SEC Company Response from RiceBran Technologies (RIBT) (CIK 0001063537) — Nov 14, 2005
RiceBran Technologies (RIBT) (CIK 0001063537)
Date: Nov. 14, 2005 · CIK: 0001063537 · Accession: 0001140361-05-009451
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: October 21, 2005
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Nutracea Corresp 11-10-2005
November
10, 2005
Roger
D. Linn
Via
EDGAR and Federal Express
916.558.6064
direct
rlinn@weintraub.com
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
100
F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Attention:
Gary
Newberry
Mail
Stop
7010
Re:
NutraCea
Form
10-KSB for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
Forms
10-QSB for Fiscal Quarters ended March 31, 2005 and June 30,
2005
File
No. 0-32565
Dear
Mr.
Newberry:
On
behalf
of NutraCea, a California corporation (“NutraCea”),
we are
responding to the comments in your letter dated October 21, 2005 relating
to
NutraCea’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2004, (the “10-KSB”).
The
responses below were provided by NutraCea, and have been numbered to correspond
with the comments in your October 21, 2005 letter.
FORM
10-KSB for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Results
of Operations, page 13
COMMENT
1:
You
have
disclosed $20.0 million of non-cash operating expenses in 2004 and 1.6 million
of non-cash operating expenses in 2003. Revise your filing to describe the
significant components of your non-cash operating expenses in order to provide
an understanding of your results of operations, as required by Regulation
S-B
Item 303(b)(1)(vi). This discussion should include an explanation of the
underlying reasons of implications of those matters. Refer to financial
Reporting Codification Section 501.12.b.4 for further guidance.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
2
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 1
NutraCea
proposes to expand the third paragraph appearing on page 13 of the Form 10-KSB
as follows (in
italics):
Operating
expenses increased by $15,257,973 to $24,175,462 in 2004, from $8,917,489
in
2003. This increase was primarily due to increased non-cash expenses related
to
issuances of common stock and common stock warrants and options awards. These
non-cash items totaled $21,911,193
in 2004
and $1,577,938 in 2003. During
2004, these non-cash expenses included $8,360,000 relating to the issuance
of
5.5 million restricted shares of common stock to the Company’s CEO for services
rendered and repayment of debt; $4,100,603 representing the value of restricted
shares and shares covered by the Company’s S-8 registration statement issued to
officers, directors and consultants for services; and $8,537,516 representing
the value of options and warrants issued to various employees and consultants.
During 2003, non-cash expenses included $14,795 representing the value of
restricted stock issued to consultants for services; $1,233,567 representing
the
value of options issued to consultants; and $329,576 representing the value
of
options issued to employees and directors. The increased issuance of restricted
stock, options and warrants during 2004 was deemed necessary by management
to
retain and compensate officers, directors, consultants and employees while
conserving cash assets that would otherwise have been expended for these
purposes. Management expects in the future to reduce the amount of securities
issued as compensation in light of expected future increases in cash assets
due
to anticipated increases in revenue and anticipated availability of additional
investment capital from outside sources. However, if additional invested
capital
is not realized as anticipated, the Company may be required to issue additional
restricted stock, options and/or warrants to compensate service providers
in the
current fiscal year.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, page F-1
COMMENT
2:
The
report indicates the audit was conducted in accordance with auditing standards
generally accepted in the United States. Amend your filing to provide an
audit
report stating that the audit was conducted in accordance with the standards
of
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), as required
by
Auditing Standard No.1.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
3
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 2
The
independent auditors have revised their report included in the Form
10-KSB/A.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations, page F-3
COMMENT
3:
You
have
disclosed $24.2 million of operating expenses and $8.9 million of operating
expenses in 2003. Revise your statements of operations to disclose your
operating expenses in sufficient detail to bring out more clearly the nature
and
trends of current changes affecting the enterprise. This presentation should
include a separate lien item for each material expense category.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 3
The
statement of operations has been changed to include additional operating
expense
detail in the Form 10-KSB/A.
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity, page F-7
COMMENT
4:
We
note
your other comprehensive loss of $2.0 million, and that you do not provide
a
disclosure of your accounting policy or the classification for the other
comprehensive loss in your financial statements or footnotes. Revise your
filing
to provide a disclosure of your accounting policy for other comprehensive
income
or loss, the classification of the other comprehensive loss recorded and
a total
amount of comprehensive income as required by Financial Accounting Standard
(FAS) 130, paragraphs 14-17.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
4
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 4
The
items
required by FAS 130 paragraphs 14-17 are included in the consolidated statements
of comprehensive loss on page F-4 of the Form 10-KSB/A. Additionally, the
accounting policy for other comprehensive income or loss is included in the
policy note for marketable securities as the unrealized loss on marketable
securities which is the only other comprehensive income or loss
item.
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows, page F-8
COMMENT
5:
We
note
that repurchase of common stock for $230,000. Tell us why you do not disclose
treasury stock on your December 31, 2004 balance sheet. We may have further
comment.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 5
Pursuant
to California Corporations Code §510(a), shares reacquired by a California
corporation are restored to the status of authorized but unissued shares.
Consequently, the repurchased shares of NutraCea would not be recorded as
“treasury stock” but are reflected as a reduction of “shares issued and
outstanding” under Shareholders’ equity on the balance sheet.
COMMENT
6:
In
your
disclosure of cash flows from operating activities, you indicate you had
non-cash issuances of common stock, stock options and warrants totaling $24.6
million of operating expenses in 2004. Your discussion on page 13 indicated
these non-cash issuances of stock, options and warrants totaled $21 million
in
2004. Please provide to us a schedule that reconciles the differences between
these two amounts. We may have further comment.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 6
The
discussion on page 13 of the 10-KSB only included non-cash items which were
included in the consolidated statements of operations while the line items
which
were included in the consolidated statements of cash flows included both
balance
sheet and statement of operations amounts.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
5
The
following reconciliation is between the amounts included on the consolidated
statement of cash flows and page 13.
Non-cash
issuances of common stock
15,339,296
Non-cash
issuance of stock options and warrants
9,306,234
Sub-total
per Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
24,645,530
Less:
Langley
PLC purchase of common shares
(2,380,000
)
Shares
issued under patent incentive plan and capitalized
(239,100
)
Common
shares issued to creditors, employees, directors
(673,975
)
Non-cash
issuances of preferred stock
(354,337
)
Non-cash
operating expense as reported on page 13
20,998,118
After
completing the above reconciliation we determined that the amount on page
13 was
incorrect and should be $21,911,193. This will be changed
accordingly.
The
statement of cash flows has been changed to include the corrected items in
the
Form 10-KSB/A.
COMMENT
7:
Tell
us
why an issuance of preferred stock in 2004 resulted in a cash outflow of
$354,000.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 7
This
amount was listed in error and will be corrected in the Form
10-KSB/A.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
6
COMMENT
8:
We
note
your purchase of marketable securities in 2004 for $2.4 million here and
the
value of marketable securities on your balance sheet. It would appear this
$2.4
million transaction is related to your purchase of Langley Park Investment
Trust
shares, which in Note 3 is described as being paid for with NutraCea shares.
On
this basis, it would appear this transaction is a noncash transaction to
be
reported as described in SFAS 95, paragraph 32. If true, revise your statement
of cash flow and related disclosures accordingly, or tell us the nature of
this
$2.4 million purchase, what securities were purchased, and the date cash
payment
was made. We may have further comment.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 8
Your
interpretation of the purchase of the marketable securities with the issuance
of
common stock is correct. The statement of cash flows has been changed to
include
this item in the Form 10-KSB/A.
Note
3
- Marketable Securities, page F-13
COMMENT
9:
With
regard to your purchase of shares in Langley Park Investment Trust, PLC.
on
September 8, 2004, tell us the following:
·
the
nature and purpose of the
transaction.
·
how
you determined the value of the
transaction.
·
the
total value of the transaction recorded at September 8,
2004.
·
how
the transaction was recorded on September 8,
2004.
·
the
number of Langley Park Investment Trust shares held at December
31, 2004,
the value of such shares and how such value was
determined.
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 9
NutraCea
purchased 1,272.026 shares of the Langley Park Investment Trust in exchange
for
7,000,000 shares of its own restricted common stock. NutraCea purchased these
shares for its own account and investment purposes. This fund is comprised
of
mostly health-related companies. NutraCea determined the value of the
transaction by the market price of the NutraCea shares given in exchange
for the
Langley shares, or $.34/share multiplied by 7,000,000. At September 8, 2004,
the
value of the transaction was $2,380,000, and recorded as an asset and unrealized
gain (loss). Any unrealized gains for losses on these shares were excluded
from
operating results and were recognized as other comprehensive income (loss).
At
December 31, 2004, NutraCea held the same 1,272,026 shares of Langley. The
value
of these securities was determined by market price. On December 31st,
the
currency exchange rate for the British pound was 1.927 and the value of a
Langley share was .15 pence, or $.289 USD; 636,013 shares valued at $183,801
recorded as a current asset, 636,013 shares valued at $183,801 recorded as
a
long-term asset, and $2,012,397 as the adjustment to fair market value.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
November
10, 2005
Page
7
COMMENT
10:
It
would
appear the agreement to purchase Langley Park Investment Trust, PLC, is a
material agreement. Provide the agreement with Langley Park Investment Trust,
PLC as an exhibit to your Form 10-KSB, as required by Regulation S-B Item
601(b)(10).
RESPONSE
TO COMMENT 10
The
requested document, Stock Purchase Agreement between NutraCea and Langley
Park
Investment Trust PLC, was previously filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Form 8-K
filed
on September 14, 2004. This document is now incorporated by reference to
the
10-KSB/A as Exhibit 10.9.
Note
9
- Commitments and Contingencies
Agreements,
page F-15
COMMENT
11:
We
note
your issuance of common shares or warrants to purchase common shares in exchange
of services to be performed under one year and multi-year agreements. For
each
such agreement disclosed in this footnote, provide us with a