UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

☒

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

 

OR

 

☐

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

 

For the transition period from __________ to ____________

 

Commission file number 1-10526

 

 

UNITED-GUARDIAN, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware		11-1719724
(State or other jurisdiction		(I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)
230 Marcus Blvd., Hauppauge, NY		11788
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

 

 

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (631) 273-0900

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section l2(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $.10 par value		The NASDAQ Global Market

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes ☐    No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐    No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒   No ☐ 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data file required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes ☒    No ☐   

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer	☐			Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☐	(Do not check if a smaller		Smaller reporting company	☒
		reporting company)		Emerging growth company	☐

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.) Yes ☐ No ☒

 

As of June 30, 2017, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the Registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates (based on the closing sales price of such shares on The NASDAQ Global Market (“NASDAQ”) on such date) was approximately $ 49,130,907. (For the purpose of this report it has been assumed that all officers and directors of the Registrant, as well as all stockholders holding 10% or more of Registrant's stock, are affiliates of the Registrant).

 

As of March 1, 2018, the Registrant had issued and outstanding 4,594,319 shares of Common Stock, $.10 par value per share ("Common Stock").

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

 

Certain information required by Part III (portions of Item 10, as well as Items 11, 12, and 13) is incorporated by reference to the Registrant's definitive proxy statement for the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders ("2018 Proxy Statement"), which, pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), is to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) no later than 120 days after Registrant's fiscal year end.

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains both historical and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements by the Registrant about its expectations or beliefs concerning future events, such as financial performance, business prospects, and similar matters. The Registrant desires to take advantage of such "safe harbor" provisions and is including this statement for that express purpose. Words such as "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "intends", "future", and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements in this report reflect the Registrant's views as of the date of filing of this report with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) with respect to future events and financial performance, and are subject to a variety of factors that could cause the Registrant's actual results or performance to differ materially from historical results or from the anticipated results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Because of such factors, there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Registrant will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the anticipated results. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the Registrant's business include, but are not limited to: economic conditions, governmental regulations, technological advances, pricing and competition, acceptance by the marketplace of new products, retention of key personnel, the sufficiency of financial resources to sustain and expand the Registrant's operations, and other factors described in this report and in prior filings with the SEC. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and should be aware that except as may be otherwise legally required of the Registrant, the Registrant undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.

 

PART I

 

Item 1.

Business.

 

(a) Introduction

 

United-Guardian, Inc. ("United", the "Registrant", or the “Company”) is a Delaware corporation that, through its Guardian Laboratories Division ("Guardian"), manufactures and markets cosmetic ingredients, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, medical lubricants, health care products, and specialty industrial products. It also conducts research and product development, primarily related to the development of new and unique cosmetic and personal care products. The Company’s research and development department also modifies, refines, and expands the uses for existing products, with the goal of further developing the market for the Company's products.

 

United's predecessor, United International Research, Inc. ("UIR"), was founded and incorporated in New York in 1942 by Dr. Alfred R. Globus, United's Chairman and Director of Research until his death on April 9, 2009. On February 10, 1982, a merger took place between UIR and Guardian Chemical Corp. ("GCC"), an affiliate of UIR, whereby GCC was merged into UIR and the name was changed to United-Guardian, Inc., a New York corporation. On September 14, 1987, United-Guardian, Inc. (New York) was merged with and into a newly-formed Delaware corporation by the same name, United-Guardian, Inc., for the purpose of changing the domicile of the Company to Delaware.

 

The Company has a broad range of products, some of which are currently marketed and some of which are still in the research and development stage. Of the products being actively marketed, the two largest product lines are the LUBRAJEL^® line of cosmetic ingredients and medical lubricants, which accounted for approximately 69% of the Company's sales in 2017, and RENACIDIN^® IRRIGATION SOLUTION ("RENACIDIN"), a pharmaceutical product that accounted for approximately 25% of the Company's sales in 2017. All references in this annual report to “sales” or “Sales” shall mean Gross Sales.

 

(b) Description of Business

 

The Company manufactures and markets cosmetic ingredients, personal and health care products, medical lubricants, pharmaceuticals, and specialty industrial products. It also conducts research and development, primarily related to the development of new and unique cosmetic and personal care products. The Company focuses on the development of products that fill unmet market needs, have unique properties, and use proprietary technology that it sometimes protects with patents. Many of the Company's products are marketed through collaborative agreements with larger companies. The personal care products manufactured by the Company, including the cosmetic ingredients, are marketed to end users through the Company's worldwide network of marketing partners and distributors, and are currently used by many of the major manufacturers of cosmetic and personal care products. The Company sells product outright to its marketing partners, Ex Works (EXW) the Company’s plant in Hauppauge, New York. Those marketing partners in turn resell those products to their customers, who are typically the manufacturers and marketers of cosmetic and personal care products, and who in turn utilize the Company’s products in their finished products. The products are not sold on a consignment basis, so unless a product is determined to be defective it is not returnable except at the discretion of the Company.

 

The Company operates in one business segment. The Company’s products are separated into four distinct product categories: personal care products (including cosmetic ingredients), pharmaceuticals, medical products, and industrial products. Each product category is marketed differently.  

 

The Company’s personal care products, including cosmetic ingredients, are marketed globally by six marketing partners, of which Ashland Specialty Ingredients (“ASI”), a business segment of Ashland, Inc., is the largest. ASI manufactures and markets globally an extensive line of personal care and pharmaceutical additives and various other industrial products. The personal care products are sold directly to those marketing partners, which in turn resell those products to their customers for use in the manufacture or compounding of the customers’ personal care and cosmetic products. The Company’s non-pharmaceutical medical products (referred to hereinafter as “medical products”) and the specialty industrial products are sold directly by the Company to marketers of finished products or the contract manufacturers utilized by those marketers. The Company’s pharmaceutical products are marketed by direct advertising, mailings, and trade exhibitions, and are sold to hospitals and pharmacies primarily through full-line drug wholesalers, which purchase the Company’s products outright for resale to their customers. The Company also sells a small quantity of pharmaceutical products directly to hospitals and pharmacies. The Company's products are sold under trademarks or trade names owned by the Company, some of which are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as well as comparable regulatory agencies in some foreign countries.

 

PRODUCTS

 

The Company operates in one business segment, and its product lines are separated into four distinct product categories:

 

PERSONAL CARE

 

LUBRAJEL^® is an extensive line of water-based moisturizing and lubricating gel formulations that are used as ingredients in personal care (primarily cosmetic/skincare) products. In the personal care industry, they are used primarily as moisturizers and as bases for other cosmetic ingredients, and can be found as an ingredient in skin creams, moisturizers, makeup, and body lotions. The largest product by sales in the LUBRAJEL personal care line in 2017 was LUBRAJEL OIL, followed by LUBRAJEL PF (also sold under the trade name “Norgel”). Some of the other varieties of LUBRAJEL sold for cosmetic use (all using the LUBRAJEL name), in descending order of sales, are CG, RC, MG, RR, MS, DV, and NP. In addition, many of these products are available in comparable formulations that do not contain parabens as the preservative, and instead use a different preservative system that is preferred by some customers. Those equivalent products are differentiated by adding the word “Free” after the name (for example, LUBRAJEL MS Free and DV Free), indicating that those formulations do not contain parabens.

 

LUBRAJEL PF is different from the other products in the LUBRAJEL line in that it is a completely preservative-free form of LUBRAJEL. It is marketed under the LUBRAJEL PF tradename in all geographic markets other than France, where it is marketed under the tradename “Norgel” by Societe D'Etudes Dermatologiques ("Sederma"), a subsidiary of Croda International Plc (“Croda”). Sederma is the Company's exclusive marketing partner and distributor of the Company’s cosmetic ingredients in France and, along with its parent company, Croda, is a major supplier of specialty cosmetic ingredients to the personal care products industry. Tests have shown that this product self-preserves, and that it aids in the preservation of other cosmetic ingredients with which it is formulated.

 

LUBRAJEL NATURAL was the first product in a line of LUBRAJEL products for cosmetic use that are produced using only ingredients that are considered “natural”. This product, as well as the additional “natural” products under development (see “Development Activities” below) are based on natural polysaccharides, which contribute moisturization, emulsion stabilization, and emolliency to personal care products, particularly creams and lotions. LUBRAJEL NATURAL has received an “Attestation of Conformity” (“Attestation”) from Ecocert, one of the global organizations authorized to certify natural and organic products, indicating that the product conforms to both its original Ecocert standard as well as the newer Cosmetic Organic Standard (“COSMOS”), which confirms that a raw material is in compliance with international standards the enable a product to be used in natural or organic cosmetic products. This product is now being actively marketed, and sales in 2017 decreased slightly from 2016. The Company is hopeful that sales will continue to increase as the efforts of its marketing partners continues.

 

Sales of the Company's personal care products increased by $1,951,596 (approximately 40%) for the year ended December 31, 2017 when compared with 2016, primarily due to an increase in sales of LUBRAJEL OIL to ASI for distribution in China. The increase was the result of a resumption of sales of LUBRAJEL OIL into China at the end of the third quarter of 2016 after sales had been temporarily suspended for over a year due to (a) a regulatory issue in China that was unrelated to LUBRAJEL OIL but which required the reformulation of some of the products in which LUBRAJEL OIL was being used, and (b) an overstock situation in China resulting from the Company’s marketing partner in China, ASI, having brought into China significantly more LUBRAJEL OIL than it needed to satisfy the requirements of its customers. That situation has now been resolved and sales have been relatively steady since September 2016.

 

Each of the following products accounted for less than 1% of the Company’s sales in 2017, listed in descending order of sales.

 

LUBRAJEL II XD is a version of LUBRAJEL that was developed to be a direct replacement for one of the competitive products to LUBRAJEL.

 

ORCHID COMPLEX™ is an oil-soluble base for skin creams, lotions, cleansers, and other cosmetics. It is an extract of fresh orchids modified by stabilizers and preservatives, and is characterized by its excellent lubricity, spreadability, light feel, and emolliency. Because of its alcohol solubility, it may also be used in fragrance products such as perfumes and toiletries. Its emolliency makes it an excellent additive to shampoos, bath products and facial cleansers. It is also a superior emollient for sunscreens, vitamin creams, toners and skin serums.

 

LUBRASLIDE™ and a related product, B-122™, are powdered lubricants used in the manufacture of cosmetics such as pressed powders, eyeliners, and rouges. They are used as binders for these products, increasing water-repellency and drop strength and lowering the coefficient of friction.

 

KLENSOFT™ is a surfactant (a surface-active agent, such as a soap or detergent) that can be used in shampoos, shower gels, makeup removers, and other cosmetic formulations. KLENSOFT sales have been highly variable due to the ordering patterns of the primary customers for the product.

 

LUBRASIL™ is a special form of LUBRAJEL in which silicone oil is incorporated into a LUBRAJEL base by micro-emulsification, thereby maintaining clarity similar to the other LUBRAJEL products. The product has a silky feel, and is water resistant while moisturizing the skin.

 

The Company believes that its ability to maintain and/or increase sales of its cosmetic and other personal care products will depend on (a) the ability and determination of its marketing partners, especially its largest marketing partner, ASI, to continue to aggressively promote the Company’s products, particularly to new customers, and to find new marketing opportunities; (b) the Company's success in developing additional new products, including new varieties of LUBRAJEL, as well as new applications for existing products; and (c) the ability of the Company to find ways to compete with manufacturers of lower-cost competitors to its LUBRAJEL products which have negatively impacted the sales of the Company’s personal care products. In particular, the Company has experienced significant pricing pressure from competitive products being marketed in China by some Asian manufacturers. These lower-cost competitive products are likely to negatively impact the Company’s profit margins on some of its products in certain geographic areas.

 

The Company believes that there is still potential to expand the sales of its LUBRAJEL line of products through new product development, modifications to make some of its current products more competitive, additional claim substantiation, and geographic expansion. The Company believes that its strong brand identity and reputation for supplying quality products will be advantageous in its efforts to compete with the growing number of lower-cost imitations of its products, but that it will still be necessary to be more competitive with its product pricing in certain geographic areas in order to maintain and grow its market share.

 

MEDICAL

 

LUBRAJEL RR and RC are both water-based gels used primarily as lubricants for urinary catheters. They are special grades of LUBRAJEL that can withstand sterilization by gamma radiation, which is one of the methods of terminally sterilizing medical and hospital products. LUBRAJEL RR was the original radiation-resistant LUBRAJEL product. LUBRAJEL RC was developed as a lower-cost alternative to the LUBRAJEL RR for those customers who are in more cost-sensitive markets. Sales of LUBRAJEL RR were down by 21% in 2017 compared with 2016 due to (a) an overstocking of product by one customer in 2016 that resulted in lower purchases in 2017, and (b) significant variability in year-to-year purchases by both that customer and another customer for that product. Sales of LUBRAJEL RC were up by 3% for the year. The combined sales of both products accounted for approximately 11% of the Company’s sales in 2017.

 

LUBRAJEL MG is the original form of LUBRAJEL, developed as a medical lubricant in the 1970s. It is used by many medical device manufacturers for lubricating urinary catheters, pre-lubricated enema tips, and other medical devices. Sales decreased by approximately 3% in 2017 compared with 2016, which the Company believes was the result of fluctuations in the buying patterns of customers for this product. Sales of this product represented approximately 6% of the Company’s sales in 2017.

 

LUBRAJEL LC, LUBRAJEL FA, and LUBRAJEL BA are LUBRAJEL formulations that were developed for use in oral care applications. There were no significant sales of LUBRAJEL BA during the year, and the combined sales of LUBRAJEL LC and LUBRAJEL FA accounted for approximately $95,000 of Company sales in 2017, a decrease of approximately 12% from 2016. The Company believes that this decrease was due to the inconsistent purchasing patterns of the customers for these products rather than any material decrease in demand. These products are only made to order and are not maintained in inventory other than to fill pending orders.

 

LUBRAJEL FLUID is a very low viscosity form of LUBRAJEL that was developed to provide superior lubrication in water-soluble products. It was specifically developed, and is currently being used, as a replacement for silicone oils in pre-lubricated condoms. The Company has only one customer for this product, and sales of this product did not contribute significantly to the Company’s overall sales.

 

LUBRAJEL TF is a medical lubricant specifically developed for a global medical products company. Initial sales of this product began at the end of 2012. Sales of this product to date have been lower than expected due to the customer’s uncertain marketing plans for this product.

 

Sales of all of the medical grades of LUBRAJEL decreased by approximately 7% in 2017 compared with 2016, and accounted for approximately 18% of the Company’s sales in 2017 compared with approximately 23% in 2016. The Company believes that the decrease was due primarily to fluctuations in the purchasing patterns of its customers as well as the overstocking of Lubrajel RR in 2016 by one customer (see above). The medical products also became a smaller percentage of Company sales due to increased sales of Company’s personal care products relative to the medical products.

 

PHARMACEUTICAL

 

RENACIDIN^® is a prescription drug product that is used primarily to prevent and to dissolve calcifications in urethral catheters and the urinary bladder. From 1991 until April 2016 it had been marketed as a ready-to-use sterile solution in 500mL glass bottles. It currently has regulatory approval only in the United States. In April 2016 the Company began marketing a new plastic 30 mL single-dose form of the product and discontinued the sale of the older 500 mL glass bottles. The Company has already experienced a significant increase in monthly revenue from the new product, and is optimistic that this new, more user-friendly bottle will enable the Company to continue to increase its sales of RENACIDIN over the next few years. As a result of the initiation of marketing of the new single-dose bottle, sales of RENACIDIN increased by approximately 18% in 2017 compared with 2016, and represented approximately 25.5% of total Company sales.

 

CLORPACTIN^® WCS-90 is an antimicrobial product used primarily in urology to treat infections in the urinary bladder. It is also used in surgery for treating a wide range of localized infections in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), as well as the eye, ear, nose and throat, and sinuses. The product is a powder that is mixed with water by the end user and used as a solution. It is also a powerful disinfectant, fungicide, and deodorizer. Sales of CLORPACTIN have been very consistent from year-to-year. In 2017, sales increased by approximately 3% and represented approximately 4.2% of the Company’s sales. The Company believes that the increase was due to normal year-to-year fluctuations rather than any significant trend in sales.

 

The Company’s pharmaceutical products are returnable only at the discretion of the Company unless (a) they are found to be defective; (b) the product is damaged in shipping; or (c) they are outdated (but not more than one year after their expiration date, which is a return policy that conforms to standard pharmaceutical industry practice).

 

INDUSTRIAL

 

DESELEX™ Liquid is a sequestering and chelating agent that is used primarily as a replacement for phosphates in the manufacture of detergents. It also has some use in personal care products as a chelating agent in shampoos and body washes. Sales of this product decreased by $19,281 (approximately 21%) from $91,048 in 2016 to $71,767 in 2017.

 

THOROCLENS is a chlorine-based cleanser manufactured and packaged by the Company for a small company in New England that resells the product to its customers. Sales of this product increased by $8,471 (approximately 13%) from $64,336 in 2016 to $72,807 in 2017.

 

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

 

In coordination with, and with input from, its marketing partners, the Company's research and development department has developed products that can be used in many different industries, including the personal care (including cosmetic), pharmaceutical, medical, health care, and specialty chemical industries. These products are in various stages of development, some currently marketable and some in the very early stages of development requiring a substantial amount of development work to bring them to market. Research is also being done on new uses for currently marketed products.

 

Prior to initiating research and development work on a product, market research is done to determine the marketability of the product, including the potential market size and the most effective method of marketing the product. After that, the research and development department will determine whether the product can be successfully developed, including (a) laboratory refinements and adjustments to suit the intended uses of the product; (b) stability studies to determine the effective shelf life of the product and suitable storage and transportation conditions; and (c) laboratory efficacy tests to determine the effectiveness of the product under different conditions. If development proves feasible, the Company will then determine whether production and sales costs make it feasible to bring the product to market.

 

If the initial development work is successful, and the estimated costs of further development are acceptable to the Company, further development work to bring the product to market will continue, including scaling up from laboratory production batches to pilot batches to full-scale production batches. In the case of drug products or medical devices, significant additional work would have to be done, including studies to determine safety and effectiveness, preparation of an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application, and finally the filing of an NDA. Due to the size of the Company and the costs involved in bringing new drugs or medical devices to market, the Company does not currently have plans to develop any new drugs or medical devices, and intends to focus its research and development efforts on the development of new and innovative products for the personal care and medical (non-drug) markets.

 

While there can be no assurance that any particular project will result in a new marketable product or a commercially successful product, the Company believes that a number of its development projects, including those discussed below, may have commercial potential if the Company's development efforts are successful.

 

The Company's major research focus is on the development of new and unique ingredients for cosmetic and other personal care products. The following are some of the projects that the Company is either working on or intends to work on in the near future:

 

LUBRAJEL MARINE: This is the second product in our new line of products developed using natural ingredients. It was formulated using naturally derived polysaccharides, with some of the ingredients sourced from marine vegetation. This product was developed jointly with ASI, and for that reason will be marketed globally on an exclusive basis by ASI. Like the original LUBRAJEL NATURAL, this product has received an Attestation from Ecocert that the product complies with both the original Ecocert standard as well as the newer COSMOS standard that replaced it, indicating that the product is suitable for use in natural and organic cosmetic products. This product is actively being marketed by ASI, and we have begun to receive orders for it as companies begin to bring their formulations to market. We are hopeful that we will see steady growth in sales of this product during the coming year.

 

LUBRAJEL OIL NATURAL: This will be the third product in the “Natural” line of Lubrajel products. Like the LUBRAJEL MARINE, this product is based on naturally derived polysaccharides. It is being developed to provide lubricating properties and viscosity similar to the Company’s regular LUBRAJEL OIL, but using only natural ingredients. The polymer network in this product is based solely on vegetable feedstock. While we are still fine-tuning the formulation, we anticipate that this product will receive the Attestation from Ecocert that the product complies with the COSMOS standards for use in natural and organic cosmetic products (Note: the COSMOS Attestation issued by Ecocert has replaced the older Ecocert standard, even though Ecocert remains one of the global certifying organizations for COSMOS compliance). We are working closely with our marketing partners to promote the many benefits of this product, and hope to obtain feedback soon so that we can begin marketing this product in the third quarter of 2018.

 

Lubrajel Terra: This is intended to be the fourth product in the LUBRAJEL “Natural” line. It will be based on polysaccharides from plant-based materials. This is still in the developmental stage. The Company hopes to have a final formulation for this product sometime in 2018. The Company continues to believe that there is a growing demand for natural products, especially in personal care products, and expects to add additional products to this line in the future if these initial products are successful.

 

Amla Complex: This product is derived from an extract of the Amla fruit (Indian Gooseberry), which is believed to promote certain health benefits. It has traditionally been used to promote healthy and radiant skin, hair and nails, and is believed to enrich hair growth, pigmentation, strength and luster. It is high in antioxidant content, and is reputed to be one of the richest sources of vitamin C. The formulation for this product has been finalized and is being tested for efficacy. It, too, has received an Attestation from Ecocert that it complies with the COSMOS standard for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients. The Company is working closely with its marketing partners to determine the market potential for this product.

 

LUBRAJEL OIL PF: This product was developed as a result of the high demand for our very popular LUBRAJEL OIL. The benefit of this product would be to enable formulators to use their own preservative systems without having to account for preservatives that we have incorporated. This approach has been very successful with our LUBRAJEL PF, and we are hopeful that a preservative-free LUBRAJEL OIL could be at least as successful. The initial formulation for this product has been completed, and we hope to start sampling the product to our marketing partners soon.

 

NATURAL PRESERVATIVE BOOSTER: This product has been developed using natural, water-distilled essential oils which, in combination, enhance the effectiveness of other preservatives that might be in the product, enabling manufacturers to use lower amounts of non-natural preservatives. Initial results have been promising, but this product is still in the early developmental stage and, even if we are successful in our development efforts, is not likely to produce revenue until at least 2019.

 

It should be emphasized that some of the projects listed above are in the very early stages of research and development, and there can be no guarantee that any particular development project will result in a marketable product or in significant sales if it is marketed.     

 

The Company’s research and development expenses in 2017 were $646,079 as compared with $651,828 in 2016. The Company expects its research and development expenses in 2018 to be comparable to those of 2017. Any additional increase in development and/or production costs will depend on whether capital investments are required in order to continue development work on, or to manufacture, any of the new products under development.

 

The Company requires all employees and consultants who may receive confidential and proprietary information to agree in writing to keep such information confidential.

 

TRADEMARKS AND PATENTS

 

The Company strongly believes in protecting its intellectual property and intends, whenever reasonably possible and economically practical, to obtain patents in connection with its product development program. The Company currently holds one United States patent and several trademarks relating to its products. In recent years the Company has relied more on trade secrets and proprietary formulations and manufacturing methods to protect its intellectual property rather than patents, since under current patent law the filing of a patent now provides detailed proprietary information that can be copied by companies in other countries where enforcement would be difficult and expensive, such as in China. The Company believes that in many cases it is better to protect its intellectual property in other ways that do not require the disclosure of proprietary information. Many patents that had previously been issued to the Company have expired. There can be no assurance that any patents held by the Company will be valid or otherwise of value to the Company, or that any patent applied for will be granted. The Company will continue to file patent applications in situations where it believes that relying on trade secrets would be insufficient protection.

 

Set forth below is a table listing certain information with respect to the U.S. patent currently held by the Company.

 

	PATENT NAME		PATENT #		FILING DATE		ISSUE DATE		EXPIRATION DATE
	Microemulsion of silicone in a water-based gel that  forms a clear, transparent, highly stable moisturizer and lubricant for cosmetic and medical use		6,348,199		1/1994		2/2002		2/2019

 

The company no longer has significant sales of the any products manufactured utilizing this patent, and for that reason the expiration of the patent in February 2019 will not have a material impact on Company sales.

 

The various trademarks and trade names owned or used by the Company in its business are of varying importance to the Company. The most significant trademarks are LUBRAJEL^®, RENACIDIN^®, and CLORPACTIN^®.

 

DOMESTIC SALES

 

In the United States the Company's cosmetic ingredient products are marketed and distributed exclusively by ASI in accordance with a marketing agreement entered into in 1996 with its predecessor company, International Specialty Products (“ISP”), for the marketing of the Company’s cosmetic ingredients in North, Central, and South America. Since that time this initial agreement has been modified and expanded multiple times (see “Marketing Agreements” below). ASI also has a non-exclusive right to sell certain of the Company's other industrial and medical products. It was also granted the exclusive right to market globally an oral care product, LUBRAJEL BA, which was specifically developed for ASI in 2012 but which, to date, has not had significant sales, and LUBRAJEL MARINE, the second product in the Company’s LUBRAJEL NATURAL line of products. The current agreement with ASI automatically renewed on January 1, 2018, and will automatically renew again on January 1, 2020 unless either party chooses to terminate, which can be done by giving 60 days’ notice on or before December 31, 2019.

 

Revenue from domestic sales of all Company products accounted for approximately 81% of the Company’s total sales revenue in 2017, compared with 78% in 2016. Sales to the Company’s largest marketing partner, ASI, accounted for approximately 40% of total Company sales in 2017 and 31% in 2016. Although a significant percentage of ASI’s purchases from the Company are ultimately sold to foreign customers, all sales to ASI are included in domestic sales revenue because all shipments to ASI are delivered to ASI’s warehouses in the U.S.

 

The Company’s pharmaceutical products are marketed only in the United States and are sold primarily through full-line drug wholesalers, and accounted for approximately 30% of Company sales in 2017, and approximately 31% in 2016. Domestic sales of the Company's medical (non-pharmaceutical) products accounted for approximately 10% of Company sales in 2017 and 14% in 2016. Approximately 80% of the Company’s domestic sales of medical products in 2017, and 70% in 2016, were delivered to U.S. locations for subsequent shipment by the customers to foreign manufacturing facilities, which then produced finished products that are marketed globally.

 

Domestic sales of the Company’s specialty industrial products accounted for approximately 1% of Company sales in both 2017 and 2016. The medical and industrial products are sold directly to customers or their contract manufacturers, who incorporate these products into their finished products.

 

FOREIGN SALES

 

In 2017 approximately 19% of the Company’s sales revenue was from foreign sources and was derived from (a) sales of its personal care products to the Company’s foreign marketing partners, which accounted for approximately 11% of Company sales in 2017 and 13% in 2016, and (b) sales of some of the Company’s medical products directly to certain customers in foreign countries, which accounted for approximately 8% of Company sales in 2017 compared with 10% in 2016.

 

Because all shipments to the Company’s largest marketing partner, ASI, are delivered to ASI’s warehouses in the U.S., all sales to ASI are included in “Domestic Sales”, even though a significant percentage of ASI’s sales of the Company’s products are to customers in foreign countries. Based on sales information provided to the Company by ASI, in 2017 approximately 72% of ASI’s sales were to customers in foreign countries, compared with 70% in 2016. ASI’s largest foreign market in both 2017 and 2016 was China, which accounted for approximately 55% of ASI’s sales of Company products in 2017 and 53% in 2016.

 

Since the Company sells its products in U.S. Dollars, the Company’s selling prices are not affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates except to the extent that a stronger dollar compared with foreign currencies can make the Company’s products less competitive in foreign markets, sometimes requiring the Company to reduce its prices in order be more competitive. In recent years sales have been negatively impacted by the strength of the U.S. Dollar relative to other currencies, particularly the Euro, which has resulted in some of the Company’s products being more price sensitive than they had been in the past. It has also enabled some of the Company’s competitors to take some market share from the Company in those markets. This situation reversed somewhat in 2017, with the dollar weakening against most foreign currencies. If this trend continues it will make the Company’s products more competitive in those foreign markets.

 

SALES AND MARKETING

 

The Company markets its products through marketing partners and distributors, advertising in medical and trade journals, mailings to physicians and to the trade, and exhibitions at medical meetings. The cosmetic ingredients and other personal care products are sold outright (not on consignment) to the Company’s marketing partners, which in turn market and resell the products to cosmetic and other personal care manufacturers for use in the manufacture or compounding of their products. The pharmaceutical products are sold in the United States primarily to drug wholesalers, which in turn distribute and resell those products to drug stores, hospitals, physicians, long-term care facilities, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and other government agencies. The medical and specialty industrial products are sold by the Company directly to the end users. The industrial products are older products that have limited marketability but are still being sold to some long-time customers. They are not actively marketed, but are available for sale to any new customers.

 

MARKETING AGREEMENTS

 

The Company has a written marketing agreement only with ASI; all other marketing arrangements are subject to cancellation at any time by either the Company or the distributor. The marketing agreement with ASI gives it exclusive foreign marketing rights with the exception of the following territories, where the Company's other marketing partners have exclusive marketing rights: the United Kingdom (by The Azelis Group); France (by Sederma SAS, a subsidiary of Croda International Plc.); Italy (by Luigi & Felice Castelli S.R.L.); Switzerland (by Azelis Cosmetics GmbH.); and South Korea (by C&M International). The Company also has significant sales of one of its medical lubricants to the manufacturing plant in India of a multi-national medical products customer.

 

The marketing agreement with ASI was entered into in 1994 with ISP, the predecessor company of ASI. That agreement set forth provisions under which ISP/ASI would market and distribute the Company's personal care products, as well as some medical and specialty industrial products, in certain parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. In 1996, the parties entered into another agreement, extending ASI’s distribution rights to the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America. In July 2000, December 2002, December 2005, May 2010, November 2012, and November 2013 the parties entered into additional agreements that modified, extended, and consolidated the 1994 and 1996 agreements, and provided for automatic two-year renewals of ASI’s marketing rights unless either party terminated the arrangement upon 60 days’ notice. The agreement automatically renewed on January 1, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 for additional two-year terms. The current contract ends on December 31, 2019.

 

The Company believes that in the event ASI were to cease marketing the Company's products alternative arrangements could be made with one of the other global marketers of personal care products to continue to supply products to customers currently using the Company's products, without any significant interruption of sales.

 

 The Company has other marketing arrangements with marketing partners in the U.K., France, Switzerland, South Korea, and Italy (see “Foreign Sales’” above), but all of these other arrangements are operating under either verbal agreements or expired written agreements, and are subject to termination at any time by either party.

 

RAW MATERIALS

 

The principal raw materials used by the Company consist of common industrial organic and inorganic chemicals. Most of these materials are available in ample supply from numerous sources. The Company has six major raw material vendors that together accounted for approximately 88% of the raw material purchases by the Company in 2017 and 85% in 2016.

 

INVENTORIES, RETURNS, and ALLOWANCES

 

The Company's business requires that it maintain moderate inventories of certain of its finished goods. Historically, sufficient inventory levels, returns and allowances have not been a significant factor in the Company's business.

 

 

 

BACKLOG

 

The Company currently does not have any significant backlog of orders.

 

SEASONALITY

 

Due to the nature of the Company's business and the types of products it markets it is not subject to any significant seasonal fluctuations in sales.

 

CUSTOMERS

 

The Company’s personal care/cosmetic ingredients are marketed and sold globally by six marketing partners. Those marketing partners in turn market and distribute those products to their customers. Although the Company depends on those marketing partners for the marketing and distribution of its personal care products, it is confident that if any of its marketing partners were to decide not to sell the Company’s products, or if the Company chose to replace one or more of those marketing partners, it would be able to put in place new marketing agreements to service its customers in any of the geographic areas affected. If necessary, the Company would also be able to sell directly to the end users of its products until such time as a new marketing partner is put in place.

 

The Company’s pharmaceutical products are sold to, and distributed by, full-line drug wholesalers throughout the United States. It’s medical and specialty industrial products are sold directly by the Company to the end users of those products or, in some cases, to contract manufacturers used by some of those end users.

 

COMPETITION

 

The Company has some products or processes that are either proprietary or have some unique characteristics, and its LUBRAJEL line of products is well known globally and has an excellent reputation for quality. The Company believes that these characteristics will be advantageous to the Company in its continuing efforts to compete effectively with other pharmaceutical, personal care, specialty chemical, or health care companies. The pharmaceutical, health care, and cosmetic industries are all highly competitive, and the Company experienced a high level of competition for its cosmetic ingredients during 2017. However, during 2017 the dollar weakened against most foreign currencies. If this trend continues the Company’s products will become more competitive in those foreign markets, which may help to offset some of the increased competition. The Company believes, however, that there will continue to be increased competition in coming years, especially from Asian competitors, and is working with ASI, its primary marketing partner, to address the issue and determine how the Company can make its products more competitive in the marketplace. The Company is aware that there are other domestic and foreign companies that are engaged in the same or similar areas of research as those in which the Company is engaged, some of which have substantially greater financial, research, manpower, marketing and distribution resources than the Company. In addition, there are many large, integrated and established pharmaceutical, specialty chemical, personal care and health care companies that have greater capacity than the Company to develop and to commercialize types of products upon which the Company's research and development programs are based. The Company intends to focus its research efforts on the development of new and innovative products for which there is not the same competitive situation as there is for some of the Company’s older products, and is optimistic that the development of unique products, such as its focus on the development of products made exclusively with natural ingredients, will enable it to continue to compete in a market in which competition has become more of a factor than it had been in the past.

 

 

 

ISO 9001:2008 REGISTRATION

 

In October 2009 the Company was certified by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. to be in compliance with the current ISO 9001:2008 standard, indicating that the Company's documented procedures and overall operations had attained the high level of quality needed to comply with this ISO certification level. Prior to that, since December 2003 the Company had been registered under the previous ISO 9001:2000 standard, also by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. The Company had first earned ISO registration in November 1998, when it earned ISO 9002 registration, and has been in continuous compliance with each of these standards from the time of its approval under each standard. It is currently in the process of being certified under the newest ISO standard, ISO 9001:2015, and expects to have that certification by the end of 2018.

 

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

 

Regulation by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries is a significant factor in the manufacturing and marketing of many of the Company's products. The Company and many of the Company's products are subject to certain government regulations. Products that may be developed and sold by the Company in the United States may require approval from federal regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”), as well as state regulatory agencies. Products that may be developed and sold by the Company outside the United States may require approval from foreign regulatory agencies. Although the Company does not currently market any medical devices, if it were to do so a 510(k) pre-market notification to the FDA would be required to demonstrate that the device is at least as safe and effective as a legally marketed device. The Company would then need to receive clearance from the FDA prior to marketing the device. While the Company does not have any current plans to develop any new pharmaceutical products, any new drug product would require clinical evaluation under an Investigational New Drug Application, and the subsequent submission to the FDA of a New Drug Application.

 

The Company is required to comply with all pertinent current Good Manufacturing Practices of the FDA for medical devices and drugs. Accordingly, the regulations to which the Company and certain of its products may be subject, and any changes with respect thereto, may materially affect the Company's ability to produce and market new products developed by the Company.

 

The Company's present and future activities are, and will likely continue to be, subject to varying degrees of additional regulation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Environmental Protection Act, import, export and customs regulations, and other present and possible future foreign, federal, state and local regulations.

 

Portions of the Company's operating expenses are directly attributable to complying with federal, state, and local environmental statutes and regulations. In 2017 and 2016 the Company incurred approximately $37,000 and $31,000, respectively, in federal, state, and local environmental law compliance expenses. There was no material financial or other impact on the Company as a result of compliance with environmental laws.

 

EMPLOYEES

 

The Company presently has 31 employees, 3 of whom serve in an executive capacity, 17 in research, quality control and manufacturing, 6 in maintenance and construction, and 5 in office and administrative support services. Of the total number of employees, 22 work full time.

 

Item 1A.

Risk Factors.

 

The information to be reported under this item is not required of smaller reporting companies.

 

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments.

 

The information to be reported under this item is not required of smaller reporting companies.

 

Item 2.

Properties.

 

The Company maintains its principal office and factory, and conducts its research, at a 50,000 square foot facility on a 2.7-acre parcel at 230 Marcus Boulevard, Hauppauge, New York 11788, which the Company owns. Of the 50,000 square feet, approximately 30,000 square feet is manufacturing space, 15,000 square feet is warehouse space, and 5,000 square feet is office and laboratory space. The Company has fully developed the 2.7 acres, and fully utilizes the building occupying the land. The Company believes that the aforementioned property is adequate for its immediately foreseeable needs. The property is presently unencumbered and, in the Company’s opinion, is adequately insured.

 

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings.

 

None.

 

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures.

 

Not applicable.

 

PART II

 

Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

 

Market Information

 

The Common Stock of the Company has traded on the NASDAQ Global Market since March 16, 2009, under the symbol "UG". From December 1, 2008 through March 13, 2009, following the merger of the American Stock Exchange with the New York Stock Exchange, the Company's Common Stock was traded on the NYSE Amex Stock Exchange under the same symbol. Prior to December 1, 2008 its stock traded on the American Stock Exchange under the same symbol.

 

The following table sets forth the high and low closing sale prices of the shares of Common Stock, as reported by NASDAQ, for the period January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. The quotations represent prices between dealers and do not include retail markup, markdown or commission:

 

Quarters				Year Ended December 31, 2017								Year Ended December 31, 2016
				High				Low				High				Low
First		(1/1 - 3/31)		$	15.85			$	14.60			$	22.78			$	18.71
Second		(4/1 - 6/30)			17.75				13.75				20.64				16.07
Third		(7/1 - 9/30)			19.50				15.10				16.50				13.66
Fourth		(10/1 - 12/31)			20.65				15.25				16.90				14.36

 

 

Holders of Record

 

As of February 23, 2018, there were 706 holders of record of Common Stock.

 

Cash Dividends

 

On May 17, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.42 per share, which was paid on June 12, 2017 to all stockholders of record as of May 30, 2017. On November 29, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.50 per share, and an additional special dividend of $0.50 per share, for a total dividend of $1.00 per share, which was paid on December 18, 2017 to all stockholders of record as of December 11, 2017.

 

On May 18, 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.35 per share, which was paid on June 15, 2016 to all stockholders of record as of June 1, 2016. On November 30, 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $0.40 per share, which was paid on December 19, 2016 to all stockholders of record as of December 12, 2016.

 

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data.

 

The information to be reported under this item is not required of smaller reporting companies.

 

Item 7.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The Company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Preparation of financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions affecting the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company uses its historical experience and other relevant factors when developing its estimates and assumptions, which are continually evaluated. Note A, Nature of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Financial Statements, included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K includes a discussion of the Company’s significant accounting policies. The following accounting policies are those that the Company considers critical to an understanding of the financial statements because their application places the most significant demands on the Company’s judgment. The Company’s financial results might have been different if other assumptions had been used or other conditions had prevailed.

 

Marketable Securities

 

The Company classifies its marketable securities as available-for-sale at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such designation as of each balance sheet date. The Company’s marketable securities include investments in equity and fixed income mutual funds, and government securities. The Company’s marketable securities are reported at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity. Realized gains or losses on mutual funds are determined using the average cost method, while realized gains or losses on government securities and bonds are determined using the specific-identification method. Realized gains or losses on the Company's marketable securities are insignificant for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. The Company evaluates its investments periodically for possible other-than-temporary impairment by reviewing factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value had been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and the Company’s ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time which may be sufficient for anticipated recovery of market value. The Company would record an impairment charge to the extent that the cost of the available-for-sale securities exceeds the estimated fair value of the securities and the decline in value is determined to be other-than-temporary. During 2017 and 2016 the Company did not record an impairment charge regarding its investment in marketable securities because management believes, based on its evaluation of the circumstances, that the decline in fair value below the cost of certain of the Company’s marketable securities is temporary.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

The Company recognizes revenue when products are shipped, title and risk of loss pass to customers, persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, and collections are reasonably assured. Any allowances for returns are taken as a reduction in sales within the same period the revenue is recognized. Such allowances are based on historical experience as well as other factors that, in the Company’s judgment, could reasonably be expected to cause sales returns or doubtful accounts to differ from historical experience.

 

Accounts Receivable Allowance

 

The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of the Company’s customers and adjusts credit limits, as determined by a review of current credit information. The Company continuously monitors collection and payments from customers and maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon historical experience, the Company’s anticipation of uncollectible accounts receivable and any specific customer collection issues that have been identified. While the Company’s credit losses have historically been low and within expectations, the Company may not continue to experience the same credit loss rates that have historically been attained. The receivables are highly concentrated in a relatively small number of customers. Therefore, a significant change in the liquidity, financial position, or willingness to pay timely, or at all, of any one of the Company’s significant customers would have a significant impact on the Company’s results of operations and cash flows.

 

Inventory Valuation Allowance

 

In conjunction with the Company’s ongoing analysis of inventory valuation, management constantly monitors projected demand on a product-by-product basis. Based on these projections, management evaluates the levels of write-downs required for inventory on hand and inventory on order from contract manufacturers. Although the Company believes that it has been reasonably successful in identifying write-downs in a timely manner, sudden changes in buying patterns from customers, either due to a shift in product interest and/or a complete pull back from their expected order levels, may result in the recognition of larger-than-anticipated write-downs.

 

Results of Operations

 

Year ended December 31, 2017 compared with the year ended December 31, 2016:

 

Sales

 

Sales increased from $11,144,462 in 2016 to $13,434,460 in 2017, an increase of $2,289,998 (approximately 21%). The overall increase was due primarily to increases in sales of the Company’s personal care products to its primary distributor, ASI , as well as an increase in sales of the Company’s pharmaceutical products, primarily RENACIDIN. Those increases were partially offset by decreases in sales of the Company’s industrial and medical (non-pharmaceutical) products.

 

The net increase in sales was the result of the following specific changes in sales in the different product categories:

 

(a)

Personal care products:

 

Sales of the Company's personal care products, including cosmetic ingredients, increased from $4,916,630 in 2016 to $6,868,227 in 2017, an increase of $1,951,596 (approximately 40%).The increase was attributable primarily to an increase in sales of the Company’s LUBRAJEL products to ASI, the Company’s largest marketing partner. Sales to ASI increased by $1,892,710 (approximately 55%) from $3,457,682 in 2016 to $5,350,392 in 2017. Aggregate sales to the Company’s other marketing partners increased from $1,422,892 in 2016 to $1,464,053 in 2017 (approximately 3%). Sales in the France, Italy and Korea increased in the aggregate by $86,203 (approximately 8%) from $1,059,537 in 2016 to $1,145,740 in 2017, while aggregate sales to the Company’s distributors in the UK and Switzerland decreased by $45,042 (approximately 12%) from $363,355 in 2016 to $318,313 in 2017.

 

Although a significant percentage of ASI’s purchases from the Company are sold to foreign customers, all sales to ASI are considered U.S. sales for financial reporting purposes, since all shipments to ASI are shipped to ASI’s warehouses in the U.S. A certain percentage of those products are subsequently shipped by ASI to its foreign customers. Based on sales information provided to the Company by ASI, in 2017 approximately 72% of ASI’s sales were to customers in foreign countries, compared with 70% in 2016. ASI’s largest foreign market in both 2017 and 2016 was China, which accounted for approximately 55% of ASI’s sales in 2017 and 53% in 2016.

 

The increase in sales to ASI was primarily the result of an increase in ASI’s sales of one of the Company’s LUBRAJEL products in China. ASI’s sales in China decreased from the fourth quarter of 2015 until September 2016 as a result of (a) a regulatory issue in China that was unrelated to LUBRAJEL OIL but which required the reformulation of some of the products that contained LUBRAJEL OIL; and (b) ASI continuing to purchase LUBRAJEL OIL at normalized levels despite the negative impact of that regulatory issue on product demand, thereby resulting in a short term overstocking of LUBRAJEL OIL in China. With the regulatory issue having been addressed, and with products that had been affected by the regulatory issue coming back on the market during 2016, the overstock situation in China was gradually corrected, and in September 2016 ASI resumed its purchases of products intended for sale in China, and its purchases for China have been relatively steady since that time.

 

Sales of the Company’s products in Europe increased slightly in 2017 compared with 2016. There continues to be more competition in the European marketplace than there had been in previous years due to Asian competitors selling imitations of the Company’s product at much lower prices. However, with some European economies improving, and the U.S. dollar having weakened significantly during 2017 and possibly weakening further in the next few years, the Company’s products may become more competitive, especially in Europe. In addition the Company from time to time offers additional volume discounts and more aggressive pricing in order to maintain and increase sales and bring in new customers. While this may result in lower margins on certain sales, the Company believes that the additional volumes that will be generated by this policy will more than offset the lower profit margins on those sales.

 

(b)

Pharmaceuticals:

 

Sales of the Company’s two pharmaceutical products, RENACIDIN and CLORPACTIN, together increased by $542,220 (approximately 16%), from $3,444,848 in 2016 to $3,987,068 in 2017, with RENACIDIN accounting for most of the increase. Sales of RENACIDIN increased by $524,766 (approximately 18%) from $2,900,130 in 2016 to $3,424,896 in 2017, and accounted for approximately 25% of the Company’s sales in 2017, as compared with 26% in 2016. The increase was due to the introduction in April 2016 of the Company’s new 30mL single-dose form of the product. The new single-dose unit was engineered to dispense the product directly into an indwelling catheter, eliminating the need to use a separate syringe to extract a small amount of product from the Company’s previous 500mL glass bottle. The Company is optimistic that this new, more user-friendly package will enable it to continue to increase its sales of RENACIDIN. The Company recently launched a new web site dedicated to RENACIDIN, and is working with a consultant to increase both patient and physician awareness of the product.

 

The increase in sales of the Company’s pharmaceutical products was partially offset by an increase of $98,660 (approximately 27%) in allowances for distribution fees, product returns, chargebacks paid to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and rebates paid for Medicaid- and Medicare-related sales. This increase was primarily due to the higher sales of RENACIDIN.

 

(c)

Medical (non-pharmaceutical) products:

 

Sales of the Company’s medical products decreased by $200,232 (approximately 8%) from $2,624,671 in 2016 to $2,424,439 in 2017. The decrease was primarily the result of a $186,084 (21%) decrease in sales of LUBRAJEL RR, which was partially offset by increases in sales of some of the Company’s other medical products. The large percentage decrease in sales of LUBRAJEL RR was primarily due to lower sales to two customers, both of which have purchasing patterns which can vary widely from year to year. One of those customers also overstocked product in 2016, leading to reduced purchases in 2017.

 

(d)

Industrial and other products:

 

Sales of the Company's industrial products, as well as other miscellaneous products, decreased by $5,227 (approximately 3%) from $159,945 in 2016 to $154,718 in 2017. The decrease is due to normal fluctuations in customer ordering patterns.

 

Gross Profit on Sales

 

Gross profit increased to approximately 59% in 2017 from 55% in 2016. The increase was primarily the result of an increase in the sales of the Company’s higher-margin LUBRAJEL products in 2017 compared to 2016.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Operating expenses decreased by $67,673 in 2017 compared with the prior year, decreasing from $1,852,833 in 2016 to $1,785,160 in 2017. The decrease was mainly attributed to decreases in payroll, and payroll-related expenses.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses amounted to $651,828 and $646,079 in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The decrease of $5,749 was primarily related to a decrease in payroll and payroll related expenses.

 

Investment Income

 

Investment income (net) increased by $8,660 (approximately 3%) from $306,505 in 2016 to $315,165 in 2017. The net increase was due to an increase in investment income from both stock and bond mutual funds, and realized gains from the sales of some of the Company’s mutual funds.

 

Provision for Income Taxes

 

The provision for income taxes increased by $591,564 (approximately 53%) from $1,114,925 in 2016 to $1,706,489 in 2017. This increase was mainly due to an increase in income from operations. The Company’s effective income tax rate was approximately 30% in both 2017 and 2016, and is lower than the federal statutory rate of 34% primarily due to the additional tax deduction for domestic production activities as well as the utilization of research and development tax credits.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Working capital decreased from $12,668,221 at December 31, 2016 to $10,428,139 at December 31, 2017, a decrease of $2,240,082 (approximately 18%). The current ratio decreased from 13.1 to 1 at December 31, 2016 to 8.3 to 1 at December 31, 2017. The decreases in working capital and the current ratio were mainly due to a decrease in marketable securities and an increase in accounts payable.

 

Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts) as of December 31, 2017 increased by $307,418 (approximately 19%) from $1,597,997 in 2016 to $1,905,415 in 2017. The receivables turnover, or Days Sales Outstanding, for 2017 was 49 days, compared with 42 days in 2016. The increase was mainly the result of higher accounts receivables in the latter part of 2017 due to an increase in sales in the third and fourth quarter of 2017. The Company has bad debt reserves of $21,220 and $16,943 for 2017 and 2016, respectively, and believes that the net balance of its accounts receivable is fully collectable as of December 31, 2017.

 

The Company generated cash from operations of $3,992,287 in 2017 compared with $2,290,444 in 2016. The increase in 2017 was primarily due to an increase in net income and an increase in accounts payable.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities was $2,815,382 for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared with cash used in investing activities of $490,235 for the year ended December 31, 2016. This increase in net cash provided was mainly due to an increase in proceeds from sales of marketable securities in 2017 compared with 2016.

 

Cash used in financing activities was $6,507,249 and $3,436,867 during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The increase was due to the payment of higher dividends in 2017 compared with 2016.

 

The Company believes that its working capital is sufficient to support its operating requirements for the next fiscal year. The Company's long-term liquidity position will be dependent upon its ability to generate sufficient cash flow from profitable operations. The Company has no material commitments for future capital expenditures.

 

Off Balance-Sheet Arrangements

 

The Company has no off balance-sheet transactions 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.

 

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

 

The information to be reported under this item is not required of smaller reporting companies.

 

 

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

See Note "A" to the financial statements regarding new accounting pronouncements.

 

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

 

The information to be reported under this item is not required of smaller reporting companies.

 

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

 

Annexed hereto starting on page F-1.

 

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

None.

 

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures.

 

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, has evaluated the design, operation, and effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act as of December 31, 2017. On the basis of that evaluation, management concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are designed to be, and are, effective at providing reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted pursuant to the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

(b) Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). The Company’s internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to management and to the Company’s Board of Directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements. Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Company’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO 2013). Based on management’s evaluation under the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework, management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.

 

This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Since the Company is a non-accelerated filer, management’s report is not subject to attestation by the Company's registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. As a result, this Annual Report contains only management’s report on internal controls.

 

(c) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2017 that materially affected, or would be reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

(d) Limitations of the Effectiveness of Internal Controls

 

The effectiveness of the Company’s system of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting is subject to certain limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing and evaluating the control system, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood of future events, and the inability to eliminate fraud and misconduct completely. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting will detect all errors or fraud. However, the Company’s control systems have been designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives, and the Company’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting are effective at the reasonable assurance level.

 

Item 9B.

Other Information.

 

None.

 

PART III

 

Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the section entitled “Directors and Executive Officers” to be contained in the Company’s 2017 Proxy Statement.

 

Code of Ethics

 

The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all officers, directors, and employees serving in any capacity to the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer and/or President, Chief Financial Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer. A copy of the Company's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on the Company's web site at http://www.u-g.com/corporate. The Company intends to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K relating to amendments to or waivers from any provision of its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer by posting this information on the Company's web site.

 

Item 11.

Executive Compensation.

 

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled "Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers" to be contained in the Company's 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

 

 

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the section entitled "Voting Securities and Principal Stockholders" to be contained in the Company's 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

 

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the section entitled “Directors and Executive Officers" to be contained in the Company's 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

Item 14.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

 

Audit Fees

 

The aggregate fees that have been, or are expected to be, billed by Raich Ende Malter & Co. LLP (“Raich Ende”), the Company’s principal accountants since March 29, 2017, for the quarterly reviews of the Company’s financial statements for the first, second and third quarters of 2017 and the audit of the Company’s financial statements for the 2017 fiscal year were $68,000.

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

During 2017 and 2016 there were no fees paid to Raich Ende in connection with the Company's compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

No other fees were billed by Raich Ende or Baker Tilly for the last two fiscal years that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company's financial statements and not reported under "Audit Fees" above.

 

Tax Fees

 

There were no fees billed by Raich Ende during the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice, or tax planning. Accordingly, none of such services were approved pursuant to pre-approval procedures or permitted waivers thereof.

 

All Other Fees

 

There were no other non-audit-related fees billed to the Company by Raich Ende in 2017 or 2016.

 

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

 

Engagement of accounting services by the Company is not made pursuant to any pre-approval policies and procedures. Rather, the Company believes that its accounting firm is independent because all of its engagements by the Company are approved by the Company's Audit Committee prior to any such engagement.

 

 

 

The Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors meets periodically to review and approve the scope of the services to be provided to the Company by its Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, as well as to review and discuss any issues that may arise during an engagement. The Audit Committee is responsible for the prior approval of every engagement of the Company's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm to perform audit and permissible non-audit services for the Company, such as quarterly financial reviews, tax matters, and consultation on new accounting and disclosure standards.

 

Before the auditors are engaged to provide those services, the Chief Financial Officer and Controller will make a recommendation to the Audit Committee regarding each of the services to be performed, including the fees to be charged for such services. At the request of the Audit Committee, the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and/or management shall periodically report to the Audit Committee regarding the extent of services being provided by the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, and the fees for the services performed to date.

 

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a)	Documents filed as part of this report.
	(i)	Financial Statements - see Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
	(ii)	Financial Statement Schedules – None.
		(Financial statement schedules have been omitted either because they are not applicable, not required, or the information required to be set forth therein is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.)
	(iii)	Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
	(iv)	Notes to Financial Statements.
(b)	Exhibits
	The exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of this Annual Report.

 

Item 16.

Form 10-K Summary.

 

None.

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

	UNITED-GUARDIAN, INC.
	By:	/s/ Kenneth H. Globus
		Kenneth H. Globus
Date: March 21, 2018		President and Director

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature			Title		Date
By:	/s/ Kenneth H. Globus		President, General Counsel,  Chairman		March 21, 2018
	Kenneth H. Globus		of the Board of Directors (Principal Executive Officer)
By:	/s/ Robert S. Rubinger		Executive Vice President, Secretary,		March 21, 2018
	Robert S. Rubinger		Chief Financial Officer, Director (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
By:	/s/  Lawrence F. Maietta		Director		March 21, 2018
	Lawrence F. Maietta
By:	/s/ Arthur M. Dresner		Director; Audit Committee member		March 21, 2018
	Arthur M. Dresner
By:	/s/ Andrew A. Boccone		Director; Audit Committee member		March 21, 2018
	Andrew A. Boccone
By:	/s/ S. Ari Papoulias		Director; Audit Committee member		March 21, 2018
	S. Ari Papoulias

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit #			Description
2 P			Certificate of Merger of United-Guardian, Inc. (New York) with and into United-Guardian, Inc.  (Delaware) as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 10, 1987. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) of the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 1988 (the "1988 10-K").
3(a) P			Certificate of Incorporation of the Company as filed April 22, 1987. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 21, 1987 (the "1987 8-K").
3(b) P			By-laws of the Company. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the 1987 8-K.
4(a) P			Specimen Certificate for shares of Common Stock of the Company. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(a) to the 1988 10-K.
10(a) P			Qualified Retirement Income Plan for Employees of the Company, as restated April 1, 1976.  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 11(c) of the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 2-63114) declared effective February 9, 1979.
10(b)			Exclusive Distributor Agreement between the Company and ISP Technologies Inc., dated July 5, 2000. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(d) of the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000.
10(c)			Letter Amendment between the Company and ISP Technologies Inc. dated December 16, 2002 amending the Exclusive Distributor Agreement between the Registrant and ISP Technologies Inc. dated July 5, 2000. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(d) to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002.
10(d)			Letter Amendment between the Company and ISP Technologies Inc. dated December 20, 2005 amending the Exclusive Distributor Agreement between the Registrant and ISP Technologies Inc. dated July 5, 2000 and amended on December 31, 2002. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(d) of the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005.
10(e)			Letter Amendment between the Company and ISP Technologies Inc. dated May 5, 2010 amending the Exclusive Distributor Agreement between the Company and ISP Technologies Inc. dated July 5, 2000 and amended on December 16, 2002 and December 20, 2005. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2010.
10(f)			Manufacturing and Supply Agreement between the Company and Smiths Medical ASD, Inc. signed November 12, 2013 and effective as of November 1, 2013. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated and filed November 18, 2013.
21			Subsidiaries of the Company:

	Name	Jurisdiction of Incorporation	Name Under Which it does Business
	Dieselite Corporation (Inactive)	Delaware	N/A

 

31.1			Certification of Kenneth H. Globus, President and Principal Executive Officer of the Company, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

31.2			Certification of Robert S. Rubinger, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32			Certifications of Kenneth H. Globus, President and Principal Executive Officer of the Company, and Robert S. Rubinger, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

P:

Indicates a paper filing

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(For the years ended

December 31, 2017 and 2016)

 

	Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	F-2
Financial Statements
Statements of Income	F-3
Statements of Comprehensive Income	F-3
Balance Sheets	F-4 - F-5
Statements of Stockholders' Equity	F-6
Statements of Cash Flows	F-7
Notes to Financial Statements	F-8 - F-19

 

 

REPORTS OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMS

 

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of United-Guardian, Inc.

Hauppauge, New York

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of United-Guardian, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 

 

/s/ RAICH ENDE MALTER & CO. LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

 

 

Melville, New York

March 21, 2018

 

STATEMENTS OF INCOME

 

 

 

STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

BALANCE SHEETS

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

BALANCE SHEETS

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

Years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

 

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F-19

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