end markets are time and frequency generation and distribution systems for use in satellite payloads and terrestrial secure command control and communications systems.

For the satellite market, the Company has a unique legacy of providing master timing systems, power converters, and frequency generation, synthesis and distribution systems. These products are applicable for both commercial and U.S. Government end-use. Currently, there are approximately 3,000 U.S. satellites with varying remaining useful lives operating in Geostationary, Medium and Low Earth Orbits. The number of operational satellites with emphasis on high-throughput is expected to continue to grow over the next ten years as demand for higher bandwidths and improved anti-jam-anti-spoofing increases. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is expected to contract options for additional GPS III satellites, and the Company is well positioned to compete for the onboard clock ensemble with its high-precision digital Rubidium atomic frequency standard.

For the terrestrial secure command control and communications systems market, the Company’s products support multiple C4ISR and EW applications for the U.S. Government on land, sea and air-borne platforms. Recently identified threats to the communication capabilities of U.S. Government facilities through jamming or “spoofing” global positioning systems (“GPS”) signals may be mitigated by the Company’s technologies. In addition, similar types of threats to the public and enterprise networks have been identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Company’s high precision, ruggedized clocks combined with specialized software are essential for certain secure communication systems.

To address these markets, the Company has several corporate entities which operate under two reportable segments primarily based on the geographic locations of its subsidiaries. The two reportable segments are (1) FEI-NY, which includes the subsidiaries FEI Government Systems, Inc., FEI Communications, Inc., and FEI-Elcom Tech, Inc. (“FEI-Elcom”) and (2) FEI-Zyfer, Inc. (“FEI-Zyfer”).

Frequency Electronics has made a strategic decision to focus on satellite payloads, C4ISR and EW market segments, because these business areas represent significant opportunities for revenue growth.

1. FEI-NY – U.S. Government and commercial satellite electronics, as well as products for the U.S. military and commercial telecom customers, are designed and manufactured at the Company’s Long Island, New York headquarters facility.

FEI-Elcom designs and manufactures Radio Frequency (“RF”) microwave modules, devices and subsystems up to 60 GHz including fast switching, ultra-low phase noise synthesizers, up-down converters, receivers, tuners, ceramic resonance oscillators and dielectric resonance oscillators. These instruments and components are mission critical for multiple applications in the EW market, SATCOM communication, surveillance, signal intelligence (COMINT, MASINT and ELINT), threat simulation, electronic attack (“EA”) and electronic prevention (“EP”) systems. FEI-Elcom’s RF microwave technology has also been utilized to develop new products for application in the Company’s satellite payload end market. The Company began consolidating FEI-Elcom’s manufacturing capabilities into its FEI-NY operations in 2020, in an effort to reduce costs and improve margin. These efforts continue.

2. FEI-Zyfer - Precision time references for terrestrial secure communications and command and control, and frequency products that incorporate GPS technology are manufactured by the Company’s subsidiary, FEI-Zyfer. FEI-Zyfer’s GPS capability complements the Company’s existing technologies and permits the combined entities to provide a broader range of embedded systems for a variety of timing functions and anti-spoofing applications.

For additional information about these reportable segments, see Item 1. Business – Reportable Segments and Products below.

In addition to its subsidiaries, the Company made a strategic investment in and licensed certain technology to Morion, Inc. (“Morion”), a Russian crystal oscillator manufacturer located in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Company’s relationship with Morion, which includes ownership of 4.6% of the outstanding shares of Morion’s common stock, permits the Company to secure a cost-effective source for high precision quartz resonators and crystal oscillators. The Morion investment was accounted for under the cost method. Due to the current Russian-Ukraine conflict and resulting sanctions, the future status of FEI’s equity investment in Morion is uncertain. In response to these conditions, in connection with the preparation of the audited financial statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K, the Company impaired its investment in Morion in full. For more information regarding the Company’s investment in Morion, see Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

REPORTABLE SEGMENTS AND PRODUCTS

The Company operates under two reportable segments, primarily aligned with the geographical locations of its subsidiaries: (1) FEI-NY and (2) FEI-Zyfer. Within each segment the Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets precision time and frequency control products for different markets as described below. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer measures segment performance based on total revenues and profits generated by each geographic center rather than on the specific types of customers or end-users. Consequently, the Company determined that the segments indicated above appropriately reflect the way the Company’s management views the business. The FEI-NY segment, which operates out of the Company’s Long Island, New York headquarters facility, also includes the operations of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, FEI-Elcom. FEI-Elcom, in addition to its own product line, provides design and technical support for the FEI-NY segment’s business. The products manufactured by the FEI-NY segment are principally marketed to the commercial and U.S. Government satellite markets, to other U.S. Department of Defense (“DOD”) customers and to wireless communications network providers. The FEI-Zyfer segment, which operates out of California, designs and manufactures products which incorporate GPS technologies and high-precision clocks designed and manufactured at FEI-NY. FEI-Zyfer sells its products to both commercial and U.S. Government customers and collaborates with FEI-NY on joint product development activities.

During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, approximately 85% and 78%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated revenues were from products sold by the FEI-NY segment. In fiscal years 2022 and 2021, sales for the FEI-Zyfer segment were 16% and 26% of consolidated revenues. (The sum of annual sales percentages exceeds 100% due to intersegment sales.)

Consolidated revenues include sales to end-users in countries located outside of the U.S., primarily in Europe and China. During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, foreign sales comprised 2% and 3%, respectively, of consolidated revenues. For segment information, see Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

FEI-NY Segment:

The Company provides precision time, frequency generation and synchronization products and subsystems that are found on-board satellites, in ground-based communication systems and imbedded in mobile platforms operated by the U.S. military. The Company has made a substantial investment in research and development (“R&D”) to apply its core technologies to satellite payloads, non-space DOD programs and commercial and industrial markets. Revenues from satellite payloads, both for commercial and U.S. Government applications, have become the Company’s largest business area while the portion of commercial network infrastructure sales has declined relatively. The Company expects to continue to generate substantial revenues from deployment of new and replacement satellites and other U.S. Government/DOD applications including sales of ruggedized subsystems for mobile U.S. military platforms.

Satellite Payloads

The use of satellites launched for communications, navigation, weather forecasting, video and data transmissions and Internet access has expanded the need to transmit increasing amounts of voice, video, and data to earth-based receivers. This requires more precise timing and frequency control at the satellite. The Company manufactures the master timing systems (quartz, rubidium) and other significant timing and frequency generation products for navigation, communication and intelligence collection satellites, and many of the Company’s other space assemblies are used onboard spacecraft for command, control and power distribution. Efficient and reliable DC-DC power converters are also manufactured for the Company’s own assemblies and as stand-alone products for space applications. The Company’s oven-controlled quartz crystal oscillators are cost-effective precision frequency sources suited for high-end performance required in satellite communications, airborne and terrestrial datalinks and geophysical survey positioning systems. Commercial satellite programs which utilize the Company’s space-qualified products include Iridium NEXT Constellation, Intelsat EPIC, O3B, WAAS, MexSat, MSV, ICO, TerreStar, EchoStar, Inmarsat and others. The Company is also pursuing core product opportunities for planned satellite constellations that will operate in low- or mid-earth orbits.

In the years ahead, the Company expects that the DOD will require more secure communication capabilities, more assets in space and greater bandwidth. The Global Positioning Satellite System, the MILSTAR Satellite System and the AEHF Satellite System are examples of the programs in which the Company has participated or will participate - programs which management believes are important to the success of the U.S. Government’s communication, intelligence and Precision Navigation and Timing (“PNT”) needs. It is likely that the DOD will move to adopt smaller and less expensive satellites for LEO applications, necessitating adaptation of the Company’s products or development of new products to better suit this type of satellite architecture. The Company previously manufactured the master clock for the Trident missile, the basic timing system for the Voyager I and Voyager II deep space exploratory missions and the quartz timing system for the Space Shuttle. The Company’s product offerings for U.S. Government satellite programs are similar in design and function to those used on commercial satellites, as described above.

U.S. Government- Non-space

In addition to space-based programs, the Company’s proprietary products have been used in airborne and ground-based guidance, navigation, communications, radar, sonar and electronic countermeasures and timing systems. The Company has developed and patented a low acceleration-sensitive technology which offers an approximate 100 times improvement in performance under shock, vibration and other environmental effects as compared to devices not so designed. Products are built in accordance with DOD standards and are in use on many of the U.S. Government’s important military applications. The Company anticipates that adequate funds will be provided by the U.S. Government to ensure that these programs are sustained.

FEI-Elcom addresses RF microwave modules and subsystems up to 60 GHz including fast switching, ultra-low phase noise synthesizers, up-down converters, receivers, tuners, ceramic resonance oscillators and dielectric resonance oscillators. These instruments and components are mission critical for many applications in the EW market, including SATCOM communication, surveillance, intelligence collection (SIGINT, COMINT, MASINT, and ELINT) and threat simulation systems.

The Company’s sales on U.S. Government programs for both space and non-space applications are generally made under fixed price or cost-plus contracts either directly with U.S. Government agencies or indirectly through subcontracts intended for government end-use. For fixed-price contracts, the price paid to the Company is not subject to adjustment by reason of costs incurred by the Company in the performance of the contract, except for costs incurred due to contract changes ordered by the customer. These contracts are negotiated on terms under which the Company bears the risk of cost overruns and derives the benefit from cost savings. Cost-plus contracts reimburse the Company for the actual costs incurred in performance of the contract requirements.

As indicated above, many of the programs and platforms for which the Company supplies products and systems, are used by the U.S. Government for maintaining secure communications world-wide, for obtaining vital intelligence and for enabling precision targeting capabilities. It is the belief of management that the future success of the mission of the U.S. military and intelligence community is dependent on successful and timely deployment of these systems. Thus, the Company anticipates that adequate funds will be provided by the U.S. Government to ensure that the programs are completed. However, the Company’s experience indicates that programs and/or product sales can be delayed or canceled due to variations associated with periodic U.S. Government appropriations cycles and shifting priorities.

Negotiations on U.S. Government contracts are sometimes based in part on Certificates of Current Costs. An inaccuracy in such certificates may entitle the government to an appropriate recovery. The Company’s accounts with respect to these contracts are subject to audit by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (“DCAA”). The Company’s last full incurred cost audit was performed in 2008. The Company is required to submit, for subsequent review, an Incurred Cost Report by October 31, for each year then ended. All such required reports have been filed with no adverse comments to date.

FEI has a DCAA audited and approved accounting system, which enables the Company to enter into contracts directly with U.S. Government agencies that require government certified accounting systems.

Government end-use contracts are subject to termination by the purchaser for convenience or default, as well as various other Federal Acquisition Regulations provisions. In the event of a termination for convenience, the Company is entitled to receive compensation as provided under the specific terms of such contracts. There were no end-use contracts terminated for the year ended April 30, 2022.

FEI-Zyfer Segment:

FEI-Zyfer designs, develops and manufactures products which provide PNT, primarily incorporating Global Navigation Satellite System(s) technology. FEI-Zyfer’s products make use of both “in-the-clear” civil and “crypto-secured” military signals for GPS. FEI-Zyfer’s products are integrated into radar systems, airborne SIGINT/COMINT platforms, information networks, test equipment, military command and control terminals, and satellite ground stations. FEI-Zyfer’s products are an important extension of FEI’s core product line, specifically in secure PNT for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR). Recently identified threats to the communication capabilities of U.S. Government and to the public and enterprise networks through jamming, multi-path or “spoofing” GPS signals may be mitigated by FEI-Zyfer’s technologies and products. High precision, ruggedized clocks combined with specialized software are essential for the security of government communication and systems. More than 78% of FEI-Zyfer’s revenues are derived from sales where the end user is the U.S. Government.

BACKLOG

As of April 30, 2022, the Company’s consolidated backlog amounted to approximately $40 million, the same as at the end of the prior fiscal year. Approximately 83% of the current backlog is expected to be filled during the Company’s fiscal year ending April 30, 2023. As of April 30, 2022, there were no amounts included in backlog under cost-plus fixed-fee contracts that had not been funded. The Company excludes from backlog those contracts or awards for which it has not received authorization to proceed. On fixed price contracts, the Company excludes any unfunded portion. The Company expects any partially funded contracts to become fully funded over time and will add the additional funding to its backlog at that time. The backlog is subject to change for various reasons, including possible cancellation of orders, change orders, change in contract terms and other factors beyond the Company’s control. Accordingly, the backlog is not necessarily indicative of the revenues or profits (losses) which may be realized when the results of such contracts are reported.

CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS

The Company markets its products both directly and through independent sales representative organizations located in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Sales to non-U.S. end-users totaled approximately 2% and 3% of net revenues in fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Company’s products are sold to both commercial and governmental customers. For the years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, approximately 94% and 91%, respectively, of the Company’s sales were made under contracts to the U.S. Government or subcontracts for U.S. Government end-use.

During fiscal year 2022, Northrop Grumman Company (“Northrop Grumman”), Lockheed Martin Corporation (“Lockheed Martin”) and BAE Systems each accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenues.

During fiscal year 2021, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin each accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenues.

The loss by the Company of any one of these customers could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. The Company believes its relationship with these companies is mutually satisfactory. Additionally, the Company is not aware of any prospect for the cancellation or significant reduction of any of its commercial or existing U.S. Government contracts.

The Company purchases a variety of electrical and other components and materials for use in the manufacture of its products. The Company is not dependent upon any one supplier or source of supply for any of its materials and maintains alternative sources of supply for all of its purchases. The Company has found its suppliers generally reliable and price-competitive; however, recent quotes for various parts and materials reflect significantly increased delivery schedules and price increases. Where supply chain issues have been encountered, the Company has responded by changing the source of supply or redesigning products and replacing unavailable parts and materials with alternates wherever possible. FEI is dependent on a limited number of suppliers for space qualified parts. If these suppliers were unable to deliver in reasonable time frames, then prompt qualification of alternate suppliers may not be feasible or cost effective. Consequently, the Company could experience delays in delivery of its end products or costs in excess of what was originally quoted.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Company’s technological leadership continues to be an essential factor as it pursues future growth in revenues and earnings. The Company has focused its internal R&D efforts on improving the core physics and electronic performance in its time and frequency products, conducting research to develop new time and frequency technologies and capabilities, improving product manufacturability by seeking to reduce its production costs through product redesign and process improvements and other measures to take advantage of lower cost components.

The Company continues to focus a significant portion of its own resources and efforts on developing hardware for satellite (commercial and U.S. Government) and terrestrial commercial communications systems, including wireless and GPS-related systems. During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, the Company expended $5.0 million and $4.7 million of its own funds, respectively, on such R&D activity. See Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Additionally, the Company receives customer funding for specific R&D projects and anticipates additional funding from customers for future R&D initiatives. Although funding is obtained from customers, the Company retains the rights to any products developed. During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, some of the Company’s development resources were applied to the design-stage of fixed-price satellite payload sub-system programs. For fiscal year 2023, the resources to be allocated to R&D will depend on market conditions and identification of new opportunities, as was the case in fiscal year 2022.

PATENTS AND LICENSES

The Company believes that its business is generally not dependent on patent or license protection. Rather, it is primarily dependent upon the Company’s technical competence, the quality of its products and its prompt and responsible contract performance. However, employees working for the Company assign all rights to inventions to the Company, and the Company presently holds such patents and licenses. In certain limited circumstances, the U.S. Government may use or permit the use by the Company’s competitors of certain patents or licenses the government has funded. During fiscal year 2003, the Company received a broad and significant patent for proprietary quartz oscillator technology which the Company has incorporated into its legacy designs, and which it will incorporate into future designs, to exploit in both legacy and new applications. In 2006, the Company obtained a basic patent for its low g-sensitivity technology which management believes will permit greatly enhanced performance of devices on moving platforms and under externally imposed shock or vibration. The Company’s current patents run through 2026.

COMPETITION

The Company experiences competition in all areas of its business. Many of the Company’s competitors are larger, have greater financial resources and have larger R&D and marketing staffs. The Company has a strong history of competing successfully in this environment due to the quality, reliability and outstanding record of performance its products have achieved. The Company competes primarily on the basis of the accuracy, performance and reliability of its products, the ability of its products to function under severe conditions, such as in space or in other extremely hostile environments, and the Company’s track record of prompt and responsive contract performance and technical competence. The Company has unique and broad capabilities which include quartz and rubidium based timing references and specialized RF microwave technology. With respect to very high precision products, the Company encounters fewer competitors than it does for lower precision products for which there are a significant number of suppliers.

The Company’s principal competition for space products is the in-house capability of its major customers such as the Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, as well as a number of other firms capable of providing high-reliability microwave frequency generators. With respect to non-space products, such as systems for precision time for terrestrial secure communication and command and control, and products for multiple applications in the EW market, the Company competes with larger domestic companies such as Microchip Technology Inc. and Mercury Systems.

The Company has previously outsourced certain manufacturing processes to third parties and to Russia-based Morion, in which the Company is a minority shareholder. The Company believes its ability to obtain raw materials, manufacture finished products, integrate them into systems and sub-systems and interface these systems with highly sophisticated end-user applications provides a strong competitive edge.

EMPLOYEES

Due to the specialized nature of our business, our performance depends on identifying, attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining a highly skilled workforce in multiple areas, including engineering, science, manufacturing, information technology, cybersecurity and business development. The Company develops its workforce using a broad-based recruiting process to select talented individuals and by offering competitive compensation and benefits.

The Company currently employs approximately 197 employees, all based in the U.S. No employees are represented by labor unions. Relationships with employees are favorable as reflected in high retention rates and increasing average length of service. Due to low turnover of employees, the average age of the workforce is increasing with time. Depending on growth in total employment and the average age of newly hired employees, replacement of key technical staff may be an issue in the future due to increased retirement.

Employee health and safety is a top priority. The Company has provided all employees with detailed health and safety literature on COVID-19 and had implemented work from home policies at all locations for a period of time at the beginning of the pandemic for positions that were conducive to work from home in order to minimalize risk to the manufacturing staff that continued to work in the Company’s facilities. The Company has since returned to essentially normal operations.

OTHER ASPECTS

The Company’s business is not seasonal although it expects to experience some fluctuation in revenues during the second fiscal quarter as a result of summer holiday periods.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The executive officers hold office until the annual meeting of the Board of Directors following the annual meeting of stockholders, subject to earlier removal by the Board of Directors.

The names of all executive officers of the Company and all positions and offices with the Company which they presently hold are as follows:

Thomas McClelland, age 67, joined the Company as an engineer in 1984 and was elected Vice President, Commercial Products in March 1999. In fiscal year 2011, Dr. McClelland’s title was modified to Vice President Advanced Development to describe his expanded role in the Company. In January 2020 Dr. McClelland’s title was modified to Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist. On July 8, 2022, Dr. McClelland was appointed the Company’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, in addition to his existing positions and responsibilities with the Company, following the resignation of Dr. Stanton D. Sloane, the Company’s former President and Chief Executive Officer, on July 8, 2022.

Oleandro Mancini, age 73, joined the Company in August 2000 as Vice President, Business Development and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2010. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Mancini served from 1998 to 2000 as Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Satellite Transmission Systems, Inc. and from 1995 to 1998 as Vice President, Business Development at Cardion, Inc., a Siemens A.G. company. From 1987 to 1995, he held the position of Vice President, Engineering at Cardion, Inc.

Adrian Lalicata, age 75, joined the Company in 2006 as Vice President, RF & Microwave Systems. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Lalicata served as Vice President of Engineering at Herley-CTI and Communication Techniques, a Dover Company. Mr. Lalicata has also served as Director of Engineering at Microphase Corp. and Adcomm, Inc. He also held leading engineering positions at Loral Electronic Systems, Cardion Electronics, and Airborne Instruments Laboratories.

Steven L. Bernstein, age 57, joined the Company in April 2010 as its Controller and was appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer in April 2016. Effective January 1, 2019, Mr. Bernstein was also appointed as Secretary and Treasurer of the Company, in addition to his role as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Bernstein worked in the North America accounting group of Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 500 electronics distributor.

Risks Related to Business Operations and Our Industry

We rely heavily on U.S. government programs for a substantial portion of our business. Accordingly, changes in U.S. government priorities or delays or reductions in spending by the U.S. government on such programs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Either as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor, we rely heavily on U.S. government programs, from which we derived approximately 94% and 91% of our sales in fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively. These U.S government programs may be only partially or incrementally funded and are subject to potential termination, may be subject to funding reductions and/or delays due to changes in government priorities or other factors. Whether direct contracts with the U.S. government or contracts with prime contractors to the U.S. government, our contracts typically are funded at a level less than the full contract value and require periodic incremental additional funding in order to continue. Should circumstances change regarding funding and sufficient funding become unavailable, contracts may be terminated, delayed significantly or put on stop work status.

U.S. government contracts are subject to congressional funding, which may be unavailable due to changes in priorities or subject to continuing resolution, which may result in funding reductions, eliminations or other effects that could impact our business. Furthermore, budget uncertainty, the risk of future budget cuts, the potential for U.S. government shutdowns, and the federal debt ceiling could also adversely affect our industry and the funding for our current and future contracts. If appropriations are delayed or a government shutdown was to occur and was to continue for an extended period of time, we could be at risk of program or contract cancellations and other disruptions and nonpayment. Finally, shifting funding priorities or federal budget changes, could also result in reductions in overall spending on our contracts and projects, which could adversely impact our business. Changes in funding priorities could reduce opportunities in existing programs and in future programs where we intend to compete. While we would expect to compete and be well positioned as the incumbent on existing programs, we may not be successful and, even if we are successful, the replacement programs may be funded at lower levels.

We depend heavily on a small number of larger customers for a substantial portion of our business. The loss of one or more of our largest customers or programs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

The Company’s products are sold to both commercial and governmental customers. For fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, approximately 94% and 91% of the Company’s sales, respectively, were made under contracts to the U.S. government or subcontracts for U.S. government end-use. As a subcontractor, the Company is reliant on a few large customers that generally hold the ultimate contract with the U.S. government. During fiscal 2022, Northrop Grumman Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation and BAE Systems each accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenues. These customers typically incorporate our products into larger programs. If these customers encounter technical, financial or other issues unrelated to our products that affect the larger program’s operations, the related program may be terminated or require expensive, unanticipated revisions. These issues, although unrelated to our products, could adversely impact us if our customers’ contracts with the U.S. government become subject to re-competition or are ultimately cancelled. Additionally, our larger customers are sophisticated corporations with large research and development staffs and budgets. If one or more sought to design and manufacture replacements for our products, they could potentially discontinue their need for our products. Alternatively, our larger customers could look to replace our products with the products of one or more of our competitors. The loss of the U.S. government or one or more of our other larger customers or programs could adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows

We use estimates when accounting for contracts. Changes in estimated contract revenues and/or changes in costs can affect our profitability and our overall financial position.

Contract accounting requires significant judgment by the Company’s management with respect to estimating contract revenues and costs. Due to the nature and complexity of many of our contracts, the estimation of total revenues and costs at completion is subject to many variables and often difficult to predict accurately. As a result, it has, and could in the future, be possible that the Company’s estimates when accounting for contracts may prove to be materially incorrect.

The Company’s operating income can be adversely affected when estimated contract costs increase. Reasons for increased estimated contract costs include: design issues; changes in estimates of the nature and complexity of the work, including technical or quality issues or requests for additional work; production challenges, including those resulting from the timeliness of customer funding, unavailability or reduced productivity of qualified labor; the availability, performance, and quality of significant subcontractors; supplier issues, including the costs, timeliness and availability of materials and components; changes in laws or regulations; actions necessary for long-term customer satisfaction; and natural disasters or other matters. We have filed, and may file, requests for equitable adjustment or claims to seek recovery in whole or in part for our increased costs and aim to protect against these risks through contract terms and conditions when practical, but the prime contractor or the U.S. government may disagree with our requests or may not have funding to cover them.

Due to their nature, fixed price contracts inherently tend to have more financial risk than cost-type contracts, including as a result of inflationary pressures, labor shortages, and increased labor rates. In fiscal 2022, 89% of our sales were derived from fixed-price contracts. While the Company’s management uses its best judgment to estimate costs associated with fixed-price contracts, future events may require adjustments, which could ultimately adversely affect the Company’s operating income.

Under cost-type contracts, allowable costs incurred by the contractor are generally subject to reimbursement plus a fee. These cost-type programs typically have award or incentive fees that are uncertain and may be earned over extended periods or towards the end of the contract. In these cases, the associated financial risks are primarily in recognizing profit, which ultimately may not be earned, or program cancellation if cost, schedule, or technical performance issues arise.

Changes in underlying assumptions, circumstances or estimates, and the failure to prevail on related claims for equitable adjustments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

We face substantial competition in our industry, and if we fail to win future business or experience undue pricing pressures as a result of such competition, our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows could be adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive industry focused on very high-performance products. Many of our competitors are larger, have greater financial resources and have larger research and development and marketing staffs. While we also maintain a robust internal research and development program that is intended to maintain our technical edge, the Company is limited in its resources and ultimately may not be able to successfully compete. Technology is advancing rapidly, and if we are unable to respond effectively to competition, we may lose existing customers, fail to win future business or experience undue pricing pressures that could affect our financial performance. Certain of our current technologies may become subject to significant future advancements, which may make our products obsolete or non-competitive. Competitors may be able to develop new manufacturing technologies that afford them cost and/or schedule advantages compared to our products. Customers may elect a less expensive product, even where it offers lower performance, in cases where that performance difference becomes less, compared to our current products. Specifically, the emergence of numerous low earth orbit (LEO) commercial satellite systems that have significantly lower requirements for life in orbit may result in new products based on commercial parts and processes not required for the high performance and/or longer lived geo-synchronous orbit (GEO) satellites for which the Company has typically developed products. This may result in a migration to less capable, but less expensive products compared to what the Company has traditionally produced. This may result in reduced market share, lower revenues and impact our business operations and financial conditions. Additionally, competitors may have the benefit of other contracts that enable them to produce in volume with a concomitant cost advantage that affords them a price advantage. Many of our customers have in-house capability to develop products comparable to ours and may opt to do so. Accordingly, if we are unable to continue to compete successfully against our current or future competitor, we may experience declines in future revenues and market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Our products, which are often incorporated into larger systems, are technologically complex and require state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing expertise. Any defect in the design, materials or workmanship with respect to our product could result in system failure.

Our products are technologically complex and require state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing expertise. If a defect in design, materials or workmanship is not identified prior to delivery, the defect can result in product failure and potentially the loss of mission capability for the systems into which our products are integrated. Costly satellites cannot be recovered from orbit to repair failed sub-systems, therefore failure of a Company product incorporated into a satellite may result in the complete loss of the satellite with a significant impact to the Company’s reputation and future business prospects. Penalties and possible litigation may result from these types of problems, with potential significant impact to our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

We are dependent on numerous suppliers for various parts, materials, test services, facility operations and infrastructure. If these suppliers fail to perform or we are unable to procure or experience significant delays with respect to needed products, materials or services, our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows could be materially adversely effected.

We are dependent on numerous suppliers for various parts, materials, test services, facility operations and infrastructure who may, in turn, be affected by factors such as raw material availability, skilled personnel shortages, pandemics, major weather events or natural disasters and other impacts that affect their ability to provide the goods and services we require. Disruptions or performance problems caused by our suppliers or failure to meet regulatory or contractual requirements, have had, and may continue to have, various adverse impacts on the Company, including our ability to meet our commitments to customers. The inability of our suppliers to perform adequately has resulted in and could in the future result in the need for us to transition to alternate suppliers if available, which could result in significant incremental cost and delay or the need for us to provide other resources to support our existing suppliers. The Company is reliant on suppliers who are space-qualified, limiting the ability to procure certain key materials, such as circuit boards, from other vendors. When these key suppliers experience quality issues, their products may have to be rejected, causing delays in our ability to complete projects on schedule and at projected costs. The time and cost associated with resolution of these issues may impact our financial performance. Consolidation of industry can result in elimination of suppliers or discontinuation of certain product lines upon which we are reliant, necessitating lifetime buys of components or the need to redesign electronics to incorporate different components, having a negative effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows. Furthermore, latent supply chain quality issues may affect our product performance and reliability, which may damage our reputation and impact future business.

The success of our business and financial performance is dependent on our ability to identify, attract, train and retain a highly skilled workforce.

We rely on very unique skill sets in our employee population. Our average employee tenure is approximately 15 years and the median age is approximately 55. Our products rely on very experienced engineers, physicists and manufacturing personnel who are trained in-house and who acquire competence only after a lengthy period of time. Given the median age of our average employee, we anticipate that a number of our key personnel will retire in the coming years. If we are unable to attract, train and retain competent and skilled replacement employees, our ability to design, develop and manufacture our products will be adversely affected. Furthermore, our operating performance is also dependent upon personnel who hold security clearances and receive substantial training to work on certain programs or tasks. If we were to experience an unanticipated attrition with respect to these employees, it will be difficult for us to replace them on a timely basis.

Adverse changes in global economic or geopolitical conditions may adversely effect of business operations and financial condition.

Global economic and geopolitical conditions may adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. Turmoil in world financial markets may impact our supply chain resulting in unavailability of key components and materials increasing costs due to delays, need to redesign certain electronics in order to mitigate shortages or schedule impacts and costs to establish alternate qualified suppliers. These impacts may affect our business due to customer cancellations, reduced demand for our products and increased costs, which impact our financial condition. We are also subject to inflation and recessionary pressures. The current inflationary environment has and may continue to increase our cost of labor as well as our other operating costs. Likewise, deteriorating economic conditions could reduce the demand for our products, which could adversely affect our business operations and financial condition.

We face various risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks, which may have material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks, such as COVID-19, create substantial risk to the Company. Employees work in close proximity to one another. When an employee is positive for COVID-19 or suspected of being infected, other employees he or she has come in contact with may also be infected, with a cascading effect on the workforce. In addition to the time off to recover (or pass the CDC guideline isolation period), there is a need to clean and disinfect the areas where the employee was working and had frequented in the facility. The nature of the Company’s business requires mostly “hands-on” activities related to design, manufacturing and testing. Therefore, absenteeism resulting from infectious diseases and cleaning procedures to disinfect various areas of our facilities can have a significant impact on a contract’s schedule, with a corresponding impact to costs. The Company is not able to predict possible future pandemics, but if they manifest, they could have significant adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Our business could be adversely impacted by various external disruptions.

A natural disaster, terrorism, insider threat, workplace violence, civil unrest, damaging weather, fire, act of war, or similar acts or events could limit our access to our facilities or cause interruption in the supply of electricity, natural gas, or water or preclude delivery of various supplies or limit the movement of our workforce, which may have a significant adverse impact to our operations and financial performance. The nature of our business requires mostly “hands-on” activities at our facilities to design and manufacture our products. Additionally, our products undergo lengthy testing, and interruption of these tests for any reason can cause damage to the product and/or necessitate the need to repeat test cycles, with adverse cost and schedule impacts. Catastrophic effects that result in intrusion of damaging water or other contaminants may cause damage to sensitive capital equipment, inventory or facilities that could be material. Our ability to recover from these catastrophes may be limited. As a result, such disruptions could adversely impact our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Risks Related to Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Matters

Our failure to comply with laws, regulations and/or terms we are subject to could adversely affect our business.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and are routinely audited and reviewed by the U.S. government and its agencies. These agencies review performance under our contracts, our cost structure and accounting, and our compliance with applicable laws, regulations, terms and standards, as well as the adequacy of our systems in meeting government requirements. If an audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we would be subject to possible civil and criminal penalties, sanctions, forfeiture of profits or suspension or debarment. Most of our contracts are subject to Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs) or Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). Violation of any of these regulations can result in significant consequences, including fines, disbarments, or other punitive measures by the U.S. government. Additionally, the Company has defense department security clearance that is required for performance on several contracts. Failure to maintain compliant security procedures may result in suspension of our security clearance and inability to perform on current contracts, as well as limit our ability to be awarded future contracts. The Company is also subject to export control requirements, anti-boycott regulations and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions against business dealings with certain persons and entities, including its investment in Morion, Inc., a less than wholly-owned subsidiary of state-owned Russian bank Gazprombank. Violation of any of these requirements may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

We are subject to various investigations, claims, disputes, enforcement actions, litigation, and other legal proceedings that could ultimately be resolved against us.

We have and may in the future become subject to investigations, claims, disputes, enforcement actions and administrative, civil or criminal litigation, arbitration or other legal proceedings across a broad array of matters, including government contracts, commercial transactions, false claims, false statements, compliance with government orders, mischarging, contract performance, fraud, procurement integrity, securities laws and requirements, products liability, warranties, hazardous materials, personal injury claims, environmental, stockholder derivative actions, acquisitions and divestitures, intellectual property, tax, corporate law and obligations, employment (including our prior litigation with our founder and former President, Chief Scientist and director), export/import, anti-corruption, debt and equity, labor, health and safety, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Company’s response to it, accidents, and employee benefits and plans, including plan administration, improper payments, and issues related to privacy and security (cyber and physical). These matters can divert financial and management resources; result in administrative, civil or criminal fines, penalties or other sanctions (including judgments, convictions, consent or other voluntary decrees or agreements), compensatory, treble or other damages, non-monetary relief, or other liabilities; and otherwise harm our business and our ability to obtain and retain new business. Certain allegations against us can lead to suspension or debarment from government contracts. A suspension or debarment could have a material adverse effect on the Company because of our reliance on U.S. government contracts. Additionally, an investigation, claim, dispute, enforcement action or litigation, even if pending or not ultimately substantiated or if fully indemnified or insured, can also negatively impact our reputation among our customers, and make it substantially more difficult for us to compete effectively for business in the future. Accordingly, investigations, claims, disputes, enforcement actions, litigation or other legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

The Company has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting has resulted in a material misstatement of the audited consolidated financial statements in the Original Form 10-K and could result in material misstatements in future consolidated financial statements. Additionally, the Company’s failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in the Company’s failure to meet its reporting and financial obligations, which in turn could have a negative impact on its financial condition.

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial statements. As more fully disclosed in Part II, Item 9A “Controls and Procedures,” in the course of preparing the condensed consolidated financial statements for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, ended October 31, 2022, the Company identified revisions related to the calculations, and errors related to the presentation of contract assets and contract liabilities in the Original Form 10-K. Following the identification of these prior errors and revisions, management re-evaluated the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2022 and as of July 31, 2022 and identified certain deficiencies, which the Company concluded constituted material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2022 and for the three months ended July 31, 2022.

Under standards established by the PCAOB, a material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. A material weakness in the design of monitoring controls indicates that the Company has not sufficiently developed and/or documented internal controls by which management can review and oversee the Company’s financial information to detect and correct material errors or that the personnel responsible for performing the review did not have the sufficient skill set or knowledge of the subject matter to perform a proper assessment.

As a result of the material weaknesses, the Company’s management concluded that the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Original Form 10-K were materially misstated. Accordingly, the Company filed this Form 10-K/A in order to correct the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022.

To remediate the material weaknesses, the Company is in the process of implementing certain changes to its internal controls and reviewing the control environment to help ensure that there are no other material weaknesses. The Company believes that its remediation plan will be sufficient to remediate the identified material weaknesses and strengthen our internal control over financial reporting. However, by April 30, 2023, the Company’s next annual reporting date, there may not be sufficient time to remediate all material weaknesses fully or, if fully remediated, to complete testing of the remediated controls. As the Company continues to evaluate and work to improve its internal control over financial reporting, management may determine to take additional measures to address control deficiencies or determine to modify the remediation plan. The Company cannot assure you, however, when it will remediate such weaknesses, nor can the Company be certain of whether additional actions will be required or the costs of any such actions. Moreover, the Company cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future.

Any failure to remediate the material weaknesses, or the development of new material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, could result in future material misstatements in its consolidated financial statements and cause the Company to fail to meet its reporting and financial obligations, which in turn could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial condition.

Risks Related to Information Technology and Intellectual Property

Our business could be adversely impacted by significant cybersecurity attacks.

As a U.S. government defense industry contractor, the Company has experience cybersecurity attacks in the past and may be subjected to significant cybersecurity attacks in the future in an effort to, among other things, steal intellectual property, disrupt operations, embed ransomware, or initiate insider attacks. Although we implement various measures and controls to monitor and mitigate risks associated with these threats and to increase the cyber resiliency of our infrastructure and products, there can be no assurance that these processes will be sufficient. Our inability to defend effectively against cyberattacks may result in disruption of operations, loss of significant intellectual property, compromise of employee’s personal information or violation of government contractor requirements for information security. These could result in reputational damage, fines, litigation, operational impacts or significant costs for mitigation and/or recovery, all with adverse consequences to our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Claims by third parties that our products infringe their intellectual property could result in costly disputes and/or require us to develop alternate designs.

We may become subject to claims for infringement of intellectual property, which could result in litigation costs or require us to incur costs for developing alternate designs that may require extensive testing and qualification to meet contract obligations. This could result in adverse consequences to our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our stock price may continue to be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock may continue to be volatile, which may adversely affect our investors in our common stock may experience substantial losses. This volatility may or may not be related to our operating performance. Our operating results, from time to time, may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

The relatively low trading volume of our common stock may limit your ability to sell your shares.

Although our shares of common stock are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, we have historically experienced a relatively low trading volume of approximately 13,000 shares per trading day. If our low trading volume continues, holders of shares of our common stock may have difficulty selling shares of our common stock in the manner, at the time, or at a price they desire.

If significant existing stockholders sell large numbers of shares of our common stock, our common stock price could decline.

Approximately 42.7% of our outstanding common stock is held by 5 individuals or entities. The market price of our common stock could decline if a large number of our shares of outstanding common stock are sold in the public market by our existing stockholders or as a result of the perception that such sales could occur. Due to the relatively low trading volume of our shares of common stock, the sale of a large number of shares of our outstanding common stock may significantly depress the price of our common stock.

The Company operates out of several facilities located around the U.S. Each facility is used for manufacturing its products and for administrative activities. The following table presents the location, size and terms of ownership/occupation:

The Company’s facility located in Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, is part of the building that the Company constructed in 1981 and expanded in 1988 on land leased from Nassau County. In January 1998, the Company sold this building and the related land lease to Reckson Associates Realty Corp. (“Reckson”), leasing back the space that it presently occupies.

The Company leases its manufacturing and office space from RA 55 CLB LLC (as successor-in-interest to Reckson). The lease expires on September 30, 2029. Pursuant to the lease agreement, the Company pays a gradually increasing annual rent of $1,046,810 in 2019 to $1,276,056 in 2029. The Company believes the leased space is adequate to meet the Company’s domestic operational needs which encompass the principal operations of the FEI-NY segment and also serves as the Company’s corporate headquarters.

The Garden Grove, California facility is leased by the Company’s subsidiary, FEI-Zyfer. The facility consists of a combination office and test/assembly areas. The Company has signed a second amendment to the lease, which extended the lease an additional 88 months, beginning October 1, 2017 and expiring January 31, 2025. The average annual rent over the period of the amendment is approximately $312,000. The Company believes the leased space is adequate to meet FEI-Zyfer’s operational needs.

FEI-Elcom entered into a new lease agreement on January 12, 2022 regarding its Northvale, New Jersey facility. The facility consists of a combination office and manufacturing space. The Company has signed a third amendment to the lease, which extended the lease an additional 36 months beginning February 1, 2022 and expiring January 31, 2025, and reduced the square footage rented. The lease, as amended, requires monthly payments of $8,270. The Company believes the leased space is adequate to meet FEI-Elcom’s operational needs.

From time to time, the Company may become a defendant in litigation arising out of the ordinary course of business. As of July 14, 2022, the Company is not party to any material pending legal proceedings.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding future earnings and operations and other statements relating to the future constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with health epidemics and pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic and similar outbreaks, such as their impact on our financial condition and results of operations and on our ability to continue manufacturing and distributing our products, and the impact of health epidemics and pandemics on general economic conditions, including any resulting recession, our inability to integrate operations and personnel, actions by significant customers or competitors, general domestic and international economic conditions, reliance on key customers, continued acceptance of the Company’s products in the marketplace, competitive factors, new products and technological changes, product prices and raw material costs, dependence upon third-party vendors, other supply chain related issues, increasing costs for materials, operating related expenses, competitive developments, changes in manufacturing and transportation costs, the availability of capital, the outcome of any litigation and arbitration proceedings, and failure to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting. The factors listed above are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Form 10-K include additional factors that could materially and adversely impact the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, the Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict the impact of all these factors on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Any or all of the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K and any other public statement made by the Company or its management may turn out to be incorrect. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company believes its most critical accounting policies to be the recognition of revenue and costs on production contracts, income taxes and the valuation of inventory. Each of these areas requires the Company to make use of reasonable estimates, including estimating the cost to complete a contract, the realizable value of its inventory or the market value of its products. Changes in estimates can have a material impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when a performance obligation is satisfied, which is when the expected goods or services are transferred to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to receive. A performance obligation is a distinct product or service that is transferred to the customer based on the contract. The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation and is recognized as revenue upon satisfaction of that performance obligation. The Company derives revenue from contracts with the government, government prime contractors and commercial companies by units sold with specific contractual performance requirements, in many cases unique to the specific customer and/or application. The Company’s contracts typically include one performance obligation which is satisfied by shipped projects and completed services/reports required in the contract. Control over these performance obligations passes to the customer over time and therefore these revenues are reported in operating results over time using the cost-to-cost method. Under this method, revenue is recorded based upon the ratio that incurred costs bear to total estimated contract costs with related cost of revenues recorded as the costs are incurred. Each month management reviews estimated contract costs through a process of aggregating actual costs incurred and estimating additional costs to completion based upon the current available information and status of the contract. The effect of any change in the estimated gross margin rate for a contract is reflected in revenues in the period in which the change is known. Provisions for the full amount of anticipated losses on contracts are made in the period in which they become determinable.

For smaller contracts or orders, sales of products and services to customers are reported in operating results based upon (i) shipment of the product or (ii) performance of the services pursuant to terms of the customer order. When payment is contingent upon customer acceptance of the installed system, revenue is deferred until such acceptance is received and installation completed. The Company’s products generally carry a one-year warranty, but may vary based on the contract terms.

Significant judgment is used in evaluating the financial information for certain contracts to determine an appropriate budget and estimated cost. The Company evaluates this information continuously and bases its judgments on historical experience, design specifications, and expected costs for material and labor.

Contract costs include all direct material, direct labor costs, manufacturing overhead and other direct costs related to contract performance. Selling, general and administrative costs are charged to expense as incurred.

Inventory

In accordance with industry practice, inventoried costs contain amounts relating to contracts and programs with long production cycles, a portion of which will not be realized within one year. Inventory write downs are established for slow-moving materials based on percentage of usage over a ten-year period, obsolete items on a gradual basis over five years with no usage and costs incurred on programs for which production-level orders cannot be determined as probable. Such write-downs are based upon management’s experience and expectations for future business. Any changes arising from revised expectations are reflected in cost of revenues in the period the revision is made.

Income Taxes

Our income tax expense, deferred tax asset and liabilities, and liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits reflect management’s best estimate of current and future taxes to be paid. Significant judgments and estimates are required in the determination of the consolidated income tax expense.

Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, which will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future. In evaluating our ability to recover deferred tax assets in the jurisdiction from which they arise, we consider all positive and negative evidence, including the reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies, and results of recent operations. As of April 30, 2022 and 2021, we have a full valuation allowance against our U.S. net deferred tax assets. If these estimates and assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to reduce its existing valuation allowance resulting in less income tax expense. The Company evaluates the likelihood of realizing its deferred tax assets quarterly.

Tax benefits are recognized for an uncertain tax position when, in the Company’s judgment, it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority. For a tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the tax benefit is measured as the largest amount that is judged to have a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority. The liability associated with unrecognized tax benefits is adjusted periodically due to changing circumstances and when new information becomes available. Such adjustments are recognized entirely in the period in which they are identified. The effective tax rate includes the net impact of changes in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits and subsequent adjustments as considered appropriate by the Company. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular tax matter, the Company believes its liability for unrecognized tax benefits is adequate. Interest and penalties recognized on income taxes are recorded as income tax expense.

COVID-19 Pandemic Update

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced a global health emergency because of a new strain of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China (“COVID-19”) and the risks to the international community as the virus spread globally beyond its point of origin. In March 2020, the WHO classified the COVID-19 pandemic as a pandemic, based on the rapid increase in exposure globally.

The Company’s priority during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to protect the health and safety of its employees while remaining operational. Within the limitations imposed by governmental health and safety procedures, the Company has continued to manufacture its full range of products at its facilities. The Company has educated employees about COVID-19 symptoms and hygiene best practices. The Company’s policies also include taking an employee’s temperature before entering facilities; mandating handwashing and use of hand sanitizer; requiring social distancing and, requiring face coverings; encouraging, and in some cases, requiring remote work for those employees who can work from home; and disinfecting facilities.

As of July 8, 2022, the Company was aware of eighty-three employees that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with one fatality in fiscal year 2021. Additional employees have been absent or self-quarantined due to possible COVID exposure, although not having tested positive. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, facilities have remained open except for needing to temporarily vacate certain areas for cleaning and disinfecting following employees either testing positive for COVID or because they had been exposed or possibly exposed to third parties who were positive. Certain Company vendors have been unable to deliver materials on time due to COVID-19 related impacts to their workforces or their supply chains. These delays have impacted the Company’s production schedules, and increased costs associated with procurement of materials and services. The Company continues to monitor these and its other vendors and, if necessary, seek alternative suppliers. The Company also believes the pandemic has impacted customers, resulting in delays with respect to anticipated new orders.

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as of the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude that the pandemic may ultimately have on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, and future financial results. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. Given the changing dynamics of the pandemic and the global responses to curb its spread, including the progress on vaccine distribution, the Company is not able to estimate any future effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its future results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.” The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations, increased limitations on qualified charitable contributions, and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. The CARES Act also appropriated funds for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program loans that are forgivable in certain situations to promote continued employment, as well as Economic Injury Disaster Loans to provide liquidity to small businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020, which it repaid in full in May 2020.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Consolidated Results

The table below sets forth for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, the percentage of consolidated net sales represented by certain items in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations:

Revenues

(in thousands)

Fiscal 2022 revenues from satellite programs, one of the Company’s largest business areas, decreased by $0.9 million, or 3%, compared to the prior fiscal year. Satellite program revenues for government end-use were 52% and 42% of total revenues for fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively. Satellite program revenues for commercial end-use were 2% and 7% of total revenue for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively. Revenues on satellite program contracts are recorded in the FEI-NY segment and are recognized primarily under the Percentage-of-Completion (“POC”) method. Revenues from non-space U.S. Government/DOD customers decreased by approximately $5.2 million, or 21%, in Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021. These revenues are recorded in both the FEI-NY and FEI-Zyfer segments and accounted for approximately 41% and 46% of consolidated revenues for fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively. For the years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, other commercial and industrial sales accounted for approximately 5% of total revenues. Sales in this business area were $2.6 million for the year ended April 30, 2022 compared to $2.5 million for the preceding fiscal year. The majority of the decrease in sales for fiscal 2022 were in the FEI-Zyfer segment caused by two main factors. The first was a delay in bookings and the second was the relocation of manufacturing from the California facility to the New York facility. It is important to note that in both cases the revenue was not lost; instead, the Company believes has been shifted into fiscal 2023.

Gross Profit

(in thousands)

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the gross profit and gross profit percentage decreased as the result of several factors. Decreased revenues in the FEI-NY segment, which includes FEI-Elcom, as well as at FEI-Zyfer, had a concomitant impact on absorption.

Delays in the award of anticipated contracts had a significant down-stream effect on revenue, with a resulting reduction of gross profit. Supply chain impacts resulted in delays on contract execution and caused increased engineering costs necessitated by changing suppliers or reengineering certain subassemblies to replace parts that were unavailable or which had unacceptable delivery schedules. Several developmental stage programs experienced substantially higher than anticipated engineering costs due to problems encountered in the design phase. Additionally, an anticipated settlement of a request for equitable adjustment with respect to one of these programs did not materialize, which would have had the effect of reducing the cost impact. The program is cutting edge technology with extremely challenging specifications. However, the Company believes progress continues to be made and the majority of the challenges have been overcome as of the date of this report.

Selling and Administrative Expenses

Fiscal Years Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

In fiscal years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, selling and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) were 24% of consolidated revenues. Stock compensation expenses, which are included in total SG&A, were $144,000 and $160,000 in Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, respectively. The decrease in SG&A expenses was mainly due to the decrease in professional fees (relating to litigation for which the Company has received insurance reimbursement for a portion of such legal fees), bonus expenses, and commission expenses.

Research and Development Expenses

Fiscal Years Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

As a percentage of consolidated revenue, R&D expense for the years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021 was approximately 10% and 9%, respectively. The approximately $0.3 million increase in R&D expense year over year was due to new and ongoing R&D projects as the Company continues to invest in R&D to keep its products at the state of the art.

The funds received in connection with customer funded R&D appears in revenues and the associated expenses are included in cost of revenues and are not included in the table above. The Company believes that internally generated cash and cash reserves are adequate to fund its R&D activity.

Operating Loss

Fiscal Years Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the Company recorded an operating loss of $8.1 million compared to an operating loss of $1.0 million in the prior year. Operating loss was the result of the same factors discussed in gross profit. Of most significance was the impact of increased engineering costs incurred on the developmental programs and the delay in Zyfer bookings, including the relocation of the manufacturing from the California facility to the New York facility.

Other Income (Expense), net

(in thousands)

Investment income is derived primarily from the Company’s holdings of marketable securities, which primarily consist of fixed income securities. Earnings on securities may vary based on fluctuating interest rates, dividend payout levels, and the timing of purchases, sales, redemptions or maturities of securities. Included in other income (expense) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, is a $796,000 impairment charge related to the Company’s investment in Morion. Included in other income (expenses) for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2021 was the collection of the $1 million note that was due relating to the Company’s sale of its Belgium subsidiary, Gilliam-FEI s.a., to a European entity on April 26, 2018.

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

Fiscal Years Ended April 30,

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $1,000. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2021, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $(204,000) primarily due to a reduction in the uncertain tax position liability in connection with the expiration of the statute of limitations

The Company’s effective tax rate of (0.0)% for Fiscal 2022 differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to state taxes and domestic losses for which the Company is not recognizing an income tax benefit. (See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a reconciliation of the actual tax benefit to the expected tax provision at the federal statutory rate.)

As of April 30, 2022, the Company has U.S. federal net operating losses of $29.6 million of which $15.9 million begins to expire in Fiscal 2026 through Fiscal 2038, including $3.4 million which is subject to annual limitation under IRC Section 382. The remaining U.S. federal net operating losses of $13.7 million have an indefinite carry-forward period. The U.S. federal capital loss carry-forward of $9.9 million expires in Fiscal 2023. U.S. federal R&D credits of $1.0 million begin to expire in Fiscal 2036 through Fiscal 2040. The Company also has state net operating loss carryforwards, and state tax credits that expire in various years and amounts.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Net cash provided by operations was $4.0 million in fiscal year 2022 compared to cash provided by operations of $12.2 million in fiscal year 2021. The Company’s balance sheet continues to reflect a highly liquid position with working capital of $34.2 million at April 30, 2022 as compared to $40.6 million at April 30, 2021. Included in working capital at April 30, 2022 was $21.5 million consisting of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. The Company’s current ratio, as revised, at April 30, 2022 was 2.6 to 1 compared to 3.0 to 1 at the end of the prior fiscal year.

During fiscal years 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $5.4 million and $4.7 million, respectively, in non-cash charges to earnings, including adjustments relating to net assets and liabilities for operating leases, loss provision accrual, loss on impairment of Morion, provision for a note receivable, depreciation and amortization expense, inventory adjustments, warranty and accounts receivable reserves and certain employee benefit plan expenses, including accounting for stock-based compensation. During fiscal year 2022, operating cash was increased by decreases in contract assets and inventory and increases in contract liabilities. During fiscal year 2021, operating cash was increased by decreases in inventory and increases in contract assets and contract liabilities. Contract liabilities include amounts for programs that are pre-funded for long-lead materials required to be purchased.

Net cash used in investing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022 was $2.3 million compared to $1.2 million used in investing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2021. In fiscal year 2022, investing activities included the proceeds related to sales of marketable securities net of the purchases of marketable securities of $422,000 and purchases of capital expenditures of $1.9 million. In fiscal year 2021, investing activities included the proceeds related to sales of marketable securities net of the purchases of marketable securities of $46,000 and purchases of capital expenditures of $1.2 million. The Company may continue to invest cash equivalents as dictated by its investment and acquisition strategies.

There was no cash used in financing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022. Cash used in financing activities for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2021 was $5.0 million related to the repayment in full of a loan acquired from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as the lender, pursuant to the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act. As of April 30, 2022, the Company had available credit at variable terms based on its securities holdings under an advisory arrangement. No borrowings have been made under this advisory arrangement.

The Company will continue to expend resources to develop, improve and acquire products for space and other applications, which management believes will result in future growth and profitability. During fiscal year 2022, the Company secured partial customer funding for a portion of its R&D efforts. The customer funds received in connection therewith appear in revenues and are not included in R&D expenses. For fiscal year 2023, the Company anticipates securing additional customer funding for a portion of its R&D activities and will allocate internal funds depending on market conditions and identification of new opportunities as in fiscal 2022. The Company expects internally generated cash will be adequate to fund these R&D efforts. The Company may also pursue acquisitions to expand its range of products and may use internally generated cash and external funding in connection with such acquisitions.

As of April 30, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $20.1 million. The Company believes that its cash and cash equivalents, as well as marketable securities as of April 30, 2022 and cash flows from operations will provide sufficient liquidity to meet its operating needs in the normal course of business through the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2017-04, *Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“*ASU 2017-04”), which simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Under ASU 2017-04, goodwill impairment will be tested by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, and recognizing an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. The new guidance must be applied on a prospective basis and is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company will not be adopting ASU 2017-04 early, and is in the process of determining the effect that ASU 2017-04 may have. However, the Company expects the new standard to have an immaterial effect on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, *Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“*ASU 2016-13”), which replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company is evaluating the effect, if any, the update will have on its consolidated financial statements when adopted in fiscal year 2024.

OTHER MATTERS

The financial information reported herein is not necessarily indicative of future operating results or of the future financial condition of the Company.

Morion

The Company has an investment in Morion, a privately-held Russian company, which manufactures high precision quartz resonators and crystal oscillators. The Company has also licensed certain technology to Morion.

The Company’s investment consists of 4.6% of Morion’s outstanding shares, accordingly, the Company accounted for its investment in Morion on the cost basis. During the fiscal years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company acquired product from Morion in the aggregate amount of approximately $215,000 and $710,000, respectively. During the fiscal years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company sold product and training services to Morion in the aggregate amount of approximately $23,000 and $94,000, respectively, included in revenues in the consolidated statements of operations as part of the FEI-NY segment. During the fiscal years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company received dividends from Morion in the amount of approximately $123,000 and $105,000, respectively, which is included in other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations as part of the FEI-NY segment. Purchases of materials from Morion consist mainly of quartz crystal blanks which are used in the fabrication of quartz resonators. In the event that these items become unavailable from Morion, the Company is in the process of establishing alternate sources of supply. The Company is also capable of fabricating the crystal blanks in-house.

Morion is a less than wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprombank, a state-owned Russian bank. The U.S. Ukraine-related sanctions regime has since 2014 included a list of sectoral sanctions identifications (“SSI”) pursuant to Executive Order 13662, which prohibits certain transactions, including certain extensions of credit, with an entity designated as an SSI or certain affiliates of an entity designated as an SSI. On July 16, 2014, after the Company’s investment in Morion, Gazprombank was designated as an SSI.

As previously disclosed, in light of Morion’s relationship with Gazprombank, in 2020, the Company evaluated, with the assistance of external legal counsel, certain sales to Morion and the timing of payments by Morion to the Company in connection with those sales to determine whether payments by Morion may have inadvertently constituted extensions of credit in violation of Directive 1 under Executive Order 13662. The Company determined that certain payments by Morion – the majority of which occurred more than five years ago – were not timely. Following the evaluation, on May 7, 2020, the Company voluntarily disclosed its findings to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). The Company’s voluntary disclosure to OFAC related solely to delays in collection of accounts receivable that exceeded then-applicable payment windows set forth in sanctions regulations and did not relate to any other type of payment or transaction. On February 17, 2021, the Company received a Cautionary Letter from OFAC indicating that OFAC has completed its review of the matter. According to OFAC, the Cautionary Letter was issued instead of pursuing a civil monetary penalty or taking other enforcement action.

Due to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict and resulting sanctions, the future status of FEI’s equity investment in Morion is uncertain. In response to these conditions, in connection with the preparation of the audited financial statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K, the Company impaired its investment in Morion in full. The impairment of $796,000 is included in other income (expense), net, in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022. The likelihood of future sales to, purchases, and dividend payments from Morion is questionable.

INFLATION

During fiscal year 2022, as in fiscal year 2021, the impact of inflation on the Company’s business was due to increases for materials and services throughout fiscal year 2022. The Company believes this may continue to impact expenses in fiscal 2023 and future years.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on their evaluation, the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that, because of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting disclosed below, as of April 30, 2022, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at a reasonable assurance level.

There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2022. In making this assessment, management used the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, the Company’s management initially concluded and disclosed in the Original Form 10-K that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of April 30, 2022.

However, for the reasons discussed below, management conducted a re-assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. In conducting its re-assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of April 30, 2022, because of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting discussed below.

As disclosed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 16, 2022, in the course of preparing the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, ended October 31, 2022, the Company identified errors related to the calculations and presentation of contract assets and contract liabilities in the Original Form 10-K.

Following the identification of these prior errors, management re-evaluated the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2022 and identified material weaknesses in the following areas:

1. While previously corrected as of April 30, 2022, historically, through April 30, 2022, the Company had presented contract assets and contract liabilities on a net basis on the consolidated balance sheets whereas ASC 606-10-45-1 requires gross presentation. In addition, a formula error was identified whereby the Company had not been grouping contracts assets and contract liabilities properly on a project-by-project basis. As a result, management has concluded that the Company did not effectively design and maintain controls over the completeness and accuracy of the gross presentation of contract assets and contract liabilities and thus a material weakness was identified; and

2. In connection with the above, as of April 30, 2021 the Company had presented contract assets and contract liabilities on a net basis on the consolidated balance sheets whereas ASC 606-10-45-1 requires gross presentation. During the process of completing the Company’s Original Form 10-K, management corrected the contract assets and contract liabilities balances in the April 30, 2021 column of the consolidated balance sheet to present them gross as opposed to net as previously filed. However, this should have been identified as a correction of a prior period error and assessed accordingly to determine whether or not a restatement was needed and whether the error was the result of a deficiency in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. As a result, management has concluded that the Company did not have an adequate control in place for identifying and assessing financial statement errors and thus a material weakness was identified.

As disclosed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 16, 2022, by the Company, on December 14, 2022, the Company concluded that items noted above constituted material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2022 and continued to exist as of the three months ended July 31, 2022.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.

The Company’s management have concluded that the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Original Form 10-K were materially misstated as a result of the material weaknesses. Accordingly, the Company filed this Form 10-K/A in order to correct the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022.

Remediation Plan

To remediate the material weaknesses described above, the Company plans to pursue the following remediation steps:

1. Review and update, as necessary, the design and documentation of its internal control policies and procedures with respect to its internal control over financial reporting. The Company plans to implement additional formulas and comparative reviews of financial information as a result of issues identified in its policies and procedures as promptly as practical and to satisfy documentation requirements under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

2. Ensure that its internal control over financial reporting is properly designed, documented and operating effectively by (i) enhancing the design of existing control activities and/or implementing additional control activities, as needed, (ii) monitoring the operating effectiveness of those controls, and (iii) ensuring that documentation exists to evidence the performance of those controls.

The Company believes that its remediation plan will be sufficient to remediate the identified material weaknesses and strengthen its internal control over financial reporting. However, by April 30, 2023, the Company’s next annual reporting date, there may not be sufficient time for the Company to remediate all material weaknesses or, if remediated, to test the operating effectiveness of the remediated controls. As the Company continues to evaluate, and works to improve, its internal control over financial reporting, management may determine that additional measures to address control deficiencies or modifications to the remediation plan are necessary. The Company cannot assure you, however, when it will remediate such weaknesses, nor can it be certain whether additional actions will be required or the costs of any such actions. Moreover, the Company cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future.

Financial Reporting

As of result of a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which, among other things, permanently exempted non-accelerated filers, such as us, from complying with the requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires an issuer to include an attestation report from an issuer’s independent registered public accounting firm on the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting, this annual report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding our internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.