SEC Company Response from JAKKS PACIFIC INC (JAKK) (CIK 0001009829) (JAKK) — Sep 22, 2006
JAKKS PACIFIC INC (JAKK) (CIK 0001009829)
Date: Sept. 22, 2006 · CIK: 0001009829 · Accession: 0001144204-06-039407
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Unassociated Document
[JAKKS
Letterhead]
September
22, 2006
VIA
FAX (202-772-9202)
AND
FEDERAL EXPRESS
Securities
and Exchange Commission
100
F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Attention:
Ms. Claire Erlanger
Re:
JAKKS
Pacific, Inc. and its Subsidiaries (collectively, the
"Company")
Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, Filed March 16,
2006
Form
10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006, Filed May 2,
2006
Form
10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2006, Filed August 7,
2006
Dear
Ms.
Erlanger:
This
letter shall serve to respond to the questions and comments contained in the
Commission's letter to the Company dated August 30, 2006 regarding its review
of
the above-referenced Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
We
have
prepared our responses in the order contained in the Commission's
letter.
Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005
Item
6. Selected Financial data, page 26
1. Please
revise future filings to either disclose or cross-reference to a discussion
thereof, any factors that materially affect the comparability of the information
provided in your Selected Financial Data. Such items may include, but not be
limited to, business acquisitions or dispositions, accounting changes or other
significant or unusual items which may be helpful to an investor’s understanding
of the selected financial data. Refer to the requirements of Item 301 of
Regulation S-K.
We
will,
in our future applicable filings, either disclose or cross-reference to a
discussion thereof, any factors that materially affect the comparability of
the
information provided in our Selected Financial Data, which may include, but
will
not be limited to, business acquisitions or dispositions, accounting changes
or
other significant or unusual items which may be helpful to an investor’s
understanding of the Selected Financial Data.
Consolidated
Financial Statements
Consolidated
Statements of Income, page 41
2. We
note that you have netted interest income and interest expense on the fact
of
your consolidated statements of income. In light of your disclosure on page
30
of your MD&A, which indicates that interest expense is material, please
revise your presentation in future filings to present interest income and
interest expense on separate line items. See Rule 5-03(b)(7-9) of Regulation
S-X.
We
will
include in our future applicable filings the presentation of interest income
and
interest expense on separate line items.
Notes
to the Financial Statements
Note
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Stock Option Plans, page
48
3. We
note your disclosure that certain options have been repriced resulting in
compensation adjustments, which have been reflected in net income. Please
provide us with the nature and details of any option repricings and resulting
compensation adjustments that occurred during the three years ended
December 31, 2005.
On
October 30, 2000, our Board of Directors resolved that (i) each of the options
to purchase 1,846,194 shares of our common stock that were outstanding as of
such date (the “Options”) be amended to reset their exercise price to $7.875;
and (ii) the number of shares to be issued upon the exercise price of the
Options be decreased pro rata; provided, that neither of the foregoing changes
would occur unless the holder of an Option consented to such changes. In total,
the holders of Options to purchase 1,717,324 shares (or 93.0% of the total
number of Options) participated in such repricing, so that the total number
of
shares underlying the Options was reduced from 1,717,324 shares to 1,384,609
shares. As a result, effective as of October 30, 2000, we began to account
for
any repriced Options using the variable method pursuant to APB 25 and FIN 44,
which resulted in charges or credit to compensation expense based on
fluctuations in the market price of our common stock for the three years in
the
period ended December 31, 2005, as follows:
2003
$
6,292
2004
$
5,364,540
2005
$
(1,706,287
)
Note
14. Common Stock, Preferred Stock and Warrants, page 61
4. (i) We
note that during 2004 and 2005 shares of restricted stock were issued to certain
executives and directors. Please tell us and disclose in future filings the
nature of the vesting provisions of the stock, and your method of recording
compensation expense and deferred compensation.
We
will
disclose in all future applicable filings the nature of the vesting provisions
of our restricted stock and our method of recording compensation expense and
deferred compensation. The following would be an example of such disclosure
for
2004 and 2005:
Executive
Officers -
In
accordance with their respective Employment Agreements, Jack Friedman and
Stephen Berman were each granted the
right
to be issued an aggregate of 1,080,000 shares of restricted stock. The first
tranche of restricted stock (240,000 shares for each of Messrs. Friedman and
Berman), was granted at the time the agreements became effective in 2003, and
120,000 shares were granted to each of them on each of January 1, 2004 and
2005. No
other
executive officers were issued any shares of restricted stock in 2004 and 2005.
In
the
subsequent years of their respective employment terms, Messrs. Friedman and
Berman will each receive 120,000 shares of restricted stock.
The
vesting of each tranche of restricted stock is subject to our achieving pre-tax
income in excess of $2,000,000 in the fiscal year that the grant is made (which
we achieved in each of 2004 and 2005). Each tranche of restricted stock granted
or to be granted from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2008 is
subject to a two-year vesting period, which may be accelerated to one year
if we
achieve certain earnings per share growth targets (which we achieved in 2004
and
2005). Each tranche of restricted stock to be granted thereafter through
January 1, 2010, is subject to a one-year vesting period.
Directors
-
In
accordance with the terms of our 2002 Incentive Equity Plan, our non-employee
directors were issued on each of January 1, 2004 and 2005, 1,000 shares of
our
restricted stock, which shares vested on the one-year anniversary of their
date
of grant (subject to the director in question still serving in such capacity
as
of such one-year anniversary).
Method
of
Recording Compensation Expense and Deferred Compensation -
Upon
granting of the restricted stock, all weighted shares of restricted stock are
included in our basic and diluted earning per share calculation. At the grant
date, restricted stock is booked as Deferred Compensation and the offset is
booked to Common Stock and Additional Paid-In Capital. Throughout the year,
the
Deferred Compensation is reduced with an offset to restricted stock expense.
Effective with the implementation of FAS123R, any balance in the Deferred
Compensation account is netted against Additional Paid-In Capital.
For
example, on January 1, 2005, Messrs. Friedman and Berman were each granted
120,000 shares of restricted stock, of which 60,000 shares vested on January
1,
2006 and 60,000 shares are scheduled to vest on January 1, 2007. The following
is the accounting that took place:
Debit
Deferred
Compensation
Credit Common
Stock
Credit Additional
Paid In Capital
The
restricted stock expense for each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman was recognized
as follows:
Debit
Restricted
Stock Expense
Credit Deferred
Compensation
(ii) Also,
for the shares of restricted stock that were issued during 2004 and 2005, please
explain to us why the total value of the shares was expensed during the same
year the shares of restricted stock were issued.
Restricted
stock issued during 2004 and 2005 was fully expensed during the same year the
shares of restricted stock were issued because of the accelerated vesting
resulting from the percentage growth of our earnings per share (as described
in
(i), above).
(iii) Also,
please tell us the number of shares of restricted stock that have been issued
but have not vested as of December 31, 2005 and explain to us how you have
considered these unvested shares in your basic and diluted earnings per share
calculation.
As
of
December 31, 2005, all shares of restricted stock that had been issued were
fully vested and included in both our basic and diluted earning per share
calculation.
5. Please
explain to us the nature of the $5.3 million increase to APIC and charge to
stock compensation expense during fiscal 2004 which is represented on the
statements of stockholders’ equity as “compensation for fully vested stock
options.” Similarly, explain the $1.7 million decrease to APIC and reduction to
stock compensation expense during fiscal 2005.
Please
refer to our response to comment #3. The fluctuation in our stock price gave
rise to the following journal entries:
Year
2004: Debit Compensation
for fully vested options
Credit Additional
Paid-In Capital
Year
2005: Debit Additional
Paid-In Capital
Credit Compensation
for fully vested options
6. We
note that during 2005 you issued 566,546 shares of common stock for
$4.9 million of cash and restricted stock. Please explain to us when the
101,002 shares of restricted stock were issued, how you determined or calculated
their value of $1.7 million, and how you accounted for the exchange of 101,002
shares for 215,982 shares.
On
September 13, 2005, each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman exercised an option
to
purchase 107,991 shares of our common stock (or 215,982 shares in the aggregate)
and, in accordance with the terms of our 1995 Employee Stock Option Plan, as
amended and restated, each paid the $850,430 exercise price therefor through
the
surrender of 50,501 of common stock (or 101,002 shares in the aggregate), based
upon the closing price of our common stock on September 13, 2005 of $16.84.
The
101,002 surrendered shares were charged to Treasury Stock. The 101,002 shares
of
restricted stock were initially issued as of January 1, 2004. Simultaneously,
the 215,982 shares issued pursuant to the option exercise were accounted for
as
increases to Common Stock and APIC. Upon the retirement of the surrendered
101,002 shares, Common Stock and APIC were likewise reduced along with the
Treasury Stock.
7. We
note that during 2003, you awarded 2,760,000 shares of restricted stock to
certain executives, of which 396,000 were earned during 2004. Please explain
to
us how you have accounted for the 396,000 shares in 2004 including how you
valued the shares and how they have been accounted for in the statement of
stockholders’ equity.
The
396,000 shares of restricted stock earned in 2004 were charged to compensation
expense during 2003 and 2004, the service period of such grants, with an offset
to Deferred Compensation From Restricted Stock Grants, which as of December
31,
2004 was nil due to the full vesting of such shares during 2004. As of December
31, 2003, $789,000 of stock-based compensation relating to 60,000 restricted
shares that vested on January 1, 2005 was deferred in the stockholders’ equity.
The value of the shares was determined using the closing stock price on the
last
trading day of each of the fiscal years.
Note
20- Litigation, page 64
8. Please
revise to disclose, in plain English, the nature of the WWE’s claims against
you.
Pursuant
to your discussion with our counsel, Saul Kaszovitz, on September 13, 2006,
the
Commission has revised its request so that we are required to only disclose
the
requested information in future filings, rather than amend the Form 10-K.
We
will
disclose in all future applicable filings the nature of the WWE’s claims against
us in plain English.
Item
15. Exhibits, page 82
9. Your
exhibit index does not include reference to material contracts such as
acquisition, financing, licensing, or joint venture agreements. Please revise
to
reference to all material contracts as required by Item 15(b) of Form 10-K
and
Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K.
Pursuant
to your discussion with our counsel, Saul Kaszovitz, on September 13, 2006,
the
Commission has revised its request so that we are required to only disclose
the
requested information in future filings, rather than amend the Form
10-K.
We
will
include in the exhibit index of all future applicable filings references to
material contracts required by Item 15(b) of Form 10-K and Item 601(b)(10)
of
Regulation S-K.
Form
10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2006
Balance
Sheets
10. We
note that your investment in the THQ video game joint venture has decreased
from
$10.4 million as of December 31, 2005 to $3.2 million as of March 31, 2006.
Please explain to us the nature of this decrease.
Our
investment in the THQ video game joint venture is comprised of two
components: (1) our actual investment in the joint venture, with a net book
value of $2.0 million as of December 31, 2005, that is being amortized over
the
life of the underlying license agreement for which the joint venture was
organized; and (2) an accrual for the preferred return earned by us each
quarter, which is settled in the following quarter. Accordingly, the reduction
in the balance in the investment account is primarily due to our receipt of
the
payment in the amount of $8.4 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2006 for
the preferred return earned by us in the fourth quarter ended December 31,
2005.
The fourth quarter is typically the highest volume quarter due to the number
of
video game titles typically released in the fourth quarter. This resulted
in the net reduction for the quarter ended March 31, 2006.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis - Results of Operations
11. Please
revise to discuss and analyze results of operations by the operating segments
disclosed i