UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

  

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

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 20142016

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 0-25779

 

THESTREET, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 06-1515824
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
   
14 Wall Street, 15th Floor
New York, New York
 10005
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 321-5000

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 321-5000

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

 

Title of Each Class Name of Each Exchange on Which the Securities are
Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share 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¨Nox

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes¨ Nox

 

Indicate by a 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. YesxNo¨

 

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 as required to submit and post such files). YesxNo¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the 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, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer¨Accelerated filerx¨Non-accelerated filer¨Smaller reporting company¨x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes¨Nox

 

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant (assuming, for the sole purpose of this calculation, that all directors and executive officers of the Registrant are “affiliates”), based upon the closing price of the Registrant’s common stock on June 30, 20142016 as reported by Nasdaq, was approximately $77$36 million.

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the Registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

Title of Each ClassNumber of Shares Outstanding as of February 27, 2015March 15,
2017
Common Stock, par value $0.01 par value34,819,23235,628,317

 

Documents Incorporated By Reference

 

Part III of this Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain information from the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 20152017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report.

 

 

 

 

THESTREET, INC.
2014

2016 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
PART I
    
Item 1.Business1 
Item 1A.Risk Factors76 
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments17 
Item 2.Properties17 
Item 3.Legal Proceedings17 
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures17 
    
PART II
    
Item 5.Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities18 
Item 6.Selected Financial Data2019 
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations2120 
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk3836 
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data3837 
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure3837 
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures3837  
Item 9B.Other Information4138 
    
PART III
    
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance4138 
Item 11.Executive Compensation4138 
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters4138 
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence4238 
Item 14.Principal Accounting Fees and Services4238 
    
PART IV
    
Item 15.Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules4238 
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary38
SIGNATURES4539 

ii

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report. Additional risk factors may be described from time to time in our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

THESTREET, INC.
2014 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
Unless the context suggests otherwise, specifically, references in this Annual Report to “TheStreet,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to TheStreet, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

 

PART I

 

Item 1. Business.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements – all statements contained in this Report that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, the factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Report, and in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Certain forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “forecasts,” “potential,” or “continue” or similar terms or the negative of these terms. All statements relating to our plans, strategies and objectives are deemed forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We have no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Overview

 

Overview

TheStreet, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (“TheStreet”, “we”, “us” or the “Company”), isis a leading digital financial media company focusednews and information provider. Our business-to-business and business-to-consumer content and products provide individual and institutional investors, advisors and dealmakers with actionable information from the worlds of finance and business.

Our business strategy for 2017 is centered on the financialaccelerating our growth by successfully implementing initiatives that were put in place in 2016.

2016 Highlights

·Recruited and hired a new and experienced management team, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, David Callaway;
·established one unified newsroom across all business units;
·identified and optimized synergies between our products in order to add scale to our data, technology and commercial capabilities;
·continued to expand our content distribution channels to broaden our customer base and enhance the user experience;
·identified new and growing revenue streams and provided support and resources necessary to maximize them (events, native advertising and custom content); and
·increased the Board of Directors toseven members, with five independent directors.

Our Products and Services

Business-to-Business

Our business-to-business, or B2B, products provide dealmakers, their advisers, institutional investors and corporate executives with news, data and analysis of mergers and acquisitions environment. and changes in corporate control, relationship mapping services, and competitive bank rate data. Our B2B business products, as described in greater detail below, have helped diversify our business from primarily serving retail investors to also providing an indispensable source of business intelligence for both high net worth individuals and executives in the top firms in the world.

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Our B2B business derives revenue primarily from subscription products, events/conferences and information services. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our B2B businesses generated 46% of our total revenue.

The Company’s collectionDeal

In September 2012, we acquired The Deal, L.L.C., or The Deal, which began as a broadsheet newspaper for retail investors and transformed its business into a digital subscription model that delivers sophisticated coverage primarily to institutional investors on changes in corporate control, including merges and acquisitions, private equity, corporate activism and restructuring. The Deal is a trusted information source for organizations seeking to generate deal flow, improve client intelligence and enhance market knowledge. It provides full access to proprietary commentary, analysis and data produced every day by our editors and journalists and content feeds can be customized based on each client’s job function, deal focus and workflow. Content can be delivered via email, mobile, web or existing corporate platform. The Deal is headquartered in New York and has offices in London, England, Petaluma, California, Washington DC and Chennai, India.

In April 2013, we also acquiredThe DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Reportand the PrivateRaise database from DealFlow Media, Inc. to further broaden the information and services available to institutional investors. These newsletters and this database, and the employees providing their content, have been incorporated into The Deal.

BoardEx

In October 2014, we acquired Management Diagnostics Limited, the developer of digital services provides users, subscribersthe leading relationship capital management service BoardEx, collectively, BoardEx. BoardEx expanded our international operations and advertisers withfurthered our transition from primarily serving retail investors to also becoming an indispensable data and business intelligence source for institutional clients. Founded in 1999, BoardEx is an institutional relationship capital management database and platform and currently holds in-depth profiles of almost one million of the world's most important business leaders. BoardEx’s proprietary software shows the relationships between and among these individuals and a variety ofuser and his/her contacts. Clients, including investment banks, consultancies, executive search firms, law firms and universities use BoardEx to leverage their relationships and facilitate business and corporate development initiatives. BoardEx is headquartered in London, England and has locations in New York and Chennai, India.

RateWatch

Our third B2B business product, RateWatch, publishes bank rate market information including competitive deposit, loan and fee rate data, primarily on a subscription basis, to financial institutions, government agencies, academic researchers, banks, credit unions and other commercial organizations. RateWatch is headquartered in Wisconsin.

Business-to-Consumer

Our business-to-consumer, or B2C, business is led by our namesake website,TheStreet.com, and includes free content and tools through a range of online, social media, tablet and mobile channels.Our mission is to provide investors and advisors with actionable ideas from the world of investing, finance and business, and dealmakers with sophisticated analysishouses our premium subscription products that target varying segments of the mergers and acquisitions environment, in order to break down information barriers, level the playing field and help all individuals and organizations grow their wealth.With a robust suite of digital services, TheStreet offers the tools and insights needed to make informed decisions about earning,retail investing saving and spending money. public.Since its inception in 1996, TheStreet believes it haswe have distinguished itself from otherourselves as a trusted and reliable source for financial media companiesnews and information with its journalistic excellence, an unbiased approach and interactive multimedia coverage of the financial markets, economy, industry trends, investment and financial planning.

 

We pioneered online publishingOur B2C business generates revenue primarily from premium subscription products and advertising. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our B2C business generated 54% of business and investment information through our creation oftotal revenue.

Our most recognizable consumer products include the following:

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TheStreetTheStreet.com, which launched in 1996 as is a paid subscription financialfree, advertising-supported digital platform that provides unbiased business news and market analysis to individual investors.TheStreet.com provides us with an ongoing and efficient source of leads for our premium subscription products and for 20 years,TheStreet.com has been recognized as one of the premier providers of investment commentary, Website. Today,analysis and news.

TheStreetRealMoney and RealMoney Proare the foundation of our premium subscription product line for consumers. RealMoney is aimed at active market participants and self-directed investors looking for timely, action-oriented market commentary and analysis.RealMoney contributors include dozens of experienced financial analysts, traders, money managers and journalists, including James J. Cramer and Douglas Kass.

Action Alerts PLUS is our flagship advertising-supported property,premium subscription offering that teaches consumers how to manage money for long term growth with former hedge fund manager James J. Cramer. Members are privy to the day-to-day activity surrounding Mr. Cramer’s personal charitable portfolio including alerts notifying them when Mr. Cramer is about to make a leading sitetrade. Surrounding content includes Mr. Cramer’s explanations regarding what stocks he is buying or selling and, more importantly, why he is taking that position.Action Alerts Plus members also have access to live monthly conference calls where Mr. Cramer addresses their questions about the market, specific stocks in the portfolio and trade ideas. We also host an interactive online forum where members can post questions for theAction Alerts Plus team, share ideas and engage in a dialogue with each other. In addition, subscribers receive a weekly roundup of analysis of all stocks in the portfolio and have access tohttp://www.actionalertsplus.com for a continuously updated view of the portfolio and its categoryperformance.Action Alerts PLUS is aimed at investors looking for exclusive access to specific, action-oriented investment ideas.

Segments

Our operations consist of three reportable segments: TheDeal/BoardEx, RateWatch and a source of subscribersBusiness to Consumer. Further information regarding our operating segments may be found in Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Sales, Marketing and Distribution

We pursue a variety of sales and marketing initiatives to increase traffic to our paid subscription products. Our subscriptionsites, license our content, sell advertising, increase subscriptions for our B2B and B2C products and expose our brands to new audiences. These initiatives include promotion through online, search marketing, email, social, direct mail and telemarketing channels. We employ marketers and designers who plan and create campaigns for the various business units which are designed to address the needs of investors with various areas of interest and increasing levels of financial sophistication,including fledgling investors, consumers interested in personal finance guidance, long-term and short-term active investors, day and swing traders, and fundamental,then implemented by our technical and options traders.operations team as well as by third-party service providers. Our RateWatch business publishes bank rate market information onintelligence group, responsible for reporting and analysis, helps determine the effectiveness of our campaigns and make informed decisions. In addition to these marketing efforts, we employ a subscription basissales force that sells directly to financial institutionsadvertisers and government agencies.The Deal, LLC (“The Deal”), ourtheir agencies, as well as to institutional services platform, provides dealmakers, advisers and institutional investors with director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions environment.

Subscription Services

Subscription services revenue is comprised of subscriptions, licenses and fees for access to securities investment information, stock market commentary, rate services, director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions environment.clients as outlined above.

 

We believeuse content syndication and subscription distribution to capitalize on the cost efficiencies of digital distribution and to garner additional value from content we have produced for our own properties. By syndicating our content to other leading digital properties, we expose our brands and top-quality journalism to millions of potential users/subscribers. For example, we provide digital properties in our vertical, including Yahoo! Finance, AOL Finance, Marketwatch and MSN Money, with selected content to host along with additional article headlines that these partners display on their stock quote result pages, in both instances providing links back to our site. This type of content licensing exposes new audiences to our brands and generates additional traffic to our sites, creating the opportunity for us to increase our advertising revenue and subscription sales.

To attract additional visitors to our sites, we utilize search engine optimization tools to increase the visibility of our content on Google, Yahoo, Bing and similar search engines. We also have a social media team that works across platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to increase awareness and drive traffic to our content, events and subscription products.

3

With digital traffic now almost evenly split between desktop and mobile platforms and devices, we continually improve our products to be as mobile-friendly as possible, while developing and distributing mobile and tablet applications to deliver our content to mobile-first audiences. The Deal and BoardEx both have robust mobile sites and apps and are using mobile alerts to continually engage with users/subscribers. In the first half of 2017, we expect to launch a “unified” TheStreet app which will allow users to access our free and paid content in a single environment. Finally, we continue to focus on increasing the engagement our visitors have with our online and mobile offerings, measured by visits per visitor, page views per visit and by time spent on site, and we continuously seek to improve the experience our digital products offer.

We consistently obtain exposure through other media outlets who cite our journalists and our content or who invite our editorial staff to appear on segments to provide key market commentary and consumer advice. In 2016, we were mentioned or featured in almost 100 reports by national publications and national and local broadcast media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Timesand CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, among others.

Competition

We compete with a broad range of content providers, newsletter publishers, event producers and information services. We face competition primarily from:

·with respect to our B2B business, particularly The Deal, providers of business intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and financings primarily to investment banks, law firms, hedge funds, private equity firms and corporate institutions, such as Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dealogic, ThomsonOne and Mergermarket Group;

·with respect to our B2B business, particularly BoardEx, providers of relationship capital management services and director, officer and dealmaker data, including Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dow Jones, The New York Stock Exchange, LexisNexis, Relationship Science, and Thomson Reuters;

·with respect to our B2B business, particularly RateWatch, established ratings services, such as Standard & Poor’s, Morningstar and Lipper as well as rate database providers such as Informa and SNL Financial;

·with respect to our B2C business, online content providers focused on business, personal finance or investing content, such as The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, CNN Money, Forbes.com, Reuters.com, Bloomberg.com, Seeking Alpha, Business Insider and CNBC.com, as well as portals such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL Daily Finance and MSN Money; and

·with respect to our B2B and B2C businesses, publishers and distributors of traditional media with a focus on business, finance or investing, such as The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, personal finance talk radio programs and business television networks such as Bloomberg, CNBC and the Fox Business Channel as well as investment newsletter publishers, such as The Motley Fool, Stansberry & Associates Investment Research and InvestorPlace Media.

Many of these competitors have significantly greater scale and resources than we do. Additionally, advances in technology have reduced the cost of production and online distribution of written, audio and video content, which has resulted in the proliferation of small, often self-published providers of free content.

Advertisers and their agencies often look to independent measurement data such as that provided by comScore, Inc., aleading cross-platform measurement company that measures audiences and consumer behavior, or comScore, in order to gain a sense of the performance of various sites, in relation to their peer category, when determining where to allocate advertising dollars.TheStreet.com has consistently ranked as one of the first companiestop websites by comScore for users having a portfolio value over $1 million, a household income over $75,000 and those checking stock quotes.

Our ability to compete successfully create a large scale, consumer-focused, digital subscription services content business. We believe we have been able to successfully build our subscription services business because we have established a track record for over 18 years of providing highdepends on many factors, including the format, quality, independent investing ideas that have produced financial value for our readers. We believe our track record provides us with a competitive advantageoriginality, timeliness, insightfulness and we will seek to enhance the valuetrustworthiness of our leading brandcontent and that of our competitors, the reputations of our contributors and our brands, the success of our recommendations and research, our ability to monetizeintroduce products and services that value.keep pace with new technology and distribution methods, investing trends, the experience we and our competitors offer our users and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

 

4

In addition to our consumer-focused subscription products, which includeRealMoney,RealMoney Pro, Options Profits, Actions Alerts PLUS, TheStreetQuant Ratings,andStocks Under $10, our subscription services business also includes information

Infrastructure, Operations and transactional services revenue from RateWatch and The Deal.Technology

 

RateWatchB2B

The Deal and BoardEx are based on proprietary and commercial systems developed for consumption by institutional clients. Both our BoardEx and The Deal systems consist of a mixture of proprietary and commercial software hosted within the Amazon Web Services environment.  The Deal system distributes the content via an email delivery system or web based platform. The BoardEx system distributes data to multiple client platforms either hosted within Amazon Web Services or on the clients’ premises via commercial software before redistributing it via a standard email delivery system, data feed processes, or to a web interface.

RateWatch maintains a constantly-updated database of deposit, loan and fee rate data from over 100,000 financial institutions.institutions using proprietary software and commercial software both internally and within the Amazon Web Services environment. This historical and real-time rate data is licensed to financial institutions, government agencies, educational researchers and commercial organizations. Data is provided in formats ranging from standard rate templates to large raw data files for use with third party analytical tools. The RateWatch product line also includes banking-related product and fee comparisons, financial strength reporting, educational webinars, mystery shopping and consumer and financial institution surveys.

 

In September 2012, the Company acquired The Deal, LLC (“The Deal”) as it expanded its subscription services with a new focus on institutional investors, in addition to retail investors. Founded in 1999 asThe Daily Dealprint newspaper, The Deal transformed its business into a digital subscription platform that delivers sophisticated coverage of the mergers and acquisitions environment, primarily through The Deal Pipeline, a leading provider of transactional information services. The Deal Pipeline was created for organizations seeking to generate deal flow, improve client intelligence and enhance market knowledge.  It provides full access to proprietary commentary, analysis and data produced every day by The Deal’s editors and journalists and can be customized based on each client’s job function, deal focus and workflow and delivered straight to a mobile device or existing corporate platform.

In April 2013, the Company acquiredThe DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Reportand the PrivateRaise database from DealFlow Media, Inc. to further broaden the information and services available to institutional investors. These newsletters and database, and the employees providing their content, have been incorporated into The Deal.

Additionally, in October 2014, the Company acquired Management Diagnostics Limited (“MDL”), a privately held company headquartered in London, England to expand the Company’s international operations and further the Company’s transition from primarily serving retail investors to also becoming an indispensable data and business intelligence source for institutional clients. MDL is the owner of BoardEx, an institutional relationship capital management database and platform. Clients, including investment banks, consultancies and law firms use BoardEx to leverage their relationships and facilitate business and corporate development initiatives. MDL was founded in 1999 and has offices in London, New York and Chennai, India. MDL’s products and services, and the employees providing these products and services have been incorporated into The Deal.

Our subscription services revenue also includes revenue generated from syndication and licensing of data from TheStreet Ratings (“Ratings”), which tracks the risk-adjusted performance of more than 20,000 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and more than 4,000 stocks. Subscription services contributed 79% of our total revenue in 2014, as compared to 80% in 2013 and 73% in 2012.

Media

Media revenue is comprised of fees charged for the placement of advertising and sponsorships within TheStreet and its affiliated properties, our subscription and institutional services, and other miscellaneous revenue.

Our advertising-supported properties, which includeTheStreet,MainStreet, Stockpickr, andReal Money, attract one of the largest and most affluent audiences of any digital publisher in our content vertical.TheStreet, with its enviable track record as a leading and distinctive digital voice in the financial category, is regarded as a must-buy for most of our core online brokerage advertisers and a highly effective means for other financial services companies and non-endemic advertisers to communicate with our engaged, affluent audience. Our direct sales team sells the full capabilities of TheStreet and its affiliated properties via sponsorships, custom programs, video, mobile, newsletters, audience targeting, native advertising, social amplification and distribution as well as programmatic direct and real time bidding.

Our media revenue also includes revenue generated from syndication and licensing of data as well as other miscellaneous, non-subscription related sources. Media contributed 21% of our total revenue in 2014, as compared to 20% in 2013 and 27% in 2012.

Marketing

We pursue a variety of sales and marketing initiatives to sell subscriptions to our subscription services, increase traffic to our sites, license our content, expose our brands, and build our customer databases. These initiatives may include promoting our services through online, email, social, radio and television marketing, telemarketing and establishing content syndication and subscription distribution relationships with leading companies. Our in-house online marketing and creative design teams create a variety of marketing campaigns, which are then implemented by our technical and operations team and by third-party service providers. We also have a reporting and analysis group that analyzes traffic and subscription data to determine the effectiveness of the campaigns. We also sell our subscription services through a direct sales force to institutional clients.

We use content syndication and subscription distribution arrangements to capitalize on the cost efficiencies of online delivery and create additional value from content we already have produced for our own properties. By syndicating our content to other leading Websites to host on their own sites, we expose our brands and top-quality writing to millions of potential users. In one type of syndication arrangement, we provide leading Websites in our vertical, including Yahoo! Finance, AOL Daily Finance and MSN Money, with selected content to host along with additional article headlines that these partners display on their stock quote result pages, in both instances providing links back to our site. This type of arrangement exposes new audiences to our brands and content and generates additional traffic to our sites, creating the opportunity for us to increase our advertising revenue and subscription sales.

We seek to generate additional visitors to our sites through search engine optimization efforts, in order to increase the visibility of our content on search engines such as Google Search and Microsoft’s Bing, and through efforts to increase our presence on a variety of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. We have been active in developing and distributing mobile and tablet applications to deliver our content to new audiences. Finally, we focus on increasing the engagement our visitors have with our sites, measured by visits per visitor, page views per visit and by time spent on site, and we continuously seek to improve the experience our sites offer.

In addition, we obtain exposure through other media outlets who cite our writers and our stories or who invite our writers to appear on segments. In 2014, we were mentioned or featured in reports by major news/media outlets, includingThe Wall Street Journal, USA Today,and The New York Times. Many of our writers and analysts provided key market commentary and consumer advice for CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and other national and local news organizations.

Competition

Our services face intense competition from other providers of business, personal finance, investing and ratings content, including:

·online services or Websites focused on business, personal finance or investing, such asThe Wall Street Journal Digital Network,CNN Money, Forbes.com, Reuters.com,Bloomberg.com,Seeking Alpha, Business Insider andCNBC.com,as well as financial portals such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL Daily Finance and MSN Money;

·publishers and distributors of traditional media focused on business, personal finance or investing, including print and radio, such asThe Wall Street Journal and financial talk radio programs, and business television networks such as Bloomberg, CNBC and the Fox Business Channel;

·investment newsletter publishers, such asTheMotley Fool, Stansberry & Associates Investment Research andInvestorPlace Media;

·other providers of business intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and financings, such asBloombergandMergermarket Group;

·established ratings services, such as Standard & Poor’s, Morningstar and Lipper, with respect to our Ratings products, and rate database providers such as Informa and SNL Financial, with respect to our RateWatch products; and

·other providers of director, officer and dealmaker data, including Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dow Jones, The New York Stock Exchange, LexisNexis, Relationship Science, and Thomson Reuters.

Many of these competitors have significantly greater scale and resources than we do. Additionally, advances in technology have reduced the cost of production and online distribution of written, audio and video content, which has resulted in the proliferation of small, often self-published providers of free content, such as bloggers.

We believe that advertisers and agencies often look to independent measurement data such as that provided by comScore, Inc., an independent Web measurement company (“comScore”), in order to gain a sense of the performance of various sites, in relation to their peer category, when determining where to allocate advertising dollars.

According to an October 2014 survey by comScore, TheStreet ranks:

·#1 Website with readers having a portfolio value over $1 million;
·#1 Website with readers having investable assets over $500,000;
·#1 Website with readers having household income over $75,000; and
·#1 Website with readers checking stock quotes.

We compete with these other content providers for customers, including subscribers, readers and viewers of our video content, for advertising revenue, and for employees and contributors to our services. Our ability to compete successfully depends on many factors, including the quality, originality, timeliness, insightfulness and trustworthiness of our content and that of our competitors, the reputations of our contributors and our brands, the success of our recommendations and research, our ability to introduce products and services that keep pace with new investing trends, the experience we and our competitors offer our users and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

Infrastructure, Operations and TechnologyB2C

 

Our main technological infrastructure consists of proprietary and Drupal-based content management systems, and in 2017, subscription management Ratings models, and e-commerce systems.systems provided by third party vendors.  We also utilize the services of third-party cloud computing providers, more specifically Amazon Web Services, as well as content delivery networks such as Fastly, to help us efficiently distribute our content to our customers. Our RateWatch systems consistcustomers and ensure resiliency and scalability of proprietary and commercial software hosted internally. Our operations are dependent in part on our ability, and that of our third-party cloud computing providers, to keep our systems up to rapidly evolving modern standards and to protect our systems against damage from fire, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failure, break-ins, computer viruses, hacker attacks, terrorist attacks and other events beyond our control.

service. Our content-management systems are based on proprietary software, Drupal and Kaltura Content Management Systems. They allow our stories, videos and data to be prepared for distribution online to a large audience. These systems enable us to distribute and syndicate our content economically and efficiently to multiple destinations in a variety of technical formats.

 

Our subscription-management system is based on proprietary software and allows us to communicate automatically with readers during their free-trial and subscription periods. The system is capable of yielding a variety of customized subscription offers to potential subscribers, using various communication methods and platforms.

Our e-commerce system is based on proprietary software and controls user access to a wide array of service offerings. The system automatically controls aspects of online daily credit card billing, based upon user-selected billing terms. All financial revenue-recognition reports are automatically generated, providing detailed reporting on all account subscriptions. This generally allows a user to sign up and pay for an online service for his or her selected subscription term (e.g., annual or monthly).

Our Ratings business is based on a set of proprietary statistical models that use key financial metrics and indicators to rate stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. The data and output from these models are managed and stored within a content management system and updated daily based on changes in markets. The system is capable of search-based syndication of customized ratings data that can be distributed in a variety of technical formats. Our RateWatch business uses proprietary software to input and extract from a commercial database platform financial rate data that we collect through the efforts of our large data collection team. The RateWatch proprietary software automatically generates and distributes customer reports based on our data.

Intellectual Property

 

To protect our intellectual property, (“IP”),or IP, we rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patent protection, confidentiality agreements and various other contractual arrangements with our employees, affiliates, customers, strategic partners, vendors and others. We own severalhave many trademark registrations and copyrights in the United States and internationally, and have pending trademark and patent applications in the United States.States and internationally. In addition, our Code of Conduct and Business Ethics, employee handbook, and other internal policies seek to protect our IP against misappropriation, infringement, and unfair competition. We also utilize various tools to police the Internet to monitor piracy and unauthorized use of our content. Finally, whether we are contracting out our IP or licensing third-party content and/or technology, we incorporate contractual provisions to protect our IP and seek indemnification for any third-party infringement claims.

However, we cannot provide any guarantee that the foregoing provisions will be adequate to protect us from third-party claims or that these provisions will prevent the theft of our IP, as we may be unable to detect the unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce, our IP rights. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property could harm our brand, devalue our proprietary content, and affect our ability to compete effectively. Further, any infringement claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources on our part, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Customers; SeasonalityCustomers

 

There does not tend to be significant seasonality toFor the year ended December 31, 2016, no single customer accounted for 10% or more of our subscription servicesconsolidated revenue. There is seasonality inAs of December 31, 2016, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of our advertising revenue, as spending by our customers generally tends to be higher in the fourth calendar quarter as compared to other quarters, and the first and third calendar quarters often are lower than the other quarters.gross accounts receivable balance.

 

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Geography

 

During 2014, significantly all of our long-lived assets were located in the United States. During 2013 and 2012, all of our long-lived assets were located in the United States. Substantially all of our revenue in 2014, 2013 and 2012 was generated from customers in the United States.

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2014, the Company2016, we had 557approximately 650 full-time employees with approximately 45% of which are54% located in Chennai, India. The Company hasWe have never had a work stoppage and none of itsour employees are represented under collective bargaining agreements. The Company considers itsWe consider our relations with itsour employees to be good.

 

Government Regulation

 

We are subject to government regulation in connection with securities laws and regulations applicable to all publicly-owned companies, as well as laws and regulations applicable to businesses generally, including privacy regulations and taxes levied adopted at the local, state, national and international levels. In recent years, consumer protection regulations, particularly in connection with the Internet, has become more aggressive, and we expect that new laws and regulations will continue to be enacted at the local, state, national and international levels. Such new legislation, alone or combined with increasingly aggressive enforcement of existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on our future operating performance and business due to increased compliance costs.

 

Available Information

 

We were founded in 1996 as a limited liability company, and reorganized as a C corporation in 1998. We consummated our initial public offering in 1999 and we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (“SEC”).or SEC. Our Corporate Website is located at http://www.t.st. We make available free of charge, on or through our Website, our annual, quarterly and current reports, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such reports with the SEC. Information contained on our Website is not part of this Report or any other report filed with the SEC.

You may download the information that we file with the SEC at www.sec.gov.www.sec.gov.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

 

Investing in our Common Stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as the other information in this Report, before deciding whether to invest in our Common Stock. Our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. The trading price of our Common Stock could decline as a result of any of these risks, and you could lose part or all of your investment in our Common Stock. When deciding whether to invest in our Common Stock, you should also refer to the other information in this Report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information contained in Part II, Item 7 of this Report entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Please also refer to the Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements appearing in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report.

 

Our quarterly financial results may fluctuate and our future revenue is difficult to forecast.

 

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control, including:

 

¨·the level of interest and investment in individual stocks versus index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETF) by both individual and institutional investors, which can impact our ability to sell subscriptionspremium subscription products and to sell advertising;

¨·the overall willingness of potential and existing customers to pay for content distributed over the Internet, where a large quantity of content is available for free;

 

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¨·demand and pricing for online advertising on our Websites, TheStreet.com, which is affected by advertising budget cycles of our customers, general economic conditions, demand for advertising on the Internet generally, the supply of advertising inventory in the market and actions by our competitors;

¨subscription price reductions attributable to decreased demand or increased competition;

¨·the value to potential and existing customers of the investing ideas we offer in our subscription services and the performance of those ideas relative to appropriate benchmarks;

¨·new products or services introduced by our competitors;

¨·cost of content production, specifically video, traffic acquisition costs, and/or other costs;

¨·for The Deal,our B2B businesses, the volatility in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and financing activities;

¨for RateWatch, the volatility ofactivities, interest rates and bank fees and the underlying demand for banking products by consumers;fees;

¨·costs or lost revenue associated with system downtime affecting the Internet generally or our Websites in particular;

¨·general economic and financial market conditions; and

¨·our ability to attract and retain editorial and managerial talent.

We had a net loss in each of our last two fiscal year 2014years 2016 and 2015, and have incurred net losses for most years of our history. We may not generate net income in future periods. Despite significant strategic investments in technology, marketing and content in 2016 there are no assurances that they will have the desired effect or impact on our financial condition and results of operations. We forecast our currentcannot assure you that we will reach profitability in the future or at any specific time in the future or that, if and future expense levels based on expectedwhen we do become profitable, we will sustain profitability. If we are ultimately unable to generate sufficient revenue and meet our operating plans. Because of the above factors, as well as other material risks we face, as described elsewhere in this Report, our operating results may be belowfinancial targets and the expectations of public market analysts and investors, in some future quarters. In such an event, the price of our Common Stock is likely to continue to decline.

 

Key content contributors, particularly James J. Cramer, are important to our current retail investor productB2C premium subscription offerings.

 

Some of our products, particularly our editorial subscription products, reflect the talents, efforts, personalities, investing skills and portfolio returns, and reputations of their respective writers. As a result, the services of these key content contributors, including our co-founder and chief markets commentator, James J. Cramer, form an essential element of our subscription revenue.

In November 2013, we entered into a new four-year employment agreement with Mr. Cramer, which will expire on December 31, 2017, unless renewed. As compared to his prior employment agreement, the new employment agreement provides for payment of an increased royalty rate to Mr. Cramer, and therefore results in higher cost to us. In addition to his content contributions, we benefit from Mr. Cramer’s popularity and visibility, which have provided public awareness of our services and introduced our content to new audiences. For example, Mr. Cramer hosts CNBC’s finance television show, Mad Money. If, however, Mr. Cramer no longer appeared on the show or the program was cancelled for any reason, it could negatively impact his public profile and visibility, and in turn, our subscription products. Further, the continued value of Mr. Cramer’s contributions could be materially adversely affected if Mr. Cramer were to otherwise lose popularity with the public. While we believe we greatly benefit from Mr. Cramer’s contributions and his media exposure for other companies, we can give no assurance that our relationship with Mr. Cramer will lead to higher revenues from our subscription products or improve our organic growth.

Our employment agreement with Mr. Cramer expires on December 31, 2017. If Mr. Cramer chooses not to enter into a new employment agreement upon the expiration of the current agreement, or does not complete the term of his employment agreement, our business could be harmed by the loss of his services.

 

In addition to Mr. Cramer, we seek to compensate and provide incentives for key content contributors through competitive salaries, stock ownership and bonus plans and/or royalty arrangements, and we have entered into employment or contributor agreements with certain of them. If we are unable to retain key content contributors, or, should we lose the services of one or more of our key content contributors to death, disability, loss of reputation or other reason, or should their popularity diminish or their investing returns and investing ideas fail to meet or exceed benchmarks and investor expectations, we may fail to attract new content contributors acceptable to readers of our collection of Websites and editorial subscription products. Thus, the loss of services of one or more of our key content contributors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

The price of our Common Stock does not meet the requirements for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Market. If we fail to regain compliance with the minimum listing standards, our common stock will be subject to delisting. The liquidity of our common stock could be adversely affected if our common stock is delisted.

The continued listing standards of The NASDAQ Global Market require, among other things, that the minimum bid price of a listed company’s stock be at or above $1.00. If the minimum bid price is below $1.00 for a period of more than 30 consecutive trading days, the listed company will fail to be in compliance with The NASDAQ Global Market’s listing rules and, if it does not regain compliance within the grace period, will be subject to delisting. Our common stock is currently listed on The NASDAQ Global Market.

As previously reported, on December 14, 2016, we received a notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, or NASDAQ, indicating that the minimum bid price of our Common Stock on the NASDAQ Global Market closed below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. In accordance with the NASDAQ listing rules, we have 180 calendar days, or until June 12, 2017 to regain compliance with the requirements. If, at any time before that date the bid price of our Common Stock closes at $1.00 per share or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, NASDAQ will notify us that we have achieved compliance with the requirements. In the event we do not regain compliance by June 12, 2017, NASDAQ will notify us that our common stock will be delisted from the NASDAQ Global Market, unless we request a hearing before a NASDAQ Hearings Panel. Alternatively, we may apply to transfer our securities to the NASDAQ Capital Market if we satisfy the requirements for initial listing set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5505(a), with the exception of the minimum bid price. If such an application for transfer were approved, we would have an additional 180 calendar days to comply with the Rule in order for our common stock to remain listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

If our Common Stock is delisted, market liquidity for our common stock could be severely affected and our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares of our Common Stock could be limited. In addition, our Common Stock could be subject to “penny stock” rules which impose additional disclosure requirements on broker-dealers and could further negatively impact our market liquidity for our Common Stock and our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares of our Common Stock. Accordingly, a delisting of our Common Stock from NASDAQ would negatively affect the value of our Common Stock. Delisting could also have other negative results, including, but not limited to, the loss of institutional investor interest.

Our ability to successfully attract and retain subscribers to our B2B and B2C subscription services may be affected by the perceived quality of our content and products, and other factors.

Subscription revenue makes up a significant portion of our overall revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2016, subscription revenue accounted for approximately 78% of our total revenue.

B2B subscription revenue accounted for approximately 42% of our total revenue and 91% of our total B2B revenue. Our results of operations, particularly related to subscription revenue, are affected by certain economic factors, including the performance of the securities markets and mergers and acquisitions activity. While we believe investors and dealmakers are seeking more information related to the financial markets and mergers and acquisitions from trusted sources, the existence of adverse or stagnant securities markets conditions and lack of investor confidence could result in investors decreasing their interest in investor-related and deal-related publications, which could adversely affect the subscription revenue we derive from our B2B businesses.

B2C subscription revenue accounted for approximately 36% of our total revenue and 67% of our total B2C revenue. Our ability to successfully attract and retain subscribers to our B2C subscription products depends on the quality of the content, including the performance of any investment ideas published. To the extent the returns on such portfolios fail to meet or exceed the expectations of our subscribers or the performance of relevant benchmarks, our ability to attract new subscribers or retain existing subscribers to such services will be adversely affected. Additionally, factors such as the expiration of temporary product promotions, changes in our renewal policies or practices for subscribers, or changes in the degree of credit card failures could have a material impact on customer retention.

We may have difficulty maintaining or increasing our advertising revenue, a significant portion of which is concentrated among our top advertisers and subject to industry and other factors.

Although our reliance on advertising has decreased as an overall component of our revenues, it remains important to our growth. Our ability to maintain or increase our advertising revenue may be adversely affected by a variety of factors. Such factors include general market conditions, seasonal fluctuations in financial news consumption and overall online usage, our ability to maintain or increase our unique visitors, page view inventory and user engagement, our ability to attract audiences possessing demographic characteristics most desired by our advertisers, and our ability to retain existing advertisers and win new advertisers in a number of advertising categories from other Websites, television, newspapers, magazines, newsletters or other new media.

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As a general matter, the continued fragmentation of digital media has intensified competition for advertising revenues. Advertising revenue could decline if the relationships we have with high-traffic Websites are adversely affected. In addition, our advertising revenue may decline as a result of demand for our products and services, pricing pressures on Internet advertising rates due to industry developments, changes in consumer interest in the financial media and other factors in and outside of our control, including in particular as a result of any significant or prolonged downturn in, or periods of extreme volatility of, the financial markets. Also, our advertising revenue would be adversely affected if advertisers sought to use third-party networks to attempt to reach our audience while they visit third-party sites instead of purchasing advertising from us to reach our audience on our own sites. Further, any advertising revenue that is performance-based may be adversely impacted by the foregoing and other factors. If our advertising revenue significantly decreases, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

In addition to the headwinds facing digital media advertising, technologies have been developed, and will likely continue to be developed, that can block the display of our ads, particularly advertising displayed on personal computers. We generate a portion of our revenue from advertising, including revenue resulting from the display of ads on personal computers. These technologies may have had an adverse effect on our financial results and, if such technologies continue to proliferate, in particular with respect to mobile platforms, our ability to generate advertising revenue may be harmed.

Advertising revenue, of which our top five advertisers accounted for approximately 50%, generated 16% of our total revenue in 2016. Although we have advertisers from outside the financial services industry, such as travel, automotive and technology, a large proportion of our top advertisers are concentrated in financial services, particularly in the online brokerage business. Recent consolidation of financial institutions and other factors could cause us to lose a number of our top advertisers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. As is typical in the advertising industry, generally, our advertising contracts have short notice cancellation provisions.

Technology in the media industry continues to evolve rapidly.

Technology in the media industry continues to evolve rapidly. Advances in technology have led to an increasing number of methods for delivery of content and have resulted in a wide variety of consumer demands and expectations, which are also rapidly evolving. If we are unable to exploit new and existing technologies to distinguish our products and services from those of our competitors or adapt to new distribution methods that provide optimal user experiences, our business and financial results may be adversely affected.

The increasing number of digital media options available on the Internet, through social networking tools and through mobile and other devices distributing content is expanding consumer choice significantly. Faced with a multitude of media choices and a dramatic increase in accessible information, consumers may place greater value on when, where, how and at what price they consume digital content.

In addition, the expenditures necessary to implement these new technologies could be substantial and other companies employing such technologies before we are able to do so could aggressively compete with our business.

Many individuals are increasingly using mobile devices rather than personal computers to access news and other online services. If we are unable to effectively provide our content and subscription products to users of these devices, our business could be adversely affected.

The number of people who access news and other online services through mobile devices continues to increase at a rapid rate. As the use of mobile accelerates as the “go-to” method of consuming digital content, our ability to monetize mobile content, for which CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) are lower but on the rise, is increasingly important. We may not be able to generate revenue from advertising or content delivered to mobile devices as effectively as we have for advertising or content delivered to personal computers. As our members increasingly use mobile devices to access our digital products if we are unable to successfully implement monetization strategies for our content on mobile devices, if these strategies are not as successful as our offerings for personal computers, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected. Additionally, as new devices, such as wearables, and innovative platforms are continually being released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in developing versions of our solutions for use on these alternative devices, and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support, and maintenance of such new services and products.

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We face significant competition. Many of our competitors and potential competitors have larger customer bases, more established brand recognition and greater financial, marketing, technological and personnel resources than we do, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Additionally, some of our competitors and many potential competitors are better capitalized than we are and able to obtain capital more easily, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage.

Many of our competitors have larger customer bases, more established name recognition, a greater market share and greater financial, marketing, technological and personnel resources than we do. Increased competition could result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to compete effectively with our current or future competitors or that this competition will not significantly harm our business.

Our services face intense competition from other providers of business, personal finance, investing and ratings content, including:

·with respect to our B2B business, particularly The Deal, providers of business intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and financings primarily to investment banks, law firms, hedge funds, private equity firms and corporate institutions, such as Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dealogic, ThomsonOne and Mergermarket Group;
·with respect to our B2B business, particularly BoardEx, providers of relationship capital management services and director, officer and dealmaker data, including Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dow Jones, The New York Stock Exchange, LexisNexis, Relationship Science, and Thomson Reuters;
·with respect to our B2B business, particularly RateWatch, established ratings services, such as Standard & Poor’s, Morningstar and Lipper as well as rate database providers such as Informa and SNL Financial;
·with respect to our B2C business, online content providers focused on business, personal finance or investing content, such as The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, CNN Money, Forbes.com, Reuters.com, Bloomberg.com, Seeking Alpha, Business Insider and CNBC.com, as well as portals such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL Daily Finance and MSN Money; and
·with respect to our B2B and B2C businesses, publishers and distributors of traditional media with a focus on business, finance or investing, such as The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, personal finance talk radio programs and business television networks such as Bloomberg, CNBC and the Fox Business Channel as well as investment newsletter publishers, such as The Motley Fool, Stansberry & Associates Investment Research and InvestorPlace Media.

Additionally, advances in technology have reduced the cost of production and online distribution of print, audio and video content, which has resulted in the proliferation of providers of free content. We compete with these other publications and services for customers, including subscribers, readers and viewers of our video content, for advertising revenue, and for employees and contributors to our services. Our ability to compete successfully depends on many factors, including the quality, originality, timeliness, insightfulness and trustworthiness of our content and that of our competitors, the popularity and performance of our contributors, the success of our recommendations and research, our ability to introduce products and services that keep pace with new investing trends, our ability to adopt and deploy new technologies for running our business, the ease of use of services developed either by us or our competitors and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. In addition, media technologies and platforms are rapidly evolving and the rate of consumption of media on various platforms may shift rapidly. If we fail to offer our content through the platforms in which our audience desires to consume it, or if we do not have offerings on such platforms that are as compelling as those of our competitors, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. In addition, the economics of distributing content through new platforms may be materially different from the economics of distributing content through our current platforms and any such difference may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Our business depends on attracting and retaining capable management and operating personnel.

 

Throughout 2016, we made several changes to our senior management, including the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, David Callaway and a new Chief Financial Officer, Eric Lundberg. Our ability to execute our business plan and improve our chances for success in 2017 and beyond depend in large part upon the continued service of Mr. Callaway and Mr. Lundberg as well as other key employees. In addition,our ability to compete in the marketplace depends upon our ability to recruit and retain other key employees, including executives to operate our business, technology personnel to run our publishing, commerce, communications, video and other systems, direct marketers to sell subscriptions to our premium services and salespersons to sell our advertising inventory and subscriptions.

 

Several, but not all, of our key employees are bound by agreements containing non-competition provisions. There can be no assurances that these arrangements with key employees will provide adequate protections to us or will not result in further management changes that would have material adverse impact on us. In addition, we may incur increased costs to continue to compensate our key executives, as well as other employees, through competitive salaries, stock ownership and bonus plans. Nevertheless, we can make no assurances that these programs will allow us to retain our management or key employees or hire new employees. The loss of one or more of our key employees, or our inability to attract experienced and qualified replacements, could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

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 10

 

The terms of our Series B Preferred Stock include a substantial liquidation preference, as well as significant control rights.

 

TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P., together referred to as TCV, hold 5,500all of the issued and outstanding shares of our Series B Preferred Stock (“Series B Preferred Stock”), which were originally issued in a November 2007 private placement. These shares are convertible into an aggregate of 3,856,942 shares of our Common Stock, at a conversion price of $14.26 per share, or approximately 11%10% of our outstanding Common Stock. However, the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to a $55 million liquidation preference upon liquidation or dissolution of the Company or upon any change of control event. Accordingly, unless otherwise agreed to by TCV, the liquidation preference entitles the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock to a substantial premium in the event of anya sale of the Company, which not only makes it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, but also may result in the holders of our Common Stock receiving significantly less than their pro rata share of the proceeds in the event we are acquired.

The holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have the right to vote on any matter submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Company and are entitled to vote that number of votes equal to the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of such holders’ shares of Series B Preferred Stock. In addition, so long as 2,200 shares of Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the holders of a majority of such shares will haveTCV has the right to appoint one person to our board of directors, although the holder of our Series B Preferred Stock hasthey are not currently exercisedexercising this right.

 

So long as 1,650 shares of Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, theThe affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of such shares will beSeries B Preferred Stock is necessary for the Company to take any of the following actions: (i) authorize, create or issue any class or classes of our capital stock ranking senior to, or on a parity with (as to dividends or upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock or any securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, any now or hereafter authorized capital stock ranking senior to, or on a parity with (as to dividends or upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock; (ii) approve any increase or decrease in the authorized number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock; (iii) approve any amendment, waiver, alteration or repeal of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws in a way that adversely affects the rights, preferences or privileges of the Series B Preferred Stock; (iv) authorize the payment of any dividends (other than dividends paid in capital stock of us or any of our subsidiaries) in excess of $0.10 per share per annum of our Common Stock unless after the payment of such dividends we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) in an amount equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference; and (v) authorize the purchase or redemption of: (A) any Common Stock (except for the purchase or redemption from employees, directors and consultants pursuant to agreements providing us with repurchase rights upon termination of their service with us) unless after such purchase or redemption we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference; or (B) any class or series of now or hereafter authorized capital stock of ours that ranks junior to (upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock.

 

As a result of the foregoing, the requisite holders of the Series B Preferred StockTCV may be able to block the proposed approval of any of the above actions, which blockage may prevent us from achieving strategic or other goals dependent on such actions, including without limitation additional capital raising, certain dividend increases and the redemptionrepurchase of outstanding Common Stock. All of the foregoing rights may limit our ability to take certain actions deemed in the interests of all of our stockholders but as to which the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have control rights.

 

IfAcquisitions pose inherent financial and other risks and challenges.

As a part of our strategic plan, we are unablehave acquired businesses and may look to execute cost-control measures successfully or maintain our current cost structure, our totalacquire businesses in the future. These acquisitions can involve a number of risks and challenges, any of which could cause significant operating costs may be greater than expected, which mayinefficiencies and adversely affect our financial results.growth and profitability. Such risks and challenges include underperformance relative to our expectations and the price paid for the acquisition; unanticipated demands on our management and operational resources; difficulty in integrating personnel, operations, and systems; retention of customers of the combined businesses; assumption of contingent liabilities; and acquisition-related earnings charges. The benefits of an acquisition or an investment may take considerable time to develop and certain acquisitions may not advance our business strategy and may fall short of expected return on investment targets. If our acquisitions are not successful, we may record impairment charges. Our ability to continue to make acquisitions will depend upon our success at identifying suitable targets, which requires substantial judgment in assessing their values, strengths, weaknesses, liabilities, and potential profitability, as well as the availability of capital.

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In October 2014 we acquired BoardEx, a relationship capital management company headquartered in the U.K. with locations in New York, New York and Chennai, India. This acquisition has helped us expand internationally and is helping to accelerate our transition into B2B, becoming an indispensable data, news and information source for institutional clients. However, we can provide no assurances that our long term strategic objectives will be attained or that such acquisition will meet or exceed our expected return.

 

BeginningOur foreign operations subject us to a number of operating, economic, political and regulatory risks that may have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our acquisition of BoardEx in 2012,October 2014 significantly increased the importance of foreign markets to our future operations and growth and also exposes us to a number of additional risks. Operations outside of the United States may be affected by changes in trade protection laws, policies and measures and other regulatory requirements affecting trade and investment; unexpected regulatory, social, political, or economic changes in a specific country or region; changes in intellectual property, privacy and data protection; import/export regulations in both the United States and foreign countries and difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations. Political changes, labor strikes, acts of war or terrorism and natural disasters, some of which may be disruptive, can interfere with our data collection, our customers and all of our activities in a particular location. We may also be affected by potentially adverse tax consequences and difficulties associated with repatriating cash generated or held abroad. Since approximately half of BoardEx’s revenues are generated outside of the United States, we significantly reduced operating costs by reducing staffare exposed to these risks.

We are subject to the European Union, or EU, regulations relating to privacy, including the EU Directive on Data Protection, which imposes significant restrictions on the collection and implementing general cost-control measures across the Company, including commitments to terminate use of certain vendor servicespersonal data that are more stringent and assets, and have continued these cost management efforts. If weimpose greater burdens on businesses than current privacy standards in the United States. One such burden is a prohibition on the transfer of personal information from the EU to other countries whose laws do not continueprotect personal data to achieve expected savingsan adequate level of privacy or security.  The United States is one such country and this prohibition and the fact we are subject to the EU regulations may impact on our operating costs increase as a resultability to carry out certain aspects of our strategic initiatives, our total operatingbusiness in the United States. The EU has recently passed the General Data Protection Regulation, which will result in greater compliance burdens for companies with users and operations in Europe over the next two years.  The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, these laws, regulations and policies that are applicable to us may be greater than anticipated. In addition, if our cost-control strategy is not managed properly, such efforts may affectlimit the qualityuse and adoption of our products and our ability to generate future revenue. Reductions in staffsolutions and employee compensation could also adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key employees.

We may have difficulty maintaining or increasing our advertising revenue, a significant portion of which is concentrated among our top advertisers and subject to industry and other factors.

Although our reliance on advertising has decreased as an overall component of the Company’s revenues, it remains important to the Company’s growth. Our ability to maintain or increase our advertising revenue may be adversely affected by a variety of factors. Such factors include general market conditions, seasonal fluctuations in financial news consumption and overall online usage, our ability to maintain or increase our unique visitors, page view inventory and user engagement, our ability to attract audiences possessing demographic characteristics most desired by our advertisers, and our ability to retain existing advertisers and win new advertisers in a number of advertising categories from other Websites, television, newspapers, magazines, newsletters or other new media.

As a general matter, the continued fragmentation of digital media has intensified competition for advertising revenues. Advertising revenue could decline if the relationships we have with high-traffic Websites are adversely affected. In addition, our advertising revenue may decline as a result of pricing pressures on Internet advertising rates due to industry developments, changes in consumer interest in the financial media and other factors in and outside of our control, including in particular as a result of any significant or prolonged downturn in, or periods of extreme volatility of, the financial markets. As the use of mobile accelerates as the “go-to” method of consuming digital content, our ability to monetize mobile content, which is less proven and for which CPMs are lower, is increasingly important. Also, our advertising revenue would be adversely affected if advertisers sought to use third-party networks to attempt to reach our audience while they visit third-party sites instead of purchasing advertising from us to reach our audience on our own sites. Further, any advertising revenue that is performance-based may be adversely impacted by the foregoing and other factors. If our advertising revenue significantly decreases, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

In addition to the headwinds facing digital media advertising, general economic weakness and uncertainty in the United States and globally, while improved, continue to adversely affect and may continue to adversely affect our advertising revenues.

Finally, our top five advertisers accounted for approximately 38% of our total media revenue. Furthermore, although we have advertisers from outside the financial services industry, such as travel, automotive and technology, a large proportion of our top advertisers are concentrated in financial services, particularly in the online brokerage business. Recent consolidation of financial institutions and other factors could cause us to lose a number of our top advertisers, which could have a material adverse effectimpact on our business,results of operations.

Foreign operations are also subject to risks of violations of laws prohibiting improper payments and bribery, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar regulations in foreign jurisdictions. The U.K. Bribery Act, for example, prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both private and public sectors. An organization that fails to prevent bribery committed by anyone associated with the organization can be charged under the U.K. Bribery Act unless the organization can establish the defense of having implemented adequate procedures to prevent bribery. Failure to comply with these laws could subject us to civil and criminal penalties that could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates could adversely affect our consolidated operating results

We operate in foreign jurisdictions, in particular the United Kingdom, where we are exposed to market risks from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates that may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. As is typicalFor example, the announcement of the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (referred to as Brexit) caused significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in the advertising industry, generally,strengthening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies. The majority of our advertising contracts have short notice cancellation provisions.

Many individualsbusiness transactions are using devicesdenominated in U.S. dollars, however, for operations outside the United States, we translate sales and other than personal computersresults denominated in foreign currency into U.S. dollars for our financial statements. In 2016, the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to access online services. Ifother currencies adversely affected our results of operations because foreign currencies translated into fewer U.S. dollars. In addition, we are unablewill be exposed to the risk of changes in social, political and economic conditions in the countries where we engage in business. Political and economic instability in these countries could adversely affect our business activities and operations. Unexpected changes in local regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers and price or exchange controls could limit operations and make the repatriation of profits difficult. In addition, the uncertainty of differing legal environments could limit our ability to effectively provideenforce our content and subscription productsrights in some markets. We do not engage in currency hedging or have any positions in derivative instruments to users of these devices,hedge our business could be adversely affected.

The number of people who access online services through mobile devices continues to increase. To date, we have not been able to generate revenue from advertising or content delivered to mobile devices as effectively as we have for advertising or content delivered to personal computers. As our members increasingly use mobile devices to access our online services, if we are unable to successfully implement monetization strategies for our content on mobile devices, if these strategies are not as successful as our offerings for personal computers, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected. Additionally, as new devices, such as wearables, and new platforms are continually being released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in developing versions of our solutions for use on these alternative devices, and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support, and maintenance of such devices.currency risk.

 

10
12 

If our goodwill and other intangibles continue to become impaired, we may be required to record further reductions which would negatively impact our financial results.

We

For 2016, we have recorded impairmentsa significant impairment of goodwill as a result of a number of factors including the recent decline in our stock price and the performance of past acquisitions.As of December 31, 2016, we had goodwill of $29.2 million and net intangible assets of $15.1 million compared to $43.3 million and $18.7 million in 2015, respectively. Goodwill and intangible asset impairment analysis and measurement is a process that requires significant judgment. Under the provisions of ASC 350, goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets are required to be tested for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests whenever circumstances arise that indicate a possible impairment might exist. We perform our annual impairment tests of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets and there can be no assurances that we will not have to record additional impairments inas of October 1 each year. Impairment exists when the future.

In the past we recorded impairmentscarrying amount of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets.assets exceed their implied fair value, resulting in an impairment charge for this excess. Although we currently we do not anticipate any further impairment, we may have to record additional impairments in the future which may materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

System failure or interruption may result in reduced traffic, reduced revenue and harm to our reputation.

 

Our ability to provide timely, updated information depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware and software systems. Similarly, our ability to track, measure and report the delivery of advertisements on our Websites depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of third-party systems. Our operations depend in part on the protection of our data systems and those of our third-party providers against damage from human error, natural disasters, fire, power loss, water damage, telecommunications failure, computer viruses, terrorist acts, vandalism, sabotage, and other adverse events. Although we utilize the services of third-party cloud computing providers, specifically Amazon Web Services with procedural security systems and have put in place certain other disaster recovery measures, including offsite storage of backup data, these disaster recovery measures currently may not be comprehensive enough and there is no guarantee that our Internet access and other data operations will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure. Any system failure, including network, software or hardware failure, that causes an interruption in our service or a decrease in responsiveness of our Websites could result in reduced traffic, reduced revenue and harm to our reputation, brand and relations with our advertisers and strategic partners. Our insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for such losses. In such event, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

 

Our Ratings models, purchased from a third party, were written in legacy technologies that do not have robust backup or recovery provisions. The ongoing production of valid ratings data is based upon the successful continued migration of these legacy systems to more robust and current systems. The hardware platforms upon which these applications run have been migrated to more modern equipment within our multi-redundant hosting facilities; however, many of the core application code remains in production. Migration of such complex applications is time consuming, resource intensive and can pose considerable risk.

 

Disruptions to our third-party technology providers and management systems could harm our business and lead to loss of customers and advertisers.

 

We depend on third-party technology providers and management systems to distribute our content and process transactions. For example, we use Fastly and Amazon Web Services to help us efficiently distribute our content to customers. We also use a third party vendor to process credit cards for our subscriptions. We exercise no control over our third-party vendors, which makes us vulnerable to any errors, interruptions, or delays in their operations. Any disruption in the services provided by these vendors could have significant adverse impacts on our business reputation, advertiser and customer relations and operating results. Upon expiration or termination of any of our agreements with third-party vendors, we may not be able to replace the services provided to us in a timely manner or on terms and conditions, including service levels and cost, that are favorable to us, and a transition from one vendor to another vendor could subject us to operational delays and inefficiencies until the transition is complete.

 

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We may face liability for, or incur costs to defend, information published in our services.

 

From time to time we are subject to claims for defamation, libel, copyright or trademark infringement, fraud or negligence, or other theories of liability, in each case relating to the articles, commentary, investment recommendations, ratings, or other information we provide through our services. We maintain insurance to provide coverage with respect to such claims, but our insurance may not adequately protect us against these claims. For example, from time to time, actions filed against us include claims for punitive damages, which are excluded from coverage under our insurance policies.

 

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Failure to establish and maintain successful strategic relationships with other companies could decrease our subscriber and user base.

 

We rely in part on establishing and maintaining successful strategic relationships with other companies to attract and retain a portion of our current subscriber and reader base and to enhance public awareness of our brands. In particular, our relationships with Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money and CNN Money, which index our headlines and/or host our content including our video offerings, have been important components of our effort to enhance public awareness of our brands, which awareness we believe also is enhanced by the public appearances of James J. Cramer, in particular on his “Mad Money” television program and on “Squawk on the Street”, both of which are telecast by CNBC. If we do not successfully establish and maintain our strategic relationships on commercially reasonable terms or if these relationships do not attract significant revenue, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

 

Difficulties associated with our brand development may harm our ability to attract subscribers to our paid services and users to our advertising-supported services.

We believe that maintaining and growing awareness about our services is an important aspect of our efforts to continue to attract users. Our efforts to build brand awareness may not be cost effective or successful in reaching potential users, and some potential users may not be receptive to our marketing efforts or advertising campaigns. Accordingly, we can make no assurances that such efforts will be successful in raising awareness of our brands or in persuading potential users to subscribe to or use our services.

Our ability to successfully attract and retain subscribers to our subscription services may be affected by the perceived quality of the content, including the performance of investment ideas we publish.

Our ability to successfully attract and retain subscribers to our subscription services depends on the quality of the content of the services, including the performance of any investment ideas published in the services. To the extent the returns on such portfolios fail to meet or exceed the expectations of our subscribers or the performance of relevant benchmarks, our ability to attract new subscribers or retain existing subscribers to such services will be adversely affected.

Failure to maintain our reputation for trustworthiness may harm our business.

 

Our brand is based upon the integrity of our editorial content. We are proud of the trust and reputation for quality we have developed over the course of more than 1820 years and we seek to renew and deepen that trust continually. We require all of our content contributors, whether employees or outside contributors, to adhere to strict standards of integrity, including standards that are designed to prevent any actual or potential conflict of interest, and to comply with all applicable laws, including securities laws. The occurrence of events such as our misreporting a news story, the non-disclosure of a stock ownership position by one or more of our content contributors, the manipulation of a security by one or more of our content contributors, or any other breach of our compliance policies, could harm our reputation for trustworthiness and reduce readership. In addition, in the event the reputation of any of our directors, officers, key contributors, writers or editorial staff were harmed for any other reason, we could suffer as result of our association with the individual, and also could suffer if the quantity or value of future services we received from the individual was diminished. These events could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our revenue could be adversely affected if the securities markets and/or mergers and acquisitions activity decline, are stagnant or experience extreme volatility.

Our results of operations, particularly related to subscription revenue, are affected by certain economic factors, including the performance of the securities markets and mergers and acquisitions activity. While we believe investors and dealmakers are seeking more information related to the financial markets and M & A deals from trusted sources, the existence of adverse or stagnant securities markets conditions and lack of investor confidence could result in investors decreasing their interest in investor-related and deal-related publications, which could adversely affect the subscription revenue we derive from our subscription based Websites and newsletters.

We may not adequately protect our own intellectual property and may incur costs to defend against, or face liability for, intellectual property infringement claims of others.

 

To protect our intellectual property (“IP”), we rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patent protection, confidentiality agreements and various other contractual arrangements with our employees, affiliates, customers, strategic partners and others. We own several trademark registrations and copyrights, and have pending trademark and patent applications, in the United States. In addition, our Code of Conduct and Business Ethics, employee handbook, and other internal policies seek to protect our IP against misappropriation, infringement, and unfair competition. We also utilize various tools to police the Internet to monitor piracy and unauthorized use of our content. Finally, whether we are contracting out our IP or licensing third-party content and/or technology, we incorporate contractual provisions to protect our IP and seek indemnification for any third-party infringement claims.

 

However, we cannot provide any guarantee that the foregoing provisions will be adequate to protect us from third-party claims or that these provisions will prevent the theft of our IP, as we may be unable to detect the unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce, our IP rights. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property could harm our brand, devalue our proprietary content, and affect our ability to compete effectively. Further, any infringement claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources on our part, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We face intense competition.

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Many of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we have. Increased competition could result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to compete effectively with our current or future competitors or that this competition will not significantly harm our business.

Our services face intense competition from other providers of business, personal finance, investing and ratings content, including:

¨online services or Websites focused on business, personal finance or investing, such as The Wall Street Journal Digital NetworkCNN Money, Forbes.com, Reuters.comBloomberg.com, Seeking Alpha, Business Insider and CNBC.com, as well as financial portals such as Yahoo! Finance, AOL Daily Finance and MSN Money;

¨publishers and distributors of traditional media focused on business, personal finance or investing, including print and radio, such as The Wall Street Journal and financial talk radio programs, and business television networks such as Bloomberg, CNBC and the Fox Business Channel;

¨investment newsletter publishers, such asThe Motley Fool, Dtansbury & Associates Investment Research andInvestor Place Media;

¨providers of business intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and financings, such as Bloomberg and MergermarketGroup;

¨established ratings services, such as Standard & Poor’s, Morningstar and Lipper, with respect to our Ratings products, and rate database providers such as Informa and SNL Kagan, with respect to our RateWatch products; and

¨Other providers of director, officer and dealmaker data, including Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Dow Jones, The New York Stock Exchange, LexisNexis, Relationship Science, and Thomson Reuters.

Additionally, advances in technology have reduced the cost of production and online distribution of print, audio and video content, which has resulted in the proliferation of providers of free content. We compete with these other publications and services for customers, including subscribers, readers and viewers of our video content, for advertising revenue, and for employees and contributors to our services. Our ability to compete successfully depends on many factors, including the quality, originality, timeliness, insightfulness and trustworthiness of our content and that of our competitors, the popularity and performance of our contributors, the success of our recommendations and research, our ability to introduce products and services that keep pace with new investing trends, our ability to adopt and deploy new technologies for running our business, the ease of use of services developed either by us or our competitors and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. In addition, media technologies and platforms are rapidly evolving and the rate of consumption of media on various platforms may shift rapidly. If we fail to offer our content through the platforms in which our audience desires to consume it, or if we do not have offerings on such platforms that are as compelling as those of our competitors, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. In addition, the economics of distributing content through new platforms may be materially different from the economics of distributing content through our current platforms and any such difference may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face government regulation and legal uncertainties.

 

We are subject to government regulation in connection with securities laws and regulations applicable to all publicly-owned companies, as well as laws and regulations applicable to businesses generally, including privacy regulations and taxes levied adopted at the local, state, national and international levels. In recent years, consumer protection regulations, particularly in connection with the Internet, have become more aggressive, and we expect that new laws and regulations will continue to be enacted at the local, state, national and international levels. Such new legislation, alone or combined with increasingly aggressive enforcement of existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on our future operating performance and business due to increased compliance costs.

 

Risks associated with our strategic acquisitions could adversely affect our business.

We have completed several acquisitions within recent years, and we expect to make additional acquisitions and strategic investments in the future. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of the operations and services of the acquired companies as well as the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. In addition, there are expenses incurred in connection with these acquisitions and the subsequent assimilation of operations and services, as well as the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company. There can be no assurance that our acquisitions will be successfully integrated into our operations or that we will be able to realize the benefits intended in such acquisitions. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will complete any future acquisitions or that acquisitions will contribute favorably to our operations and financial condition. For example, we recently acquired Management Diagnostics Limited (“MDL”), a relationship capital management company headquartered in the U.K. with locations in New York, New York and Chennai, India. This acquisition has helped us expand internationally and is expected to accelerate our transition from primarily serving retail investors to also becoming an indispensable data, news and information source for institutional clients, but we can provide no assurances that our long term strategic objectives will be attained.

Although due diligence and detailed analysis is conducted before these acquisitions are completed, there can be no assurance that such steps can or will fully expose all hidden problems that the acquired company may have. In addition, our valuations and analyses are based on numerous assumptions, and there can be no assurance that those assumptions will be proven correct or appropriate. Relevant facts and circumstances of our analyses could have changed over time, and new facts and circumstances may come to light as to render the previous assumptions and the valuations and analyses based thereon incorrect.

Our foreign operations subject us to a number of operating, economic, political and regulatory risks that may have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our acquisition of MDL significantly increased the importance of our foreign markets to our future operations and growth.

Our foreign operations expose us to a number of risks. Operations outside of the United States may be affected by changes in trade protection laws, policies and measures and other regulatory requirements affecting trade and investment; unexpected regulatory, social, political, or economic changes in a specific country or region; changes in intellectual property, privacy and data protection; import/export regulations in both the United States and foreign countries and difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations. Political changes, labor strikes, acts of war or terrorism and natural disasters, some of which may be disruptive, can interfere with our data collection, our customers and all of our activities in a particular location. We may also be affected by potentially adverse tax consequences and difficulties associated with repatriating cash generated or held abroad. Since approximately half of MDL’s revenues are generated outside of the United States, the Company’s acquisition of MDL significantly increases our exposure to these risks.

Following our acquisition of MDL, we are subject to the European Union (“EU”) data protection regulations, including the EU Directive on Data Protection, which requires member states to impose minimum restrictions on the collection and use of personal data that, in some respects, are more stringent, and impose more significant burdens on subject businesses, than current privacy standards in the United States. The EU regulations establish several obligations that organizations must follow with respect to use of personal data, including a prohibition on the transfer of personal information from the EU to other countries whose laws do not protect personal data to an adequate level of privacy or security. The EU is in the process of promulgating a new General Data Protection Regulation, which may result in significantly greater compliance burdens for companies with users and operations in Europe. In addition to EU-wide legislation, certain EU member states have adopted more stringent data protection standards. The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, such laws, regulations and policies that are applicable to us may limit the use and adoption of our products and solutions and could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

Foreign operations are also subject to risks of violations of laws prohibiting improper payments and bribery, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar regulations in foreign jurisdictions. The U.K. Bribery Act, for example, prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both private and public sectors. An organization that fails to prevent bribery committed by anyone associated with the organization can be charged under the U.K. Bribery Act unless the organization can establish the defense of having implemented adequate procedures to prevent bribery. Failure to comply with these laws could subject us to civil and criminal penalties that could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Foreign exchange variability could adversely affect our consolidated operating results

Our growth strategy contemplates increased services to foreign and domestic customers. As a consequence of expanding the footprint of the Company to markets outside of the United States, we will be exposed to market risks from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates that may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. By virtue of our cross-border operations, we will be subject to the risks normally associated with such activities, including those relating to delayed payments from customers in some countries or difficulties in the collection of receivables generally.

In addition, we will be exposed to the risk of changes in social, political and economic conditions in the countries where we engage in business. Political and economic instability in these countries could adversely affect our business activities and operations. Unexpected changes in local regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers and price or exchange controls could limit operations and make the repatriation of profits difficult. In addition, the uncertainty of differing legal environments could limit our ability to effectively enforce our rights in some markets.

Any failure of our internal security measures or breach of our privacy protections could cause us to lose users and subject us to liability.

 

Users who subscribe to our paid subscription services are required to furnish certain personal information (including name, mailing address, phone number, email address and credit card information), which we use to administer our services. We also require users of some of our free services and features to provide us with some personal information during the membership registration process. Additionally, we rely on security and authentication technology licensed from third parties to perform real-time credit card authorization and verification, and at times rely on third parties, including technology consulting firms, to help protect our infrastructure from security threats. We may have to continue to expend capital and other resources on the hardware and software infrastructure that provides security for our processing, storage and transmission of personal information.

In this regard, our users depend on us to keep their personal information safe and private and not to disclose it to third parties or permit our security to be breached. However, advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other events or developments, including improper acts by third parties, may result in a compromise or breach of the security measures we use to protect the personal information of our users. If a party were to compromise or breach our information security measures or those of our agents, such party could misappropriate the personal information of our users, cause interruptions in our operations, expose us to significant liabilities and reporting obligations, damage our reputation and discourage potential users from registering to use our Websites or other services, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We utilize various third parties to assist with various aspects of our business. Some of these partnerships require the exchange of user information. This is required because some features of our Websites may be hosted by these third parties. While we take significant measures to guarantee the security of our customer data and require such third parties to comply with our privacy and security policies as well as generally be contractually bound to defend, indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claims related to any breach of relevant privacy laws related to the service provider, we are still at risk if any of these third-party systems are breached or compromised and may in such event suffer a material adverse effect to business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our staggered boardcharter documents and Delaware law could prevent a takeover that stockholders consider favorable and could also reduce the market price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control of our company. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions include:

providing for a classified board of directors with staggered, three-year terms; we intend to

put a proposal to declassify our board of directors at our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;

not providing for cumulative voting in the election of directors;
permitting an amendment of our certificate of incorporation only through a super-majority vote of the stockholders;
prohibiting stockholder action by written consent;

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require that, to the fullest extent permitted by law and unless we consent to an alternate forum, certain proceedings

against or involving us or our directors, officers, or employees be brought exclusively in the Court of Chancery in

the State of Delaware;

limiting the persons who may call special meetings of stockholders; and
requiring advance notification for stockholder director nominations and other proposals.

These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, by-laws orour bylaws, and under Delaware law could prevent or delay a changediscourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of control.our common stock in the future and result in the market price being lower than it would be without these provisions.

 

Provisions ofIf our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law – including without limitation the fact that we have a staggered board, with only approximately one-third ofability to use our directors standing for re-election each year – could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, even if doing so would be beneficial to our stockholders.

The utilization of tax operating loss carryforwards depends upon future income.and other tax attributes is limited, we may not receive the benefit of those assets.

 

We have net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $149$160 million as of December 31, 2014,2016, available to offset future taxable income through 2034.2035. These net operating losses date back to December 1999 and will begin expiring in 2019. Our ability to fully utilize these net operating loss carryforwards is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income before the expiration of the carryforward period attributable to these net operating losses.

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Investment Furthermore, as a result of our cash carries risks.prior ownership changes under section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, a portion of these net operating losses will be subject to certain limitations.

 

Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. We maintain all of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in six financial institutions and perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions. No assurances can be made that the third-party institutions will retain acceptable credit ratings or investment practices. Investment decisions of third parties and market conditions may adversely affect our cash balances and financial condition. While we believe our investment policy is conservative, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer losses on any of our investments.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired and investors’ views of us could be harmed.

 

As a Public Company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. We have evaluated and tested our internal controls in order to allow management to report on our internal controls, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. If we are not able to meet the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, we would be required to disclose material weaknesses if they develop or are uncovered and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any such action could negatively impact the perception of us in the financial market and our business.

 

In addition, our internal controls may not prevent or detect all errors and fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable assurance that the objectives of the control system will be met. As a smaller reporting company, we were not required to have our independent auditors report on our internal controls for the year ended December 31, 2016.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they publish negative reports about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock may be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

We do not expect to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors may need to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock.

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

 

None.

 

Item 2. Properties.

 

Our company headquarters is located at 14 Wall Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10005, with other U.S. offices in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, for our RateWatch business, and Petaluma, California and Washington D.C., where The Deal has offices. Outside the U.S., we have offices in London, England and Chennai, India where our BoardEx business operates. We lease each of these facilities and do not own any real property and we lease all of our facilities. Our principal administrative, sales, marketing, and editorialproperty. We believe these facilities currently reside in a facility encompassing approximately 35,000 square feet of office space on one floor in an office building at 14 Wall Street in New York, New York. Bankers Financial Products Corporation (d/b/a RateWatch) occupies approximately 15,000 square feet of office space in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. The Deal, LLC occupies approximately 2,211 square feet of office space in Petaluma, California and approximately 350 square feet of office space in Washington, D.C. The Deal’s U.K. subsidiary, Management Diagnostic Limited (“MDL”), occupies approximately 8,202 square feet of office space in London, England, and MDL’s subsidiary, BoardEx India Private Limited, occupies approximately 6,670 square feet of office space in Chennai, India. We also remain responsibleare adequate for a sublease of approximately 21,500 square feet of office space in an office building at 20 Broad Street in New York, New York, which we in turn have sublet to another tenant.their intended use.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

 

The Company is party to legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business or otherwise, none of which is deemed material.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety DisclosuresDisclosures.

 

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

 

We have been a Nasdaq-listed company since May 11, 1999 and our Common Stock currently is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol TST. There is no public trading market for our Series B Preferred Stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low closing sales prices per share of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market.

 

 Low  High  Low  High 
2013        
2015        
First quarter $1.59  $1.93  $1.75  $2.30 
Second quarter $1.85  $1.98  $1.72  $1.97 
Third quarter $1.82  $2.30  $1.59  $1.92 
Fourth quarter $2.08  $2.44  $1.44  $1.73 
2014        
2016        
First quarter $2.20  $2.94  $0.86  $1.49 
Second quarter $2.30  $2.68  $1.05  $1.25 
Third quarter $2.12  $2.55  $1.10  $1.24 
Fourth quarter $2.10  $2.46  $0.84  $1.14 

 

On February 27, 2015,March 15, 2017, the last reported sale price for our Common Stock was $2.01$.69 per share.

 

The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on the Company’s Common Stock from December 31, 2009 through December 31, 2014 with the cumulative total return on the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Research Data Group (RDG) Internet Composite Index. The performance graph is based upon closing prices on December 31st of each year other than 2011, which is based on the closing price on December 30, 2011, the last trading day before December 31, 2011. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2009 in the Company’s Common Stock and in each of the foregoing indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends. The returns shown are based upon historical results and are not intended to suggest future performance.

ASSUMES $100 INVESTED ON DECEMBER 31, 2009 AND REINVESTMENT OF ALL DIVIDENDS
  December 31, 
  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014 
                   
TheStreet, Inc.  100.00   115.03   75.40   77.19   104.46   114.56 
NASDAQ Composite  100.00   117.61   118.70   139.00   196.83   223.74 
RDG Internet Composite  100.00   117.87   119.73   143.58   234.21   229.15 

Holders

 

The number ofOn March 15, 2017, there were 179 holders of record of our Common Stock on February 27, 2015 was 195, which does not includeStock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners ofbut who held our Common Stock whose shares are held in the names of various dealers, clearing agencies, banks,nominee or “street name” accounts through brokers and other fiduciaries.nominees.

 

Dividends

 

During the year ended December 31, 2016, we did not declare or pay any cash dividends on our Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock. For each of the four quarters in the year ended December 31, 2014,2015, the Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share onof its Common Stock and its Series B Preferred Stock on a converted common share basis. There were no dividends paid during the year ended December 31, 2013. For the year ended December 31, 2014,2015, the dividend payments totaled approximately $3.9 million.

We do not expect to declare and pay dividends in the foreseeable future. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors. When determining whether to declare a dividend in the future, our board of directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. The Certificate of Designations for the Series B Preferred Stock currently prohibits the Company from paying cash dividends in excess of $0.10 per share per annum without the prior approval of the holder of the Series B Preferred Stock.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

The CompanyWe did not repurchase any shares of itsour Common Stock during the three monthsyear ended December 31, 2014.2016.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

We did not sell any unregistered securities during the year ended December 31, 2016.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Under the terms of the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (the “1998 Plan”), 8,900,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, deferred stock, restricted stock units, or any combination thereof. Under the terms of the 2007 Plan, 7,750,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards. The 2007 Plan also authorized cash performance awards. Additionally, under the terms of the 2007 Plan, unused shares authorized for award under the 1998 Plan are available for issuance under the 2007 Plan. No further awards will be made under the 1998 Plan. Awards may be granted to such directors, employees and consultants of the Company has existingas the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors authorizationshall select in its discretion or delegate management to repurchase up to approximately $2.7 million of its Common Stock. However, the affirmative voteselect. Only employees of the holdersCompany are eligible to receive incentive stock options. Awards generally vest over a three- to five-year period and stock options generally have terms of a majorityfive to seven years. The following table sets forth certain information, as of the outstandingDecember 31, 2016, concerning shares of Series B PreferredCommon Stock voting separately as a signle class, is currently necessary in orderauthorized for us to repurchase any of our Common Stock. Absentissuance under the consent of the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock, we will be unable to conduct share repurchases. For additional information, see Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Treasury Stock” and Item 1A “Risk Factors — The terms of our Series B Preferred Stock include a substantial liquidation preference, as well as significant control rights.”2007 Plan.

  Number of securities
to be
issued upon exercise
of outstanding
options
  Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options
  Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
 
   (a)   (b)   (c) 
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  2,643,366  $1.21   1,269,753*
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders**  3,975,360  $1.45   - 

*

Aggregate number of shares available for grant under the 2007 Plan, which grants may be in the form of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards in the discretion of the Board of Directors, with respect to non-employee director grants, or the Compensation Committee, with respect to all other grants. The 2007 Plan also authorizes cash performance awards.

**Includes inducement option grants made pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c).  

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

 

The following selected financial data is qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing elsewhere herein. The selected statement of operations data presented below for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. The selected statement of operations data presented below for the years ended December 31, 20112014, 2013 and 20102012 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2012, 20112014, 2013 and 20102012 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are not included herein. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our future results.

 

  For the Year Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 
  (In thousands, except per share data) 
Statement of Operations Data: (1)                    
Net revenue:                    
Subscription services $48,036  $43,549  $37,149  $38,901  $38,099 
Media  13,017   10,901   13,572   18,859   19,087 
Total net revenue  61,053   54,450   50,721   57,760   57,186 
Operating expense:                    
Cost of services  31,731   27,432   24,886   26,499   25,557 
Sales and marketing  15,600   14,453   13,396   16,682   15,841 
General and administrative  13,947   12,219   13,638   15,811   18,053 
Asset impairments              555 
Depreciation and amortization  3,179   3,769   5,512   5,757   4,693 
Restructuring and other charges     386   6,590   1,826    
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets     187   (233)     (1,319)
Total operating expense  64,457   58,446   63,789   66,575   63,380 
Operating loss  (3,404)  (3,996)  (13,068)  (8,815)  (6,194)
Net interest income  89   210   353   668   846 
(Loss) gain on sales of marketable securities           (35)   
Other income              21 
Loss from continuing operations before income taxes  (3,315)  (3,786)  (12,715)  (8,182)  (5,327)
Provision for income taxes  475             
Loss from continuing operations  (3,790)  (3,786)  (12,715)  (8,182)  (5,327)
Discontinued operations: (2)                    
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations           (2)  (7)
Loss from discontinued operations           (2)  (7)
Net loss  (3,790)  (3,786)  (12,715)  (8,184)  (5,334)
Preferred stock cash dividends  386      193   386   386 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(4,176) $(3,786) $(12,908) $(8,570) $(5,720)
Cash dividends paid on common shares $3,477  $  $1,636  $3,447  $3,350 
Basic and diluted net loss per share:                    
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(0.12) $(0.11) $(0.39) $(0.27) $(0.18)
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding  34,371   33,725   32,710   31,954   31,593 
                     
Cash dividends declared and paid per common share $0.10  $  $0.05  $0.10  $0.10 
  December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012  2011  2010 
  (In thousands) 
Balance Sheet Data (1):                    
Cash and cash equivalents, current and noncurrent marketable securities, current and noncurrent restricted cash $37,329  $59,842  $60,541  $75,315  $78,555 
Working capital  5,326   31,208   18,829   46,013   27,352 
Total assets  111,932   108,894   111,535   121,413   129,542 
Long-term obligations, less current maturities  7,639   4,959   4,629   4,857   3,236 
Total stockholders’ equity  67,870   74,163   75,458   88,144   97,993 
  For the Year Ended December 31, 
  2016  2015  2014  2013  2012 
  (In thousands, except per share data) 
                
Statement of Operations Data: (1)                    
Revenue:                    
Business to business $29,324  $28,992  $20,843  $18,867  $11,554 
Business to consumer  34,176   38,664   40,210   35,583   39,167 
Total revenue  63,500   67,656   61,053   54,450   50,721 
Operating expense:                    
Cost of services  32,441   33,616   31,731   27,432   24,886 
Sales and marketing  15,697   16,191   15,600   14,453   13,396 
General and administrative  16,157   15,000   13,947   12,219   13,638 
Depreciation and amortization  5,682   4,309   3,179   3,769   5,512 
Impairment of Goodwill  11,583             
Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration  (1,808)            
Restructuring and other charges 960   (1,221)     386   6,590 
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets           187   (233)
Total operating expense  80,712   67,895   64,457   58,446   63,789 
Operating loss  (17,212)  (239)  (3,404)  (3,996)  (13,068)
Net interest (expense) income  (34)  (123)  89   210   353 
Net loss before income taxes  (17,246)  (362)  (3,315)  (3,786)  (12,715)
Provision for income taxes  269   1,181   475       
Net loss  (17,515)  (1,543)  (3,790)  (3,786)  (12,715)
Preferred stock cash dividends     386   386      193 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(17,515) $(1,929) $(4,176) $(3,786) $(12,908)
Cash dividends declared and paid on common shares $  $3,539  $3,477  $  $1,636 
Basic and diluted net loss per share:                    
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(0.50) $(0.06) $(0.12) $(0.11) $(0.39)
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding  35,236   34,839   34,371   33,725   32,710 
                     
Cash dividends declared and paid per common share $  $0.10  $0.10  $  $0.05 

19

  As of December 31, 
  2016  2015  2014  2013  2012 
  (In thousands) 
Balance Sheet Data (1):                    
Cash and cash equivalents, current and noncurrent marketable securities, current and noncurrent restricted cash $23,421  $30,697  $37,329  $59,842  $60,541 
Working capital  (2,836)  2,074   5,326   31,208   18,829 
Total assets  78,463   102,892   111,932   108,894   111,535 
Long-term obligations, less current maturities  5,311   7,267   7,639   4,959   4,629 
Total stockholders’ equity  42,049   61,994   67,870   74,163   75,458 

 

(1)Acquisitions of businesses we have madeBusiness acquisitions are included in our consolidated financial statements beginning on the dates of acquisition. Acquisitions we have made for the periods indicated above consist of: MDLBoardEx in October 2014; The DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Report and the PrivateRaise database in April 2013; and The Deal, LLC in September 2012. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 2 to Consolidated Financial Statements (Acquisitions) for additional information regarding our acquisitions.

(2)In June 2005, the Company committed to a plan to discontinue the operations of its wholly owned subsidiary, Independent Research Group LLC, which operated the Company’s securities research and brokerage segment. Accordingly, the operating results relating to this segment have been segregated from continuing operations and reported as discontinued operations on a separate line item on the consolidated statements of operations.

Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

Please refer to the Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements appearing in Part I, Item 17. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of this Report.Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of our operations should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto.

Overviewincluded elsewhere in this filing. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. These statements involve risks and uncertainties and our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. You should carefully read “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” above for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. See also the "Risk Factors" disclosure in Item 1A above for additional discussion of such risks.

 

Overview

TheStreet, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (“TheStreet”, “we”, “us” or the “Company”),is a leading digital financial media company focused on the financialnews and mergersinformation provider. Our business-to-business (“B2B”) and acquisitions environment. The Company’s collection of digital services provides users, subscribers and advertisers with a variety ofbusiness-to-consumer (“B2C”) content and tools through a range of online, social media, tabletproducts provide individual and mobile channels.Our mission is to provideinstitutional investors, and advisors with actionable ideas from the world of investing, finance and business, and dealmakers with sophisticated analysisactionable information from the worlds of the mergersfinance and acquisitions environmentbusiness.

Our business strategy for 2017 is centered on accelerating our growth by successfully implementing initiatives that were put in order to break down information barriers, level the playing field and help all individuals and organizations grow their wealth.With a robust suite of digital services, TheStreet offers the tools and insights needed to make informed decisions about earning, investing, saving and spending money. Since its inceptionplace in 1996, TheStreet believes it has distinguished itself from other financial media companies with its journalistic excellence, unbiased approach and interactive multimedia coverage of the financial markets, economy, industry trends, investment and financial planning.2016.

2016 Highlights

·Recruited and hired a new and experienced management team;

·including our President and Chief Executive Officer, David Callaway;
·established one unified newsroom across all business units;
·identified and optimized synergies between our products in order to add scale to our data, technology and commercial capabilities;

 

21
20 

·continued to expand our content distribution channels to broaden our customer base and enhance the user experience;
·identified new and growing revenue streams and provided support and resources necessary to maximize them (events, native advertising and custom content);and
·increased the Board of Directors toseven members, with five independent directors.

 

SubscriptionPrimary Source of RevenuesServices

 

Subscription servicesMost of our revenues are derived from subscription fees charged to our institutional and retail customers. This revenue is comprisedprimarily a function of subscriptions, licensesthe number of customers that subscribe to our services and feesis generally driven by our ability to distribute quality news and data to our customers across multiple technology channels. For the year ended December 31, 2016, subscription revenue accounted for 78% of our total revenue compared to 80% of our total revenue in 2015.

We also generate revenue from advertising primarily on our flagship website,TheStreet.com. Advertising revenue is primarily a function of the volume of traffic on our website and mobile aps which is driven by the quality and theme of our content. For the year ended December 31, 2016, advertising revenue accounted for 16% of our total revenue compared to 15% in 2015.

B2B

Our B2B business derives revenue primarily from subscription products which provide access to securities investment information, stock market commentary, rate services, director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, bank rate data and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions environment. Subscription services contributed 79% of our totalOur B2B business also generates revenue in 2014, as compared to 80% in 2013from sponsored events/conferences and 73% in 2012.information services.

 

We believe we were one of the first companies to successfully create a large scale, consumer-focused, digital subscription services content business. We believe we have been able to successfully build our subscription services business because we have established a track record for over 18 years of providing high quality, independent investing ideas that have produced financial value for our readers. We believe our track record provides us with a competitive advantage and we will seek to enhance the value of our leading brand and our ability to monetize that value.

In addition to our consumer-focused subscription products, which includeRealMoney,RealMoney Pro, Options Profits, Actions Alerts PLUS,TheStreet Quant Ratings,andStocks Under $10, our subscription services business also includes information and transactional services revenue from RateWatch and The Deal.

RateWatchmaintains a constantly-updated database of deposit, loan and fee rate data from over 100,000 financial institutions. This historical and real-time rate data is licensed to financial institutions, government agencies, educational researchers and commercial organizations. Data is provided in formats ranging from standard rate templates to large raw data files for use with third party analytical tools. The RateWatch product line also includes banking-related product and fee comparisons, financial strength reporting, educational webinars, mystery shopping and consumer and financial institution surveys.

In September 2012, the Company acquired The Deal and transformed its business into a digital subscription platform that delivers sophisticated coverage of the mergersnews and analysis on changes in corporate control including merges and acquisitions, environment, primarily through The Deal Pipeline, a leading provider of transactional information services. In April 2013, the Company acquiredThe DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Reportprivate equity, corporate activism and the PrivateRaise database from DealFlow Media, Inc. to further the information and services available to institutional investors. These newsletters and database, and the employees providing their content, have been incorporated into The Deal.

Additionally, in October 2014, the Company acquired Management Diagnostics Limited (“MDL”), a privately held company headquartered in London, England to expand the Company’s international operations and further the Company’s transition from primarily serving retail investors to also becoming an indispensable data and business intelligence source for institutional clients. MDLrestructuring. BoardEx is the owner of BoardEx, an institutional relationship capital management database and platform. Clients,platform which holds in-depth profiles of almost one million of the world's most important business leaders. Our third B2B business product, RateWatch, publishes bank rate market information including investment banks, consultanciescompetitive deposit, loan and law firms use BoardEx to leverage their relationships and facilitate business and corporate development initiatives. MDL was founded in 1999 and has offices in London, New York and Chennai, India. MDL’s products and services, and the employees providing these products and services have been incorporated into The Deal.fee rate data.

 

Our subscription services revenue also includes revenue generated from syndication and licensing of data from TheStreet Ratings (“Ratings”), which tracks the risk-adjusted performance of more than 20,000 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and more than 4,000 stocks.

22

Media

Media revenue is comprised of fees charged for the placement of advertising and sponsorships within TheStreet and its affiliated properties, our subscription and institutional services, and other miscellaneous revenue. Media contributed 21% of our total revenue in 2014, as compared to 20% in 2013 and 27% in 2012.

Our advertising-supported properties, which includeTheStreet,MainStreet, Stockpickr andReal Money, attract one of the largest and most affluent audiences of any digital publisher in our content vertical.TheStreet, with its enviable track record as a leading and distinctive digital voice in the financial category, is regarded as a must-buy for most of our core online brokerage advertisers and a highly effective means for other financial services companies and non-endemic advertisers to communicate with our engaged, affluent audience. Our direct sales team sells the full capabilities of TheStreet and its affiliated properties via sponsorships, custom programs, video, mobile, newsletters, audience targeting, native advertising, social amplification and distribution as well as programmatic direct and real time bidding.

Our media revenue also includes revenue generated from syndication and licensing of data as well as other miscellaneous, non-subscription related sources.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

Revenue

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2014  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  2013  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
Revenue:               
Subscription services $48,035,953   79% $43,549,359   80%  10%
Media  13,017,265   21%  10,901,052   20%  19%
Total revenue $  61,053,218   100% $  54,450,411   100%  12%

Subscription services. Subscription services revenue is comprised of subscriptions, licenses and fees for access to securities investment information, stock market commentary, rate services, director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions environment. Revenue is recognized ratably over the contract period.

Subscription services revenue forFor the year ended December 31, 2014 increased2016, our B2B businesses generated approximately 46% of our total revenue compared to approximately 43% in 2015.

B2C

Our B2C business primarily generates revenue from premium subscription products and advertising.

Our B2C business is led by approximately $4.5 million, or 10%our namesake website, TheStreet.com, when compared toand includes free content and houses our premium subscription products, such as RealMoney, RealMoney Pro and Actions Alerts PLUS that target varying segments of the retail investing public.

For the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was the result2016, our B2C business generated approximately 54% of approximately $1.6 million of additionalour total revenue related to the operations of MDL since its acquisition. Excluding MDL, revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by approximately $2.9 million, or 7%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was primarily related to a 14% increase in the weighted-average number of subscriptions, partially offset by a 6% decrease in the average revenue recognized per subscription. The increase in the weighted average number of subscriptions was due to new subscribers to the Company’s newsletter products, primarily from the introduction of several new newsletters in the second half of 2013. The decrease in the average revenue recognized per subscription during the period was primarily the result of the mix of products sold and the introduction of several newsletter products at lower prices.

Media. Media revenue is comprised of fees charged for the placement of advertising and sponsorships within TheStreet and its affiliated properties, our subscription and institutional services, and other miscellaneous revenue.

Media revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by approximately $2.1 million, or 19%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was primarily the result of additional ad units and increased pricing on certain units which resulted from higher demand from repeat and non-repeat advertisers. Media revenue includes approximately $8 thousand of barter revenue in the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to approximately $94 thousand of barter revenue57% in the year ended December 31, 2013.2015.

 

Operating ExpensePrimary Expenses

 

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2014  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  2013  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
Operating expense:                    
Cost of services $31,730,740   52% $27,431,566   50%  16%
Sales and marketing  15,600,129   26%  14,453,465   27%  8%
General and administrative  13,946,681   23%  12,218,964   22%  14%
Depreciation and amortization  3,179,377   5%  3,768,536   7%  -16%
Restructuring and other charges        385,610   1%  -100%
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets        187,434   0%  -100%
Total operating expense $  64,456,927      $  58,445,575       10%

Cost of services.ServicesCost of services expense consists primarily of compensation, benefits, outside contributor costs related to the creation of our content, licensed data and the technology required to publish our content.

 

Cost of services expense increased by approximately $4.3 million, or 16%, over the period. The increase was the result of approximately $862 thousand of additional cost related to the operations of MDL since its acquisition combined with transaction related costs. Excluding MDL and transaction related costs, cost of services expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by approximately $3.4 million, or 13%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was primarily the result of increased compensation and related expense due to a 5% increase in average headcount (excluding the impact of MDL headcount), fees paid to outside contributors, consulting fees and recruiting costs, the aggregate of which increased by approximately $4.6 million. These cost increases were partially offset by lower revenue share payments made to certain distribution partners, and reduced computer services and supplies costs, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $971 thousand.

Sales and marketing.marketing — Sales and marketing expense consists primarily of compensation expense for the direct sales force, marketing services, and customer service departments, advertising and promotion expenses and credit card processing fees.

Sales

21

Advertising and Marketing — Advertising and marketing expense increased by approximately $1.1 million, or 8%, over the period. The increase was the resultconsists primarily of approximately $289 thousand of additional cost related to the operations of MDL since its acquisition combinedelectronic media, print and other advertising costs, as well as costs associated with transaction related costs. Excluding MDLour brand campaign and transaction related costs, sales and marketing expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by approximately $858 thousand, or 6%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was the result of higher advertising and promotion, employee benefit and bonus payments, public relations and advertisement serving costs, the aggregate of which increased by $1.3 million. These cost increases were partially offset by reduced salary costs due to a 2% decrease in average headcount (excluding the impact of MDL headcount), and lower travel and entertainment costs, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $503 thousand. Sales and marketing expense includes approximately $8 thousand of barter expense in the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to approximately $94 thousand in the year ended December 31, 2013.product promotion.

 

General and administrativeAdministrative. — General and administrative expense consists primarily of compensation for general management, finance, technology, legal and administrative personnel, occupancy costs, professional fees, insurance and other office expenses.

 

GeneralResults of Operations

The following tables present our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2016 and administrative expense2015. The period-to-period comparisons of results are not necessarily indicative of results for future periods.

Revenue

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
Revenue: 2016  Percent of
Total
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Total
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $22,130,695   35% $21,716,721   32%  2%
RateWatch  7,192,706   11%  7,275,399   11%  -1%
Total business to business  29,323,401   46%  28,992,120   43%  1%
Business to consumer  34,176,130   54%  38,663,780   57%  -12%
Total revenue $63,499,531   100% $67,655,900   100%  -6%

Total business to business revenue increased by approximately $1.7 million,$331 thousand, or 14%1%, over the period.in 2016 compared to 2015.

Revenue attributable to The Deal / BoardEx segment increased by approximately $414 thousand, or 2%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. This increase in revenue was primarily the result of an increase in the number of events held by The Deal in 2016, which generated revenue of approximately $1.5$1.1 million, an increase of additional cost$600 thousand compared to the events held by the Deal in 2015. The Company plans on further expansion of its event business during 2017. Advertising revenue decreased by approximately $155 thousand in 2016 as compared to 2015. Subscription revenue from both our The Deal and BoardEx products experienced a de minimis increase in 2016 as compared to 2015, however, subscription revenue attributable to BoardEx in 2016 was offset by the impact of foreign currency.

Revenue from our RateWatch subsidiary decreased by approximately $83 thousand, or 1%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. RateWatch subscription revenue decreased by approximately $345 thousand, or 5%, attributable to a 5% decrease in the weighted-average number of subscriptions. This decline was partially offset by a $263 thousand, or 30% increase in one-time reports sold by RateWatch.

Business to consumer revenue decreased by approximately $4.5 million, or 12%, in 2016 as compared to 2015.This decrease was primarily related to an approximate $4.2 million, or 16%, decline in revenue related to premium subscription products resulting from a 14% decrease in the operationsweighted-average number of MDL since its acquisitionsubscriptions combined with transactiona 2% decrease in the average revenue recognized per subscription. Additionally, we experienced a decline in co-registration revenue of approximately $326 thousand. Advertising revenue generated by our business to consumer segment increased $29 thousand to $10.1 million in 2016.

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Operating Expenses

Cost of Services

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
Cost of services: 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $11,168,977   50% $11,418,639   53%  -2%
RateWatch  1,992,218   28%  2,088,506   29%  -5%
Total business to business  13,161,195   45%  13,507,145   47%  -3%
Business to consumer  19,279,403   56%  20,108,722   52%  -4%
Total cost of services $32,440,598   51% $33,615,867   50%  -3%

Cost of services expense attributable to The Deal / BoardEx decreased by approximately $250 thousand, or 2%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. This decrease was primarily the result of reduced consulting, hosting, internet access and recruiting costs, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $429 thousand. Also contributing to the decline was a reduction in corporate expense allocations totaling approximately $475 thousand primarily the result of lower compensation related and consulting costs. Excluding MDLThese cost decreases were partially offset by higher compensation and transaction related costs generaldue to the expansion of our data facility in India, event related costs resulting from the expansion of our conference business and administrativeoutside contributor costs, the aggregate of which increased by $684 thousand.

Cost of service expense forattributable to RateWatch decreased by $96 thousand, or 5%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decrease was primarily the year ended December 31, 2014result of reduced compensation and related and recruiting costs, the aggregate of which decreased by $57 thousand.

Cost of service expense attributable to our business to consumer business decreased by $829 thousand, or 4%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decrease was primarily the result of reduced outside contributor costs and revenue share payments made to certain distribution partners, the aggregate of which decreased by $735 thousand. Also contributing to the decline was a reduction in corporate expense allocations totaling approximately $752 thousand resulting from lower compensation related and consulting costs. These decreases were partially offset by increased compensation and related costs totaling approximately $608 thousand resulting from increased headcount.

Sales and marketing

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
Sales and marketing: 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $5,695,790   26% $5,128,918   24%  11%
RateWatch  1,330,216   18%  1,360,826   19%  -2%
Total business to business  7,026,006   24%  6,489,744   22%  8%
Business to consumer  8,671,059   25%  9,701,005   25%  -11%
Total sales and marketing $15,697,065   25% $16,190,749   24%  -3%

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Sales and marketing expense attributable to The Deal / BoardEx increased by approximately $265$567 thousand, or 2%11%, whenin 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2013.2015. The increase was primarily the result of higher compensation and related costs totaling approximately $672 thousand related to increased headcount. This increase was partially offset by reduced consulting fees, which decreased by approximately $146 thousand.

Sales and marketing expense attributable to our RateWatch business decreased by approximately $31 thousand, or 2%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decrease was primarily the result of reduced compensation and related costs totaling approximately $49 thousand primarily related to bonus payments and increased employee benefit costs, contributions made by the Companycommission payments.

Sales and marketing expense attributable to TheStreet Foundation, costsour business to host an industry conference and bad debt expense, the aggregate of which increasedconsumer business unit decreased by approximately $1.0 million. These cost increases were partially offset bymillion, or 11%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decrease was primarily the result of reduced professional fees, consulting, taxcompensation and occupancy related costs resulting from decreased headcount, and lower advertising serving, advertising and promotion and credit card processing costs, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $818$1.4 million. These cost savings were partially offset by consulting fees which increased by approximately $218 thousand.

General and administrative.

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
General and administrative: 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $7,245,184   33% $7,037,010   32%  3%
RateWatch  2,605,281   36%  2,583,201   36%  1%
Total business to business  9,850,465   34%  9,620,211   33%  2%
Business to consumer  6,306,686   18%  5,380,228   14%  17%
Total general and administrative $16,157,151   25% $15,000,439   22%  8%

General and administrative expense attributable to The Deal / BoardEx business increased by approximately $208 thousand, or 3%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase was primarily the result of an increase of approximately $172 thousand of recruiting fees. Also contributing to the cost increase were higher corporate expense allocations totaling approximately $683 thousand resulting from a provision recorded for state and municipal sales tax not collected on sales to our customers or remitted to various states and municipalities, combined with increased professional fees. These cost increases were partially offset by lower expenses resulting from more favorable exchange rates due to the strengthening US Dollar, reduced professional, bad debt and internet access fees, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $598 thousand.

General and administrative expense attributable to our RateWatch business increased by approximately $22 thousand, or 1%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase was primarily the result of moving costs as they relocated to a new facility, as well as higher internet access and recruiting costs, the aggregate of which increased by approximately $118 thousand. These cost increases were partially offset by a reduction in property tax payments, which decreased by approximately $28 thousand. Also contributing to the decline was a reduction in corporate allocations totaling approximately $61 thousand.

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General and administrative expense attributable to our business to consumer business increased by approximately $926 thousand, or 17%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase was primarily the result of costs related to an expanded business analytics group designed to provide management with information needed to improve business results, together with an increase in occupancy related costs, the aggregate of which increased by approximately $281 thousand. Also contributing to the increase was an increase in corporate allocations totaling approximately $804 thousand resulting from a provision recorded for state and municipal sales tax not collected on sales to our customers or remitted to various states and municipalities, combined with increased professional fees.

 

Depreciation and amortization.

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
Depreciation and amortization: 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $3,046,018   14% $2,698,004   12%  13%
RateWatch  1,568,915   22%  1,114,698   15%  41%
Total business to business  4,614,933   16%  3,812,702   13%  21%
Business to consumer  1,066,630   3%  496,392   1%  115%
Total depreciation and amortization $5,681,563   9% $4,309,094   6%  32%

Depreciation and amortization expense decreasedincreased by approximately $589 thousand,$1.4 million, or 16%32%, over the period.in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decreaseincrease was primarily the result of an overall reduced level of capital expenditures over the past few years partially offset by increasedcatch up amortization expense of approximately $1.5 million related to capitalized software and website development projects.

Impairment of goodwill

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
Impairment of goodwill 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $11,583,000   52% $-   0%  N/A 
RateWatch  -   0%  -   0%  N/A 
Total business to business  11,583,000   40%  -   0%  N/A 
Business to consumer  -   0%  -   0%  N/A 
Total Impairment of Goodwill $11,583,000   18% $-   0%  N/A 

During the purchasesyear ended December 31, 2015, the business was managed as a single segment where subscription and advertising products were sold throughout the Company, financial results were reviewed on a consolidated basis and separate and discrete financial information was not available. During 2016, the Company reassessed the identification of MDLoperating segments due to changes in key personnel, including the Chief Operating Decision Maker, and assets from DealFlow Media, Inc.during the fourth quarter of 2016 began to provide separate and discrete segment financial information. As a result of our impairment testing, we recorded an impairment charge of approximately $11.6 million to The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit.

Change in fair value of contingent consideration.

Change in fair value of
contingent consideration:
 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $(1,807,945)  -8% $-   N/A   N/A 
RateWatch  -   N/A   -   N/A   N/A 
Total business to business  (1,807,945)  -6%  -   N/A   N/A 
Business to consumer  -   N/A   -   N/A   N/A 
Total change in fair value of contingent consideration: $(1,807,945)  -3% $-   N/A   N/A 

During the three months ended December 31, 2016, the Company reduced its estimate of the acquisition contingent earn-out payable to the former owners of Management Diagnostics Limited (BoardEx) based upon revised 2017 revenue estimates, a resulting in restructuring and other charges credit of approximately $1.8 million.

 

Restructuring and other charges.

Restructuring and other charges: 2016  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  2015  Percent of
Segment
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
The Deal / BoardEx $(86,025)  -0% $(1,221,224)  -6%  -93%
RateWatch  180,515   3%  -   N/A   N/A 
Total business to business  94,490   0%  (1,221,224)  -4%  -108%
Business to consumer  865,196   3%  -   N/A   N/A 
Total restructuring and other charges $959,686   2% $(1,221,224)  -2%  -179%

In August 2015, we received a one year notice of termination under which the landlord elected to terminate The Deal’s office space lease. As a result, we were no longer obligated to fulfill the original full lease term and we recorded an adjustment to its restructuring reserve totaling approximately $1.2 million. Additionally, we received a lease termination credit of approximately $583 thousand from the landlord when the office space was vacated in August 2016.

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During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company did not incur anyannounced the resignation of the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, who was also a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. In connection with this resignation, the Company paid severance, continued to and will continue to provide medical coverage for 18 months after the termination date, and incurred recruiting fees, resulting in restructuring and other charges during the year ended December 31, 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2013,of approximately $1.5 million. Additionally, in August 2016 the Company recognizedreceived the lease termination fee from the landlord when The Deal’s office space was vacated resulting in a reduction to restructuring and other charges totalingof approximately $386 thousand primarily related to noncash stock-based compensation costs in connection with the accelerated vesting of certain restricted stock units for a terminated employee.$583 thousand.

 

Loss (gain) on disposition of assets.Net Interest ExpenseThe Company did not incur any loss (gain) during the year ended December 31, 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company sold certain non-strategic assets resulting in a loss of approximately $187 thousand.

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2016  2015  

Percent

Change

 
Net interest expense $34,121  $122,637   -72%

 

Net Interest Income

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2014  2013  Percent
Change
 
Net interest income $88,993  $209,463   -58%

interest expense decreased by approximately $89 thousand, or 72%, in 2016 as compared to 2015. The decrease in net interest incomechange was the result of reduced marketable securities balances, decreased cash due to the acquisition of MDL, lowerhigher interest income resulting from increased interest rates andcombined with reduced interest expense related to the net present value calculationaccretion of certain accrued expenses that were recorded in connection with prior acquisitions.

Provision for Income Taxes

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2016  2015  

Percent

Change

 
Provision for income taxes $269,007  $1,181,341   -77%

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Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2016 was approximately $269 thousand, as compared to approximately $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, and reflects an effective tax rate of -2% and -327%, respectively. Income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 primarily relates to the recognition of $130 thousand and $1.2 million, respectively, of a deferred tax liability associated with goodwill that is tax deductible but constitutes an indefinite lived intangible asset for financial reporting purposes, as well as the recognition of $139 thousand and $4 thousand, respectively, of income tax expense in certain jurisdictions where there are no net operating losses available to offset taxable income.

Net Loss Attributable to Common Stockholders

 

Net loss attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 20142016 totaled $4.2approximately $17.5 million, or $0.12$0.50 per basic and diluted share, compared to net loss attributable to common stockholders totaling $3.8 million, or $0.11 per basic and diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2013 and 2012

Revenue

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2013  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  2012  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
Revenue:               
Subscription services $43,549,359   80% $37,149,143   73%  17%
Media  10,901,052   20%  13,571,660   27%  -20%
Total revenue 54,450,411   100% 50,720,803   100%  7%

Subscription services.Subscription services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 increased by approximately $6.4 million, or 17%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2012. The increase was the result of approximately $7.1 million of additional revenue related to the operations of The Deal and DealFlow. Excluding The Deal and DealFlow, revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased by approximately $715 thousand, or 2%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2012. The decrease was primarily related to a 4% decrease in the average revenue recognized per subscription, partially offset by a 2% increase in the weighted-average number of subscriptions. The decrease in the average revenue recognized per subscription during the period was primarily the result of the mix of products sold and the introduction during the current year of several subscription products at lower prices. While we have been able to reduce our subscriber attrition rate, the number of new subscribers was not sufficient to offset the reduction in the average revenue recognized per subscription.

Media. Media revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased by approximately $2.7 million, or 20%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2012. The increase in media revenue associated with The Deal and DealFlow totaled approximately $470 thousand during the year ended December 31, 2013 as compared to the prior year period. Excluding The Deal and DealFlow, revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased by approximately $3.1 million, or 25%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2012. The decrease in media revenue was primarily the result of reduced demand from non-repeat advertisers. Media revenue includes approximately $94 thousand of barter revenue in the year ended December 31, 2013. There was no barter revenue in the prior year period.

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Operating Expense

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2013  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  2012  Percent
of Total
Revenue
  Percent
Change
 
Operating expense:                    
Cost of services $27,431,566   50% $24,886,142   49%  -10%
Sales and marketing  14,453,465   27%  13,395,328   26%  -8%
General and administrative  12,218,964   22%  13,637,895   27%  10%
Depreciation and amortization  3,768,536   7%  5,512,299   11%  32%
Restructuring and other charges  385,610   1%  6,589,792   13%  94%
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets  187,434��  0%  (232,989)  0%  N/A 
Total operating expense 58,445,575      63,788,467       8%

Cost of services.Cost of services expense increased by approximately $2.5 million, or 10%, over the period. The increase was primarily the result of costs associated with the operations of The Deal and DealFlow combined with higher fees paid to outside contributors and revenue share payments made to certain distribution partners, the aggregate of which increased by approximately $4.4 million. These cost increases were partially offset by lower compensation expense due to a 7% decrease in average headcount (excluding the impact of increased headcount of The Deal and DealFlow), as well as reduced expenses relating to computer services and supplies, data used on the Company’s Websites, hosting, internet fees, and increased reimbursed expenses relating to a third party services agreement, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $1.7 million.

Sales and marketing.Sales and marketing expense increased by approximately $1.1 million, or 8%, over the period. The increase was the result of costs associated with the operations of The Deal and DealFlow, which increased by approximately $2.7 million. These costs were partially offset by reduced compensation expense due to an 18% decrease in average headcount (excluding the impact of increased headcount of The Deal and DealFlow) combined with lower advertising and promotion, public relations, consulting, and serving costs for third-party advertisers, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $1.5 million. Sales and marketing expense includes $94 thousand of barter expense in the year ended December 31, 2013 and $183 thousand in the prior year period.

General and administrative. General and administrative expense decreased by approximately $1.4 million, or 10%, over the period. The decrease was primarily the result of reduced compensation expense due to a 17% decrease in average headcount, combined with lower third-party data and recruiting costs, the aggregate of which decreased by approximately $1.5 million.

Depreciation and amortization.Depreciation and amortization expense decreased by approximately $1.7 million, or 32%, over the period. The decrease was primarily the result of an overall reduced level of capital expenditures over the past few years combined with increased amortization during the year ended December 31, 2012 resulting from reductions to the estimated useful life of certain capitalized Website development projects. These reductions were partially offset by increased depreciation and amortization expense related to The Deal and DealFlow.

Restructuring and other charges. During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recognized restructuring and other charges totaling approximately $386 thousand primarily related to noncash stock-based compensation costs in connection with the accelerated vesting of certain restricted stock units for a terminated employee. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company implemented a targeted reduction in force. Additionally, in accessing the ongoing needs of the organization, the Company elected to discontinue using certain software as a service, consulting and data providers, and elected to write-off certain previously capitalized software development projects. The actions were taken after a review of the Company’s cost structure with the goal of better aligning the cost structure with the Company’s revenue base. These restructuring efforts resulted in restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $3.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2012. Additionally, as a result of the Company’s acquisition of The Deal, the Company discontinued the use of The Deal’s office space and implemented a reduction in force to eliminate redundant positions, resulting in restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2012. These activities were offset by a reduction to previously estimated restructuring and other charges resulting in a net credit of approximately $289 thousand.

Loss (gain) on disposition of assets.During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company sold certain non-strategic assets resulting in a loss of approximately $187 thousand. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company sold certain non-strategic assets resulting in a gain of approximately $233 thousand.

Net Interest Income

  For the Year Ended December 31,    
  2013  2012  Percent
Change
 
Net interest income $209,463  $352,713   -41%

The decrease in net interest income was primarily the result of reduced average marketable security, cash and restricted cash balances during the year ended December 31, 2013 as compared to the prior year period, lower interest rates, and interest expense related to accretion of certain restructuring costs that were recorded during 2012.

Net Loss Attributable to Common Stockholders

Net loss attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2013 totaled $3.82015 totaling approximately $1.9 million, or $0.11$0.06 per basic and diluted share, comparedshare.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our current assets at December 31, 2016 consisted primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. We do not hold inventory. Our current liabilities at December 31, 2016 consisted primarily of deferred revenue, accrued expenses and accounts payable. At December 31, 2016, our current assets were approximately $28.3 million, 9% less than our current liabilities. With respect to net loss attributablemany of our annual business to common stockholders totaling $12.9consumer newsletter subscription products, we offer the ability to receive a refund during the first 30 days but none thereafter. We do not as a general matter offer refunds for advertising that has run.

We generally have invested in money market funds and other short-term, investment grade instruments that are highly liquid and of high quality, with the intent that such funds are available for sale for acquisition and operating purposes. As of December 31, 2016, our cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash amounted to approximately $23.4 million, or $0.39 per basicrepresenting 30% of total assets. Our cash, cash equivalents and diluted share,restricted cash primarily consisted of checking accounts and money market funds. Our marketable securities consisted of two municipal auction rate securities issued by the District of Columbia with a fair value of approximately $1.6 million that mature in the year 2038. Our total cash-related position is as follows:

  December 31,
2016
  December 31,
2015
 
Cash and cash equivalents $21,371,122  $28,445,416 
Noncurrent marketable securities  1,550,000   1,590,000 
Current and noncurrent restricted cash  500,000   661,250 
Total cash and cash equivalents, noncurrent marketable securities and current and noncurrent restricted cash $23,421,122  $30,696,666 

Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. We maintain all of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in seven financial institutions, and we perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions.

Net cash used in operating activities totaled approximately $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2012.2016, as compared to net cash provided by operating activities totaling approximately $891 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2015. The decreasereduction in the net lossoperating cash was primarily the result of restructuringan increase in our net loss combined with the change in the fair value of contingent consideration related to our 2014 acquisition of BoardEx, and the change in the balance of deferred revenue. These declines were partially offset by the change in the balances of other liabilities, accrued expenses and other charges recorded duringreceivables, and an increase in noncash expenses in 2016 as compared to 2015.

27

Net cash used in investing activities totaled approximately $3.5 million for the year ended December 31, 20122016, as compared to net cash used in investing activities totaling approximately $670 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2015. The increase in cash used in investing activities was primarily the result of the maturity of a marketable security during the three months ended March 31, 2015.

Net cash used in financing activities totaled approximately $167 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2016, as compared to cash used in financing activities totaling approximately $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. The decrease in net cash used in financing activities was primarily the result of the suspension of cash dividend payments by the Company.

We currently have a total of $500 thousand of cash that approximated $6.6serves as collateral for an outstanding letter of credit, which cash is classified as restricted. The letter of credit serves as a security deposit for office space in New York City.

We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. We are committed to cash expenditures in an aggregate amount of approximately $5.2 million through December 31, 2017, in respect of the contractual obligations set forth below under “Commitments and Contingencies.”

As of December 31, 2016 we had approximately $160 million of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards. We maintain a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets as management concluded that it was more likely than not that we would not realize the benefit of our deferred tax assets by generating sufficient taxable income in future years. We expect to continue to maintain a full valuation allowance until, or unless, we can sustain a level of profitability that demonstrates our ability to utilize these assets.

In accordance with Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, the ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards could be limited in the event of a change in ownership and as such a portion of the existing net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to limitation.

Treasury Stock

In December 2000, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of the Company’s Common Stock, from time to time, in private purchases or in the open market. In February 2004, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the resumption of the stock repurchase program, or the Program, under new price and volume parameters, leaving unchanged the maximum amount available for repurchase under the Program. However, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class, is necessary for the Company to repurchase its Common Stock (except for the purchase or redemption from employees, directors and consultants pursuant to agreements providing us with repurchase rights upon termination of their service with us), unless after such purchase we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference. During the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company did not purchase any shares of Common Stock under the Program. Since inception of the Program, the Company has purchased a total of 5,453,416 shares of Common Stock at an aggregate cost of approximately $7.3 million.

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s 2007 Plan, and certain procedures approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, in connection with the exercise of stock options by certain of the Company’s employees, and the issuance of shares of Common Stock in settlement of vested restricted stock units, the Company may withhold shares in lieu of payment of the exercise price and/or the minimum amount of applicable withholding taxes then due. Through December 31, 2016, the Company had withheld an aggregate of 1,850,665 shares which have been recorded as treasury stock. In addition, the Company received an aggregate of 211,608 shares in treasury stock resulting from prior acquisitions.

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Commitments and Contingencies

We are committed to cash expenditures in an aggregate amount of approximately $5.2 million through December 31, 2017, primarily related to operating leases for office space, which expire at various dates through January, 2026. Certain leases contain escalation clauses relating to increases in property taxes and maintenance costs. Rent expense was approximately $2.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. Additionally, we have agreements with certain of our employees and outside contributors, whose future minimum payments are dependent on the future fulfillment of their services thereunder. As of December 31, 2016, total future minimum cash payments are as follows:

Payments Due by Year
Contractual obligations: Total  2017  2018  2019  2020  2021  After
2021
 
Operating leases $9,901,098  $2,548,668  $2,382,038  $1,996,904  $1,987,382  $186,294  $799,812 
Employment agreement  2,500,000   2,500,000                
Outside contributors  137,500   137,500                
Total contractual cash obligations $12,538,598  $5,186,168  $2,382,038  $1,996,904  $1,987,382  $186,294  $799,812 

See Note 10 (Commitments and Contingencies) in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of contingencies.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2016, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K, that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

General

 

The Company’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are based upon its consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, (“GAAP”).or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are deemed to be necessary. Significant estimates made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the following:

29

Revenue Recognition

 

We generate our revenue primarily from subscription servicesfees charges to our institutional and media.retail customers and advertising revenue primarily from our flagship website, TheStreet.com.

 

Subscription services revenue is comprised of subscriptions licenses and license fees for access to securities investment information, stock market commentary, rate services, director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions and other changes in the corporate control environment. Subscriptions are charged to customers’ credit cards or are directly billed to corporate subscribers, and are generally billed in advance on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. We calculate net subscription revenue by deducting from gross revenue an estimate of potential refunds from cancelled subscriptions as well as chargebacks of disputed credit card charges. Net subscription revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription periods. Deferred revenue relates to payments for subscription fees for which amounts have been collected but for which revenue has not been recognized because services have not yet been provided.

 

Subscription revenue is subject to estimation and variability due to the fact that, in the normal course of business, subscribers may for various reasons contact us or their credit card companies to request a refund or other adjustment for a previously purchased subscription. With respect to many of our annual newsletter subscription products, we offer the ability to receive a refund during the first 30 days but none thereafter. Accordingly, we maintain a provision for estimated future revenue reductions resulting from expected refunds and chargebacks related to subscriptions for which revenue was recognized in a prior period. The calculation of this provision is based upon historical trends and is reevaluated each quarter. The provision was not material for any of the three years ended December 31, 2014.2016 or 2015.

 

MediaAdvertising revenue is primarily comprised of fees charged for the placement of advertising and sponsorships within TheStreet and its affiliated properties,on our subscription and institutional services, and other miscellaneous revenue. Mediaflagship website, TheStreet.com. Advertising revenue is recognized as the advertising or sponsorship is displayed, provided that collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured.

Capitalized Software and Website Development Costs

 

We expense all costs incurred in the preliminary project stage for software developed for internal use and capitalize all external direct costs of materials and services consumed in developing or obtaining internal-use computer software in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification, (“ASC”) 350,Intangibles – Goodwill and Other,(“or ASC 350”).350. In addition, for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to internal-use computer software projects, to the extent of the time spent directly on the project, we capitalize payroll and payroll-related costs of such employees incurred once the development has reached the applications development stage. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, we capitalized software development costs totaling approximately $408 thousand, $289$613 thousand and $401$486 thousand, respectively. All costs incurred for upgrades, maintenance and enhancements that do not result in additional functionality are expensed.

We also account for our Website development costs under ASC 350, which provides guidance on the accounting for the costs of development of company Websites, dividing the Website development costs into five stages: (1) the planning stage, during which the business and/or project plan is formulated and functionalities, necessary hardware and technology are determined, (2) the Website application and infrastructure development stage, which involves acquiring or developing hardware and software to operate the Website, (3) the graphics development stage, during which the initial graphics and layout of each page are designed and coded, (4) the content development stage, during which the information to be presented on the Website, which may be either textual or graphical in nature, is developed, and (5) the operating stage, during which training, administration, maintenance and other costs to operate the existing Website are incurred. The costs incurred in the Website application and infrastructure stage, the graphics development stage and the content development stage are capitalized; all other costs are expensed as incurred. Amortization of capitalized costs will not commence until the project is completed and placed into service. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, we capitalized Website development costs totaling approximately $1.2 million $443 thousand and $100 thousand,$1.8 million, respectively.

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Capitalized software and Website development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software or Website, which varies based upon the project. Total amortization expense was approximately $428 thousand, $743 thousand$2.0 million and $1.5$1.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively.

Product Database

 

Product databases consist of data on companies and individuals which is indexed to allow subscribers to search and view the content online or as deployed, and include the costs incurred by company employees to originally research, key and index the content and the fair value allocated to content databases in business acquisitions. The Company amortizes content databases on a straight-line basis over a ten year period. Costs to maintain the content databases are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill and Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets

 

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired.  Under the provisions of ASC 350, goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets are required to be tested for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests whenever circumstances arise that indicate a possible impairment might exist.  We perform our annual impairment tests of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets as of September 30October 1 each year. Impairment exists when the carrying amount of goodwill andor indefinite lived intangible assets of a reporting unit exceed their implied fair value, resulting in an impairment charge for this excess.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the business was managed as Single segment and single reporting unit where subscription and advertising products were sold throughout the Company, financial results were reviewed on a consolidated basis and separate and discrete financial information was not available. During 2016, the Company reassessed the identification of operating segments due to changes in key personnel, including the Chief Operating Decision Maker, and during the fourth quarter of 2016 began to provide separate and discrete segment financial information. We evaluatecurrently regard our Company to operate in three distinct operating segments: The Deal / BoardEx, RateWatch and Business to Consumer. These operating segments also represent the Company’s reporting units.

The Company tests goodwill for impairment using a quantitative analysis consisting of a two-step impairment test approach at the Company level, as the Company is considered to operate as a single reporting unit.approach.  The first step comparesof our quantitative analysis consists of a comparison of the carrying value of each of our reporting units, including goodwill, to the estimated fair value of each of our reporting units using a market approach for the valuation of our Common Stock, based upon actual prices of the Company’s Common Stock, and the income approach for the estimated fair value of the Company’s outstanding Preferred Shares. The Company also performed an income approach to confirm the reasonableness of these results using the discounted cash flow methodology.  If step one resulted in the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeding the fair value of such reporting unit, we would then proceed to step two which would require us to calculate the Company with its bookamount of impairment loss, if any, that we would record for such reporting unit.  The calculation of the impairment loss in step two would be equivalent to the reporting unit’s carrying value including goodwill. As outlined in ASC 350, ifof goodwill less the implied fair value of such goodwill.

As discussed below, we also used a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwilldiscounted cash flow methodology, or DCF. Our use of a DCF methodology includes estimates of future revenue based upon budget projections and growth rates which take into account estimated inflation rates.  We also develop estimates for future levels of gross and operating profits and projected capital expenditures.  Our methodology also includes the reporting unit is not considered impaireduse of estimated discount rates based upon industry and the second step of the impairment test is unnecessary. Ascompetitor analysis as well as other factors. The estimates that we concludeduse in our DCF methodology involve many assumptions by management that our goodwill was not impaired as of the valuation date, step two was not performed.are based upon future growth projections.

 

In conducting our 20142016 annual goodwill impairment test throughwith the assistance of our independent appraisal firm, we first used the market approach for the valuation of our common stockCommon Stock and the income approach for our preferred shares.Preferred Shares. We also performed an income approach by using the discounted cash flow (“DCF”) method to confirmthen confirmed the reasonableness of the resultsoutcome of these two tests by performing an income approach using the common stock market approach. Based on these approaches,DCF. As a result we determined that the Company’s business enterprise valueFair Value (common equity plus preferred equity) to be $122.0$66.0 million as of the Valuation Date. Wevaluation date.

Using the market approach, we first calculated the common equity value using the midpoint of the Company’s high and low common stock prices on the Valuation Date,valuation date, as shown in the following figure:table:

 

AVERAGE STOCK PRICE   
Average Stock Price – October 1, 2016   
Low stock price $2.15  $1.10 
High stock price $2.24  $1.13 
Average stock price $2.20  $1.115 

 

We multiplied the average stock price of $2.20$1.115 by the 34,444,358 common shares35,254,962 Common Shares outstanding, indicating a common equity value of $75.6$39.3 million on a non-controlling basis. In order to determine the value of the common equity on a controlling basis, a control premium was applied. We searchedreviewed the FactSet MergerStat/BVR Control Premium Study for all transactions involving U.S. companies during the past 12 months, and for transactions involving U.S. companies with the same SIC code as the Company over various time periods. TheAlthough the data indicated a wide range of controlmarket participant acquisition premiums, and we conservatively selected 10 percent20% as an appropriate controlmarket participant acquisition premium. Applying a controlthis premium of 10 percent20% resulted in a value of the common equity on a controlling basis of $83.2$47.2 million.

In addition

We then used the income approach to Common Stock, wevalue our Preferred Shares, which have preferred stock with a liquidation value of $55.0 million. With the assistance of our third party valuation firm, we used the income approach to computeWe computed the fair value of the Preferred Stock to be $38.8 million which we added to the fair value of the Common Stock. The resulting enterprise value of $122.0 million represents the value of the Company on a controlling basis. This value was greater than the carrying value of $75.1 million, indicating our goodwill was not impaired as of the September 30, 2014 valuation date.

$23.7 million. The fair value of our outstanding preferred sharesPreferred Shares requires significant judgments, including the estimation of the amount of time until a liquidation event occurs as well as an appropriate cash flow discount rate. Further, in assigning a fair value to our preferred stock,Preferred Stock, we also considered that the preferred shareholders are entitled to receive a $55 million liquidation preference upon liquidation or dissolution of the Company or upon any change of control event (as defined in the Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock). Additionally, the holders of the preferred sharesPreferred Shares are entitled to receive dividends and to vote as a single class together with the holders of the Common Stock on an as-converted basis and, provided certain preferred share ownership levels are maintained, are entitled to representation on our board of directors and may unilaterally block issuance of certain classes of capital stock, the purchase or redemption of certain classes of capital stock, including Common Stock (with certain exceptions), and any increases in the per-share amount of dividends payable to the holders of the Common Stock.

 

We then added the $23.7 million fair value of the Preferred Stock with the $47.2 million value of the Common Stock which resulted in an Fair Value of $70.9 million on a controlling basis.

The Company then performed an income approach using the DCF to confirm the reasonableness of the $70.9 million Fair Value, which resulted in an indicated value of $60.8 million.

We then concluded the Fair Value analysis for the Company on an aggregated basis by taking the average of the $70.9 million Fair Value derived from the first test and the $60.8 million value derived from the second test, resulting in an Fair Value for the Company of $66.0 million. Once we determined the Fair Value of the Company, the Fair Value of each of the three reporting units was based on the proportion of each reporting unit’s indicated Fair Value to the indicated Fair Value of the Company.

As the Company switched from one to three reporting units during the fourth quarter of 2016, we allocated the Company’s $41.4 million of goodwill to the three reporting units in proportion to the reporting units’ relative business Fair Values as of October 1, 2016 resulting in goodwill for The Deal / BoardEx, RateWatch and Business to Consumer reporting units totaling approximately $14.1 million, $5.8 million and $21.5 million, respectively.

Based on our analysis, we concluded that The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit goodwill was impaired as of the valuation date, while the RateWatch and Business to Consumer reporting units’ were not impaired by approximately 16% and 33%, respectively.

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During the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company’s stock price declined from an average price of $1.115 on the valuation date to $0.855 as of December 31, 2016. This triggering event resulted in the Company performing a second impairment review as of December 31, 2016. We calculated the common equity value using the midpoint of the Company’s high and low common stock prices on December 31, 2016, as shown in the following table:

Average Stock Price – December 31, 2016   
Low stock price $0.83 
High stock price $0.88 
Average stock price $0.855 

We multiplied the average stock price of $0.855 by the 35,421,217 common shares outstanding, indicating a common equity value of $30.3 million on a non-controlling basis. We then applied the same premium of 20% resulting in a value of the common equity on a controlling basis of $36.3 million, and the same fair value of the Preferred Stock of $23.7 million resulting in an Fair Value of $60.0 million on a controlling basis as of December 31, 2016. Once we determined the Fair Value of the Company, the Fair Value of each of the three reporting units was based on the proportion of each reporting unit’s indicated Fair Value to the indicated Fair Value of the Company. Based on this analysis, we concluded that The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit goodwill was impaired as of December 31, 2016, while the RateWatch and Business to Consumer reporting units’ were not impaired by approximately 26% and 21%, respectively.

As a result of our impairment testing, we recorded an impairment charge of approximately $11.6 million for The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit.

In conducting our 20142016 annual indefinite-livedindefinite lived intangible asset impairment test, through our independent appraisal firm, we determined its fair value using the relief-from-royalty method. This analysis calculated the fair value as the present valueThe application of the relief-from-royalty method requires the estimation of future expenses avoidedincome and the conversion of that income into an estimate of value. Future income related to a trade name is measured in terms of the savings that a company realizes by owning the indefinite-livedindefinite lived trade name, rather than havingthereby avoiding royalty payments to licenseuse the trade name in the absence of ownership. To calculate the royalty savings, we estimate (i) future revenue attributable to the RateWatch trade name; (ii) a royalty rate that a hypothetical licensee would be willing to pay for its use.use; and (iii) a discount rate to reduce future after-tax royalty savings to present value. We selected an appropriate royalty rate by reviewing licensingsearching various transaction databases for publicly disclosed transactions forto license similar trade names and by considering the profitability associatedassets between service businesses, with its operations.a focus on companies that operate in industries similar to RateWatch. Based upon the analysis, we concluded that the book value of the indefinite-livedindefinite lived trade name was not impaired as of the September 30, 2014October 1, 2016 valuation date.date by approximately 29%.

 

Determining the fair value of goodwill or other intangible assets with indefinite lives involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions.Theseassumptions. These estimates and assumptions include revenue growth rates and operating margins used to calculate projected future cash flows, risk-adjusted discount rates, future economic and market conditions, and appropriate market comparables.Wecomparables. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions believed to be reasonable.However,reasonable. However, as these estimates and assumptions are unpredictable and inherently uncertain, actual future results may differ from these estimates.

 

A decrease in the price of our Common Stock, or changes in the estimated value of our referredpreferred shares, could materially affect the determination of the fair value and could result in an impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill, which could be material to our financial position and results of operations.

 

Additionally, we evaluate the remaining useful lives of intangible assets each year to determine whether events or circumstances continue to support their useful life.  There have been no changes in useful lives of intangible assets for each period presented.

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Long-Lived Assets

 

We evaluateThe Company evaluates long-lived assets, including amortizable identifiable intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Upon such an occurrence, recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to forecasted undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.

Investments

 

We believe that conservative investment policies are appropriate and we are not motivated to strive for aggressive spreads above Treasury rates. Preservation of capital is of foremost concern, and by restricting investments to investment grade securities of relatively short maturities, we believe that our capital will be largely protected from severe economic conditions or drastic shifts in interest rates. A high degree of diversification adds further controls over capital risk.

 

Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. We maintain all of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in sixseven financial institutions and we perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions.

As of December 31, 2014,2016, our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash primarily consisted of checking accounts and money market fundsfunds. As of December 31, 2016 and checking accounts.

Marketable2015, marketable securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds and two municipal auction rate securities (“ARS”) issued by the District of Columbia with a parcost basis of approximately $1.9 million and a fair value of approximately $1.9 million.$1.6 million and $1.6 million, respectively. With the exception of the ARS, Company policy limits the maximum maturity for any investment isto three years. The ARS mature in the year 2038. We accountThe Company accounts for ourits marketable securities in accordance with the provisions of ASC 320-10. We classifyThe Company classifies these securities as available for sale and the securities are reported at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss and excluded from net loss. Asloss as they are deemed temporary. Additionally, as of December 31, 2014,2016 and 2015, the Company has a total fair value of these marketable securities was approximately $3.6 million$500 thousand and $661 thousand, respectively, of cash that serves as collateral for outstanding letters of credit, and which cash is therefore restricted. The letters of credit serve as security deposits for the total cost basis was approximately $3.9 million. As of December 31, 2013, the total fair value of these marketable securities was approximately $13.1 million and the total cost basis was approximately $13.3 million. The decreaseCompany’s office space in marketable securities was due to our non-reinvesting the proceeds as securities matured.New York City.

 

During 2008, we made an investment in Debtfolio, Inc. (“Debtfolio”), doing business as Geezeo, an online financial management solutions provider for banks and credit unions. The investment totaled approximately $1.9 million for an 18.5% ownership stake. Additionally, we incurred approximately $0.2 million of legal fees in connection with this investment. During the first quarter of 2009, the carrying value of our investment was written down to fair value based upon an estimate of the market value of our equity in light of Debtfolio’s efforts to raise capital at the time from third parties. The impairment charge approximated $1.5 million. During the three months ended June 30, 2010, we determined it was necessary to record a second impairment charge totaling approximately $555 thousand, writing the value of the investment to zero. This was deemed necessary by management based upon its consideration of Debtfolio, Inc.’sDebtfolio’s continued negative cash flow from operations, current financial position and lack of current liquidity. In October 2011, Debtfolio Inc. repurchased our ownership stake in exchange for a subordinated promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of approximately $0.6 million$555 thousand payable on October 31, 2014. On October 28, 2014, a revised subordinated promissory note with revised repayment terms was agreed to which required cash payments of $150totaling $255 thousand by October 31,during 2014, and $105 thousand by November 30, 2014, both of which have been received, with the balance paid in equaleight quarterly installments over the following two year period.of approximately $48 thousand plus 5% simple interest during 2015 and 2016. As of December 31, 20142016, all required payments have been received and 2013, we maintain a full valuation allowance against these subordinatedthe promissory notes due to the uncertainty of eventual collection.note has been paid in full.

See Note 54 to Consolidated Financial Statements (Fair Value Measurements) for additional information about the investment of our cash.

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Stock-Based Compensation

 

We account for stock-based compensation underin accordance with ASC 718-10,Share Based Payment Transactions(“ASC 718-10”). This requires that the cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the financial statements based upon estimated fair values.

 

Stock-based compensation expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 was approximately $1.8$1.6 million $2.1 million(inclusive if $105 thousand of noncash compensation expense charged to restructuring and $2.4other charges) and $1.6 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2014,2016, there was approximately $3.3$1.9 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense remaining to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.71.8 years.

 

Stock-based compensation expense recognized in our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 includes compensation expense for all share-based payment awards based upon the estimated grant date fair value. We recognize compensation expense for share-basedstock-based payment awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. As stock-based compensation expense recognized in the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 is based upon awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. We estimate forfeitures at the time of grant which are revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

We estimate the value of stock option awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. This determination is affected by our stock price as well as assumptions regarding expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. Because option-pricing models require the use of subjective assumptions, changes in these assumptions can materially affect the fair value of the options. The assumptions presented in the table below represent the weighted-average value of the applicable assumption used to value stock option awards at their grant date. In determining the volatility assumption, we used a historical analysis of the volatility of our share price for the preceding period equal to the expected option lives. The expected option lives, which represent the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, were estimated based upon the “simplified” method for “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based upon observed interest rates appropriate for the term of our stock option awards. The dividend yield assumption was based on the history and expectation of future dividend payouts. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods. Our estimate of pre-vesting forfeitures is primarily based on our historical experience and is adjusted to reflect actual forfeitures as the options vest. The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of stock option awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 was $0.44, $0.63$0.37 and $0.48,$0.39, respectively, using the Black-Scholes model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

 

 For the Year Ended December 31,  For the Year Ended December
31,
 
 2014 2013 2012  2016 2015 
Expected option lives  3.6 years   3.7 years   3.5 years   4.5 years   3.0 years 
Expected volatility  35.54%  40.11%  50.67%  34.87%  35.45%
Risk-free interest rate  1.11%  0.85%  0.56%  1.12%  0.97%
Expected dividends  4.22%  0.00%  4.27%  0.00%  4.59%

The value of each restricted stock unit awarded is equal to the closing price per share of the Company’s Common Stock on the date of grant. The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of restricted stock units granted during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was $1.30 and $2.19, respectively.

For both option and restricted stock unit awards, the value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods. The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of restricted stock units granted during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $2.23, $2.06 and $1.77, respectively.

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The impact of stock-based compensation expense has been significant to reported results of operations and per share amounts. Because option-pricing models require the use of subjective assumptions, changes in these assumptions can materially affect the fair value of the options. For each 1% increase in the risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, the resulting estimated impact to our total operating expense for the year ended December 31, 20142016 would have caused an increase of approximately $23,000.$20,000. For each 10% increase in the expected volatility used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, the resulting estimated impact to our total operating expense for the year ended December 31, 20142016 would have caused an increase of approximately $136,000.$98,000. Because options are expensed over three to fivefour years from the date of grant, the foregoing estimated increases include potential expense for options granted during prior years. In calculating the amount of each variable that is included in the Black-Scholes options-pricing model (i.e., option exercise price, stock price, option term, risk free interest rate, annual dividend rate and volatility), the weighted average of such variable for all grants issued in a given year was used.

 

If factors change and we employ different assumptions in future periods, the compensation expense that we record may differ significantly from what we have recorded in the current period.

 

Income Taxes

 

We account for our income taxes in accordance with ASC 740-10,Income Taxes(“ASC 740-10”). Under ASC 740-10, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their tax bases. ASC 740-10 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized based on all available positive and negative evidence. As of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, we maintain a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets due to our prior history of pre-tax losses and uncertainty about the timing of and ability to generate taxable income in the future and our assessment that the realization of the deferred tax assets did not meet the “more likely than not” criterion under ASC 740-10. We expect to continue to maintain a full valuation allowance until, or unless, we can sustain a level of profitability that demonstrates our ability to utilize these assets.

 

ASC 740-10 also prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.  For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities.  Differences between tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and the benefit recognized and measured pursuant to the interpretation are referred to as “unrecognized benefits.”  A liability is recognized for an unrecognized tax benefit because it represents an enterprise’s potential future obligation to the taxing authority for a tax position that was not recognized as a result of applying the provisions of ASC 740-10. As of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, no liability for unrecognized tax benefits was required to be recorded.  Interest costs related to unrecognized tax benefits would be classified within “Net interest expense” in the consolidated statements of operations. Penalties would be recognized as a component of “General and administrative” expense.  There is no interest expense or penalty related to tax uncertainties reported in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2016 or 2015.

 

Deferred tax assets pertaining to windfall tax benefits on the exercise of share awards and the corresponding credit to additional paid-in capital are recorded if the related tax deduction reduces tax payable.  We have elected the “with-and-without approach” regarding ordering of windfall tax benefits to determine whether the windfall tax benefit did reduce taxes payable in the current year. Under this approach, the windfall tax benefits would be recognized in additional paid-in capital only if an incremental tax benefit is realized after considering all other tax benefits presently available to us.

 

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We file income tax returns in the United States (federal), and in various state and local jurisdictions, as well as in the United Kingdom and India.  In most instances, we are no longer subject to federal, state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2013, and are not currently under examination by any federal, state or local jurisdiction.  It is not anticipated that unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

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Contingencies

 

Accounting for contingencies, including those matters described in the Commitments and Contingencies section of Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, is highly subjective and requires the use of judgments and estimates in assessing their magnitude and likely outcome. In many cases, the outcomes of such matters will be determined by third parties, including governmental or judicial bodies. The provisions made in the consolidated financial statements, as well as the related disclosures, represent management’s best estimate of the then current status of such matters and their potential outcome based on a review of the facts and in consultation with outside legal counsel where deemed appropriate. We would record a material loss contingency in our consolidated financial statements if the loss is both probable of occurring and reasonably estimated. We regularly review contingencies and as new information becomes available may, in the future, adjust our associated liabilities.

Credit Risk of Customers and Business Concentrations

 

OurThe Company’s customers are primarily concentrated in the United States and Europe, and we carry accounts receivable balances. We performThe Company performs ongoing credit evaluations, generally dodoes not require collateral, and establishestablishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of customers, historical trends and other information. To date, actual losses have been within management’s expectations.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, no individual clientsingle customer accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenue. As of December 31, 2014,2016 and 2015, no individual client accounted for more than 10% of our gross accounts receivable balance. As of December 31, 2013, one clientsingle customer accounted for more than 10% of our gross accounts receivable balance.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our current assets at December 31, 2014 consisted primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, and accounts receivable. We do not hold inventory. Our current liabilities at December 31, 2014 consisted primarily of deferred revenue, accrued expenses and accounts payable. At December 31, 2014, our current assets were approximately $41.7 million, 15 percent greater than our current liabilities. With respect to many of our annual newsletter subscription products, we offer the ability to receive a refund during the first 30 days but none thereafter. We do not as a general matter offer refunds for advertising that has run.

We generally have invested in money market funds and other short-term, investment grade instruments that are highly liquid and of high quality, with the intent that such funds are available for sale for acquisition and operating purposes. As of December 31, 2014, our cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash amounted to approximately $37.3 million, representing 33% of total assets. Our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash primarily consisted of money market funds and checking accounts. Our marketable securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds, with a maximum maturity of three years, and two municipal auction rate securities issued by the District of Columbia with a fair value of approximately $1.6 million that mature in the year 2038. Our total cash-related position is as follows:

  December 31,
2014
  December 31,
2013
 
Cash and cash equivalents $32,459,009  $45,443,759 
Current and noncurrent marketable securities  3,569,240   13,097,735 
Current and noncurrent restricted cash  1,301,000   1,301,000 
Total cash and cash equivalents, current and noncurrent marketable securities and current and noncurrent restricted cash $37,329,249  $59,842,494 

Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. We maintain all of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in six financial institutions, and we perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions.

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled approximately $3.6 million the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to net cash provided by operating activities totaling approximately $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. The improvement in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily related to changes in the balances of accrued expense and accounts payable over the periods. These improvements were partially offset by changes in the balance of accounts receivable as well as reduced noncash expenses.

Net cash used in investing activities totaled approximately $12.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to net cash provided by investing activities totaling approximately $19.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. The reduction in net cash provided by investing activities was primarily the result of the acquisition of Management Diagnostics Limited, fewer maturities of marketable securities and increased capital expenditures.

Net cash used in financing activities totaled approximately $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to net cash used in financing activities totaling approximately $316 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase in net cash used in financing activities was primarily the result of cash dividend payments. There were no dividend payments in the prior year period.

We have a total of approximately $1.3 million of cash that serves as collateral for outstanding letters of credit, which cash is classified as restricted. The letters of credit serve as security deposits for office space in New York City.

We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. We are committed to cash expenditures in an aggregate amount of approximately $5.0 million through December 31, 2015, in respect of the contractual obligations set forth below under “Commitments and Contingencies.”

As of December 31, 2014 we had approximately $149 million of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards. We maintain a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets as management concluded that it was more likely than not that we would not realize the benefit of our deferred tax assets by generating sufficient taxable income in future years. We expect to continue to maintain a full valuation allowance until, or unless, we can sustain a level of profitability that demonstrates our ability to utilize these assets.

In accordance with Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, the ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards could be limited in the event of a change in ownership and as such a portion of the existing net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to limitation.

Treasury Stock

In December 2000, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of our Common Stock, from time to time, in private purchases or in the open market. In February 2004, our Board of Directors approved the resumption of the stock repurchase program (the “Program”) under new price and volume parameters, leaving unchanged the maximum amount available for repurchase under the Program. However, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class, is necessary in order for us to repurchase our Common Stock (except for the purchase or redemption from employees, directors and consultants pursuant to agreements providing us with repurchase rights upon termination of their service with us), unless after such purchase we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference. During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we did not purchase any shares of Common Stock under the Program. Since inception of the Program, we have purchased a total of 5,453,416 shares of Common Stock at an aggregate cost of approximately $7.3 million.

In addition, pursuant to the terms of our 2007 Performance Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”), and certain procedures adopted by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, in connection with the exercise of stock options by certain of our employees, and the issuance of shares of Common Stock in settlement of vested restricted stock units, we may withhold shares in lieu of payment of the exercise price and/or the minimum amount of applicable withholding taxes then due. Through December 31, 2014, we had withheld an aggregate of 1,574,704 shares which have been recorded as treasury stock.

We also received an aggregate of 208,270 shares as partial settlement of the working capital and debt adjustment from the acquisition of Corsis Technology Group II LLC, and 3,338 shares as partial settlement of the working capital adjustment from the acquisition of Kikucall, Inc. These shares have also been recorded as treasury stock.

Commitments and Contingencies

We are committed to cash expenditures in an aggregate amount of approximately $5.0 million through December 31, 2015, primarily related to operating leases for office space, which expire at various dates through August 31, 2021. Certain leases contain escalation clauses relating to increases in property taxes and maintenance costs. Rent and equipment rental expenses were approximately $1.8 million, $1.5 million and $1.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Additionally, we have agreements with certain of our outside contributors, whose future minimum payments are dependent on the future fulfillment of their services thereunder. As of December 31, 2014, total future minimum cash payments are as follows:

  Payments Due by Year 
Contractual obligations: Total  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  After
2018
 
Operating leases $15,570,439  $2,328,707  $2,152,239  $2,570,784  $2,636,406  $2,651,963  $3,230,340 
Employment agreement  7,500,000   2,500,000   2,500,000   2,500,000          
Outside contributors  141,667   141,667                
Total contractual cash obligations $23,212,106  $4,970,374  $4,652,239  $5,070,784  $2,636,406  $2,651,963  $3,230,340 

Future minimum cash payments for the year ended December 31, 2015 related to operating leases have been reduced by approximately $720 thousand related to payments to be received related to the sublease of office space.

See Note 11 (Commitments and Contingencies) in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of contingencies.

NewRecent Accounting Pronouncements

 

See Note 1 in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for newrecent accounting pronouncements impacting the Company.Company, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

We believe that our market risk exposures are immaterial as we do not have instruments for trading purposes, and reasonable possible near-term changes in market rates or prices will not result in material near-term losses in earnings, material changes in fair values or cash flows for all instruments.

 

We maintain all of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in sixfederally insured financial institutions, and we perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions. However, no assurances can be given that the third party institutions will retain acceptable credit ratings or investment practices.

 

Following our acquisition of MDL,BoardEx, we expect thathave greater exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, willin particular with respect to the British pound. Accordingly, our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in exchange rates. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates could result in translation gains and losses when we consolidate our results and harm our business. Because we conduct a growing portion of our business outside the U.S. but report our results in U.S. dollars, we face exposure to adverse movements in currency exchange rates, which may cause our revenue and operating results to differ materially from expectations. For example, if the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to the British pound, our non-U.S. revenue and operating results would be adversely affected when translated into U.S. dollars. Conversely, a decline in the U.S. dollar relative to the British pound would increase our non-U.S. revenue and operating results when translated into U.S. dollars. We do not engage in currency hedging or have any positions in derivative instruments to hedge our currency risk.

The effect of a 10% adverse change in exchange rates would have resulted in an effect on ourapproximate $990 thousand reduction to 2016 revenue, with an offsetting reduction to 2016 operating results.expenses of $680 thousand, and a decrease in the value of the Company’s assets and liabilities of approximately $2.5 million and $487 thousand, respectively.

36

 

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

 

Our consolidated financial statementsThe information required by this item are includedis incorporated by reference to the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes set forth in Item 15 of this Report.

 

Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

None.

 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

 

(a)Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

(a) Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (“or Exchange Act”)Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer (our principal executive officer) and chief financial officer (our principal financial officer), has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 131-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of December 31, 2014.2016. Based on that evaluation, our management concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2014.2016. 

 

38
 (b)Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

 

(b)Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:

 

·pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;

 

·provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of our financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and

 

·provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.

 

Internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements due to its inherent limitations.  Management's projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 20142016 and in making this assessment used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 Framework) in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  In October of 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of MDL. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements (Acquisitions) for additional information. As permitted by applicable guidelines established by the SEC, our management excluded the MDL operations from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014. MDL represents less than 5% of total assets and revenues for the year then ended. Based on the foregoing evaluation, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2014,2016, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

 

(c)Changes in Internal Control Over Financial ReportingThis Annual Report does not include a report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding our internal control over financial reporting because we are a smaller reporting company and not subject to that requirement.

 

37

Except as it relates to the acquisition of MDL in October 2014, there

(c)Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 20142016 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014 has been independently audited by BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, and their attestation is included herein.

39

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Board of Directors and Stockholders

TheStreet, Inc.

New York, New York

We have audited TheStreet, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established inInternal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). TheStreet, Inc.’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Item 9A, Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, TheStreet, Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014 and our report dated March 5, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

New York, New York

March 5, 2015

40

 

Item 9B. Other Information.

 

NoneNone.

 

PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for our 20152017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report, (the “Proxy Statement”).or the Proxy Statement.

 

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.

 

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

Other than the information provided below, theThe information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Under the terms of the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (the “1998 Plan”), 8,900,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, deferred stock, restricted stock units, or any combination thereof. Under the terms of the 2007 Plan, 7,750,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards. The 2007 Plan also authorized cash performance awards. Additionally, under the terms of the 2007 Plan, unused shares authorized for award under the 1998 Plan are available for issuance under the 2007 Plan. No further awards will be made under the 1998 Plan. Awards may be granted to such directors, employees and consultants of the Company as the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors shall select in its discretion or delegate management to select. Only employees of the Company are eligible to receive incentive stock options. Awards generally vest over a three- to five-year period and stock options generally have terms of five years. The following table sets forth certain information, as of December 31, 2014, concerning shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the 2007 Plan.

  Number of securities
to be
issued upon exercise
of outstanding
options
  Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options
  Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
 
  (a)  (b)  (c) 
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  3,234,358  $1.26   1,781,632*
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders**  2,217,026  $1.81   - 
*Aggregate number of shares available for grant under the 2007 Plan, which grants may be in the form of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards in the discretion of the Board of Directors, with respect to non-employee director grants, or the Compensation Committee, with respect to all other grants.  The 2007 Plan also authorizes cash performance awards.
**Includes inducement option grants made pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c) to Elisabeth DeMarse for 1,525,360 shares of the Company’s common stock and four other non-executive officers for 691,666 shares of the Company’s common stock.  

 

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.

 

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.

 

PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a)1.Consolidated Financial Statements:
  See TheStreet, Inc. Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1.
   
 2.Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules:
  See TheStreet, Inc. Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1.
   
 3.Exhibits:

 

The following exhibits are filed herewith or are incorporatedIncorporated by reference to the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission:attached to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Exhibit   Incorporated by Reference
Number Description Form File No. Exhibit Filing Date
3.1 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 March 11, 2013
           
3.2 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 3.1 March 14, 2011
           
3.3 Certificate of Amendment dated May 31, 2011 to Restated Certificate of Incorporation. 8-K 000-25779 99.1 June 2, 2011
           
3.4 Certificate of Designation of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock, as filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on November 15, 2007. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 November 20, 2007
           
4.1 Specimen certificate for the Company’s shares of Common Stock. S-1/A 333-72799 4.3 April 19, 1999
           
4.2 Investor Rights Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 4.1 November 20, 2007
           
10.1 Stock Purchase Agreement, dated October 7, 2014 by and between TheStreet, Inc., The Deal, LLC and Management Diagnostics Limited.D       
10.2+ Severance Agreement Between TheStreet, Inc. and Erwin Eichmann, dated November 5, 2014 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 November 7, 2014
           
10.3+ Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors and executive officers of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.26 March 7, 2012
           
10.4+ Amended and Restated 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 14A 000-25779   April 30, 2013
           
10.5 Agreement of Lease, dated July 22, 1999, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC (as successor to W12/14 Wall Acquisition Associates LLC) and the Company. 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 August 16, 1999
           
10.6 Amendment of Lease dated October 31, 2001, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC (as successor to W12/14 Wall Acquisition Associates LLC) and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.12 March 16, 2005
           
10.7 Second Amendment of Lease dated March 21, 2007, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.24 March 14, 2008
           
10.8 Third Amendment of Lease dated December 31, 2008, between CRP/Capstone 14W Property Owner, L.L.C. and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.22 March 13, 2009
           
10.9 Stock Purchase Agreement dated November 1, 2007 by and among BFPC Newco LLC, Larry Starkweather, Kyle Selberg, Rachelle Zorn, Robert Quinn and Larry Starkweather as Agent. 8-K 000-25779 2.1 November 6, 2007
           
10.10 Securities Purchase Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 10.1 November 20, 2007
           
10.11 Equity Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 11, 2012 between TheStreet, Inc. and WPPN, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 2.1 September 12, 2012
           
10.12+ Employment Letter dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 May 7, 2012
           
10.13+ Agreement for Grant of Incentive Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.2 May 7, 2012
           
10.14+ Agreement for Grant of Non-Qualified Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.3 May 7, 2012
           
10.15+ Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.4 May 7, 2012
           
10.16+ Severance Agreement dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.5 May 7, 2012
           
10.17+ Employment Offer Letter dated as of August 13, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann. 10-K 000-25779 10.23 February 22, 2013
           
10.18+ Sign-On Bonus Offer Letter dated as of August 13, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann. 10-K 000-25779 10.24 February 22, 2013
           
10.19+ Agreement for Grant of Incentive Stock Option dated as of August 17, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann 10-K 000-25779 10.25 February 22, 2013
           
10.20+ Employment Offer Letter dated as of February 1, 2013 between the Company and John C. Ferrara. 10-K 000-25779 10.26 February 22, 2013
10.21 Form of Stock Option Grant Agreement under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 10-K 000-25779 10.19 February 28, 2014
           
10.22 Form of Agreement of Restricted Stock Units Under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 10-K 000-25779 10.20 February 28, 2014
           
10.23 Employment Agreement dated as of November 14, 2013 between James J. Cramer and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.21 February 28, 2014
           
10.24 Employment Offer Letter dated as of July 18, 2013 between the Company and Vanessa J. Soman. 10-K 000-25779 10.22 February 28, 2014
           
21.1 Subsidiaries of the Company.        
           
23.1 Consent of BDO USA, LLP.        
           
23.2 Consent of KPMG LLP.        
           
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CEO.        
           
31.2 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CFO.        
           
32.1 Section 1350 Certification of CEO.        
           
32.2 Section 1350 Certification of CFO.        
           
101.INS* XBRL Instance Document        
           
101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document        
           
101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document        
           
101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definitions Document        
           
101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Document        
           
101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Document        

Item 16. Form 10–K Summary.

 

+Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement
*Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, this interactive data file is deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections
DSchedules have been omitted from this filing pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. TheStreet agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule to the SEC upon its request.

None.

 

4438

 

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

 TheStreet, Inc.

 

Date: March 5, 201520, 2017By: /s/ Elisabeth DeMarseDavid Callaway
 Name: Elisabeth DeMarseDavid Callaway
 Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Each person whose individual signature appears below hereby authorizes and appoints Elisabeth DeMarse, John Ferrara and Vanessa Soman, and each of them, with full power of substitution and resubstitution and full power to act without the other, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in the name and on behalf of each person, individually and in each capacity stated below, and to file any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing, ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them or their or his substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, 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
     
/s/ Elisabeth DeMarseDavid Callaway 

Chairman and Chief Executive

Officer and
Director (principal executive


officer)

 March 5, 201520, 2017
(Elisabeth DeMarse)David Callaway)    
     
/s/ John FerraraEric Lundberg 

Chief Financial Officer

(principal  (principal
financial officer)

and accounting officer)
March 5, 201520, 2017
(John Ferrara)Eric Lundberg)
    
     
/s/ Richard BroitmanLawrence S. Kramer Chief Accounting OfficerDirector March 5, 201520, 2017
(Richard Broitman)Lawrence S. Kramer)    
     
/s/ James J. Cramer Director March 5, 201520, 2017
(James J. Cramer)
/s/ Bowers W. EspyDirectorMarch 20, 2017
(Bowers W. Espy)    
     
/s/ Sarah Fay Director March 5, 201520, 2017
(Sarah Fay)    
     
/s/ Keith B. HallStephen R. Zacharias Director March 5, 201520, 2017
(Keith B. Hall)Stephen R. Zacharias)    
     
/s/ Mark WalshBetsy Morgan Director March 5, 201520, 2017
(Mark Walsh)Betsy Morgan)    

 

45

 39

 

THESTREET, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 Page
ReportsReport of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmsFirmF-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015F-4F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015F-5F-4
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015F-6F-5
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015

F-7

F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015F-8F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial StatementsF-10F-8
Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts for the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015

F-38

F-36

 

F-1

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

Board of Directors and Stockholders

TheStreet, Inc.

New York, New York

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of TheStreet, Inc. as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014.2016. In connection with our audits of the financial statements, we have also audited the financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index. These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and schedule based on our audit.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and schedule. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of TheStreet, Inc. at December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2014,2016, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Also, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), TheStreet, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established inInternal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and our report dated March 5, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP 
New York, New York 
March5, 2015 20, 2017 

 

F-2
 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
TheStreet, Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of TheStreet, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) for the year ended December 31, 2012. In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012, we also have audited financial statement schedule II for the year ended December 31, 2012. These consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the results of the operations and the cash flows of TheStreet, Inc. and subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2012 in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule for the year ended December 31, 2012, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

/s/ KPMG LLP
New York, New York
February 22, 2013

THESTREET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 December 31,  December 31, 
 2014  2013  2016  2015 
assets                
Current Assets:                
Cash and cash equivalents $32,459,009  $45,443,759  $21,371,122  $28,445,416 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $318,141 as of December 31, 2014 and $202,207 as of December 31, 2013  5,103,899   4,502,344 
Marketable securities  2,009,240   9,426,875 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $316,204 as of December 31, 2016 and $357,417 as of December 31, 2015  5,119,959   5,102,464 
Other receivables  549,933   299,687   358,266   790,148 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  987,693   1,167,029   1,416,956   1,205,708 
Restricted cash  639,750   139,750   -   161,250 
Total current assets  41,749,524   60,979,444   28,266,303   35,704,986 
        
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $4,003,538 as of December 31, 2014 and $9,212,676 as of December 31, 2013  2,926,825   3,381,572 
Noncurrent Assets:        
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $5,682,286 as of December 31, 2016 and $4,804,411 as of December 31, 2015  3,550,007   2,773,737 
Marketable securities  1,560,000   3,670,860   1,550,000   1,590,000 
Other assets  77,052   21,800   285,843   329,885 
Goodwill  44,810,467   27,997,286   29,183,141   43,318,670 
Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $12,896,782 as of December 31, 2014 and $13,817,447 as of December 31, 2013  20,147,209   11,681,815 
Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $20,134,178 as of December 31, 2016 and $15,674,328 as of December 31, 2015  15,127,818   18,674,376 
Restricted cash  661,250   1,161,250   500,000   500,000 
Total assets $111,932,327  $108,894,027  $78,463,112  $102,891,654 
                
liabilities and stockholders’ equity                
Current Liabilities:                
Accounts payable $2,474,737  $2,352,521  $2,526,034  $2,494,341 
Accrued expenses  6,279,082   4,338,423   5,115,558   5,161,981 
Deferred revenue  26,427,816   22,122,763   22,476,962   24,738,780 
Other current liabilities  1,241,508   957,741   983,799   1,235,551 
Total current liabilities  36,423,143   29,771,448   31,102,353   33,630,653 
Noncurrent Liabilities:        
Deferred tax liability  728,899   288,000   2,036,487   1,906,295 
Other liabilities  6,910,175   4,671,421   3,274,816   5,360,467 
Total liabilities  44,062,217   34,730,869   36,413,656   40,897,415 
                
Stockholders’ Equity        
Convertible preferred stock; $0.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,500 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013; the aggregate liquidation preference as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 totals $55,000,000  55   55 
Common stock; $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 41,967,369 shares issued and 34,727,641 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014, and 41,058,246 shares issued and 34,044,339 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013  419,674��  410,582 
Stockholders’ Equity:        
Convertible preferred stock; $0.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,500 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015; the aggregate liquidation preference as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 totals $55,000,000  55   55 
Common stock; $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 42,936,906 shares issued and 35,421,217 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2016, and 42,458,779 shares issued and 35,123,132 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2015  429,369   424,588 
Additional paid-in capital  271,943,049   273,861,536   271,143,445   269,524,415 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (227,476)  (178,183)  (5,898,305)  (1,999,026)
Treasury stock at cost 7,239,728 shares as of December 31, 2014 and 7,013,907 shares as of December 31, 2013  (12,908,943)  (12,364,460)
Treasury stock at cost 7,515,689 shares as of December 31, 2016 and 7,335,647 shares as of December 31, 2015  (13,211,141)  (13,056,541)
Accumulated deficit  (191,356,249)  (187,566,372)  (210,413,967)  (192,899,252)
Total stockholders’ equity  67,870,110   74,163,158   42,049,456   61,994,239 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $111,932,327  $108,894,027  $78,463,112  $102,891,654 

 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

 

F-4
F-3 

 

THESTREET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Net revenue:            
Subscription services $48,035,953  $43,549,359  $37,149,143 
Media  13,017,265   10,901,052   13,571,660 
Total net revenue  61,053,218   54,450,411   50,720,803 
Operating expense:            
Cost of services  31,730,740   27,431,566   24,886,142 
Sales and marketing  15,600,129   14,453,465   13,395,328 
General and administrative  13,946,681   12,218,964   13,637,895 
Depreciation and amortization  3,179,377   3,768,536   5,512,299 
Restructuring and other charges     385,610   6,589,792 
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets     187,434   (232,989)
Total operating expense  64,456,927   58,445,575   63,788,467 
Operating loss  (3,403,709)  (3,995,164)  (13,067,664)
Net interest income  88,993   209,463   352,713 
Net loss before income taxes  (3,314,716)  (3,785,701)  (12,714,951)
Provision for income taxes  475,161       
Net loss  (3,789,877)  (3,785,701)  (12,714,951)
Preferred stock cash dividends  385,696      192,848 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(4,175,573) $(3,785,701) $(12,907,799)
             
Basic and diluted net loss per share:            
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(0.12) $(0.11) $(0.39)
             
Cash dividends declared and paid per common share $0.10  $  $0.05 
             
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding  34,370,843   33,725,317   32,710,018 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

THESTREET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Net loss $(3,789,877) $(3,785,701) $(12,714,951)
Foreign currency translation gain  58,768       
Unrealized (loss) gain on marketable securities  (108,061)  (49,189)  265,606 
Comprehensive loss $(3,839,170) $(3,834,890) $(12,449,345)

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

THESTREET, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014, 2013, AND 2012

  Common Stock  Series B Preferred Stock     Accumulated Other  Treasury Stock       
  Shares  Par Value  Shares  Par Value  Additional Paid in Capital  Comprehensive Loss  Shares  Cost  Accumulated Deficit  Total Stockholders' Equity 
Balance at December 31, 2011  38,461,595  $384,616   5,500  $55  $270,230,246  $(394,600)  (6,330,407) $(11,010,149) $(171,065,720) $88,144,448 
Unrealized gain on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   265,606   -   -   -   265,606 
Exercise and issuance of equity grants  1,318,873   13,189   -   -   (13,189)  -   (497,309)  (964,112)  -   (964,112)
Issuance of Common Stock  75,000   750   -   -   134,250   -   -   -   -   135,000 
Stock-based consideration for services  -   -   -   -   2,420,928   -   -   -   -   2,420,928 
Common stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (1,636,236)  -   -   -   -   (1,636,236)
Preferred stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (192,848)  -   -   -   -   (192,848)
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (12,714,951)  (12,714,951)
Balance at December 31, 2012  39,855,468   398,555   5,500   55   270,943,151   (128,994)  (6,827,716)  (11,974,261)  (183,780,671)  75,457,835 
Unrealized loss on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   (49,189)  -   -   -   (49,189)
Exercise and issuance of equity grants  793,949   7,939   -   -   66,427   -   (186,191)  (390,199)  -   (315,833)
Issuance of Common Stock for acquisition  408,829   4,088   -   -   776,775   -   -   -   -   780,863 
Stock-based consideration for services  -   -   -   -   2,075,183   -   -   -   -   2,075,183 
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (3,785,701)  (3,785,701)
Balance at December 31, 2013  41,058,246   410,582   5,500   55   273,861,536   (178,183)  (7,013,907)  (12,364,460)  (187,566,372)  74,163,158 
Unrealized loss on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   (108,061)  -   -   -   (108,061)
Foreign currency translation gain  -   -   -   -   -   58,768   -   -   -   58,768 
Exercise and issuance of equity grants  909,123   9,092   -   -   293,885   -   (225,821)  (544,483)  -   (241,506)
Stock-based consideration for services  -   -   -   -   1,774,761   -   -   -   -   1,774,761 
Common stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (3,601,437)  -   -   -   -   (3,601,437)
Preferred stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (385,696)  -   -   -   -   (385,696)
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (3,789,877)  (3,789,877)
Balance at December 31, 2014  41,967,369  $419,674   5,500  $55  $271,943,049  $(227,476)  (7,239,728) $(12,908,943) $(191,356,249) $67,870,110 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

F-7

THESTREET, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:            
Net loss $(3,789,877) $(3,785,701) $(12,714,951)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:            
Stock-based compensation expense  1,774,761   1,681,988   2,198,713 
Provision for doubtful accounts  189,992   22,859   329,870 
Depreciation and amortization  3,179,377   3,768,536   5,512,299 
Deferred tax  440,899       
Restructuring and other charges     393,195   1,396,695 
Deferred rent  (325,147)  (322,533)  (319,958)
Loss (gain) on disposition of assets     187,434   (232,989)
Noncash barter activity     20,000   183,270 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:            
Accounts receivable  189,008   1,509,138   1,125,158 
Other receivables  573,028   951,116   (677,601)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  268,677   296,012   (294,567)
Other assets  14,138   (6,675)  39,556 
Accounts payable  73,567   (1,463,684)  1,116,374 
Accrued expenses  979,331   (1,384,257)  (2,519,154)
Deferred revenue  (144,069)  517,882   (1,100,272)
Other current liabilities  212,149   114,950   (240,830)
Other liabilities  (83,749)  (21,908)  24,000 
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities  3,552,085��  2,478,352   (6,174,387)
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:            
Purchase of marketable securities        (41,151,130)
Sale and maturity of marketable securities  9,420,434   22,247,394   34,812,021 
Purchase of The Deal, LLC        (5,430,063)
Purchase of assets from DealFlow Media, Inc.     (1,764,716)   
Purchase of Management Diagnostics Limited  (19,922,072)      
Capital expenditures  (1,931,173)  (1,118,679)  (1,327,746)
Proceeds from the disposition of assets     71,881   249,300 
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities  (12,432,811)  19,435,880   (12,847,618)
  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:            
Cash dividends paid on common stock  (3,476,893)     (1,636,236)
Cash dividends paid on preferred stock  (385,696)     (192,848)
Restricted cash        660,370 
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options  302,977   74,366    
Proceeds from the sale of common stock        135,000 
Shares withheld on RSU vesting to pay for withholding taxes  (544,483)  (390,199)  (964,112)
Net cash used in financing activities  (4,104,095)  (315,833)  (1,997,826)
             
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  71       
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents  (12,984,750)  21,598,399   (21,019,831)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  45,443,759   23,845,360   44,865,191 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $32,459,009  $45,443,759  $23,845,360 
             
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:            
Cash payments made for interest $  $  $30,028 
             
Noncash investing and financing activities:            
Stock issued for business combination $  $780,863  $ 
  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Revenue:        
Business to business $29,323,401  $28,992,120 
Business to consumer  34,176,130   38,663,780 
Total revenue  63,499,531   67,655,900 
Operating expense:        
Cost of services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)  32,440,598   33,615,867 
Sales and marketing  15,697,065   16,190,749 
General and administrative  16,157,151   15,000,439 
Depreciation and amortization  5,681,563   4,309,094 
Impairment of Goodwill  11,583,000    
Change in fair value of contingent consideration  (1,807,945)   
Restructuring and other charges  959,686   (1,221,224)
Total operating expense  80,711,118   67,894,925 
Operating loss  (17,211,587)  (239,025)
Net interest expense  (34,121)  (122,637)
Net loss before income taxes  (17,245,708)  (361,662)
Provision for income taxes  269,007   1,181,341 
Net loss  (17,514,715)  (1,543,003)
Preferred stock cash dividends     385,696 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(17,514,715) $(1,928,699)
         
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders $(0.50) $(0.06)
         
Cash dividends declared and paid per common share $  $0.10 
         
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding  35,236,113   34,839,233 

 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

 

F-9F-4

 

THESTREET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Net loss $(17,514,715) $(1,543,003)
Foreign currency translation loss  (3,859,279)  (1,797,794)
Unrealized (loss) gain on marketable securities  (40,000)  26,244 
Comprehensive loss $(21,413,994) $(3,314,553)

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

F-5

THESTREET, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016 AND 2015

  Common Stock  Series B Preferred Stock     Accumulated Other  Treasury Stock       
  Shares  Par Value  Shares  Par Value  Additional Paid in Capital  Comprehensive Loss  Shares  Cost  Accumulated Deficit  Total Stockholders' Equity 
Balance at December 31, 2014  41,967,369  $419,674   5,500  $55  $271,943,049  $(227,476)  (7,239,728) $(12,908,943) $(191,356,249) $67,870,110 
Unrealized gain on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   26,244   -   -   -   26,244 
Foreign currency translation loss  -   -   -   -   -   (1,797,794)  -   -   -   (1,797,794)
Exercise and issuance of equity grants  491,410   4,914   -   -   (4,075)  -   (95,919)  (147,598)  -   (146,759)
Stock-based consideration for services  -   -   -   -   1,570,142   -   -   -   -   1,570,142 
Common stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (3,599,005)  -   -   -   -   (3,599,005)
Preferred stock cash dividends  -   -   -   -   (385,696)  -   -   -   -   (385,696)
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (1,543,003)  (1,543,003)
Balance at December 31, 2015  42,458,779   424,588   5,500   55   269,524,415   (1,999,026)  (7,335,647)  (13,056,541)  (192,899,252)  61,994,239 
Unrealized gain on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   (40,000)  -   -   -   (40,000)
Foreign currency translation loss  -   -   -   -   -   (3,859,279)  -   -   -   (3,859,279)
Exercise and issuance of equity grants  478,127   4,781   -   -   (4,781)  -   (180,042)  (154,600)  -   (154,600)
Stock-based consideration for services  -   -   -   -   1,623,811   -   -   -   -   1,623,811 
Net loss    -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   (17,514,715)  (17,514,715)
Balance at December 31, 2016  42,936,906  $429,369   5,500  $55  $271,143,445  $(5,898,305)  (7,515,689) $(13,211,141) $(210,413,967) $42,049,456 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

F-6

THESTREET, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

  For the Years Ended December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:        
Net loss $(17,514,715) $(1,543,003)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:        
Stock-based compensation expense  1,518,698   1,570,142 
Provision for doubtful accounts  54,625   280,383 
Depreciation and amortization  5,681,563   4,309,094 
Impairment of Goodwill  11,583,000    
Deferred tax  130,192   1,177,396 
Change in fair value of contingent consideration  (1,807,945)   
Restructuring and other charges  105,113    
Deferred rent  (678,064)  (120,400)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable  (226,980)  (304,156)
Other receivables  421,843   (242,563)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  (231,310)  (223,375)
Other assets  26,271   (66,556)
Accounts payable  41,541   22,452 
Accrued expenses  67,540   (1,146,629)
Deferred revenue  (1,916,494)  (1,109,538)
Other current liabilities  (138,187)  (311,049)
Other liabilities  125,264   (1,401,639)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities  (2,758,045)  890,559 
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:        
Sale and maturity of marketable securities  -   2,005,484 
Purchase of Management Diagnostics Limited  -   50,494 
Capital expenditures  (3,676,051)  (3,365,509)
Restricted cash  161,250   639,750 
Net cash used in investing activities  (3,514,801)  (669,781)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:        
Cash dividends paid on common stock  (12,762)  (3,539,477)
Cash dividends paid on preferred stock  -   (385,696)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options  -   839 
Shares withheld on RSU vesting to pay for withholding taxes  (154,600)  (147,598)
Net cash used in financing activities  (167,362)  (4,071,932)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents  (634,086)  (162,439)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents  (7,074,294)  (4,013,593)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  28,445,416   32,459,009 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $21,371,122  $28,445,416 
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:        
Cash payments made for taxes $159,477  $223,110 

The accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements

F-7

THESTREET, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

December 31, 20142016

 

(1) Organization, Nature of Business and Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies

 

Organization and Nature of Business

 

TheStreet, Inc. together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (“TheStreet”, “we”, “us” or the “Company”), isa leading digital financial media company focusednews and information provider. Our business-to-business (“B2B”) and business-to-consumer (“B2C”) content and products provide individual and institutional investors, advisors and dealmakers with actionable information from the worlds of finance and business.

Our B2B business products have helped diversify our business from primarily serving retail investors to also providing an indispensable source of business intelligence for both high net worth individuals and executives in the top firms in the world.The Deal delivers sophisticated news and analysis on the financial andchanges in corporate control including mergers and acquisitions, environment. The Company’s collectionprivate equity, corporate activism and restructuring. BoardEx is an institutional relationship capital management database and platform which holds in-depth profiles of digital services provides users, subscribersalmost 1 million of the world's most important business leaders. Our third B2B business product, RateWatch, publishes bank rate market information including competitive deposit, loan and advertisers with a variety offee rate data. Our B2B business derives revenue primarily from subscription products, events/conferences and information services.

Our B2C business is led by our namesake website,TheStreet.com, and includes free content and tools through a range of online, social media, tablethouses our premium subscription products, such as RealMoney, RealMoney Pro and mobile channels.Our mission is to provide investors and advisors with actionable ideas from the world of investing, finance and business, and dealmakers with sophisticated analysisActions Alerts PLUS, that target varying segments of the mergersretail investing public. Our B2C business primarily generates revenue from subscription products and acquisitions environment, in order to break down information barriers, level the playing field and help all individuals and organizations grow their wealth.With a robust suite of digital services, TheStreet offers the tools and insights needed to make informed decisions about earning, investing, saving and spending money. Since its inception in 1996, TheStreet believes it has distinguished itself from other financial media companies with its journalistic excellence, unbiased approach and interactive multimedia coverage of the financial markets, economy, industry trends, investment and financial planning.

Substantially all of the Company’s revenue in 2014, 2013 and 2012 was generated from customers in the United States. During 2014, 2013 and 2012, substantially all of the Company’s long-lived assets were located in the United States.advertising revenue.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates and assumptions are reviewed periodically and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are deemed to be necessary. Significant estimates made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

·useful lives of intangible assets,
·useful lives of fixed assets,property and equipment,
·the carrying value of goodwill, intangible assets and marketable securities,
·allowances for doubtful accounts and deferred tax assets,
·accrued expense estimates,
·reserves for estimated tax liabilities,
·estimates in connection with the allocation of the purchase price of Management Diagnostics Limited, The Deal, LLC and certain assets acquired from DealFlow Media, Inc. to the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed,
·certain estimates and assumptions used in the calculation of the fair value of equity compensation issued to employees,
·restructuring charges, and
·the calculation of a contingent earn-out payment from the acquisition of Management Diagnostics Limited.

 

F-8

Consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of TheStreet, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

The Company generates itsWe report revenue primarily from subscription servicesin two categories: business to business and media.

Subscription servicesbusiness to consumer. Business to business revenue is primarily comprised of subscriptions licenses and fees forthat provide access to securities investment information, stock market commentary, rate services, director and officer profiles, relationship capital management services, bank rate data and transactional information pertaining to the mergers and acquisitions environment. environment as well as events/conferences, information services and other miscellaneous revenue. Business to consumer revenue is primarily comprised of subscriptions that provide access to securities investment information and stock market commentary, advertising and sponsorships and other miscellaneous revenue.

Subscriptions are generally charged to customers’ credit cards or are directly billed to corporate subscribers. Thesesubscribers, and are generally billed in advance on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. The Company calculates net subscription revenue by deducting from gross revenue an estimate of potential refunds from cancelled subscriptions as well as chargebacks of disputed credit card charges. Net subscription revenue is recognized ratably over the subscription periods. Deferred revenue relates to payments for subscription fees for which revenue has not been recognized because services have not yet been provided.

 

Subscription services revenue is subject to estimation and variability due to the fact that, in the normal course of business, subscribers may for various reasons contact us or their credit card companies to request a refund or other adjustment for a previously purchased subscription. With respect to many of our annual newsletter subscriptionbusiness to consumer products, we offer the ability to receive a refund during the first 30 days but none thereafter. Accordingly, we maintain a provision for estimated future revenue reductions resulting from expected refunds and chargebacks related to subscriptions for which revenue was recognized in a prior period. The calculation of this provision is based upon historical trends and is reevaluated each quarter. The provision was not material for the three years ended December 31, 2014.2016 and 2015.

 

MediaAdvertising revenue includesis comprised of fees charged for the placement of advertising and sponsorships, primarily within TheStreet and our affiliated properties, and our subscription and institutional services, and TheStreet.com, for which revenue is recognized as the advertising or sponsorship is displayed, provided that collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Media revenue also includes revenue generated from syndication and licensing of data as well as other miscellaneous, non-subscription related sources.

 

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

 

The Company considers all short-term investment-grade securities with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. TheAs of December 31, 2016, the Company has a total of approximately $1.3 million$500 thousand of cash that serves as collateral for an outstanding lettersletter of credit, which cash is classified as restricted. The lettersletter of credit serveserves as a security depositsdeposit for the Company’s office space.space in New York City.

F-11

 

Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Property and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful life of computer equipment, computer software and telephone equipment is three years and of furniture and fixtures is five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the respective lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset. If the useful lives of the assets differ materially from the estimates contained herein, additional costs could be incurred, which could have an adverse impact on our expenses.

 

Product Database

F-9

 

Product databases consist of data on companies and individuals which is indexed to allow subscribers to search and view the content online or as deployed, and include the costs incurred by company employees to originally research, key and index the content and the fair value allocated to content databases in business acquisitions. The Company amortizes content databases on a straight-line basis over a ten year period. Costs to maintain the content databases are expensed as incurred.

 

Capitalized Software and Website Development Costs

 

The Company expenses all costs incurred in the preliminary project stage for software developed for internal use and capitalizes all external direct costs of materials and services consumed in developing or obtaining internal-use computer software in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350,Intangibles – Goodwill and Other(“ASC 350”).In addition, for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to internal-use computer software projects, to the extent of the time spent directly on the project, the Company capitalizes payroll and payroll-related costs of such employees incurred once the development has reached the applications development stage. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, the Company capitalized software development costs totaling approximately $408 thousand, $289$613 thousand and $401$486 thousand, respectively. All costs incurred for upgrades, maintenance and enhancements that do not result in additional functionality are expensed.

 

The Company also accounts for its Website development costs under ASC 350, which provides guidance on the accounting for the costs of development of company Websites, dividing the Website development costs into five stages: (1) the planning stage, during which the business and/or project plan is formulated and functionalities, necessary hardware and technology are determined, (2) the Website application and infrastructure development stage, which involves acquiring or developing hardware and software to operate the Website, (3) the graphics development stage, during which the initial graphics and layout of each page are designed and coded, (4) the content development stage, during which the information to be presented on the Website, which may be either textual or graphical in nature, is developed, and (5) the operating stage, during which training, administration, maintenance and other costs to operate the existing Website are incurred. The costs incurred in the Website application and infrastructure stage, the graphics development stage and the content development stage are capitalized; all other costs are expensed as incurred. Amortization of capitalized costs will not commence until the project is completed and placed into service. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, the Company capitalized Website development costs totaling approximately $1.2 million $443 thousand and $100 thousand,$1.8 million, respectively.

 

Capitalized software and Website development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software or Website, which varies based upon the applicable project. Total amortization expense was approximately $428 thousand, $743 thousand$1.8 million and $1.5$1.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively.

 

Goodwill and Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets

 

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired.  Under the provisions of ASC 350, goodwill and indefinite-livedindefinite lived intangible assets are required to be tested for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests whenever indications ofcircumstances arise that indicate a possible impairment might exist.  We perform our annual impairment tests of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets as of September 30October 1 each year. Impairment exists when the carrying amount of goodwill and indefinite-livedor indefinite lived intangible assets of a reporting unit exceed their implied fair value, resulting in an impairment charge for this excess.  

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the business was managed as a single segment where subscription and advertising products were sold throughout the Company, financial results were reviewed on a consolidated basis and separate and discrete financial information was not available. During 2016, the Company reassessed the identification of operating segments due to changes in key personnel, including the Chief Operating Decision Maker, and during the fourth quarter of 2016 began to provide separate and discrete segment financial information. We currently regard our Company to operate in three distinct operating segments: The Deal / BoardEx, RateWatch and Business to Consumer. These operating segments also represent the Company’s reporting units. Prior periods have been adjusted to reflect the change in operating segments.

The Company evaluatestests goodwill for impairment using a quantitative analysis consisting of a two-step impairment test approach at the Company level, as the Company is considered to operate as a single reporting unit. In theapproach.  The first step of our quantitative analysis consists of a comparison of the carrying value of each of our reporting units, including goodwill, to the estimated fair value of each of our reporting units using a market approach for the valuation of our Common Stock, based upon actual prices of the Company’s Common Stock, and the income approach for the estimated fair value of the Company’s outstanding Preferred Shares. The Company also performed an income approach to confirm the reasonableness of these result by using the discounted cash flow methodology.  If step one resulted in the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeding the fair value of such reporting unit, we would then proceed to step two which would require us to calculate the Company is comparedamount of impairment loss, if any, that we would record for such reporting unit.  The calculation of the impairment loss in step two would be equivalent to its book value, including goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets.  If the fairreporting unit’s carrying value of the Company isgoodwill less than the book value, a second step is performed that compares the implied fair value of such goodwill.

F-10

Our use of a discounted cash flow methodology includes estimates of future revenue based upon budget projections and growth rates which take into account estimated inflation rates.  We also develop estimates for future levels of gross and operating profits and projected capital expenditures.  Our methodology also includes the Company's goodwilluse of estimated discount rates based upon industry and indefinite-lived intangible assets to the book value of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets.competitor analysis as well as other factors. The fair value for the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is determinedestimates that we use in our discounted cash flow methodology involve many assumptions by management that are based on the difference between the fair value of the Company and the net fair values of identifiable assets and liabilities.  If the fair value of the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is less than the book value, the difference is recognized as impairment.upon future growth projections.

 

ASU 2011-08,Testing for Goodwill Impairment(“ASU 2011-08”) permits an entity to make a qualitative assessment of whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount before applying the two-step goodwill impairment test. If an entity concludes it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it need not perform the two-step impairment test. During 2014,2016, the Company elected not to apply the qualitative assessment under this guidance and continued to apply the quantitative assessment in its evaluating of goodwill for impairment.

 

In testing for impairment of goodwill, the fair value of the Company was estimated using a market approach for the valuation of our common stock, based upon actual prices of the Company’s Common Stock, and the income approach for the estimated fair value of the Company’s outstanding Preferred Shares. The Company also performed an income approach to confirm the reasonableness of the common stock market approach by using the discounted cash flow method. Based upon the annual impairment teststest performed as of September 30, 2014October 1, 2016, we concluded that The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit goodwill was impaired while the RateWatch and 2013, no impairment was indicated asBusiness to Consumer reporting units’ were not impaired by approximately 16% and 33%, respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company’s fair value, inclusivestock price declined from an average price of $1.115 on the valuation date to $0.855 as of December 31, 2016. This triggering event resulted in the Company performing a control premium, exceeded its book valuesecond impairment review as of December 31, 2016. Based on this analysis, we also concluded that The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit goodwill was impaired as of December 31, 2016, while the RateWatch and Business to Consumer reporting units’ were not impaired by approximately 62%26% and 51%21%, respectively.

As a result of our impairment testing, we recorded an impairment charge of approximately $11.6 million to The Deal / BoardEx reporting unit.

The fair value of the Company’s outstanding Preferred Shares requires significant judgments, including the estimation of the amount of time until a liquidation event occurs as well as an appropriate cash flow discount rate. Further, in assigning a fair value to the Company’s Preferred Stock, the Company also considered that the preferred shareholders are entitled to receive a $55 million liquidation preference upon liquidation or dissolution of the Company or upon any change of control event. Additionally, the holders of the Preferred Shares are entitled to receive dividends and to vote as a single class together with the holders of the Common Stock on an as-converted basis and, provided certain preferred share ownership levels are maintained, are entitled to representation on the Company’s board of directors and may unilaterally block issuance of certain classes of capital stock, the purchase or redemption of certain classes of capital stock, including Common Stock (with certain exceptions) and any increases in the per-share amount of dividends payable to the holders of the Common Stock. A decrease in the price of the Company’s Common Stock, or changes in the estimated value of the Company’s Preferred Shares, could materially affect the determination of the fair value and could result in an impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill, which could be material to the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

 

In conducting our 2016 annual indefinite lived intangible asset impairment test with the assistance of our independent appraisal firm, we determined its fair value using the relief-from-royalty method. The application of the relief-from-royalty method requires the estimation of future income and the conversion of that income into an estimate of value. Future income related to a trade name is measured in terms of the savings that a company realizes by owning the indefinite lived trade name, thereby avoiding royalty payments to use the trade name in the absence of ownership. To calculate the royalty savings, we estimate (i) future revenue attributable to the RateWatch trade name; (ii) a royalty rate that a hypothetical licensee would be willing to pay for its use; and (iii) a discount rate to reduce future after-tax royalty savings to present value. We selected an appropriate royalty rate by searching various transaction databases for publicly disclosed transactions to license similar assets between service businesses, with a focus on companies that operate in industries similar to RateWatch. Based upon the analysis, we concluded that the book value of the indefinite lived trade name was not impaired as of the October 1, 2016 valuation date as the fair value exceeded its book value by approximately 29%.

Based upon the annual impairment test performed in 2015, the Company concluded that the book value of its indefinite lived trade name was not impaired as the fair value exceeded its book value by approximately 129%.

Intesting for impairment of indefinite-livedthe Company’sindefinite lived intangible asset, the Company determined the fair value using the relief-from-royalty method. This analysis calculated the fair value as the present value of the future expenses avoided by owning the indefinite-livedindefinite lived trade name rather than having to license its use. The Company selected an appropriate royalty rate by reviewing licensing transactions for similar trade names and by considering the profitability associated with its operations. Based upon the analysis,annual impairment tests performed in 2015 and 2014, the Company concluded that the book value of its indefinite-livedindefinite lived trade name was not impaired as the fair value exceeded its book value by approximately 129% and 165%., respectively.

Additionally, the Company evaluates the remaining useful lives of intangible assets each year to determine whether events or circumstances continue to support their useful life.  There have been no changes in useful lives of intangible assets for each period presented.

 

Long-Lived Assets

 

The Company evaluates long-lived assets, including amortizable identifiable intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Upon such an occurrence, recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to forecasted undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. 

F-11

Management does not believe that there was any impairment of long-lived assets as of December 31, 20142016 and 2013.2015.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for its income taxes in accordance with ASC 740-10,Income Taxes(“ASC 740-10”). Under ASC 740-10, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their tax bases. ASC 740-10 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized based on all available positive and negative evidence. As of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, we maintainedmaintain a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets due to our prior history of pre-tax losses and uncertainty about the timing of and ability to generate taxable income in the future and our assessment that the realization of the deferred tax assets did not meet the “more likely than not” criterion under ASC 740-10. We expect to continue to maintain a full valuation allowance until, or unless, we can sustain a level of profitability that demonstrates our ability to utilize these assets.

 

ASC 740-10 also prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.  For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities.  Differences between tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and the benefit recognized and measured pursuant to the interpretation are referred to as “unrecognized benefits.”  A liability is recognized for an unrecognized tax benefit because it represents an enterprise’s potential future obligation to the taxing authority for a tax position that was not recognized as a result of applying the provisions of ASC 740-10. As of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, no liability for unrecognized tax benefits was required to be recorded. Interest costs related to unrecognized tax benefits would be classified within “Net interest income”expense” in the consolidated statements of operations. Penalties would be recognized as a component of “General and administrative” expenses.expense.  There is no interest expense or penalty related to tax uncertainties reported in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 or 2012.2015.

 

Deferred tax assets pertaining to windfall tax benefits on the exercise of share awards and the corresponding credit to additional paid-in capital are recorded if the related tax deduction reduces tax payable.  The Company has elected the “with-and-without approach” regarding ordering of windfall tax benefits to determine whether the windfall tax benefit did reduce taxes payable in the current year.  Under this approach, the windfall tax benefits would be recognized in additional paid-in capital only if an incremental tax benefit is realized after considering all other tax benefits presently available to the Company.

The Company files income tax returns in the United States (federal), and in various state and local jurisdictions, as well as in the United Kingdom and India.  In most instances, the Company is no longer subject to federal, state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2011,2013, and is not currently under examination by any federal, state or local jurisdiction.  It is not anticipated that unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The carrying amounts of accounts and other receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses and deferred revenue approximate fair value due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

 

Business Concentrations and Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. The Company maintains all of its cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in sixseven financial institutions, and performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these institutions. As of December 31, 2014,2016, the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and restricted stockcash primarily consisted of checking accounts and money market funds and checking accounts.funds.

F-12

 

For the years endingended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, no individual clientsingle customer accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenue. As of December 31, 20142016 and 2015, no individual client accounted for more than 10% of our gross accounts receivable balance. As of December 31, 2013, one clientsingle customer accounted for more than 10% of our gross accounts receivable balance.

 

The Company’s customers are primarily concentrated in the United States and Europe, and we carry accounts receivable balances. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations, generally does not require collateral, and establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of customers, historical trends and other information. To date, actual losses have been within management’s expectations.

 

Other Comprehensive Loss

 

Comprehensive loss is a measure which includes both net loss and other comprehensive loss.  Other comprehensive loss results from items deferred from recognition into the statement of operations.  Accumulated other comprehensive loss is separately presented on the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss and on both the Company's consolidated balance sheet and as part of the consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity. Other comprehensive loss consists of unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities classified as available for sale as well as foreign currency translation adjustments from subsidiaries where the local currency is the functional currency.

 

Foreign Currency

 

The functional currency of the Company’s international subsidiaries is the local currency. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using period-end rates of exchange for assets and liabilities, historical rates of exchange for equity, and monthly average rates of exchange for the period for revenue and expense. Translation gains (losses) are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss as a component of stockholders’ equity. Gains and losses resulting from currency transactions are included in earnings.

F-15

 

Net Loss Per Share of Common Stock

 

Basic net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and potential common shares outstanding during the period, so long as the inclusion of potential common shares does not result in a lower net loss per share. Potential common shares consist of restricted stock units (using the treasury stock method), the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options (using the treasury stock method), and the conversion of the Company’s convertible preferred stock and warrants (using the if-converted method). Such warrants to purchase Common Stock all expired during the fourth quarter of 2012. For the years ended December 31, 2014 20132016 and 2012,2015, approximately 5.2708 thousand and 3.1 million, 4.2 million and 3.3 millionrespectively, of unvested restricted stock units, vested and unvested options and warrants to purchase Common Stock, respectively, were excluded from the calculation, as their effect would result in a lower net loss per share.

 

Advertising Costs

 

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, advertising expense totaled approximately $3.0 million, $2.9$2.5 million and $2.9$2.6 million, respectively.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation underin accordance with ASC 718-10,Share Based Payment Transactions(“ASC 718-10”). This requires that the cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the financial statements based upon estimated fair values.

 

Stock-based compensation expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 was approximately $1.8$1.6 million $2.1 million(inclusive if $105 thousand of noncash compensation expense charged to restructuring and $2.4other charges) and $1.6 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2014,2016, there was approximately $3.3$1.9 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense remaining to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.71.8 years.

F-13

 

Stock-based compensation expense recognized in ourthe Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 includes compensation expense for all share-based payment awards based upon the estimated grant date fair value. We recognizeThe Company recognizes compensation expense for share-based payment awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. As stock-based compensation expense recognized in the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 is based upon awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. We estimateThe Company estimates forfeitures at the time of grant which are revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

The Company estimates the value of stock option awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. This determination is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. Because option-pricing models require the use of subjective assumptions, changes in these assumptions can materially affect the fair value of the options. The assumptions presented in the table below represent the weighted-average value of the applicable assumption used to value stock option awards at their grant date. In determining the volatility assumption, the Company used a historical analysis of the volatility of the Company’s share price for the preceding period equal to the expected option lives. The expected option lives, which represent the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, were estimated based upon the “simplified” method for “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based upon observed interest rates appropriate for the term of the Company’s stock option awards. The dividend yield assumption was based on the history and expectation of future dividend payouts. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods. OurThe Company’s estimate of pre-vesting forfeitures is primarily based on our historical experience and is adjusted to reflect actual forfeitures as the options vest. The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of stock option awards granted during the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 was $0.44, $0.63$0.37 and $0.48,$0.39, respectively, using the Black-Scholes model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

  For the Year Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Expected option lives  3.6 years   3.7 years   3.5 years 
Expected volatility  35.54%  40.11%  50.67%
Risk-free interest rate  1.11%  0.85%  0.56%
Expected dividends  4.22%  0.00%  4.27%

  For the Years Ended December
31,
 
  2016  2015 
Expected option lives  4.5 years   3.0 years 
Expected volatility  34.87%  35.45%
Risk-free interest rate  1.12%  0.97%
Expected dividends  0.00%  4.59%

 

The value of each restricted stock unit awarded is equal to the closing price per share of the Company’s Common Stock on the date of grant. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods. The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of restricted stock units granted during the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015 was $2.23, $2.06$1.30 and $1.77,$2.19, respectively.

As stock-based compensation expense is based upon awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. The Company estimates forfeitures at the time of grant which are revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

The Company utilizes the alternative transition method for calculating the tax effects of stock-based compensation. Under the alternative transition method the Company established the beginning balance of the additional paid-in capital pool (“APIC pool”) related to the tax effects of employee stock-based compensation and then determinesdetermined the subsequent impact on the APIC pool and cash flows of the tax effects of employee stock-based compensation awards that are outstanding.

F-14

 

2007 Performance Incentive Plan

 

In 2007, the Company adopted the 2007 Plan, whereby executive officers, directors, employees and consultants may be eligible to receive cash or equity-based performance awards based on set performance criteria.

 

In 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, the Compensation Committee granted short-term cash performance awards, payable to certain officers, upon the Company’s achievement of specified performance goals for such year.year as defined by the Compensation Committee. The target short-term cash bonus opportunities for officers reflected a percentage of the officer’s base salary. The short-term cash incentives were based upon achievement of certain financial targets (which, depending upon the year, related to revenue or expense, as defined by the Compensation Committee). Potential payout with respect to each measure was zero if a threshold percentage of the target was not achieved and a sliding scale thereafter, subject to a cap, starting at a figure less than 100% if the threshold was achieved but the target was not met and ending at a figure above 100% if the target was exceeded. Short-term incentives of approximately $918 thousand, $599$486 thousand and $577$670 thousand were deemed earned with respect to the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively.

F-17

Services Agreement

On November 13, 2012, the Company entered into a Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) in which a third-party granted TheStreet an exclusive right to sell and serve advertisement and e-commerce on certain of their personal finance Websites. The agreement terminated on May 31, 2013. TheStreet supported the Websites by providing personal finance content, various promotion and advertisements on TheStreet’s Websites, and marketing and accounting support. Under the Agreement, the Company reimbursed this third party for certain expenses, subject to specified limits. Both parties shared in the profits generated by the partnership, after TheStreet recouped the aggregate amount paid to the third party in addition to certain sales, marketing, editorial and operational costs incurred by the Company.

In accordance with the ASC 808, “Accounting for Collaborative Agreement,” a participant in a collaborative arrangement must report the costs incurred and revenues generated on sales to third parties at gross or net amounts, depending on whether the participant is the principal or the agent in the transaction. Based on the facts and circumstances with regards to the Agreement, the Company has determined that it is the Principal in this Agreement for all advertising sold by the Company. With respect to the advertising and e-commerce revenue generated by the third party, the Company treats this as a reimbursement of expenses paid. For the periods ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 the Company recognized $264 thousand in net expense reimbursements and $218 thousand in net expense, respectively, reflected in cost of sales on the consolidated statement of operations related to this agreement.

 

Preferred Stock

 

The Company applies the guidance in ASC 480,Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) when determining the classification and measurement of its convertible preferred shares. Preferred shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Accordingly theThe Company classifies conditionally redeemable preferred shares (if any), which includes preferred shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control, as temporary equity. At all other times, the Company classifies its preferred shares as a component of stockholders’ equity.

 

The Company’s Series B Convertible Preferred Stock does not feature any redemption rights within the holders’ control or conditional redemption features not solely within the Company’s control as of December 31, 2014.2016. Accordingly, the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is presented as a component of stockholders’ equity.

 

Subsequent Events

 

The Company has evaluated subsequent events for recognition or disclosure.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-01,Income Statement — Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20): Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items(“ASU 2015-01”). ASU 2015-01 eliminates the concept of extraordinary items from GAAP but retains the presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently and expands the guidance to include items that are both unusual in nature and infrequently occurring. ASU 2015-01 was effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. The adoption of ASU 2015-01 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”(“FASB”) issued ASUAccounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09,Revenue “Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Customers” (“ASU 2014-09"2014-09”)., which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 requires that an entityis to recognize revenue to depict the transfer ofrevenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which thean entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing GAAP. On July 9, 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date by one year to December 15, 2017 for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after that date.  Early adoption of ASU 2014-09 is applicablepermitted but not before the original effective date (annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016). When effective, ASU 2014-09 prescribes either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients; or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures).  Based upon our revenue streams of subscription and advertising, we do not believe that adoption of ASU 2014-09 will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

F-15

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17 (Topic 740), “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” (“ASU 2015-17”). ASU 2015-17 requires deferred tax liabilities and assets to be classified as noncurrent in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The standard will be effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued. The ASU may be applied either prospectively to all deferred tax liabilities and assets or retrospectively to all periods presented. The impact of our pending adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheet.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02,Leases(“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016,2018, including interim periods therein,within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and can be applied either retrospectively to eachoperating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. As the Company does not lease any office equipment and our office space leases are the only leases with a term longer than 12 months, we do not believe that adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have a significant impact on our operating results.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09,Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting ("ASU No. 2016-09"). ASU 2016-09 simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the consolidated financial statements. The amendments include income tax consequences, the accounting for forfeitures, classification of awards as either equity or as a cumulative-effect adjustment asliabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. The impact of our pending adoption of the date of adoption. We are currently evaluating thenew standard is not expected to have a material impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and have not yet determined the method by which we will adopt the standard in 2017.

Reclassificationsstatements.

 

DuringIn June 2016, the three months endedFASB issued ASU No. 2016-13,"Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" (“ASU 2016-13”) which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost.  ASU 2016-13 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2014,15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018.  ASU 2016-13 is required to be adopted using the Company startedmodified retrospective basis, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to report capitalized Websiteretained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective.  Based upon the level and software development costs as Other Intangibles, net, rather than as Propertymakeup of our financial receivables, past loss activity and Equipment, net.Duringcurrent known activity regarding our outstanding receivables, we do not expect that the three months ended June 30, 2013, the Company started to report certain miscellaneous other revenue items, such as webinars and conferences, as Media rather than Subscription Services revenue.These items andcertain other prior period amountsadoption of ASU 2016-13 will have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

(2)AcquisitionsIn August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (ASU 2016-15). ASU 2016-15 is intended to add or clarify guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows and to eliminate the diversity in practice related to such classifications. The guidance in ASU 2016-15 is required for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The impact of our pending adoption of the new standard is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated statement of cash flows.

 

Management Diagnostics Limited

On October 31, 2014,In January 2017, the Company acquired allFASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-04,Intangibles — Goodwill and Other Simplifying the Test for goodwill Impairment(“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2, an entity had to perform procedures to determine the outstanding share capitalfair value at the impairment testing date of Management Diagnostics Limited (“MDL”), a privately held company headquartered in London, England. MDL isits assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities) following the owner of BoardEx,procedure that Instead, under ASU 2017-04, an institutional relationship capital management database and platform. Clients, including investment banks, consultancies and law firms use BoardEx to leverage their relationships and facilitate business and corporate development initiatives. The company was founded in 1999 and has offices in London, New York and Chennai, India. MDL’s employees and BoardEx have been incorporated into The Deal, a business unit of TheStreet that serves corporate dealmakers with analysis of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and restructuring. BoardEx’s proprietary people data will be combined with The Deal’s newsroom and transaction data, allowing subscribers to easily network with the very people they read about in The Deal’s exclusive editorial content. The acquisition of BoardEx advances the strategic objectives of TheStreetentity should perform its goodwill impairment test by increasing both institutional content and subscribers. These factors contributed to a purchase price in excess ofcomparing the fair value of net tangiblea reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. This guidance is effective for annual or interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019, with early adoption permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. The Company plans to adopt this pronouncement in the first quarter of 2017 and intangible assets acquired from The Deal, and aswe do not expect that the adoption to have a result, the Company recorded $16.8 million of goodwill in connection with this transaction. The goodwill is not deductible for income tax purposes.material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

F-16

The Company paid cash consideration of approximately $22.1 million at closing, of which $1.5 million was placed in escrow which will be used to secure indemnity obligations for a period of 24 months. Additionally, the Company assumed net liabilities approximating $5.0 million, inclusive of a potential earn-out payable in 2018 based on 2017 net revenue of BoardEx’s existing products and services. Concurrent with the signing of the agreement, the Company also purchased warranty insurance from Pembroke Syndicate 4000 at Lloyds with a policy limit of $5 million dollars, subject to a deductible.

 

The results of operations of MDL are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 from October 31, 2014, the date of the acquisition. The following table summarizes the consideration paid and the amounts of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. The fair value estimates for the assets and liabilities were based upon preliminary calculations and valuations and our estimates and assumptions for each of these are subject to change as we obtain additional information for our estimates during the measurement period, a period not to exceed 12 months from the acquisition date. Changes to amounts recorded as assets or liabilities may result in a corresponding adjustment to goodwill.

  Amortization Life    
  (in years)  Amount 
Accounts receivable, net     $997,161 
Other receivables      750,434 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets      91,598 
Property and equipment, net      153,060 
Other assets      109,000 
Identifiable intangible assets:        
-     Customer relationships  10   3,670,000 
-     Database  10   5,130,000 
-     Trade name  6   310,000 
Accounts payable      (50,135)
Accrued expenses      (956,156)
Deferred revenue      (4,367,717)
Other current liabilities      (40,516)
Other liabilities      (2,687,838)
Total identifiable net assets      3,108,891 
Goodwill      16,813,181 
Cash consideration, net of cash acquired     $19,922,072 

Acquisition related costs totaling $1.5 million are included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014.

The DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Report and the PrivateRaise database

On April 19, 2013, the Company acquiredThe DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Reportand the PrivateRaise database (the “DealFlow” acquisition) from DealFlow Media, Inc. These newsletters and database, and the employees providing their content, have been incorporated into The Deal, TheStreet’s institutional platform. The Company paid cash consideration of approximately $2.0 million, of which $195 thousand was held back to be used to secure indemnity obligations for a period of one year, and issued 408,829 unregistered shares of the Company’s common stock, having a value on the closing date of approximately $781 thousand. Additionally, the Company assumed net liabilities of approximately $726 thousand. The acquisition was not significant and pro forma financial information was not required. The results of operations of DealFlow are included in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014, and for the year ended December 31, 2013 from April 19, 2013, the date of the acquisition.

The Deal, LLC

On September 11, 2012, the Company acquired 100% of the equity of The Deal, LLC (“The Deal”). The Deal is a digital platform that delivers sophisticated coverage of the mergers and acquisitions environment, primarily through The Deal Pipeline, a leading provider of transactional information services. The purchase price of the acquisition was approximately $5.8 million. Additionally, the Company assumed net liabilities approximating $5.0 million. The results of operations of The Deal are included in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, and for the year ended December 31, 2012 from September 11, 2012, the date of the acquisition.

The following table summarizes the consideration paid and the amounts of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed recognized at the acquisition date.

  Amortization Life    
  (in years)  Amount 
Accounts receivable, net     $765,357 
Other receivables      315,322 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets      168,492 
Property and equipment, net      729,400 
Identifiable intangible assets:        
-     Subscriber relationships  10   2,960,000 
-     Database  10   3,170,000 
-     Software  5   685,000 
-     Trade name  10   480,000 
-     Advertiser relationships  6   70,000 
Restricted cash      301,000 
Accounts payable      (391,992)
Accrued expenses      (1,368,270)
Deferred revenue      (3,761,210)
Other current liabilities      (361,659)
Total identifiable net assets      3,761,440 
Goodwill      1,668,623 
Total consideration     $5,430,063 

Acquisition related costs totaling $0.4 million are included in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Proforma Information

Unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information is presented below as if the acquisitions of MDL and The Deal had occurred on the first day of the earliest period presented. The results have been adjusted to account for the amortization of acquired intangible assets, to reclassify a defined benefit plan actuarial gain recorded by MDL within the statement of operations to accumulated other comprehensive income in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, to eliminate interest expense related to short term notes payable to related parties of The Deal, which liabilities were not assumed by the Company, and deal acquisition costs. The pro forma information presented below does not purport to present what actual results would have been if the acquisitions had occurred at the beginning of such periods, nor does the information project results for any future period. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the historical financial information of the Company included in this report, as well as the historical financial information included in other reports and documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is as follows:

  For the Year Ended December 31, 
  2014  2013  2012 
Total Revenue $69,554,714  $63,979,231  $67,334,719 
Net Loss $(1,505,531) $(2,814,915) $(15,421,564)
Basic and diluted net loss per share $(0.04) $(0.08) $(0.47)

(3)(2) Net Loss Per Share

 

Basic net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and potential common shares outstanding during the period, so long as the inclusion of potential common shares does not result in a lower net loss per share. Potential common shares consist of restricted stock units (using the treasury stock method), the incremental common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options (using the treasury stock method), and the conversion of the Company’s convertible preferred stock and warrants (using the if-converted method). Such warrants to purchase Common Stock all expired during the fourth quarter of 2012. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, approximately 5.2 million, 4.2 million$708 thousand and 3.33.1 million unvested restricted stock units, and vested and unvested stock options, and warrants to purchase Common Stock, respectively, were excluded from the calculation, as their effect would result in a lower net loss per share.

 

The following table reconciles the numerator and denominator for the calculation.

 

 For the Years Ended December 31,  For the Years Ended December 31, 
 2014  2013  2012  2016  2015 
Basic and diluted net loss per share                    
Numerator:                    
Net loss $3,789,877  $3,785,701  $12,714,951  $17,514,715  $1,543,003 
Preferred stock cash dividends  385,696   -   192,848   -   385,696 
Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share – Net loss attributable to common stockholders $4,175,573  $3,785,701  $12,907,799  $17,514,715  $1,928,699 
                    
Denominator:                    
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding  34,370,843   33,725,317   32,710,018   35,236,113   34,839,233 
                    
Basic and diluted net loss per share:                    
Net loss $0.11  $0.11  $0.38 
Preferred stock cash dividends  0.01   -   0.01 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $0.12  $0.11  $0.39  $(0.50) $(0.06)

 

(4)(3) Cash and Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities and Restricted Cash

 

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash primarily consist of checking accounts and money market fundsfunds. As of December 31, 2016 and checking accounts. Marketable2015, marketable securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds and two municipal auction rate securities (“ARS”) issued by the District of Columbia with a parcost basis of approximately $1.9 million and a fair value of approximately $1.9 million. As of December 31, 2014, the total fair value of these marketable securities was approximately $3.6$1.6 million and the total cost basis was approximately $3.9 million. As of December 31, 2013, the total fair value of these marketable securities was approximately $13.1$1.6 million, and the total cost basis was approximately $13.3 million.respectively. With the exception of the ARS, Company policy limits the maximum maturity for any investment isto three years. The ARS mature in the year 2038. The Company accounts for its marketable securities in accordance with the provisions of ASC 320-10. The Company classifies these securities as available for sale and the securities are reported at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive incomeloss and excluded from net loss as they are deemed temporary. Additionally, as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company has a total of approximately $1.3 million$500 thousand and $661 thousand, respectively, of cash that serves as collateral for outstanding letters of credit, and which cash is therefore restricted. The letters of credit serve as security deposits for the Company’s office space.space in New York City.

 

  As of December 31, 
  2014  2013 
Cash and cash equivalents $32,459,009  $45,443,759 
Current and noncurrent marketable securities  3,569,240   13,097,735 
Current and noncurrent restricted cash  1,301,000   1,301,000 
Total cash and cash equivalents, current and noncurrent marketable securities and current and noncurrent restricted cash $37,329,249  $59,842,494 
F-17

  As of December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Cash and cash equivalents $21,371,122  $28,445,416 
Noncurrent marketable securities  1,550,000   1,590,000 
Current and noncurrent restricted cash  500,000   661,250 
Total cash and cash equivalents, noncurrent marketable securities and current and noncurrent restricted cash $23,421,122  $30,696,666 

 

(5)(4) Fair Value Measurements

 

The Company measures the fair value of its financial instruments in accordance with ASC 820-10, which refines the definition of fair value, provides a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC 820-10 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the reporting date. The statement establishes consistency and comparability by providing a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques into three broad levels, which are described below:

 

Level 1: Inputs are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (these are observable market inputs).

 

Level 2: Inputs are inputs other than quoted market prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability (includes quoted market prices for similar assets or identical or similar assets in markets in which there are few transactions, prices that are not current or vary substantially).

 

Level 3: Inputs are unobservable inputs that reflect the entity’s own assumptions in pricing the asset or liability (used when little or no market data is available).

 

Financial assets and liabilities included in our financial statements and measured at fair value are classified based on the valuation technique level in the table below:

 

  As of December 31, 2014 
Description: Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Cash and cash equivalents (1) $32,459,009  $32,459,009  $  $ 
Restricted cash (1)  1,301,000   1,301,000       
Marketable securities (2)  3,569,240   2,009,240      1,560,000 
Contingent earn-out (3)  2,602,105         2,602,105 
Total at fair value $39,931,354  $35,769,249  $  $4,162,105 
  As of December 31, 2013 
Description: Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Cash and cash equivalents (1) $45,443,759  $45,443,759  $  $ 
Restricted cash (1)  1,301,000   1,301,000       
Marketable securities (2)  13,097,735   11,517,735      1,580,000 
Total at fair value $59,842,494  $58,262,494  $  $1,580,000 
  As of December 31, 2016 
Description: Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Cash and cash equivalents (1) $21,371,122  $21,371,122  $  $ 
Restricted cash (1)  500,000   500,000       
Marketable securities (2)  1,550,000         1,550,000 
Contingent earn-out (3)  907,657         907,657 
Total at fair value $24,328,779  $21,871,122  $  $2,457,657 

F-18

  As of December 31, 2015 
Description: Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Cash and cash equivalents (1) $28,445,416  $28,445,416  $  $ 
Restricted cash (1)  661,250   661,250       
Marketable securities (2)  1,590,000         1,590,000 
Contingent earn-out (3)  2,590,339         2,590,339 
Total at fair value $33,287,005  $29,106,666  $  $4,180,339 

 

(1)          Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, totaling approximately $33.8$21.9 million and $46.7$29.1 million as of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, respectively, consistsconsist primarily of checking accounts and money market funds and checking accounts for which we determine fair value through quoted market prices.

 

(2)          Marketable securities consist of investment grade corporate bonds for which we determine fair value through quoted market prices. Marketable securities also consist ofinclude two municipal ARS issued by the District of Columbia having a fair value totaling approximately $1.6 million and $1.6 million as of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, respectively. Historically, the fair value of ARS investments approximated par value due to the frequent resets through the auction process. Due to events in credit markets, the auction events, which historically have provided liquidity for these securities, have been unsuccessful. The result of a failed auction is that these ARS holdings will continue to pay interest in accordance with their terms at each respective auction date; however, liquidity of the securities will be limited until there is a successful auction, the issuer redeems the securities, the securities mature or until such time as other markets for these ARS holdings develop. For each of our ARS, we evaluate the risks related to the structure, collateral and liquidity of the investment, and forecast the probability of issuer default, auction failure and a successful auction at par, or a redemption at par, for each future auction period. Temporary impairment charges are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income,loss, whereas other-than-temporary impairment charges are recorded in our consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2014,2016, the Company determined there was a decline in the fair value of its ARS investments of $290$300 thousand from its cost basis, which was deemed temporary and was included within accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income.loss. The Company used a discounted cash flow and market approach model to determine the estimated fair value of its investment in ARS. The assumptions used in preparing the discounted cash flow model include estimates for interest rate, timing and amount of cash flows and expected holding period of ARS.

 

(3)          Contingent earn-out represents additional purchase consideration payable to the former shareholders of Management DiagnostiocsDiagnostics Limited based upon the achievement of specific 2017 audited revenue benchmarks. The probability of achieving each benchmark is based on ManagementsManagement’s assessment of the projected 2017 revenue. The present value of each probability weighted payment was calculated by discounting the probability weighted payment by the corresponding present value factor.

F-19

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance for the Company’s marketable securitiesassets and liabilities measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):

 

 Marketable
Securities
  Marketable
Securities
 
Balance December 31, 2012 $1,540,000 
Balance December 31, 2014 $1,560,000 
Change in fair value of investment  40,000   30,000 
Balance December 31, 2013  1,580,000 
Balance December 31, 2015  1,590,000 
Change in fair value of investment  (20,000)  (40,000)
Balance December 31, 2014 $1,560,000 
Balance December 31, 2016 $1,550,000 

 

  Contingent Earn-Out 
Balance December 31, 2013 $- 
Addition  2,602,105 
Balance December 31, 2014 $2,602,105 
  Contingent
Earn-Out
 
Balance December 31, 2014 $2,602,105 
Purchase accounting adjustment  (144,398)
Accretion of net present value  132,632 
Balance December 31, 2015  2,590,339 
Reduction to estimated earn-out  (1,807,945)
Accretion of net present value  125,263 
Balance December 31, 2016 $907,657 

 

(6)(5) Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Property and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful life of computer equipment, computer software and telephone equipment is three years and of furniture and fixtures is five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the respective lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset. If the useful lives of the assets differ materially from the estimates contained herein, additional costs could be incurred, which could have an adverse impact on our expenses.

F-20

Property and equipment as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 consists of the following:

 

 As of December 31,  As of December 31, 
 2014  2013  2016  2015 
Computer equipment $1,456,483  $6,465,698 
Furniture and fixtures  2,072,289   2,726,959 
Computer equipment and software $2,516,189  $1,823,428 
Furniture and fixtures and telephone equipment  2,080,658   2,041,229 
Leasehold improvements  3,401,591   3,401,591   4,635,446   3,713,491 
  6,930,363   12,594,248   9,232,293   7,578,148 
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization  4,003,538   9,212,676   5,682,286   4,804,411 
Property and equipment, net $2,926,825  $3,381,572  $3,550,007  $2,773,737 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense for the above noted property and equipment was approximately $912$964 thousand $1.4 million and $2.6$1.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively. The Company does not include depreciation and amortization expense in cost of services, sales and marketing or general and administrative expense.

 

F-25

(7)(6) Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

 

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 were as follows:

 

Balance as of December 31, 2012 $25,726,239 
Acquisition of The DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Report and the PrivateRaise database  2,271,047 
Balance as of December 31, 2013  27,997,286 
Acquisition of Management Diagnostics Limited  16,813,181 
Balance as of December 31, 2014 $44,810,467 
Balance as of December 31, 2014 $44,810,467 
Purchase accounting adjustments  (237,772)
Exchange rate impact  (1,254,025)
Balance as of December 31, 2015  43,318,670 
Impairment charge  (11,583,000)
Exchange rate impact  (2,552,529)
Balance as of December 31, 2016 $29,183,141 

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the business was managed as a single segment where subscription and advertising products were sold throughout the Company, financial results were reviewed on a consolidated basis and separate and discrete financial information was not available. During 2016, the Company reassessed the identification of operating segments due to changes in key personnel, including the Chief Operating Decision Maker, and during the fourth quarter of 2016 began to provide separate and discrete segment financial information. We currently regard our Company to operate in three distinct operating segments: The Deal / BoardEx, RateWatch and Business to Consumer. These operating segments also represent the Company’s reporting units.

  The Deal/
BoardEx
  RateWatch  Business to
Consumer
  Total 
Balance as of December 31, 2014             $44,810,467 
Purchase accounting adjustments              (237,772)
Exchange rate impact              (1,254,025)
Balance December 31, 2015              43,318,670 
Exchange rate impact              (1,897,318)
Balance October 1, 2016 $14,104,120  $5,851,050  $21,466,182  41,421,352 
Exchange rate impact  (655,211)  -   -   (655,211)
Impairment charge  (11,583,000)  -   -   (11,583,000)
Balance December 31, 2016 $1,865,909  $5,851,050  $21,466,182  $29,183,141 

F-21

 

The Company’s goodwill and other intangible assets and related accumulated amortization as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 consist of the following:

 

 As of December 31,  As of December 31, 
 2014  2013  2016  2015 
Total goodwill $44,810,467  $27,997,286  $29,183,141  $43,318,670 
Other intangible assets not subject to amortization:        
Intangible assets not subject to amortization:        
Trade name $720,000  $720,000  $720,000  $720,000 
Total other intangible assets not subject to amortization  720,000   720,000 
Other intangible assets subject to amortization:        
Total intangible assets not subject to amortization  720,000   720,000 
Intangible assets subject to amortization:        
Customer relationships  14,462,136   10,792,136   13,622,590   14,188,406 
Software models  1,988,194   1,988,194   1,988,194   1,988,194 
Noncompete agreement  130,000   130,000   130,000   130,000 
Product databases  8,619,588   3,367,000   8,608,166   8,863,608 
Trade names  810,000   500,000   719,085   786,878 
Capitalized website and software development  6,153,648   7,841,507   9,313,536   7,511,193 
Domain names  160,425   160,425   160,425   160,425 
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization  32,323,991   24,779,262 
Total intangible assets subject to amortization  34,541,996   33,628,704 
Less accumulated amortization  (12,896,782)  (13,817,447)  (20,134,178)  (15,674,328)
Net other intangible assets subject to amortization  19,427,209   10,961,815 
Total other intangible assets $20,147,209  $11,681,815 
Net intangible assets subject to amortization  14,407,818   17,954,376 
Total intangible assets $15,127,818  $18,674,376 

 

Intangible assets were established through business acquisitions and internally developed capitalized website and software development costs. Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over a weighted-average period of approximately 9.99.8 years for customer relationships, 4.7 years for software models, 3.0 years for noncompete agreements, 9.9 years for product databases and 8.38.7 years for trade names.

F-22

Amortization expense totaled approximately $2.3 million, $2.4$4.7 million and $2.9$3.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively. The estimated amortization expense for the next five years and thereafter is as follows:

 

For the Years
Ended
      
December 31, Amount  Amount 
2015 $2,627,643 
2016  3,270,039 
2017  3,020,491  $3,811,478 
2018  1,729,226   2,710,592 
2019  1,717,425   1,888,557 
2020  1,677,020 
2021  1,526,446 
Thereafter  7,062,385   2,793,725 
Total $19,427,209  $14,407,818 

 

(8)(7) Accrued Expenses

 

Accrued expenses as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 consist of the following:

 

  As of December 31, 
  2014  2013 
Payroll and related costs $2,544,215  $1,672,891 
Professional fees  890,567   470,423 
Tax related  666,102   206,508 
Business development  467,876   697,049 
Advertising  334,295   401,301 
Other liabilities  1,376,027   890,251 
Total accrued expenses $6,279,082  $4,338,423 

  As of December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Payroll and related costs $2,261,401  $1,941,665 
Professional fees  531,876   728,336 
Tax related  531,609   591,827 
Business development  440,668   391,854 
Data related costs  338,064   331,918 
Other liabilities  1,011,940   1,176,381 
Total accrued expenses $5,115,558  $5,161,981 

 

(9)(8) Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for its income taxes in accordance with ASC 740-10. Under ASC 740-10, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their tax bases. ASC 740-10 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized based on all available positive and negative evidence. The Company has determined that it files U.S. Federal, State and Foreign tax returns and has determined that its major tax jurisdictions are the United States, India and the United Kingdom. Tax years through 2016 remain open due to net operating loss carryforwards and are subject to examination by appropriate taxing authorities.

 

The Company had approximately $149$160 million and $156$154 million of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (“NOL”) as of December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, respectively. The Company has a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets as management concluded that it was more likely than not that the Company would not realize the benefit of its deferred tax assets by generating sufficient taxable income in future years. The Company expects to continue to provide a full valuation allowance until, or unless, it can sustain a level of profitability that demonstrates its ability to utilize these assets. The ability of the Company to utilize its NOL in full to reduce future taxable income may become subject to various limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“IRC”). The utilization of such carryforwards may be limited upon the occurrence of certain ownership changes, including the purchase and sale of stock by 5% shareholders and the offering of stock by the Company during any three-year period resulting in an aggregate change of more than 50% of the beneficial ownership of the Company. In the event of an ownership change, Section 382 imposes an annual limitation on the amount of these carryforwards that can reduce future taxable income.

F-23

 

Subject to potential Section 382 limitations, as discussed below, the federal losses are available to offset future taxable income through 20342036 and expire from 2019 through 2034.2036. Since the Company does business in various states and each state has its own rules with respect to the number of years losses may be carried forward, the state net operating loss carryforwards expire from 2015 through 2034.2036. The net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 20142016 and 20132015 include approximately $16 million and $15$16 million, respectively, related to windfall tax benefits for which a benefit would be recorded to additional paid in capital when realized.

In accordance with Section 382 Upon adoption of the Internal Revenue code, the abilityASU 2016-09, all tax effects related to utilize the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards couldshare based payments will be limited in the event of a change in ownership and as such a portion of the existing net operating loss carryforwards may berecognized through earnings subject to limitation.valuation allowance considerations so we expect that any potential tax benefits from the adoption of ASU 2016-09 would increase our deferred tax asset which would be offset by a valuation allowance.

 

The Company is subject to federal, state and local corporate income taxes. The components of the provision for income taxes reflected on the consolidated statements of operations from continuing operations are set forth below:

 

 For the Years Ended December 31, 
 2014  2013  2012 
 (in thousands) 
(in thousands) 2016 2015 
Current taxes:                   
U.S. federal $8  $-  $-  $-  $- 
State and local  8   -   -   -   0 
Foreign  18   -   -   139   4 
Total current tax expense $34  $-  $- 
Total current tax benefit $139  $4 
                    
Deferred taxes:                    
U.S. federal $382  $-  $-  $38  $809 
State and local  59   -   -   92   368 
Foreign  -   -   -   -   - 
Total deferred tax expense $441  $-  $-  $130  $1,177 
                    
Total tax expense $475  $-  $-  $269  $1,181 

 

A reconciliation of the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate to the Company's effective income tax rate is set forth below:

 

 For the Years Ended December 31,  For the Years Ended December 31, 
 2014  2013  2012  2016  2015 
U.S. statutory federal income tax rate  34.0%  34.0%  34.0%  34.0%  34.0%
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit  1.1   6.3   6.3   10.2%  -67.2%
Effect of permanent differences  (9.7)  (2.9)  (0.8)  -0.4%  -35.7%
R&D Credit  0.1%  26.7%
Foreign Tax Rate Differential  -6.3%  -2.9%
Change to valuation allowance  (37.4)  (37.4)  (39.7)  -39.0%  -281.6%
Foreign rate tax differential  (2.3)  -   - 
Other  0.0   0.0   0.2   -0.2%  - 
Effective income tax rate  (14.3)%  0.0%  0.0%  -1.6%  -326.6%

F-24

The Company has not provided for U.S. federal income and foreign withholding taxes on approximately $1.7 million of undistributed earnings from a non-U.S. subsidiary as of December 31, 2016 because such earnings are intended to be reinvested indefinitely outside of the United States. If these earnings were distributed, foreign tax credits may become available under current law to reduce the resulting U.S. income tax liability. However, it is not practicable to determine the amount of the tax and credits. The foreign earnings that the Company may repatriate to the United States in any year is limited to the amount of current year foreign earnings and are not made out of historic undistributed accumulated earnings. The amount of current year foreign earnings that are available for repatriation is determined after consideration of all foreign cash requirements including working capital needs, potential requirements for litigation and regulatory matters, and merger and acquisition activities, among others.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such differences are expected to reverse. Significant components of the Company's net deferred tax assets and liabilities are set forth below:

 

  As of December 31, 
  2014  2013 
  (in thousands) 
Deferred tax assets:        
Operating loss carryforward $63,553  $62,992 
Windfall tax benefit carryforward  (5,332)  (5,243)
Capital loss carryforward  28   30 
Goodwill  -   285 
Intangible assets  628   1,195 
Accrued expenses  1,753   1,677 
Depreciation  953   693 
Other  1,894   2,050 
Total deferred tax assets  63,477   63,679 
Deferred tax liabilities:        
Goodwill  (455)  - 
Trademarks  (274)  (288)
Total deferred tax liabilities  (729)  (288)
Less: valuation allowance  (63,477)  (63,679)
Net deferred tax liability $(729) $(288)
F-25

  As of December 31, 
(in thousands) 2016  2015 
Deferred tax assets:        
Operating loss carryforward $71,334  $70,426 
Windfall tax benefit carryforward  (5,332)  (5,332)
Capital loss carryforward  152   229 
Goodwill  3,089   - 
Intangible assets  2,339   (329)
Accrued expenses  1,112   1,158 
Depreciation  551   884 
Other  1,935   1,820 
Total deferred tax assets  

75,180

   68,856 
         
Goodwill  (1,735)  (1,612)
Trademarks  (301)  (294)
Total deferred tax liabilities  

(2,036

)  (1,906)
Less: valuation allowance  (75,180)  (68,856)
Net deferred tax liability $(2,036) $(1,906)

 

The Company has no uncertain tax positions pursuant to ASC 740-10 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012.2015.

 

(10)(9) Stockholders’ Equity

 

Convertible Preferred Stock

 

Securities Purchase Agreement

 

On November 15, 2007, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with TCV VI, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and TCV Member Fund, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (collectively, the “Purchasers”).

 

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company sold the Purchasers an aggregate of 5,500 shares of its newly-created Series B convertible preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Series B Preferred Stock”), that are immediately convertible into an aggregate of 3,856,942 shares of its Common Stock at a conversion price of $14.26 per share, and warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase an aggregate of 1,157,083 shares of Common Stock for $15.69 per share. The consideration paid for the Series B Preferred Stock and the Warrants was $55 million. As of December 31, 2014,2016, no Series B Preferred Stock has been converted and the warrantsWarrants have expired without any shares having been purchased. The Series B Preferred Stock has not been registered and the Company has not registered the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock.

F-26

Investor Rights Agreement

 

On November 15, 2007, the Company also entered into an Investor Rights Agreement with the Purchasers (the “Investor Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which, among other things, the Company agreed to grant the Purchasers certain registration rights including the right to require the Company to file a registration statement within 30 days to register the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock and upon exercise of the Warrants and to use its reasonable best efforts to cause the registration to be declared effective within 90 days after the date the registration is filed. To date, no such request has been made.

 

Certificate of Designation

 

Pursuant to a Certificate of Designation for the Series B Preferred Stock (the “Certificate of Designation”) filed by the Company with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 15, 2007: (i) the Series B Preferred Stock has a purchase price per share equal to $10,000 (the “Original Issue Price”); (ii) in the event of any Liquidation Event (as defined in the Certificate of Designation), the holders of shares of Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive, prior to any distribution to the holders of the Common Stock, an amount per share equal to the Original Issue Price, plus any declared and unpaid dividends; (iii) the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have the right to vote on any matter submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Company and are entitled to vote that number of votes equal to the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of such holders’ shares of Series B Preferred Stock; (iv) for so long as 40% of the shares of Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the holders of a majority of such shares will have the right to elect one person to the Company’s board of directors; (v) the Series B Preferred Stock automatically converts into an aggregate of 3,856,942 shares of Common Stock in the event that the Common Stock trades on a trading market at or above a closing price equal to $28.52 per share for 90 consecutive trading days and any demand registration previously requested by the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock has become effective; and (vi) so long as 30% of the shares of the currently-outstanding Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of such shares will be necessary to take any of the following actions: (a) authorize, create or issue any class or classes of our capital stock ranking senior to, or on a parity with (as to dividends or upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock or any securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, any now or hereafter authorized capital stock ranking senior to, or on a parity with (as to dividends or upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock (including, without limitation, the issuance of any shares of Series B Preferred Stock (other than shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued as a stock dividend or in a stock split)); (b) any increase or decrease in the authorized number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock; (c) any amendment, waiver, alteration or repeal of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws in a way that adversely affects the rights, preferences or privileges of the Series B Preferred Stock; (d) the payment of any dividends (other than dividends paid in the capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries) in excess of $0.10 per share per annum on the Common Stock unless after the payment of such dividends we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) in an amount equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference; and (e) the purchase or redemption of: (1) any Common Stock (except for the purchase or redemption from employees, directors and consultants pursuant to agreements providing us with repurchase rights upon termination of their service with us) unless after such purchase or redemption we have unrestricted cash (net of all indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money obligations, promissory notes or bonds) equal to at least two times the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time such dividend is paid by the liquidation preference; or (2) any class or series of now or hereafter of our authorized stock that ranks junior to (upon a liquidation event) the Series B Preferred Stock.

Treasury Stock

 

In December 2000, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of the Company’s Common Stock, from time to time, in private purchases or in the open market. In February 2004, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the resumption of the stock repurchase program (the “Program”) under new price and volume parameters, leaving unchanged the maximum amount available for repurchase under the Program. However, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class, is necessary for the Company to repurchase its Common Stock (except as described above). During the years ended December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, the Company did not purchase any shares of Common Stock under the Program. Since inception of the Program, the Company has purchased a total of 5,453,416 shares of Common Stock at an aggregate cost of approximately $7.3 million.

F-27

 

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s 2007 Plan, and certain procedures adopted by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, in connection with the exercise of stock options by certain of the Company’s employees, and the issuance of shares of Common Stock in settlement of vested restricted stock units, the Company may withhold shares in lieu of payment of the exercise price and/or the minimum amount of applicable withholding taxes then due. Through December 31, 2014,2016, the Company had withheld an aggregate of 1,574,7041,850,665 shares which have been recorded as treasury stock. In addition, the Company received an aggregate of 208,270211,608 shares as partial settlement of the working capital and debt adjustmentin treasury stock resulting from the acquisition of Corsis Technology Group II LLC and 3,338 shares as partial settlement of the working capital adjustment from the acquisition of Kikucall, Inc.prior acquisitions. These shares have also been recorded as treasury stock.

 

Dividends

 

Beginning with the first quarter of 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors suspended the payment of a quarterly dividend and will continue to evaluate the uses of its cash in connection with planned investments in the business. During the year ended December 31, 2014,2015 the Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share on its Common Stock and its Series B Preferred Stock on a converted common share basis. These dividend payments totaled approximately $3.9 million. There were no dividends paid during the year ended December 31, 2013. During both the first and second quarters of 2012 the Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share on its Common Stock and its Series B Preferred Stock on a converted common share basis. These dividend payments totaled approximately $1.8 million. In the third quarter of 2012, the Company’s Board of Directors temporarily suspended the payment of a quarterly dividend.

 

Stock Options

 

Under the terms of the 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (the “1998 Plan”), 8,900,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, deferred stock, restricted stock units, or any combination thereof. Under the terms of the 2007 Plan, 7,750,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company were reserved for awards of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other stock-based awards. The 2007 Plan also authorized cash performance awards. Additionally, under the terms of the 2007 Plan, unused shares authorized for award under the 1998 Plan are available for issuance under the 2007 Plan. No further awards will be made under the 1998 Plan. Awards may be granted to such directors, employees and consultants of the Company as the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors shall select in its discretion or delegate to management to select. Only employees of the Company are eligible to receive grants of incentive stock options. Awards generally vest over a three- to five-year period and stock options generally have terms of five to seven years. As of December 31, 2014,2016, there remained approximately 1.81.3 million shares available for future awards under the 2007 Plan. Stock-based compensation expense forIn connection with awards under both the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132007 Plan and 2012 wasawards issued outside of the Plan as inducement grants to new hires, the Company recorded approximately $1.8 million, $2.1$1.6 million (inclusive of $393approximately $105 thousand included in restructuring and other charges) and $2.4$1.6 million, (inclusive of $222 thousand included in restructuringnoncash stock-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2016 and other charges),2015, respectively.

A stock option represents the right, once the option has vested and become exercisable, to purchase a share of the Company’s Common Stock at a particular exercise price set at the time of the grant. A restricted stock unit (“RSU”) represents the right to receive one share of the Company’s Common Stock (or, if provided in the award, the fair market value of a share in cash) on the applicable vesting date for such RSU. Until the stock certificate for a share of Common Stock represented by an RSU is delivered, the holder of an RSU does not have any of the rights of a stockholder with respect to the Common Stock. However, the grant of an RSU includes the grant of dividend equivalents with respect to such RSU. The Company records cash dividends for RSUs to be paid in the future at an amount equal to the rate paid on a share of Common Stock for each then-outstanding RSU granted. The accumulated dividend equivalents related to outstanding grants vest on the applicable vesting date for the RSU with respect to which such dividend equivalents were credited, and are paid in cash at the time a stock certificate evidencing the shares represented by such vested RSU is delivered.

 

F-28

A summary of the activity of the 1998 and 2007 PlansPlan, and awards issued outside of the Plan pertaining to stock option grants is as follows:

 

  Shares
Underlying
Awards
  Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
  Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
($000)
  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
(In Years)
 
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2013  4,435,536  $1.89         
Options granted  275,958  $2.27         
Options exercised  (185,688) $1.63         
Options cancelled  (234,254) $2.04         
Options expired  (45,511) $2.94         
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2014  4,246,041  $1.90  $2,130   3.80 
Awards vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2014  4,043,666  $1.90  $2,048   3.79 
Awards exercisable at December 31, 2014  2,270,347  $1.89  $1,214   3.75 
  Shares
Underlying
Awards
  Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
  Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
($000)
  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
(In Years)
 
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2015  3,391,607  $1.87         
Options granted  3,144,358  $1.21         
Options exercised  -  $-         
Options forfeited  (182,189) $1.92         
Options expired  (453,045) $1.92         
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2016  5,900,731  $1.52  $0   3.85 
Awards vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2016  5,822,851  $1.52  $0   3.82 
Awards exercisable at December 31, 2016  2,682,299  $1.84  $0   1.03 

A summary of the activity of the 1998 and 2007 PlansPlan pertaining to grants of restricted stock units is as follows:

 

  Shares
Underlying
Awards
  Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
($000)
  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life (In
Years)
 
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2013  1,478,447         
Restricted stock units granted  470,853         
Restricted stock units settled by delivery of Common Stock upon vesting  (723,435)        
Restricted stock units cancelled  (20,522)        
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2014  1,205,343  $2,869   2.94 
Awards vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2014  1,174,614  $2,796   2.63 
  Shares
Underlying
Awards
  Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
($000)
  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life (In
Years)
 
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2015  806,324         
Restricted stock units granted  557,586         
Restricted stock units settled by delivery of Common Stock upon vesting  (478,127)        
Restricted stock units forfeited  (167,788)        
Awards outstanding, December 31, 2016  717,995  $610   1.21 
Awards vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2016  709,495  $603   0.99 

F-29

 

A summary of the status of the Company’s unvested share-based payment awards as of December 31, 20142016 and changes in the year then ended is as follows:

 

Unvested Awards Awards  Weighted
Average Grant
Date Fair
Value
 
Shares underlying awards unvested at December 31, 2013  4,711,899  $1.03 
Shares underlying options granted  275,958  $0.44 
Shares underlying restricted stock units granted  470,853  $2.23 
Shares underlying options vested  (1,299,462) $0.56 
Shares underlying restricted stock units issued  (723,435) $2.01 
Shares underlying unvested options cancelled  (234,254) $0.60 
Shares underlying unvested restricted stock units cancelled  (20,522) $1.70 
Shares underlying awards unvested at December 31, 2014  3,181,037  $1.16 
Unvested Awards Awards  Weighted
Average Grant
Date Fair Value
 
Shares underlying awards unvested at December 31, 2015  1,473,765  $1.44 
Shares underlying options granted  3,144,358  $0.37 
Shares underlying restricted stock units granted  557,586  $1.30 
Shares underlying options vested  (411,178) $0.51 
Shares underlying restricted stock units settled by delivery of Common Stock upon vesting  (478,127) $2.16 
Shares underlying unvested options forfeited  (182,189) $0.50 
Shares underlying unvested restricted stock units forfeited  (167,788) $1.25 
Shares underlying awards unvested at December 31, 2016  3,936,427  $0.62 

 

For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, approximately 276 thousand, 1.63.1 million and 2.8 million41 thousand stock options, respectively, were granted to employees of the Company, and 186 thousandzero and 43 thousand603 options were exercised during the years ended December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, respectively, yielding $303 thousand$0 and $74 thousand,$838, respectively, of cash proceeds to the Company. There were no stock options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2012. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, approximately 471558 thousand 1.3 million and 249104 thousand restricted stock units, respectively, were granted to employees of the Company, and 723 thousand, 751478 thousand and 1.3 million,491 thousand, respectively, were issued under restricted stock unit grants. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, the total fair value of share-based awards vested was approximately $2.4 million, $2.1 million$696 thousand and $2.7$1.3 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 20142016 and 2013,2015, the total intrinsic value of options exercised was approximately $154 thousand$0 and $16 thousand,$373, respectively. There were no options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2012. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, the total intrinsic value of restricted stock units that vested was approximately $1.7 million, $1.4 million$484 thousand and $2.5 million,$840 thousand, respectively. As of December 31, 2014,2016, there was approximately $3.3$1.9 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense remaining to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.71.8 years.

 

F-33

(11)(10) Commitments and Contingencies

 

Operating Leases and Employment Agreements

 

The Company is committed under operating leases, principally for office space, which expire at various dates through August 31, 2021.January 2026. Certain leases contain escalation clauses relating to increases in property taxes and maintenance costs. Rent and equipment rental expenses wereexpense was approximately $1.8 million, $1.5$2.1 million and $1.5$2.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively. Additionally, the Company has agreements with certain of its employees and outside contributors, whose future minimum payments are dependent on the future fulfillment of their services thereunder. As of December 31, 2014,2016, total future minimum cash payments are as follows:

 

  Payments Due by Year 
Contractual obligations: Total  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  After 2018 
Operating leases $15,570,439  $2,328,707  $2,152,239  $2,570,784  $2,636,406  $2,651,963  $3,230,340 
Employment agreement  7,500,000   2,500,000   2,500,000   2,500,000          
Outside contributors  141,667   141,667                
Total contractual cash obligations $23,212,106  $4,970,374  $4,652,239  $5,070,784  $2,636,406  $2,651,963  $3,230,340 

  Payments Due by Year 
Contractual
obligations:
 Total  2017  2018  2019  2020  2021  After 2021 
Operating leases $9,901,098  $2,548,668  $2,382,038  $1,996,904  $1,987,382  $186,294  $799,812 
Employment agreement  2,500,000   2,500,000                
Outside contributors  137,500   137,500                
Total contractual cash obligations $12,538,598  $5,186,168  $2,382,038  $1,996,904  $1,987,382  $186,294  $799,812 

 

F-30

Future minimum cash payments for the year ending December 31, 2015 related to operating leases has been reduced by approximately $720 thousand related to payments to be received related to the sublease of office space.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

The Company is party to legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business or otherwise, none of which is deemed material.

 

(12)(11) Long Term Investment

 

During 2008, the Company made an investment in Debtfolio, Inc. (“Debtfolio”), doing business as Geezeo, an online financial management solutions provider for banks and credit unions. The investment totaled approximately $1.9 million for an 18.5% ownership stake. Additionally, the Company incurred approximately $0.2 million of legal fees in connection with this investment. During the first quarter of 2009, the carrying value of the Company’s investment was written down to fair value based upon an estimate of the market value of the Company’s equity in light of Debtfolio’s efforts to raise capital at the time from third parties. The impairment charge approximated $1.5 million. During the three months ended June 30, 2010, the Company determined it was necessary to record a second impairment charge totaling approximately $555 thousand, writing the value of the investment to zero. This was deemed necessary by management based upon their consideration of Debtfolio, Inc.’s continued negative cash flow from operations, current financial position and lack of current liquidity. In October 2011, Debtfolio, Inc. repurchased the Company’s ownership stake in exchange for a subordinated promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of approximately $0.6 million$555 thousand payable on October 31, 2014. On October 28, 2014, a revised subordinated promissory note with revised repayment terms was agreed to which required cash payments of $150totaling $255 thousand by October 31,during 2014, and $105 thousand by November 30, 2014, both of which have been received, with the balance paid in equaleight quarterly installments over the following two year period.of approximately $48 thousand plus 5% simple interest during 2015 and 2016. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, we maintain a full valuation allowance against our subordinated promissory note due to the uncertainty of eventual collection.2016, all required payments have been received.

 

F-34

(13)(12) Restructuring and Other Charges

During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recognized restructuring and other charges totaling approximately $386 thousand primarily related to noncash stock-based compensation costs in connection with the accelerated vesting of certain restricted stock units for a terminated employee (the “2013 Restructuring”).

The following table displays the activity of the 2013 Restructuring reserve account during the year ended December 31, 2013:

Restructuring and other charges $385,610 
Noncash deductions  (393,195)
Adjustment to prior estimate  7,585 
Ending balance $- 

 

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company implemented a targeted reduction in force. Additionally, in accessing the ongoing needs of the organization, the Company elected to discontinue using certain software as a service, consulting and data providers, and elected to write-off certain previously capitalized software development projects. The actions were taken after a review of the Company’s cost structure with the goal of better aligning the cost structure with the Company’s revenue base. These restructuring efforts resulted in restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $3.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2012. Additionally, as a result of the Company’s acquisition of The Deal LLC (“The Deal”) in September 2012, the Company discontinued the use of The Deal’s office space and implemented a reduction in force to eliminate redundant positions, resulting in restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2012. In August 2015, the Company received a one year notice of termination under which the landlord elected to terminate The Deal’s office space lease. As a result, the Company was no longer obligated to fulfill the original full lease term and the Company recorded an adjustment to its restructuring reserve totaling approximately $1.2 million, which resulted in a restructuring and other charges credit on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. Additionally, the Company received a lease termination credit of approximately $583 thousand from the landlord when the office space was vacated in August 2016. Collectively, these activities are referred to as the “2012 Restructuring”.

F-31

 

The following table displays the activity of the 2012 Restructuring reserve account from the initial charges during the first quarter of 2012 through December 31, 2014. The remaining balance as of December 31, 2014 relates to the lease for The Deal’s office space which expires in August 2021.

  Workforce
Reduction
  Asset
Write-Off
  Termination
of Vendor
Services
  Lease
Termination
  Total 
Restructuring charge $3,307,330  $954,302  $531,828  $2,085,000  $6,878,460 
Noncash charges  (222,215)  (954,302)  (220,178)  -   (1,396,695)
Payments  (2,462,425)  -   (148,816)  (190,518)  (2,801,759)
Balance December 31, 2012  622,690   -   162,834   1,894,482   2,680,006 
Adjustments to prior estimates  (7,586)  -   5,446   27,130   24,990 
(Payments) / sublease income, net  (615,104)  -   (168,280)  (640,200)  (1,423,584)
Balance December 31, 2013  -   -   -   1,281,412   1,281,412 
Adjustment to prior estimates  -   -   -   44,678   44,678 
(Payments) / sublease income, net  -   -   -   58,646   58,646 
Balance December 31, 2014 $-  $-  $-  $1,384,736  $1,384,736 

In December 2011, the Company announced a management transition under which the Company’s chief executive officer would step down from his position by March 31, 2012. Additionally, in December 2011, a senior vice president separated from the Company. As a result of these activities, the Company incurred restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $1.8 millionits conclusion during the year ended December 31, 2011 (the “2011 Restructuring”).2016.

  Workforce
Reduction
  Asset
Write-
Off
  Termination
of Vendor
Services
  Lease
Termination
  Total 
Restructuring charge $3,307,330  $954,302  $531,828  $2,085,000  $6,878,460 
Noncash charges  (222,215)  (954,302)  (220,178)  -   (1,396,695)
Payments  (2,462,425)  -   (148,816)  (190,518)  (2,801,759)
Balance December 31, 2012  622,690   -   162,834   1,894,482   2,680,006 
Adjustments to prior estimates  (7,586)  -   5,446   27,130   24,990 
(Payments)/sublease income, net  (615,104)  -   (168,280)  (640,200)  (1,423,584)
Balance December 31, 2013  -   -   -   1,281,412   1,281,412 
Adjustment to prior estimates  -   -   -   44,678   44,678 
(Payments)/sublease income, net  -   -   -   58,646   58,646 
Balance December 31, 2014  -   -   -   1,384,736   1,384,736 
Adjustment to prior estimates  -   -   -   (1,196,834)  (1,196,834)
(Payments)/sublease income, net  -   -   -   (88,593)  (88,593)
Balance December 31, 2015  -   -   -   99,309   99,309 
Adjustment to prior estimates  -   -   -   (78,828)  (78,828)
(Payments)/sublease income, net  -   -   -   (20,481)  (20,481)
Balance December 31, 2016 $-  $-  $-  $-  $- 

The following table displaysshows, by reportable segment, the activityamounts expensed and paid for our 2012 Restructuring and the remaining accrued balance of the 2011 Restructuring reserve account from the initial charges during the fourth quarter 2011 throughrestructuring costs as of December 31, 2013:2016:

 

Restructuring and other charges $1,825,799 
 The Deal /
BoardEx
 RateWatch Business to
Consumer
 Total 
Restructuring charge $3,459,836  $218,129  $3,200,495  $6,878,460 
Noncash charges  (647,152)  -   (38,707)  (1,357,988)  (1,396,695)
Balance December 31, 2011  1,178,647 
Payments  (1,177,106)  (1,295,452)  (105,867)  (1,400,440)  (2,801,759)
Balance December 31, 2012  1,541   2,164,384   73,554   442,068   2,680,006 
Adjustments to prior estimates  27,130   (1,436)  (704)  24,990 
Payments  (1,541)  (910,102)  (72,119)  (441,363)  (1,423,584)
Balance December 31, 2013 $-   1,281,412   -   -   1,281,412 
Adjustments to prior estimates  44,678   -   -   44,678 
(Payments)/sublease income, net  58,646   -   -   58,646 
Balance December 31, 2014  1,384,736   -   -   1,384,736 
Adjustments to prior estimates  (1,196,834)  -   -   (1,196,834)
(Payments)/sublease income, net  (88,593)  -   -   (88,593)
Balance December 31, 2015  99,309   -   -   99,309 
Adjustments to prior estimates  (78,828)  -   -   (78,828)
(Payments)/sublease income, net  (20,481)  -   -   (20,481)
Balance December 31, 2016 $-  $-  $-  $- 

 

InDuring the three months ended March 2009,31, 2016, the Company announced and implemented a reorganization plan, including an approximate 8% reduction inthe resignation of the Company’s workforce, to alignPresident and Chief Executive Officer, who was also a member of the Company’s resourcesBoard of Directors. In connection with its strategic business objectives. Additionally, effective March 21, 2009 the Company’s then chief executive officer tendered histhis resignation, effective May 8, 2009 the Company’s then chief financial officer tendered his resignation, and in December 2009 the Company sold its Promotions.com subsidiarypaid severance, will provide continuing medical coverage for 18 months, and entered into negotiations to sublease certain office space maintained by Promotions.com. As a result of these activities, the Company incurred recruiting fees, resulting in restructuring and other charges from continuing operations of approximately $3.5 million during$1.5 million. Additionally, in August 2016 the yearCompany received the lease termination fee from the landlord when The Deal’s office space was vacated resulting in a reduction to restructuring and other charges of approximately $583 thousand.

(13) Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration

During the three months ended December 31, 2009 (the “2009 Restructuring”). During the year ended December 31, 2012,2016, the Company recordedreduced its estimate of the acquisition contingent earn-out payable to the former owners of Management Diagnostics LLC based upon revised 2017 revenue estimates, a reduction to previously estimated charges resulting in a netrestructuring and other charges credit of approximately $289 thousand.$1.8 million.

The following table displays the activity of the 2009 Restructuring reserve account from the initial charges during the first quarter 2009 through December 31, 2014.

Restructuring and other charges $3,460,914 
Noncash charges  (451,695)
Payments  (1,779,163)
Balance December 31, 2009  1,230,056 
Payments  (385,295)
Balance December 31, 2010  844,761 
Payments  (170,396)
Balance December 31, 2011  674,365 
Payments  (165,401)
Reduction to prior estimate  (288,667)
Balance December 31, 2012  220,297 
Payments  (124,023)
Balance December 31, 2013  96,274 
Reduction to prior estimate  (75,603)
Payments  (20,671)
Balance December 31, 2014 $- 

F-36

 

(14) Other Liabilities

 

Other liabilities consist of the following:

 

 As of December 31,  As of December 31, 
 2014  2013  2016  2015 
Acquisition contingent earn out $2,602,105  $- 
Deferred rent  2,301,999   2,629,798  $1,904,319  $1,870,583 
Noncurrent restructuring charges  1,384,736   1,281,412 
Acquisition contingent earn-out  907,657   2,590,339 
Deferred revenue  619,443   758,119   460,748   897,453 
Other liabilities  1,892   2,092   2,092   2,092 
 $6,910,175  $4,671,421  $3,274,816  $5,360,467 

 

(15) Employee Benefit Plan

 

The Company maintains a noncontributory savings plan in accordance with Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The 401(k) plan covers all eligible employees. For the yearyears ended December 31, 2012,2016 and 2015, the plan provided an employer match of 50% of employee contributions, up to a maximum of 4% of each employee’s total compensation within statutory limits. Effective January 1, 2013, the Company increased its matching contribution to 100% of employee contributions, up to a maximum of 6% of each employee’s total compensation within statutory limits, and effective January 1, 2014, the Company increased its matching contribution to 100% of employee contributions, up to a maximum of 8% of each employee’s total compensation within statutory limits.  The Company’s matching contribution totaled approximately $1.4$1.7 million $759 thousand and $123 thousand$1.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 2012,2015, respectively.

F-32

 

(16) Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

 

 For the Year Ended December 31, 2014  For the Year Ended December 31, 2016 
 First Quarter Second
Quarter
 Third
Quarter
 Fourth
Quarter
  First
Quarter
 Second
Quarter
 Third
Quarter
 Fourth
Quarter
 
 (In thousands, except per share data)  (In thousands, except per share data) 
Total net revenue $14,389  $14,762  $14,619  $17,283  $16,069  $16,293  $15,214  $15,924 
Total operating expense  15,554   15,435   15,113   18,355 
Total operating expense (Note 1)  19,208   17,173   16,097   28,233 
Net loss  (1,127)  (642)  (467)  (1,556)  (3,444)  (1,211)  (1,221)  (11,639)
Preferred stock cash dividends  96   96   96   96   -   -   -   - 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(1,223) $(738) $(563) $(1,652) $(3,444) $(1,211) $(1,221) $(11,639)
Basic and diluted net loss per share                
Net loss $(0.04) $(0.02) $(0.02) $(0.05)
Preferred stock cash dividends  (0.00)  (0.00)  (0.00)  (0.00)
Net loss attributable to common stockholders $(0.04) $(0.02) $(0.02) $(0.05)
Basic and diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders $(0.10) $(0.03) $(0.03) $(0.33)

 

 For the Year Ended December 31, 2013  For the Year Ended December 31, 2015 
 First Quarter Second
Quarter
 Third
Quarter
 Fourth
Quarter
  First
Quarter
 Second
Quarter
 Third
Quarter
 Fourth
Quarter
 
 (In thousands, except per share data)  (In thousands, except per share data) 
Total net revenue $12,580  $13,484  $13,585  $14,801  $16,890  $17,137  $16,662  $16,967 
Total operating expense  14,395   14,627   14,796   14,628 
Total operating expense (Note 2)  17,601   17,521   16,033   16,740 
Net (loss) income  (977)  (671)  354   (249)
Preferred stock cash dividends  96   96   96   96 
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders  (1,743)  (1,076)  (1,179)  213  $(1,073) $(768) $258  $(346)
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders $(0.05) $(0.03) $(0.03) $0.01 
Basic and diluted net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders $(0.03) $(0.02) $0.01  $(0.01)

Note 1: During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company announced the resignation of the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer resulting in restructuring and other charges of approximately $1.4 million, with an additional $163 thousand charge recorded during the three months ended June 30, 2016. Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company recorded a $1.2 million provision as an estimate for state and municipal sales tax not collected on sales to our customers or remitted to various states or municipalities, with an additional $120 thousand recorded during the three months ended June 30, 2016. During the three months ended September 30, 2016, the Company received a lease termination credit of approximately $583 thousand resulting from the termination of The Deal’s office space lease. During the three months ended December 31, 2016, the Company reduced its estimate of the acquisition contingent earn-out payable to the former owners of Management Diagnostics LLC based upon revised 2017 revenue estimates, a resulting in a change in fair value of contingent consideration credit of approximately $1.8 million. Additionally, during the three months ended December 31, 2016 the Company recorded an impairment of goodwill of approximately $11.6 million, reversed $700 thousand of the sales tax provision that had been recorded earlier in the year, and recorded catch up amortization expense of $1.5 million related to capitalized software and website development projects.

F-33

Note 2: In August 2015, the Company received a one year notice of termination under which the landlord elected to terminate The Deal’s office space lease resulting in a $1.2 million restructuring and other charges reduction to total operating expense.

(17) Segment and Geographic Data

Segments

Effective October 1, 2016 and a result of organizational changes related to our new management team in 2016, we changed our financial reporting to better reflect how we gather and analyze business and financial information about our businesses. We now report our results in three segments: (i) The Deal / BoardEx and (ii) RateWatch, which comprise our business to business segment, and (iii) business to consumer, which is primarily comprised of the Company’s premium subscription newsletter products and website advertising. We have revised our 2015 financial results to conform to the 2016 presentation.

F-34

  For the Year Ended December 31, 
  2016  2015 
Revenue:        
 - The Deal / BoardEx $22,130,695  $21,716,721 
 - RateWatch  7,192,706   7,275,399 
Total business to business  29,323,401   28,992,120 
 - Business to consumer  34,176,130   38,663,780 
Total $63,499,531  $67,655,900 
         
Operating (loss) income:        
 - The Deal / BoardEx $(14,714,304) $(3,344,626)
 - RateWatch  (484,439)  128,168 
Total business to business  (15,198,743)  (3,216,458)
 - Business to consumer  (2,012,844)  2,977,433 
Total $(17,211,587) $(239,025)
         
Net interest (expense) income:        
 - The Deal / BoardEx $(90,867) $(142,694)
 - RateWatch  9,862   3,177 
Total business to business  (81,005)  (139,517)
 - Business to consumer  46,884   16,880 
Total $(34,121) $(122,637)
         
Provision for income taxes:        
 - The Deal / BoardEx $138,816  $382,043 
 - RateWatch  6,978   126,612 
Total business to business  145,794   508,655 
 - Business to consumer  123,213   672,686 
Total $269,007  $1,181,341 
         
Net (loss) income:        
 - The Deal / BoardEx $(14,943,987) $(3,869,363)
 - RateWatch  (481,555)  4,733 
Total business to business  (15,425,542)  (3,864,630)
 - Business to consumer  (2,089,173)  2,321,627 
Total $(17,514,715) $(1,543,003)

F-35

Due to the nature of the Company’s operations, a majority of its assets are utilized across all segments. In addition, segment assets are not reported to, or used by, the Chief Operating Decision Maker to allocate resources or assess performance of the Company’s segments. Accordingly, the Company has not disclosed asset information by segment.

Geographic Data

In 2016 and 2015, substantially all of the Company’s revenue were from customers in the United States and substantially all of our long-loved assets are located in the United States. The remainder of the Company’s revenue and its long-lived assets are a result of our BoardEx operations outside of the United States, which is headquartered in London, England.

 

SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 20132016 and 20122015

 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Balance at
Beginning
of Period
  Provisions
Charged to
Expense
  Write-
offs
  Balance at
End of
Period
 
For the year ended December 31, 2014 $202,207  $202,340  $86,406  $318,141 
For the year ended December 31, 2013 $165,291  $80,819  $43,903  $202,207 
For the year ended December 31, 2012 $158,870  $114,870  $108,449  $165,291 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Balance at
Beginning
of Period
  Provision
(Recovery)
Charged to
Expense
  Write-
offs
  Balance at
End of
Period
 
For the year ended December 31, 2016 $357,417  $(21,458) $19,755  $316,204 
For the year ended December 31, 2015 $318,141  $129,108  $89,832  $357,417 

 

F-38F-36

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit   Incorporated by Reference
Number Description Form File No. Exhibit Filing Date
3.1 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 March 11, 2013
3.2 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 3.1 March 14, 2011
3.3 Certificate of Amendment dated May 31, 2011 to Restated Certificate of Incorporation. 8-K 000-25779 99.1 June 2, 2011
3.4 Certificate of Designation of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock, as filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on November 15, 2007. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 November 20, 2007
4.1 Specimen certificate for the Company’s shares of Common Stock. S-1/A 333-72799 4.3 April 19, 1999
4.2 Investor Rights Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 4.1 November 20, 2007
10.1 Stock Purchase Agreement, dated October 7, 2014 by and between TheStreet, Inc., The Deal, LLC and Management Diagnostics Limited.D        
10.2+ Severance Agreement Between TheStreet, Inc. and Erwin Eichmann, dated November 5, 2014 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 November 7, 2014
10.3+ Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors and executive officers of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.26 March 7, 2012
10.4+ Amended and Restated 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 14A 000-25779   April 30, 2013
10.5 Agreement of Lease, dated July 22, 1999, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC (as successor to W12/14 Wall Acquisition Associates LLC) and the Company. 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 August 16, 1999
10.6 Amendment of Lease dated October 31, 2001, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC (as successor to W12/14 Wall Acquisition Associates LLC) and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.12 March 16, 2005
10.7 Second Amendment of Lease dated March 21, 2007, between 14 Wall Street Holdings 1, LLC and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.24 March 14, 2008
10.8 Third Amendment of Lease dated December 31, 2008, between CRP/Capstone 14W Property Owner, L.L.C. and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.22 March 13, 2009
10.9 Stock Purchase Agreement dated November 1, 2007 by and among BFPC Newco LLC, Larry Starkweather, Kyle Selberg, Rachelle Zorn, Robert Quinn and Larry Starkweather as Agent. 8-K 000-25779 2.1 November 6, 2007
10.10 Securities Purchase Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 10.1 November 20, 2007
10.11 Equity Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 11, 2012 between TheStreet, Inc. and WPPN, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 2.1 September 12, 2012
10.12+ Employment Letter dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.1 May 7, 2012
Exhibit   Incorporated by Reference
Number Description Form File No. Exhibit Filing Date
3.1 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 June 28, 2016
           
3.2 Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 3.1 March 14, 2011
           
3.3 Certificate of Amendment dated May 31, 2011 to Restated Certificate of Incorporation. 8-K 000-25779 99.1 June 2, 2011
           
3.4 Certificate of Designation of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock, as filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on November 15, 2007. 8-K 000-25779 3.1 November 20, 2007
           
4.1 Specimen certificate for the Company’s shares of Common Stock. S-1/A 333-72799 4.3 April 19, 1999
           
4.2 Investor Rights Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 4.1 November 20, 2007
           
10.1+ Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors and executive officers of the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.26 March 7, 2012
           
10.2 Amended and Restated 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 14A 000-25779   April 30, 2013
           
10.3 Third Lease Amendment Agreement dated December 31, 2008, between CRP/Capstone 14W Property Owner, L.L.C. and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.22 March 13, 2009
           
10.4 Securities Purchase Agreement dated November 15, 2007 by and among the Company, TCV VI, L.P. and TCV Member Fund, L.P. 8-K 000-25779 10.1 November 20, 2007
           
10.5+ Agreement for Grant of Incentive Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.2 May 7, 2012
           
10.6+ Agreement for Grant of Non-Qualified Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.3 May 7, 2012
           
10.7+ Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.4 May 7, 2012
           
10.8+ Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated as of December 21, 2015 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-K  000-25779  10.17  March 9, 2016 
           
10.9+ Separation Agreement and Release of All Claims dated as of February 22, 2016 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-K  000-25779  10.18  March 9, 2016 

 

10.10+Form of Stock Option Grant Agreement under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan.10-K000-2577910.19February 28, 2014
10.11+Form of Agreement of Restricted Stock Units Under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan.10-K000-2577910.20February 28, 2014
10.12+Employment Agreement dated as of November 14, 2013 between James J. Cramer and the Company.10-K000-2577910.21February 28, 2014
10.13+Employment Offer Letter dated as of January 19, 2016 between the Company and Eric Lundberg. 10-K 000-2577910.30 March 9, 2016
10.14+Severance Agreement dated as of January 19, 2016 between the Company and Eric Lundberg. 10-K 000-2577910.31 March 9, 2016
10.15+Agreement for Grant of Non-Qualified Stock Option dated as of January 19, 2016 between the Company and Eric Lundberg. 10-K 000-2577910.32 March 9, 2016
10.16+Employment Offer Letter dated as of June 9, 2016 between the Company and David Callaway.10-Q000-2577910.1August 3, 2016
10.17+Severance Agreement dated as of July 6, 2016 between the Company and David Callaway.10-Q000-2577910.2August 3, 2016
10.18+Agreement for Grant of Non-Qualified Stock Option dated as of July 6, 2016 between the Company and David Callaway.10-Q000-2577910.3August 3, 2016
10.19+Director Compensation Policy.
21.1Subsidiaries of the Company.
23.1Consent of BDO USA, LLP.
31.1Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CEO.
31.2Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CFO.
32.1Section 1350 Certification of CEO.
32.2Section 1350 Certification of CFO.
101.INS*XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document
101.DEF*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definitions Document
101.LAB*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Document
101.PRE*XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Document 

10.13+ Agreement for Grant of Incentive Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.2 May 7, 2012
10.14+ Agreement for Grant of Non-Qualified Stock Options dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.3 May 7, 2012
10.15+ Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.4 May 7, 2012
10.16+ Severance Agreement dated as of March 7, 2012 between the Company and Elisabeth DeMarse. 10-Q 000-25779 10.5 May 7, 2012
10.17+ Employment Offer Letter dated as of August 13, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann. 10-K 000-25773 10.23 February 22, 2013
10.18+ Sign-On Bonus Offer Letter dated as of August 13, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann. 10-K 000-25773 10.24 February 22, 2013
10.19+ Agreement for Grant of Incentive Stock Option dated as of August 17, 2012 between the Company and Erwin Eichmann 10-K 000-25773 10.25 February 22, 2013
10.20+ Employment Offer Letter dated as of February 1, 2013 between the Company and John C. Ferrara. 10-K 000-25773 10.26 February 22, 2013
10.21 Form of Stock Option Grant Agreement under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 10-K 000-25779 10.19 February 28, 2014
10.22 Form of Agreement of Restricted Stock Units Under the Company’s 2007 Performance Incentive Plan. 10-K 000-25779 10.20 February 28, 2014
10.23 Employment Agreement dated as of November 14, 2013 between James J. Cramer and the Company. 10-K 000-25779 10.21 February 28, 2014
10.24 Employment Offer Letter dated as of July 18, 2013 between the Company and Vanessa J. Soman. 10-K 000-25779 10.22 February 28, 2014
21.1 Subsidiaries of the Company.        
23.1 Consent of BDO USA, LLP.        
23.2 Consent of KPMG LLP.        
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CEO.        
31.2 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of CFO.        
32.1 Section 1350 Certification of CEO.        
32.2 Section 1350 Certification of CFO.        
101.INS* XBRL Instance Document        
101.SCH* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document        
101.CAL* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document        
101.DEF* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definitions Document        
101.LAB* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Document        
101.PRE* XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Document        

 

+Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement

*Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, this interactive data file is deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections
DSchedules have been omitted from this filing pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. TheStreet agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule to the SEC upon its request.sections.