10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)
Published on September 12, 2014
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
______________________________________
FORM 10-K
þ |
Annual Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2014
OR
o |
Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 0-21180
INTUIT INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State of incorporation)
|
77-0034661
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
|
2700 Coast Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(650) 944-6000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
Name of Exchange on Which Registered |
||
Common Stock, $0.01 par value |
NASDAQ Global Select 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 þ No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports); and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ
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 definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)
Large accelerated filer þ
|
Accelerated filer o
|
Non-accelerated filer o
|
Smaller reporting company o
|
|||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
The aggregate market value of Intuit Inc. outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates of Intuit as of January 31, 2014, the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the closing price of $73.25 reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market on that date, was $19.8 billion.
There were 285,540,169 shares of Intuit voting common stock outstanding as of August 29, 2014.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on January 22, 2015 are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
INTUIT INC.
FISCAL 2014 FORM 10-K
INDEX
Item |
Page |
||
EX-10.34 | |||
EX-10.75 | |||
EX-10.83 | |||
EX-10.88 | |||
EX-10.97 | |||
EX-10.103 | |||
EX-10.106 | |||
EX-10.107 | |||
EX-21.01 | |||
EX-23.01 | |||
EX-31.01 | |||
EX-31.02 | |||
EX-32.01 | |||
EX-32.02 | |||
EX-101.INS XBRL Instance Document | |||
EX-101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema | |||
EX-101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase | |||
EX-101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extensions Label Linkbase | |||
EX-101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase | |||
EX-101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase |
Intuit, the Intuit logo, QuickBooks, TurboTax, Lacerte, ProSeries, Quicken and Mint, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States and other countries. Other parties’ marks are the property of their respective owners.
2
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Please see the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Report for important information to consider when evaluating these statements.
PART I
ITEM 1
BUSINESS
CORPORATE BACKGROUND
General
Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that help simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals. With flagship products and services that include QuickBooks, TurboTax, Quicken and Mint, we help customers solve important business and financial management problems such as running a small business, paying bills, filing income taxes, and managing personal finances. ProSeries and Lacerte are Intuit’s leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. We had revenue of $4.5 billion in our fiscal year ended July 31, 2014, with approximately 8,000 employees in major offices in the United States, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, and other locations at that time.
Intuit was incorporated in California in March 1984. We reincorporated in Delaware and completed our initial public offering in March 1993. Our principal executive offices are located at 2700 Coast Avenue, Mountain View, California, 94043, and our main telephone number is 650-944-6000. Our corporate website, www.intuit.com, provides materials for investors and information relating to Intuit’s corporate governance. The content on any website referred to in this filing is not incorporated by reference into this filing unless expressly noted otherwise. When we refer to “we,” “our” or “Intuit” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we mean the current Delaware corporation (Intuit Inc.) and its California predecessor, as well as all of our consolidated subsidiaries.
Available Information
We file reports required of public companies with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These include annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and other reports, and amendments to these reports. The public may read and copy the materials we file with or furnish to the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. We make available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our corporate website all of the reports we file with or furnish to the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports are filed or furnished. Copies of this Annual Report on Form 10-K may also be obtained without charge by contacting Investor Relations, Intuit Inc., P.O. Box 7850, Mountain View, California 94039-7850 or by calling 650-944-6000.
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Intuit’s Mission
We seek to be a premier innovative growth company that improves our customers’ financial lives so profoundly they can’t imagine going back to the old way.
Our customers include consumers and small businesses, and the accounting professionals who serve and advise them. We help simplify the business of life in four ways:
• |
Improving financial strength – Helping consumers make and save money and small businesses to grow and profit. |
• |
Increasing productivity – Turning drudgery into time for what matters most. |
• |
Maintaining compliance – Helping customers comply with regulations. |
• |
Building confidence – Sharing the wisdom and experience of others. |
3
As emerging technology and market trends change the way people live and work, we change, too. We've adapted our product line, moving from the desktop to the Internet and mobile devices. By offering many services online, we're connecting customers to our solutions and with each other in ways that add more value to our products and services.
Our growth strategy is described below and focuses on two key outcomes:
• |
To be the operating system behind small business success. |
• |
To do the nations' taxes in the United States and Canada. |
We apply this vision globally, helping our customers expand their business to domestic and global markets, creating and selling our own products internationally, and extending our recruiting efforts to new countries to find best-in-class talent.
Our Business Portfolio
We organize our businesses into three reportable segments – Small Business, Consumer, and Professional Tax.
Small Business: This segment includes the following offerings, all targeting the small business market.
• |
QuickBooks financial and business management online services and desktop software for small businesses and the accounting professionals who serve small businesses. |
• |
Small business payroll and employee management products and services. |
• |
Payment processing services for small businesses, including merchant services such as credit and debit card processing; Web-based transaction processing services for online merchants; secure online payments for small businesses and their customers through the Intuit Payment Network; and GoPayment mobile payment processing services. |
• |
Demandforce, which provides online marketing and customer communication solutions for small businesses. |
Consumer: This segment includes two product lines – Consumer Tax and Consumer Ecosystem – both of which target consumers.
• |
Consumer Tax includes TurboTax income tax preparation products and services. |
• |
Consumer Ecosystem includes our personal finance offerings, Quicken, Mint, and Check. |
Professional Tax: This segment targets professional accountants and includes Lacerte, ProSeries, and Intuit Tax Online professional tax products and services.
Our Growth Strategy
Based on our assessment of key technology and demographic trends – an increasingly borderless world, the prevalence of mobile devices, and the scalability of the cloud – we see significant opportunities to drive future growth by continuing to solve the unmet needs of small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals. Our evolving growth strategy includes three key elements:
• |
Focus on the product – we call it “Delivering awesome product experiences.” Computing devices are moving to the palm of our hands in the form of tablets and smart phones. Therefore, we are increasingly focused on reimagining our products with a mobile-first, and in some cases mobile-only, design. Our TurboTax solutions, for example, let customers prepare and file their entire tax returns online, via tablet, mobile phone or desktop computer. We also believe that a key factor in growing our customer base is delivering an amazing first-use experience so our customers can get the value they expect from our offerings as quickly and easily as possible.
|
• |
Creating network effect platforms – we call it “Enabling the contributions of others.” We expect to solve problems faster and more efficiently for our growing customer base by moving to more open platforms with application programming interfaces that enable the contributions of end users and third-party developers. One example of this is QuickBooks Online, which allows small business customers all over the world to localize, configure, and add value to the offering.
|
• |
Leveraging our data for our customers' benefit – we call it “Using data to create delight.” Our customers generate valuable data that we seek to appropriately use to deliver better products and breakthrough benefits by eliminating the need to enter data, helping them make better decisions, and improving transactions and interactions.
|
4
This strategy recognizes the emergence and influence of the digital generation, the increasing relevance of social networks, and customers’ growing reliance on the Internet, mobile devices and information-based technology to manage important financial tasks. It also acknowledges the potential of new market opportunities around the world. The result is a global market that is shifting from traditional services that are paper-based, human-produced, and brick-and-mortar bound, to one where people understand, demand, and embrace the benefits of connected services.
We continue to make significant progress in this environment. Connected services (total service and other revenue) generated $3.0 billion or 66 percent of our total revenue in fiscal 2014, compared with about 50 percent of our total revenue six years ago.
Summary
As the way we live and work evolves, we adapt our strategy to meet and lead these changes. Yet our commitment remains consistent: developing an ecosystem of innovative products and services that are so convenient and easy to use that customers actively recommend them to others. It’s been our success formula for more than 30 years as we’ve worked to solve people’s important business and financial management problems. And we’ll maintain that commitment as we continue to evolve, working to help people solve each other’s problems, connecting people to people and to solutions, wherever they are, whenever they want them, and on any device they choose.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
During fiscal 2014 we offered our products and services in the three segments described in “Business Overview” above. The following table shows the classes of similar products or services that accounted for 10% or more of total net revenue within the last three fiscal years.
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
||||||
Small Business segment |
50 |
% |
49 |
% |
47 |
% |
||
Consumer Tax product line |
37 |
% |
37 |
% |
39 |
% |
||
Professional Tax segment |
9 |
% |
10 |
% |
10 |
% |
Our products and services are described below. International total net revenue was approximately 5% of consolidated total net revenue for fiscal 2014, fiscal 2013, and fiscal 2012. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors and Forward-Looking Statements - Our international operations are subject to increased risks which may harm our business, operating results, and financial condition,” for a discussion of risks relating to our international operations.
For financial information about our segments, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 and Note 14 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Small Business
Our Small Business segment includes online ecosystem and desktop ecosystem solutions that allow small businesses and the accounting professionals who serve them to save time and grow their businesses.
Small Business Online Ecosystem Solutions
QuickBooks Online. Our QuickBooks product line brings bookkeeping capabilities and business management tools to small business users and accounting professionals in an easy-to-use design that does not require them to be familiar with debit and credit accounting. Our online offerings for small businesses include QuickBooks Simple Start Online, which provides accounting functionality suitable for very small, less complex businesses. QuickBooks Online Essentials and QuickBooks Online Plus provide online accounting functionality suitable for progressively larger businesses. All three offerings allow multiple users to access the application from any location via the Internet using connected devices such as personal computers, tablets, or smartphones.
Our online offering for accounting professionals is QuickBooks Online Accountant, which provides the tools and file-sharing capabilities needed to efficiently complete bookkeeping and financial reporting tasks. Our QuickBooks Cloud ProAdvisor
5
Program is a subscription-based membership for professional accountants that provides Quickbooks Online Accountant and QuickBooks Online Payroll services, technical support, training, product certification, access to marketing tools, and discounts on Intuit products and services purchased on behalf of clients.
Online Payroll Solutions. Our QuickBooks Online Payroll service is for use with our QuickBooks Online offerings. QuickBooks Online Payroll is sold on a subscription basis and includes online payroll processing, direct deposit of employee paychecks, payroll reports, electronic payment of federal and state payroll taxes, and electronic filing of federal and state payroll tax forms.
Intuit Online Payroll provides small business payroll services that do not require the use of QuickBooks. This offering is sold on a subscription basis and includes online payroll tax calculation, direct deposit of employee paychecks, payroll reports, electronic payment of federal and state payroll taxes, and federal and state payroll tax forms. We also offer an Intuit Online Payroll mobile app for smartphones.
Intuit Full Service Payroll is also sold on a subscription basis and provides comprehensive payroll services to customers who prefer not to perform payroll tasks themselves. Intuit Full Service Payroll does not require the use of QuickBooks and includes processing of payrolls based on information submitted online by the payroll customer, direct deposit of employee paychecks, electronic payment of federal and state payroll taxes, electronic filing of federal and state payroll tax forms, and preparation and issuance of year end W-2 forms.
In addition, we offer employee management solutions that include Snap Payroll, a free app that allows small businesses to calculate payroll taxes from an iPhone, and ViewMyPaycheck, a Web app that allows employees of QuickBooks Online Payroll employers to view and print their paychecks and year end W-2 forms. We also offer workers’ compensation administration to small business employers for additional fees.
Online Payments Solutions. We offer a full range of merchant services to small businesses that include credit card, debit card, electronic benefits, and gift card processing services; check verification, check guarantee, and electronic check conversion, including automated clearing house (ACH) and Check 21 capabilities; and Web-based transaction processing services for online merchants. In addition to transaction processing services, we provide a full range of support for our clients that includes customer service, merchant and consumer collections, chargeback and retrieval support, and fraud and loss prevention screening.
As members of the Intuit Payment Network, small businesses can send secure online payments to their vendors and receive them from their customers, from bank account to bank account, eliminating the need for paper checks.
GoPayment allows users to accept credit card payments using a smartphone or tablet device. They can enter the credit card information manually or use a card swiper that attaches to the phone to capture the information. They can also send electronic receipts to their customers via e-mail or text message.
Demandforce. Our Demandforce offerings help small businesses communicate with their customers, build their online reputations, and leverage a network of local businesses for more effective online marketing. Features include integrated scheduling; e-mail, text message, and postcard appointment reminders and confirmations; electronic marketing offers and newsletters; online customer reviews and referrals; and tools for tracking and measuring the effectiveness of electronic marketing efforts.
QuickBase. Our QuickBase offering is a software as a service platform that allows users to select ready-made online workgroup applications or create custom solutions for their businesses. The most common solutions include project collaboration, sales team management, and employee management. QuickBase customers pay a monthly or annual subscription fee that varies based on the number of users and the amount of data and file storage they need.
Intuit Partner Platform. The Intuit Partner Platform provides the tools developers need to create Web and mobile applications that add value to QuickBooks. The platform allows developers to build applications that integrate with QuickBooks data and solve the unique needs of our customers. Developers can create applications on the Intuit Partner Platform using any development platform they choose, and must pass a standards and security check before offering their programs to customers. All applications are available through the Intuit App Center at apps.com. Here QuickBooks users can find, buy and use applications connected to the platform. A growing number of companies offer applications built for the platform, including Square, Bill.com, and Salesforce.com.
6
Small Business Desktop Ecosystem Solutions
QuickBooks. Our desktop software offerings include QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Pro for Mac, which provide accounting functionality for small businesses, and QuickBooks Premier, which provides small businesses with advanced accounting functionality and business planning tools. QuickBooks Pro Plus and QuickBooks Premier Plus are subscription versions of these offerings. QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions is designed for larger businesses. Our Premier and Enterprise products also come in a range of industry-specific editions, including Contractor, Manufacturing and Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, and Retail.
Our offerings for accounting professionals include QuickBooks Accountant desktop software and QuickBooks Accountant Plus subscriptions. They provide the tools and file-sharing capabilities needed to efficiently complete bookkeeping and financial reporting tasks. Our QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program is a subscription-based membership for professional accountants that provides QuickBooks Accountant and QuickBooks Payroll software, technical support, training, product certification, access to marketing tools, and discounts on Intuit products and services purchased on behalf of clients.
Desktop Payroll Solutions. QuickBooks Payroll is a family of products sold on a subscription basis to small businesses that use QuickBooks desktop software and prepare their own payroll or want some assistance with preparing their payroll. It is also sold to accountants who use QuickBooks desktop software and help their clients manage their payrolls. The product family includes:
• |
QuickBooks Basic Payroll, which provides payroll tax tables and payroll reports; |
• |
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll, which provides payroll tax tables, payroll reports, federal and state payroll tax forms, and eFile & Pay for federal and state payroll taxes; and |
• |
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll for Accountants, which has several accountant-specific features in addition to the features in QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll. |
We also offer QuickBooks Assisted Payroll, through which we provide the back-end aspects of payroll processing, including tax payments and filings, for customers who process their payrolls using QuickBooks desktop software. Direct deposit is available with each of these offerings for an additional fee.
Desktop Payments Solutions. We offer a full range of merchant services to small businesses that include credit card, debit card, electronic benefits, and gift card processing services; check verification, check guarantee, and electronic check conversion, including automated clearing house (ACH) and Check 21 capabilities. In addition to transaction processing services, we provide a full range of support for our clients that includes customer service, merchant and consumer collections, chargeback and retrieval support, and fraud and loss prevention screening.
We also offer Basic, Pro, and Multi-Store versions of QuickBooks Point of Sale, which helps retailers process sales using barcodes, track inventory and customer purchases, and integrates with QuickBooks financial software. The Pro version has advanced inventory and employee commission tracking capabilities. The Multi-Store version provides all of the features of the Pro version and the ability to manage up to 20 stores from a single office. We sell these software products with or without the accompanying hardware and technical support.
QuickBooks Technical Support. We offer several technical support options to all of our QuickBooks customers. These include support plans that are sold separately and priced based on the length of the plan. We also offer a limited amount of free technical support assistance to customers, a free self-help information section on our QuickBooks.com website and free access to the QuickBooks Community, an online forum where QuickBooks users can share information with each other.
Financial Supplies. We offer a range of financial supplies designed for small businesses and individuals that use QuickBooks and Quicken. These include standard paper checks and Secure Plus checks with CheckLock™ fraud protection features; envelopes, invoices and deposit slips; and business identity products such as business cards and stationery. We also offer tax forms, tax return presentation folders and other supplies for professional tax preparers.
7
Consumer
Our Consumer segment includes our Consumer Tax and Consumer Ecosystem product lines.
Consumer Tax
Our TurboTax products and services are designed to enable individuals to prepare and file their own federal and state personal income tax returns quickly and accurately. They are designed to be easy to use, yet sophisticated enough for complex tax returns. Some of these offerings are available on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Tax Return Preparation Offerings. For the 2013 tax season we offered a range of software products and services that included online and desktop versions of TurboTax Basic, for simple returns; TurboTax Deluxe, for taxpayers who itemize deductions; TurboTax Premier, for taxpayers who own investments or rental property; and TurboTax Home and Business, for small business owners. We also offered TurboTax Free Edition online for the simplest returns; TurboTax for the Tablet; and SnapTax, an application that allows users with simple federal and state returns to prepare and electronically file them from their smartphones. We also offered live tax advice from U.S.-based tax professionals to TurboTax customers during the 2013 tax season. All of these offerings are subject to change for the 2014 tax season. TurboTax Live Community is an online forum where participants can learn from and share information with other users while preparing their income tax returns.
Electronic Filing and Other Services. Our desktop, online, and mobile tax preparation customers can electronically file their federal and state income tax returns through our electronic filing center. For the 2013 tax season our online tax preparation and filing services were offered through the websites of thousands of financial institutions, electronic retailers, and other online merchants, and on Yahoo!® Finance Tax Center, MSN Money® Tax Center, and AOL Tax Center. Financial institutions can offer our online tax preparation and filing services to their customers through a link to TurboTax Online or through TurboTax for Online Banking, which provides functionality that is integrated with their online banking services. For the 2013 tax season we also offered TurboTax customers the option to receive their income tax refunds on a prepaid debit card that we provided through a partner.
Intuit Tax Freedom Project. Under the Intuit Tax Freedom Project, we provide online federal and state income tax return preparation and electronic filing services at no charge to eligible taxpayers. For the 2013 tax season we provided approximately 1.2 million free federal returns under this initiative. We are a member of the Free File Alliance, a consortium of private sector companies that has entered into an agreement with the federal government to provide free online federal tax preparation and filing services to eligible taxpayers. See also “Competition – Consumer Segment” later in this Item 1 for more information on the Free File Alliance.
Consumer Ecosystem
Our personal finance offerings help users organize, understand, and manage their personal finances. These offerings include Quicken, Mint, and Check.
Quicken. Our Quicken line of desktop software products allow customers to reconcile bank accounts, pay bills, record credit card and other transactions, and track investments, mortgages, and other assets and liabilities. Quicken also allows customers to flag their tax-related financial transactions and download that information into our TurboTax consumer tax return preparation software. We offer Quicken Starter Edition and Quicken Deluxe as well as Quicken Premier, which offers more robust investment and tax planning tools; Quicken Home and Business, which allows customers to manage both personal and small business finances in one application; Quicken Essentials for Mac; and a Quicken mobile application that is accessible from smartphones and tablets.
Mint. Our Mint personal finance service is free to users and shows them all of their financial accounts in one online location, provides tools that help them set up budgets and monitor spending, identifies money-saving ideas, and provides step-by-step guidance and advice on achieving their financial goals. We also offer a Mint application that is accessible from smartphones.
Check. Our Check mobile application automates and consolidates the bill payment process in one place, reducing complexity for consumers. Check customers can monitor bills and accounts, receive alerts when bills are due or funds are low, and pay bills automatically.
8
Professional Tax
Our tax offerings for accounting professionals are Lacerte, ProSeries, and Intuit Tax Online. Lacerte software is designed for full-service accounting firms that prepare the most complex returns. We offer two versions of our ProSeries software: ProSeries Professional Edition, designed for year-round tax practices that prepare moderately complex tax returns; and ProSeries Basic Edition, designed for the needs of smaller and seasonal tax practices. Intuit Tax Online is designed for year-round tax practices that prepare moderately complex tax returns and want the advantages of an online offering. Accounting professionals license these tax products for a flat fee for unlimited use, or use them to print or electronically file tax returns on a “pay-per-return” basis. Accountants and tax preparers using Lacerte, ProSeries, and Intuit Tax Online can file their clients’ tax returns using our electronic filing services.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Since the markets for software and related services are characterized by rapid technological change, shifting customer needs and frequent new product introductions and enhancements, a continuous high level of investment is required to innovate and quickly develop new products and services as well as enhance existing offerings. Our product development efforts are becoming more important than ever as we pursue our connected services strategy, which reflects a world where people and businesses are increasingly connected by technology and expect access to services at any time in any place.
We develop many of our products and services internally. We have a number of United States and foreign patents and pending applications that relate to various aspects of our products and technology. We supplement our internal development efforts by acquiring or licensing products and technology from third parties, and establishing other relationships that enable us to enhance or expand our offerings more rapidly. We expect to expand our third party technology relationships as we continue to pursue our connected services strategy.
Our traditional desktop software products – QuickBooks, TurboTax, Lacerte, ProSeries, and Quicken – tend to have predictable annual development and product release cycles. We also develop innovative new offerings such as SnapTax, Snap Payroll, GoPayment, Mint Mobile, and other mobile applications for which development cycles are often more rapid. Developing consumer and professional tax software and services presents unique challenges because of the demanding development cycle required to accurately incorporate federal and state tax law and tax form changes within a rigid timetable. The development timing for our small business payroll and merchant payment processing services offerings varies with business needs and regulatory requirements and the length of the development cycle depends on the scope and complexity of each project.
We continue to make substantial investments in research and development, and we expect to focus our future research and development efforts on enhancing existing products and services and on developing new products and services, including new mobile and global offerings. We also expect to continue to focus significant research and development efforts on ongoing projects to update the technology platforms for several of our offerings. Our research and development expenses were $758 million or 17% of total net revenue in fiscal 2014; $685 million or 17% of total net revenue in fiscal 2013; and $618 million or 16% of total net revenue in fiscal 2012.
SEASONALITY
Historically, our QuickBooks, Consumer Tax, and Professional Tax offerings have been highly seasonal. Revenue from our QuickBooks desktop software products has tended to be highest during our second and third fiscal quarters. Sales of income tax preparation products and services are heavily concentrated from November through April. In our Consumer Tax business, a greater proportion of our revenue has shifted to later in this seasonal period due in part to the growth in sales of TurboTax Online, for which we recognize revenue when tax returns are printed or electronically filed. The seasonality of our Consumer Tax and Professional Tax revenue is also affected by the timing of the availability of tax forms from taxing agencies and the ability of those agencies to receive electronic tax return submissions. Delays in the availability of tax forms or the ability of taxing agencies to receive submissions can cause revenue to shift between our fiscal quarters. These seasonal patterns mean that our total net revenue is usually highest during our second quarter ending January 31 and third quarter ending April 30. We typically report losses in our first quarter ending October 31 and fourth quarter ending July 31. During these quarters, revenue from our tax businesses is minimal while core operating expenses such as research and development continue at relatively consistent levels.
9
In August 2014 we announced that we will begin delivering ongoing releases for our future desktop offerings in order to continuously improve the product experience, accommodate operating system updates, and provide access to connected services. This decision will affect the timing of revenue recognition for future sales of our QuickBooks and Quicken desktop products, where revenue will be recognized over approximately three years, and our Professional Tax solutions, where more revenue will be recognized later in the tax year. We expect the seasonality of our Small Business and Professional Tax offerings to be partially mitigated by this change beginning in fiscal 2015.
MARKETING, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Markets
Our primary target customers are small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals. The markets in which we compete have always been characterized by rapid technological change, shifting customer needs, and frequent new product introductions and enhancements by competitors. Over the past several years, the widespread availability of the Internet, mobile devices, and the explosion of social media have accelerated the pace of change and revolutionized the way that customers learn about, evaluate, and purchase products and services.
Real-time, personalized online and mobile shopping experiences are rapidly becoming the standard. In addition, many customers now begin shopping in one channel and ultimately purchase in another. This creates a need for integrated, multi-channel, shop-and-buy experiences. Market and industry changes quickly make existing products and services obsolete. Our success depends on our ability to respond rapidly to these changes with new business models, updated competitive strategies, new or enhanced products and services, alternative distribution methods and other changes in the way we do business.
Marketing Programs
To sell our products and services to small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals, we use a variety of traditional and innovative marketing programs to generate software orders, stimulate demand, and generally maintain and increase customer awareness of our product portfolio. These programs include: Web marketing and targeted advertising, such as search engine optimization and purchasing key words from major search engine companies; placing and promoting our mobile applications in proprietary online stores; direct-response mail and e-mail campaigns; telephone solicitations; newspaper, magazine, billboard, radio and television advertising; social media campaigns; and coordinated promotional offers with major retailers. We also use workflow-integrated, in-product discovery in some of our software products to market other related products and services, including third-party products and services. In addition, we create marketing campaigns that attract new users through free promotional offerings that are designed to ultimately convert them to paying customers.
Sales and Distribution Channels
Multi-Channel Shop-and-Buy Experiences. Our consumer and small business customers increasingly use the Internet and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to research products and services. Some customers buy and use our products and services entirely online or through their mobile devices. Others purchase desktop products and services using the Internet. Still others make their final decision at a retail location. We coordinate our websites, promotions, and retail displays to support this integrated, multi-channel, shop-and-buy model.
Direct Sales Channel. We sell many of our products and services for small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals directly through our websites and call centers. Telesales continues to be an effective channel for serving customers that want live help to select the products and services that are right for their needs.
Retail Channel. We sell our QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Quicken desktop software as well as payroll services and merchant credit card payment processing services at retail locations across the United States. We sell these products and services directly and through distributors to office supply superstores, warehouse clubs, consumer electronics retailers, general mass merchandisers, online retailers, and catalogs. In Canada and other international markets we also rely on distributors and other third parties who sell products into the retail channel. The retail channel provides broad customer reach through retailer-sponsored advertising and exposure to retail foot traffic. This channel also gives us the opportunity to communicate our products, services and messages through multiple touch points and allows us to serve our customers at relatively modest cost.
Online Mobile Application Stores. We distribute many of our offerings for mobile devices through proprietary online stores that provide applications for specific devices. These include the Apple App Store, which provides apps for the Apple iPhone and iPad, and Google’s Play Store, which provides apps for Android-compatible smartphones and tablets.
10
Other Channels. We have strategies to address the alliance partner, solution provider, and personal computer hardware manufacturer channels. We sell our consumer and small business products and services through selected alliance partners, primarily banks, credit unions, and securities and investment firms. These alliance partners help us reach new customers at the point of transaction and drive growth and market share by extending our online reach. Solution providers combine our products and services with value-added marketing, sales, and technical expertise to deliver a complete solution at the local level. Relationships with selected personal computer hardware manufacturers help us attract new customers for our core software offerings. As we expand our mobile and global offerings, we expect that strategic partnerships will become increasingly important to our business.
COMPETITION
Overview
We face intense competition in all of our businesses, both domestically and internationally. Competitive interest and expertise in many of the markets we serve have grown markedly over the past few years and we expect this trend to continue. Some of our existing competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do. In addition, the competitive landscape can shift rapidly as new companies enter markets in which we compete. This is particularly true for online and mobile products and services, where the barriers to entry are lower than they are for desktop software products and services. To attract customers, many online and mobile competitors are offering free or low-priced entry-level products which we must take into account in our pricing strategies.
Our most obvious competition comes from other companies that offer technology solutions similar to ours. However, for many of our products and services, other important competitive alternatives for customers are third party service providers such as professional accountants and seasonal assisted tax preparation businesses. Manual tools and processes, or general-purpose software, are also important competitive alternatives.
Competition Specific to Segments
Small Business Segment. Our QuickBooks desktop product is the leading small business financial management software in the U.S. retail channel. Our small business products and services face competitive challenges from companies such as The Sage Group plc, which offers software and associated services that directly target small business customers. Increasingly, our small business products and services also face competition from newer online accounting offerings from companies such as Xero, free or low-cost online accounting offerings, and free online banking and bill payment services offered by financial institutions and others. In our payroll business we compete directly with Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), Paychex, and many other companies with payroll offerings, including online payroll offerings. In our merchant services business we compete directly with large financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America and with many payment processors, including First Data Corporation, Elavon, Global Payments, FIS-Certegy, PayPal, and Square.
Consumer Segment. In our Consumer Tax business, our future growth depends on our ability to attract new customers to the self-preparation tax category from tax stores and other seasonal assisted tax preparers. In the private sector we face intense competition from H&R Block, which provides assisted tax preparation services in its stores and a competing software offering called H&R Block At Home. We also face competition from several other large assisted tax preparation service providers, from a myriad of small seasonal tax preparers, and from numerous online self-preparation offerings, including 2nd Story Software’s TaxACT. These competing offerings subject us to significant price pressure.
We also face competitive challenges in our Consumer Tax business from publicly funded government entities that offer electronic tax preparation and filing services at no cost to individual taxpayers. We are a member of the Free File Alliance, a consortium of private sector companies that has entered into an agreement with the federal government. Under this agreement, the member companies provide online federal tax preparation and filing services at no cost to eligible federal taxpayers, and the federal government has agreed not to provide a competing service. Approximately 23 states have also adopted Free File Alliance public-private agreements while approximately 19 other states offer some form of direct government tax preparation and filing services free to qualified taxpayers. We continue to actively work with others in the private and public sectors to advance the goals of the Free File Alliance policy initiative and to support successful public-private partnerships. However, future administrative, regulatory, or legislative activity in this area could harm our Consumer Tax business.
11
In our Consumer Ecosytem business, we face competition from newer online and mobile personal finance offerings as well as from traditional financial institutions. Some of these newer competitors are solving specific consumer tasks, such as budgeting and credit scores, while online and mobile-only banks are offering alternatives to traditional banking. Traditional financial institutions continue to offer bill payment and personal finance solutions.
Professional Tax Segment. Our Lacerte professional tax offerings face competition from competitively-priced tax and accounting solutions that include integration with non-tax functionality. These include CCH’s ProSystems fx Office Suite and Thomson Reuters’ CS Professional Suite and GoSystems Tax. Our ProSeries professional tax offerings face competition from CCH’s ATX and TaxWise offerings. We also face growing competition from online tax and accounting offerings, which may be marketed more effectively or have lower pricing than our offerings for accounting professionals.
Competitive Factors
We believe the most important competitive factors for our core offerings – QuickBooks, TurboTax, Lacerte, ProSeries, and Quicken – are ease of use, product features, size of the installed customer base, brand name recognition, value proposition, cost, reliability, and product and support quality. Access to distribution channels is also important for our QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Quicken software products. In addition, support from accounting professionals and the ability for customers to upgrade within product families as their businesses grow are significant competitive factors for our QuickBooks products. Productivity is an important competitive factor for the full-service accounting firms to which we market our Lacerte software products. We believe we compete effectively on these factors as our QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Quicken products are the leading products in the U.S. retail sales channel for their respective categories.
For our service offerings such as small business payroll and merchant payment processing, we believe the most important competitive factors are functionality, ease of use, high availability, the integration of these products with related software, brand name recognition, effective distribution, quality of support, and cost.
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
We provide customer service and technical support by telephone, e-mail, online chat, text messaging, online communities, and our customer service and technical support websites. We have full-time and outsourced customer service and technical support staffs. We supplement these staffs with seasonal employees and additional outsourcing during periods of peak call volumes, such as during the tax return filing season or following a major product launch. We outsource to several firms domestically and internationally. Most of our internationally outsourced consumer and small business customer service and technical support personnel are currently located in India and the Philippines.
We offer free self-help information through our technical support websites for our QuickBooks, TurboTax, Professional Tax, and Quicken software products. Customers can use our websites to find answers to commonly asked questions and check on the status of orders. Under certain paid support plans, customers can also use our websites to receive product updates electronically. Support alternatives and fees vary by product. We sponsor online user communities such as Intuit Community for small businesses and accounting professionals, and TurboTax Live Community, where consumers can share knowledge and product advice with each other. We also offer live tax advice from U.S.-based tax professionals to TurboTax users.
MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION
Online Products and Services
Intuit’s data centers house most of the systems, networks and databases required to operate and deliver our online products and services. These include QuickBooks Online, online payroll services, merchant payment processing services, online customer marketing and communication services for small businesses, TurboTax Online, Intuit Tax Online, consumer and professional electronic tax filing services, and Mint. Through our data centers, we connect customers to our products and services and store customer and business information. As our businesses continue to move toward delivering more online and mobile products and services in conjunction with our connected services strategy, we expect that our infrastructure will become even more critical to our business in the future.
Our primary data centers are a facility we own in Washington state and a co-located data center in Nevada. We also have a number of other data centers that are primarily located in the western United States and Canada. We continue to execute on a multi-year plan to transition to fewer data centers in more geographically diverse locations. In addition, we have an enterprise agreement with Amazon Web Services and over time will be hosting an increasing number of our applications and services in their secure online environment.
Desktop Software and Supplies
The key processes in manufacturing desktop software are manufacturing compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs), printing boxes and related materials, and assembling and shipping the final products.
For retail manufacturing, we have an agreement with Arvato Digital Services, Inc. (ADiS), a division of Bertelsmann AG, under which ADiS provides a majority of the manufacturing volume for our launches of QuickBooks, TurboTax and Quicken, as well as for day-to-day replenishment after product launches. ADiS has operations in multiple locations that can provide
12
redundancy if necessary. We also have an agreement with JVC America Inc. under which JVC provides outsourced manufacturing volume for these launches and for day-to-day replenishment.
For retail distribution, we have an agreement with ADiS under which ADiS handles all logistics services. Our retail product launches are operationally complex. Our model for product delivery for retail launches and replenishment is a hybrid of direct to store deliveries and shipments to central warehouse locations. This allows improved inventory management by our retailers. We also ship products for many of our smaller retail customers through distributors.
ADiS also provides most of the manufacturing volume and distribution services for our direct desktop software orders. We have an exclusive agreement with Harland Clarke, a division of M&F Worldwide Corporation, to fulfill orders for all of our printed checks and most other products for our financial supplies business.
We have multiple sources for all of our raw materials and availability has historically not been a significant problem for us. We continue to see consolidation among CD/DVD suppliers and reduced demand overall for this media type. As a result, we believe CD/DVD media may become more difficult to obtain in the next three to five years.
Prior to major product releases for our core desktop software products we tend to have significant levels of backlog, but at other times backlog is minimal and we typically ship products within a few days of receiving an order. Because of this fluctuation in backlog, we believe that backlog is not a reliable predictor of our future core desktop software sales.
PRIVACY AND SECURITY OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION AND TRANSACTIONS
We are subject to various federal, state and international laws and regulations and to financial institution and healthcare provider requirements relating to the privacy and security of customer and employee personal information. We are also subject to laws and regulations that apply to the Internet, behavioral tracking, mobile applications, telemarketing, e-mail activities, data hosting and retention, financial and health information, and credit reporting. Additional laws in all of these areas are likely to be passed in the future, which could result in significant limitations on or changes to the ways in which we can collect, use, host, store or transmit the personal information and data of our customers or employees, communicate with our customers, and deliver products and services, or may significantly increase our compliance costs. As our business expands to new industry segments and new uses of data that are regulated for privacy and security, or to countries outside the United States that have strict data protections laws, our compliance requirements and costs will increase.
Through a Master Privacy Policy Framework designed to be consistent with globally recognized privacy principles, we comply with United States federal and other country guidelines and practices to help ensure that customers and employees are aware of, and can control, how we use information about them. Our primary websites and online products, such as Intuit.com, QuickBooks and TurboTax, have been certified by TRUSTe, an independent organization that operates a website and online product privacy certification program representing industry standard practices to address users’ and regulators’ concerns about online privacy. We also use privacy statements to provide notice to customers of our privacy practices, as well as provide them the opportunity to furnish instructions with respect to use of their personal information. We participate in industry groups whose purpose is to develop or influence industry best practices, and to influence public policy for privacy and security.
To address security concerns, we use security safeguards to help protect the systems and the information customers give to us from loss, misuse and unauthorized alteration. Whenever customers transmit sensitive information, such as a credit card number or tax return data, through one of our websites or products, we use industry standards to encrypt the data as it is transmitted to us. We work to protect our systems from unauthorized internal or external access using numerous commercially available computer security products as well as internally developed security procedures and practices.
13
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
Our Consumer Tax and Professional Tax businesses are subject to federal and state government requirements, including regulations related to the electronic filing of tax returns, the provision of tax preparer assistance, and the use and disclosure of customer information. In addition, we offer certain other products and services, such as small business payroll and merchant payment processing services, which are subject to special regulatory requirements. As we expand our products and services, both domestically and internationally, we may become subject to additional government regulation. Further, regulators may adopt new laws or regulations or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from ours. These increased regulatory requirements could impose significant limitations on our business and increase our cost of compliance.
We are subject to federal and state laws and government regulations concerning employee safety and health and environmental matters. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal and state agencies have the authority to put regulations in place that may have an impact on our operations.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Our success depends on the proprietary technology embodied in our offerings. We protect this proprietary technology by relying on a variety of intellectual property mechanisms, including copyright, patent, trade secret and trademark laws, restrictions on disclosure and other methods. For example, we regularly file applications for patents, copyrights and trademarks and service marks in order to protect intellectual property that we believe is important to our business. We hold a growing patent portfolio that we believe is important to Intuit's overall competitive advantage, although we are not materially dependent on any one patent or particular group of patents in our portfolio at this time. We also have a number of registered trademarks that include Intuit, QuickBooks, TurboTax, Lacerte, ProSeries, Quicken, and Mint. We have registered these and other trademarks and service marks in the United States and, depending on the relevance of each brand to other markets, in many foreign countries. Most registrations can be renewed perpetually at 10-year intervals. We also license intellectual property from third parties for use in our products.
Although our portfolio of patents is growing, the patents that have been issued to us could be determined to be invalid and may not be enforceable against competitive products in every jurisdiction. In addition, third parties have asserted and may, in the future, assert infringement claims against us and our customers. These claims and any litigation may result in invalidation of our proprietary rights or a finding of infringement along with an assessment of damages. Litigation, even if without merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. In addition, third party licenses may not continue to be available to us on commercially acceptable terms, or at all.
EMPLOYEES
As of July 31, 2014, we had approximately 8,000 full-time employees in major offices in the United States, Canada, India, the United Kingdom and other locations. We also employ a significant number of seasonal and contract employees during the second and third quarters of our fiscal years to support our consumer tax customers. For example, at the peak of the 2013 tax season we employed approximately 750 seasonal employees. We believe our future success and growth will depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified employees in all areas of our business. We do not currently have any collective bargaining agreements with our employees, and we believe employee relations are generally good. Although we have employment-related agreements with a number of key employees, these agreements do not guarantee continued service. We believe we offer competitive compensation and a good working environment. We were named one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in each of the last thirteen years. However, we face intense competition for qualified employees, and we expect to face continuing challenges in recruiting and retention.
14
ITEM 1A
RISK FACTORS
Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. All statements in this report, other than statements that are purely historical, are forward-looking statements. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “seek,” and similar expressions also identify forward-looking statements. In this report, forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the following:
• |
our expectations and beliefs regarding future conduct and growth of the business; |
• |
our beliefs and expectations regarding seasonality, competition and other trends that affect our business; |
• |
our expectation that we will solve problems faster and more efficiently for our growing base of customers by moving to more open platforms with application programming interfaces that enable the contributions of end users and third party developers; |
• |
our expectation that we will invest significant resources in our product development, marketing and sales capabilities; |
• |
our expectation that we will continue to invest significant management attention and resources in our information technology infrastructure and in our privacy and security capabilities; |
• |
our expectation that we will generate significant cash from operations; |
• |
our expectations regarding the development of future products, services, business models and technology platforms and our research and development efforts; |
• |
the assumptions underlying our critical accounting policies and estimates, including our estimates regarding product rebate and return reserves; the collectability of accounts receivable; stock volatility and other assumptions used to estimate the fair value of share-based compensation; the fair value of goodwill; and expected future amortization of acquired intangible assets; |
• |
our belief that the investments we hold are not other-than-temporarily impaired; |
• |
our belief that our exposure to currency exchange fluctuation risk will not be significant in the future; |
• |
our assessments and estimates that determine our effective tax rate; |
• |
our belief that our income tax valuation allowance is sufficient; |
• |
our belief that it is not reasonably possible that there will be a significant increase or decrease in our unrecognized tax benefits over the next 12 months; |
• |
our belief that we will not need funds generated from foreign operations to fund our domestic operations; |
• |
our belief that our cash and cash equivalents, investments and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to meet our seasonal working capital needs, capital expenditure requirements, contractual obligations, debt service requirements and other liquidity requirements associated with our operations for at least the next 12 months; |
• |
our belief that our facilities are suitable and adequate for our near-term needs and that we will be able to locate additional facilities as needed; |
• |
our expectation that we will return excess cash generated by operations to our stockholders through repurchases of our common stock and the payment of cash dividends; |
• |
our assessments and beliefs regarding the future outcome of pending legal proceedings and the liability, if any, that Intuit may incur as a result of those proceedings. |
We caution investors that forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations about future events and are not guarantees of future performance. We encourage you to read carefully all information provided in this report and in our other filings with the SEC before deciding to invest in our stock or to maintain or change your investment. These forward-looking statements are based on information as of the filing date of this Annual Report, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason.
Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the following:
15
We face intense competitive pressures that may harm our operating results.
We face intense competition in all of our businesses, and we expect competition to remain intense in the future. Our competitors and potential competitors range from large and established entities to emerging start-ups. Our competitors may introduce superior products and services, reduce prices, have greater technical, marketing and other resources, have greater name recognition, have larger installed bases of customers, have well-established relationships with our current and potential customers, advertise aggressively or beat us to market with new products and services. In addition, we may face competition from existing companies, with large established consumer user-bases and broad-based platforms, who may change or expand the focus of their business strategies and marketing to target our customers, including small businesses and tax customers. We also face intensified competition from providers of free accounting, tax, payments, and other financial services. In order to compete, we have also introduced free offerings in several categories, but we may not be able to attract customers or effectively monetize all of these offerings, and customers who have formerly paid for Intuit’s products and services may elect to use free offerings instead. These competitive factors may diminish our revenue and profitability, and harm our ability to acquire and retain customers.
Our consumer tax business also faces significant competition from the public sector, where we face the risk of federal and state taxing authorities developing software or other systems to facilitate tax return preparation and electronic filing at no charge to taxpayers. These or similar programs may be introduced or expanded in the future, which may cause us to lose customers and revenue. Although the Free File Alliance has kept the federal government from being a direct competitor to Intuit’s tax offerings, it has fostered additional online competition and may cause us to lose significant revenue opportunities. The current agreement with the Free File Alliance is scheduled to expire in October 2015. We anticipate that governmental encroachment at both the federal and state levels may present a continued competitive threat to our business for the foreseeable future.
Future revenue growth depends upon our ability to adapt to technological change and successfully introduce new and enhanced products, services and business models.
The software as a service, desktop software and mobile technology industries are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. As we continue to grow our software as a service, mobile and other offerings, we must continue to innovate and develop new products and features to meet changing customer needs and attract and retain talented software developers. We need to continue to develop our skills, tools and capabilities to capitalize on existing and emerging technologies, which require us to devote significant resources.
A number of our businesses also derive a significant amount of their revenue from one-time upfront license fees and rely on customer upgrades and service offerings to generate a significant portion of their revenues. In addition, our consumer and professional tax businesses depend significantly on revenue from customers who return each year to use our updated tax preparation and filing software and services. As our existing products mature, encouraging customers to purchase product upgrades becomes more challenging unless new product releases provide features and functionality that have meaningful incremental value. If we are not able to develop and clearly demonstrate the value of new or upgraded products or services to our customers, our revenues may be harmed. In addition, as we continue to introduce and expand our new business models, including offerings that are subscription-based or that are free to end users, we may be unsuccessful in monetizing or increasing customer adoption of these offerings.
The number of people who access products and services through devices other than personal computers, including mobile phones, smartphones, and handheld computers such as tablets, continues to increase. We have devoted significant resources to develop products and services for users of these alternative devices, but the versions of our products and services developed for these devices may not be compelling to users. Even if we are able to attract new users through these mobile offerings, the amount of revenue that we derive per user from mobile offerings may be less than the revenue that we have historically derived from users of personal computers. As new devices and new platforms are continually being released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in developing versions of our products and services for use on these alternative devices and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support, and maintenance of such offerings. If we are slow to develop products and technologies that are compatible with these alternative devices, or if our competitors are able to achieve those results more quickly than us, we will fail to capture a significant share of an increasingly important portion of the market for online services, which could adversely affect our business.
In some cases, we may expend a significant amount of resources and management attention on offerings that do not ultimately succeed in their markets. We have encountered difficulty in launching new products and services in the past. If we misjudge customer needs in the future, our new products and services may not succeed and our revenues and earnings may be harmed. We have also invested, and in the future expect to invest, in new business models, geographies, strategies and initiatives. Such endeavors may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including distraction of management from current operations,
16
expenses associated with the initiatives and inadequate return on investments. Because these new initiatives are inherently risky, they may not be successful and may harm our financial condition and operating results.
Business interruption or failure of our information technology and communication systems may impair the availability of our products and services, which may damage our reputation and harm our future financial results.
As we continue to transition our business to more connected services, we become more dependent on the continuing operation and availability of our information technology and communication systems and those of our external service providers, including, for example, third party Internet-based or "cloud" computing services. We do not have redundancy for all of our systems, many of our critical applications reside in only one of our data centers, and our disaster recovery planning may not account for all eventualities. We also do not maintain real-time back-up of all our data, and in the event of significant system disruption we may experience loss of data or processing capabilities, which may cause us to lose customers and may materially harm our reputation and our operating results. In addition, we are in the process of updating our customer facing applications and the supporting information technology infrastructure to meet our customers’ expectations for continuous service availability. Any difficulties in upgrading these applications or infrastructure or failure of our systems or those of our third-party service providers may result in interruptions in our service, which may reduce our revenues and profits, cause us to lose customers and damage our reputation. Any prolonged interruptions at any time may result in lost customers, additional refunds of customer charges, negative publicity and increased operating costs, any of which may significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are in the process of migrating our applications and infrastructure to new data centers and to third party hosted environments. If we do not execute the transition to these new environments in an effective manner, we may experience unplanned service disruptions or unforeseen increases in costs which may harm our operating results and our business.
Our business operations, data centers, information technology and communications systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, human error, malicious attacks, fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, computer denial of service attacks, terrorist attacks and other events beyond our control. The majority of our research and development activities, our corporate headquarters, our principal information technology systems, and other critical business operations are located near major seismic faults. We do not carry earthquake insurance for direct quake-related losses. Our future financial results may be materially harmed in the event of a major earthquake or other natural or man-made disaster.
We rely on internal systems and external systems maintained by manufacturers, distributors and other service providers to take and fulfill customer orders, handle customer service requests and host certain online activities. Any interruption or failure of our internal or external systems may prevent us or our service providers from accepting and fulfilling customer orders or cause company and customer data to be unintentionally disclosed. Our continuing efforts to upgrade and expand our network security and other information systems as well as our high-availability capabilities may be costly, and problems with the design or implementation of system enhancements may harm our business and our results of operations.
We host, collect, use and retain sensitive and personal customer information and data. A security breach resulting in third party access to this information and data could materially disrupt our businesses, result in the disclosure of confidential information, significantly damage our reputation and cause material losses.
We host, collect, use and retain large amounts of sensitive and personal customer information and data, including credit card numbers, tax return information, bank account numbers and passwords, personal and business financial data and transactions, social security numbers, healthcare information and payroll information. In addition, we collect and maintain sensitive and personal information of our employees in the ordinary course of our business. The volume of sensitive and personal information that we collect has been increasing and will continue to increase as we further transition our businesses to connected services. We and our vendors use commercially available security technologies to protect this information and data, and we also use security and business controls to limit access to and use of such sensitive and personal customer information and data. However, a major breach of our security measures or those of third parties that provide hosting services or have access to our sensitive and personal customer information may have serious negative consequences for our businesses, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced customer demand for our services, material harm to our reputation and brands, further regulation and oversight by federal or state agencies, and loss of our ability to provide financial transaction services or accept and process customer credit card orders or tax returns.
From time to time, we detect, or receive notices from customers or public or private agencies that they have detected, vulnerabilities in our servers, our software or third-party software components that are distributed with our products. The existence of vulnerabilities, even if they do not result in a security breach, may harm customer confidence and require substantial resources to address, and we may not be able to discover or remediate such security vulnerabilities before they are
17
exploited. In addition, our technologies, systems, and networks and our customers' devices have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber attacks, computer viruses, worms, phishing attacks, malicious software programs and other information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our customers' sensitive and personal information and data, or otherwise disrupt our or our customers' or other third parties' business operations. Although this is an industry-wide problem that affects software across platforms, it is increasingly affecting our offerings because cybercriminals tend to focus their efforts on well-known offerings that are popular among customers, and we expect them to continue to do so. If these cybercriminals are able to circumvent our security measures, or if we are unable to detect an intrusion into our systems and contain such intrusion in a reasonable amount of time, our customers' sensitive and personal information and data may be compromised.
In addition, our employees, contractors, temporary and seasonal employees may have access to sensitive and personal information of our customers and employees. While we conduct background checks of our employees and these other individuals and limit access to systems and data, it is possible that one or more of these individuals may circumvent these controls, resulting in a security breach. In addition, we rely on third party vendors to host certain of our sensitive and personal information and data. While we conduct due diligence on these third party parters with respect to their security and business controls, we may not not have the ability to effectively monitor or oversee the implementation of these controls measures, and, in any event, individuals or third parties may be able to circumvent and/or exploit vulnerabilities that may exist in these security and business controls, resulting in a loss of sensitive and personal customer or employee information and data.
If we are unable to develop, manage and maintain critical third party business relationships, our business may be adversely affected.
Our growth is dependent on the strength of our business relationships and our ability to continue to develop, maintain and leverage new and existing relationships. We rely on various third party partners, including software and service providers, suppliers, vendors, manufacturers, distributors, contractors, financial institutions, core processors, licensing partners and development partners, among others, in many areas of our business in order to deliver our offerings and operate our business. We also rely on third parties to support the operation of our business by maintaining our physical facilities, equipment, power systems and infrastructure. In certain instances, these third party relationships are sole source or limited source relationships and can be difficult to replace or substitute depending on the level of integration of the third party’s products or services into, or with, our offerings and/or the general availability of such third party’s products and services. In addition, there may be few or no alternative third party providers or vendors in the market. Further, there can be no assurance that we will be able to adequately retain third party contractors engaged to help us operate our business. The failure of third parties to provide acceptable and high quality products, services and technologies or to update their products, services and technologies may result in a disruption to our business operations and our customers, which may reduce our revenues and profits, cause us to lose customers and damage our reputation. Alternative arrangements and services may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or we may experience business interruptions upon a transition to an alternative partner.
In particular, we have relationships with banks, credit unions and other financial institutions that support certain critical services we offer to our customers. If macroeconomic conditions or other factors cause any of these institutions to fail, consolidate, stop providing certain services or institute cost-cutting efforts, our business and financial results may suffer and we may be unable to offer those services to our customers.
We have also started to increasingly utilize the distribution platforms of third parties like Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store for the distribution of certain of our product offerings. Although we benefit from the strong brand recognition and large user base of these distribution platforms to attract new customers, the platform owners have wide discretion to change the pricing structure, terms of service and other policies with respect to us and other developers. Any adverse changes by these third parties could adversely affect our financial results.
Increased government regulation of our businesses may harm our operating results.
Many of our businesses are regulated under federal, state and local laws, including our tax, accounting professionals, payroll and payments businesses. There have been significant new regulations and heightened focus by the government on many of these areas, as well as in areas such as insurance and healthcare (including, for example, the Affordable Care Act) and the collection, use and security of user data. As we expand our products and services and revise our business models, both domestically and internationally, we may become subject to additional government regulation or increased regulatory scrutiny. Further, regulators may adopt new laws or regulations or their interpretation of existing laws or regulations may differ from ours as well as the laws of other jurisdictions in which we operate. These regulatory requirements could impose significant limitations, require changes to our business, require notification to customers or employees of a security breach, restrict our use of personal information, or cause changes in customer purchasing behavior which may make our business more costly, less
18
efficient or impossible to conduct, and may require us to modify our current or future products or services, which may harm our future financial results. In particular, as our business continues to expand to new industry segments that may be more highly regulated for privacy and data security, and to countries outside the United States that have more strict data protection laws, our compliance requirements and costs may increase. We have incurred – and may continue to incur – significant expenses to comply with mandatory privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards or contractual obligations.
The tax preparation industry continues to receive heightened attention from federal and state governments. New legislation, regulation, public policy considerations, litigation by the government or private entities, or new interpretations of existing laws may result in greater oversight of the tax preparation industry, restrict the types of products and services that we can offer or the prices we can charge, or otherwise cause us to change the way we operate our tax businesses or offer our tax products and services. We may not be able to respond quickly to such regulatory, legislative and other developments, and these changes may in turn increase our cost of doing business and limit our revenue opportunities. In addition, if our practices are not consistent with new interpretations of existing laws, we may become subject to lawsuits, penalties, and other liabilities that did not previously apply. We are also required to comply with a variety of state revenue agency standards in order to successfully operate our tax preparation and electronic filing services. Changes in state-imposed requirements by one or more of the states, including the required use of specific technologies or technology standards, may significantly increase the costs of providing those services to our customers and may prevent us from delivering a quality product to our customers in a timely manner.
If we fail to process transactions effectively or fail to adequately protect against disputed or potential fraudulent activities, our revenue and earnings may be harmed.
Our operations process a significant volume and dollar value of transactions on a daily basis, especially in our payroll and payments businesses. Due to the size and volume of transactions that we handle, effective processing systems and controls are essential to ensure that transactions are handled appropriately. Despite our efforts, it is possible that we may make errors or that funds may be misappropriated due to fraud. The systems supporting our business are comprised of multiple technology platforms that are difficult to scale. If we are unable to effectively manage our systems and processes we may be unable to process customer data in an accurate, reliable and timely manner, which may harm our business. In our payments processing service business if merchants for whom we process payment transactions are unable to pay refunds due to their customers in connection with disputed or fraudulent merchant transactions, we may be required to pay those amounts and our payments may exceed the amount of the customer reserves we have established to make such payments.
The online tax preparation, payroll administration and online payments industries have been experiencing an increasing amount of fraudulent activities by third parties. Although we do not believe that any of this activity is uniquely targeted at our business, this type of fraudulent activity may adversely impact our own operations in our consumer tax, payroll, and payments businesses. In addition to any direct damages and potential fines that may result from such fraud, which may be substantial, a loss of confidence in our controls may seriously harm our business and damage our brand. As fraud detection and prevention abilities improve across the various industries in which we operate, we may implement risk control mechanisms that could make it more difficult for legitimate customers to obtain and use our products as well as prevent the sale of our products to those parties seeking to facilitate fraudulent activity, which could result in lost revenue and negatively impact our operating results.
Third parties claiming that we infringe their proprietary rights may cause us to incur significant legal expenses and prevent us from selling our products.
We may become increasingly subject to infringement claims, including patent, copyright, trade secret, and trademark infringement claims. Litigation may be necessary to determine the validity and scope of the intellectual property rights of others. We have received a number of allegations of intellectual property infringement claims in the past and expect to receive more claims in the future based on allegations that our offerings infringe upon the intellectual property held by third parties. Some of these claims are the subject of pending litigation against us and against some of our customers. These claims may involve patent holding companies or other adverse intellectual property owners who have no relevant product revenues of their own, and against whom our own intellectual property may provide little or no deterrence. The ultimate outcome of any allegation is uncertain and, regardless of outcome, any such claim, with or without merit, may be time consuming to defend, result in costly litigation, divert management’s time and attention from our business, require us to stop selling, delay shipping or redesign our products, or require us to pay monetary damages for royalty or licensing fees, or to satisfy indemnification obligations that we have with some of our customers. Our failure to obtain necessary license or other rights, or litigation arising out of intellectual property claims may harm our business.
19
We rely on third party intellectual property in our products and services.
Many of our products and services include intellectual property of third parties, which we license under agreements that may need to be renewed or renegotiated from time to time. We may not be able to obtain licenses to these third party technologies or content on reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to obtain the rights necessary to use this intellectual property in our products and services, we may not be able to sell the affected offerings and customers who are currently using the affected product may be disrupted, which may in turn harm our future financial results, damage our brand, and result in customer loss. Also, we and our customers have been and may continue to be subject to infringement claims as a result of the third party intellectual property incorporated in to our offerings. Although we try to mitigate this risk and we may not be ultimately liable for any potential infringement, pending claims require us to use significant resources, require management attention and could result in loss of customers.
Some of our offerings include third-party software that is licensed under so-called “open source” licenses, some of which may include a requirement that, under certain circumstances, we make available, or grant licenses to, any modifications or derivative works we create based upon the open source software. Although we have established internal review and approval processes to mitigate these risks, we may not be sure that all open source software is submitted for approval prior to use in our products. Many of the risks associated with usage of open source may not be eliminated, and may, if not properly addressed, harm our business.
Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products, services, and brand.
Our patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and other intellectual property rights are important assets for us. We aggressively protect our intellectual property rights by relying on federal, state and common law rights in the U.S. and internationally, as well as a variety of administrative procedures. We also rely on contractual restrictions to protect our proprietary rights in products and services. The efforts that we take to protect our proprietary rights may not always be sufficient or effective. Protecting our intellectual property rights is costly and time consuming and may not be successful in every location. Any significant impairment of our intellectual property rights could harm our business, our brand and our ability to compete.
Policing unauthorized use and copying of our products is difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Current U.S. laws that prohibit copying give us only limited practical protection from software piracy and the laws of many other countries provide very little protection. We frequently encounter unauthorized copies of our software being sold through online marketplaces. Although we continue to evaluate and put in place technology solutions to attempt to lessen the impact of piracy and engage in efforts to educate consumers and public policy leaders on these issues and cooperate with industry groups in their efforts to combat piracy, we expect piracy to be a persistent problem that results in lost revenues and increased expenses.
Because competition for our key employees is intense, we may not be able to attract, retain and develop the highly skilled employees we need to support our planned growth.
Much of our future success depends on the continued service and availability of skilled personnel, including members of our executive team, and those in technical, marketing and staff positions. Experienced personnel in the software, mobile technologies, data science, data security, and software as a service industries are in high demand and competition for their talents is intense, especially in California and India, where the majority of our employees are located. Also, as we strive to continue to adapt to technological change and introduce new and enhanced products and business models, we must be able to secure, maintain and develop the right quality and quantity of engaged and committed talent. Although we strive to be an employer of choice, we may not be able to continue to successfully attract, retain and develop key personnel which may cause our business to suffer.
As our product and service offerings become more tightly integrated, we may be required to recognize the related revenue over relatively longer periods of time.
Our expanding range of products and services, and the combinations in which we offer them, generate different revenue streams than our traditional desktop software businesses, and the accounting policies that apply to revenue from these offerings are complex. For example, as we offer more online services bundled with software products, we may be required to defer a higher percentage of our software product revenue into future fiscal periods. In addition, as we offer more services on a subscription basis, we recognize revenue from those services over the periods in which the services are provided. This may result in significant shifts of revenue from quarter to quarter, or from one fiscal year to the next.
20
The nature of our products and services necessitates timely product launches and if we experience significant product quality problems or delays, it may harm our revenue, earnings and reputation.
All of our tax products and many of our non-tax products have rigid development timetables that increase the risk of errors in our products and the risk of launch delays. Our tax preparation software product development cycle is particularly challenging due to the need to incorporate unpredictable tax law and tax form changes each year and because our customers expect high levels of accuracy and a timely launch of these products to prepare and file their taxes by the tax filing deadline. Due to the complexity of our products and the condensed development cycles under which we operate, our products sometimes contain glitches that may unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the software. The complexity of our products may also make it difficult for us to consistently deliver offerings that contain the features, functionality and level of accuracy that our customers expect. When we encounter problems we may be required to modify our code, distribute patches to customers who have already purchased the product and recall or repackage existing product inventory in our distribution channels. If we encounter development challenges or discover errors in our products late in our development cycle it may cause us to delay our product launch date. Any major defects or launch delays may lead to loss of customers and revenue, negative publicity, customer and employee dissatisfaction, reduced retailer shelf space and promotions, and increased operating expenses, such as inventory replacement costs, legal fees or payments resulting from our commitment to reimburse penalties and interest paid by customers due solely to calculation errors in our consumer tax preparation products.
Our businesses are highly seasonal and our quarterly results could fluctuate significantly.
Historically, several of our businesses have been highly seasonal and this has caused significant fluctuations in our quarterly financial results. Due to the timing of annual product releases, revenue from our QuickBooks desktop software products has tended to be highest during our second and third fiscal quarters. Sales of income tax preparation products and services are heavily concentrated from November through April. These seasonal patterns mean that our total revenue is usually highest during the second and third fiscal quarters ending January 31 and April 30. We typically experience lower revenues, and operating losses, in the first and fourth fiscal quarters ending October 31 and July 31. Although in the longer term we expect the seasonality of certain of our businesses to diminish due to our decision to deliver ongoing releases for our future desktop offerings and due to increasing customer preference for online and subscription versions of our offerings, we expect the seasonality of certain other businesses, particularly our consumer tax business, to continue. In the near term we expect the seasonality of our overall business to continue. Our financial results may also fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, including factors that may affect the timing of revenue recognition. These include changes to our offerings that result in the inclusion or exclusion of ongoing services; changes in product pricing strategies or product sales mix; the timing of the availability of federal and state tax forms from taxing agencies and the ability of those agencies to receive electronic tax return submissions; changes in consumer behavior; and the timing of our discontinuation of support for older product offerings. Other factors that may affect our quarterly or annual financial results include the timing of acquisitions, divestitures, and goodwill and acquired intangible asset impairment charges. Any fluctuations in our operating results may adversely affect our stock price.
We are frequently a party to litigation and regulatory inquiries which could result in an unfavorable outcome and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows.
We are subject to various legal proceedings, claims and regulatory inquiries that have arisen out of the ordinary conduct of our business and are not yet resolved and additional claims and inquiries may arise in the future. The number and significance of these claims and inquiries have increased as our businesses have evolved. Any proceedings, claims or inquiries initiated by or against us, whether successful or not, may be time consuming; result in costly litigation, damage awards, consent decrees, injunctive relief or increased costs of business; require us to change our business practices or products; require significant amounts of management time; result in diversion of significant operations resources; or otherwise harm our business and future financial results.
Adverse global economic conditions could harm our business and financial condition.
The onset or continuation of adverse macroeconomic developments could negatively affect our business and financial condition. Adverse global economic events have caused, and could, in the future, cause disruptions and volatility in global financial markets and increased rates of default and bankruptcy, and could impact consumer and small business spending. In particular, because the majority of our revenue is derived from sales within the U.S., economic conditions in the U.S. have an even greater impact on us than companies with a more diverse international presence. Challenging economic times could cause potential new customers not to purchase or to delay purchasing of our products and services, and could cause our existing customers to discontinue purchasing or delay upgrades of our existing products and services, thereby negatively impacting our revenues and future financial results. Decreased consumer spending levels could also reduce credit and debit card transaction processing volumes causing reductions in our payments revenue. Poor economic conditions and high unemployment have
21
caused, and could in the future cause, a significant decrease in the number of tax returns filed, which may have a significant effect on the number of tax returns we prepare and file. In addition, weakness in the end-user consumer and small business markets could negatively affect the cash flow of our distributors and resellers who could, in turn, delay paying their obligations to us, which could increase our credit risk exposure and cause delays in our recognition of revenue or future sales to these customers. Any of these events could harm our business and our future financial results.
We regularly invest resources to update and improve our internal information technology systems and software platforms. Should our investments not succeed, or if delays or other issues with new or existing internal technology systems and software platforms disrupt our operations, our business could be harmed.
We rely on our network and data center infrastructure and internal technology systems for many of our development, marketing, operational, support, sales, accounting and financial reporting activities. We are continually investing resources to update and improve these systems and environments in order to meet existing, as well as the growing and changing requirements of our business and customers. If we experience prolonged delays or unforeseen difficulties in updating and upgrading our systems and architecture, we may experience outages and may not be able to deliver certain offerings and develop new offerings and enhancements that we need to remain competitive. Such improvements and upgrades are often complex, costly and time consuming. In addition such improvements can be challenging to integrate with our existing technology systems, or may uncover problems with our existing technology systems. Unsuccessful implementation of hardware or software updates and improvements could result in outages, disruption in our business operations, loss of revenue or damage to our reputation.
Our international operations are subject to increased risks which may harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.
In addition to uncertainty about our ability to generate revenues from our foreign operations and expand into international markets, there are risks inherent in doing business internationally, including:
• |
trade barriers and changes in trade regulations; |
• |
difficulties in developing, staffing, and simultaneously managing a large number of varying foreign operations as a result of distance, language, and cultural differences; |
• |
stringent local labor laws and regulations; |
• |
credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud; |
• |
profit repatriation restrictions, and foreign currency exchange restrictions; |
• |
political or social unrest, economic instability, repression, or human rights issues; |
• |
geopolitical events, including natural disasters, acts of war and terrorism; |
• |
import or export regulations; |
• |
compliance with U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials; |
• |
antitrust and competition regulations; |
• |
potentially adverse tax developments; |
• |
economic uncertainties relating to European sovereign and other debt; |
• |
different, uncertain or more stringent user protection, data protection, privacy and other laws; and |
• |
risks related to other government regulation or required compliance with local laws. |
Violations of the complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations may result in fines, criminal actions or sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, prohibitions on the conduct of our business and damage to our reputation. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors or agents will not violate our policies. These risks inherent in our international operations and expansion increase our costs of doing business internationally and may result in harm to our business, operating results, and financial condition.
22
If actual product returns exceed returns reserves our future financial results may be harmed.
We ship more desktop software products to our distributors and retailers than we expect them to sell, in order to reduce the risk that distributors or retailers may run out of products. This is particularly true for our Consumer Tax products, which have a short selling season and for which returns occur primarily in our fiscal third and fourth quarters. Like many software companies that sell their products through distributors and retailers, we have historically accepted significant product returns. We establish reserves against revenue for product returns in our financial statements based on estimated returns and we closely monitor product sales and inventory in the retail channel in an effort to maintain adequate reserves. In the past, returns have not differed significantly from these reserves. However, if we experience actual returns that significantly exceed reserves, it may result in lower net revenue.
Unanticipated changes in our income tax rates may affect our future financial results.
Our future effective income tax rates may be favorably or unfavorably affected by unanticipated changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, or by changes in tax laws or their interpretation. In addition, we are subject to the continuous examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. These continuous examinations may result in unforeseen tax-related liabilities, which may harm our future financial results.
Amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment charges may cause significant fluctuation in our net income.
Our acquisitions have resulted in significant expenses, including amortization and impairment of acquired technology and other acquired intangible assets, and impairment of goodwill. Total costs and expenses in these categories were approximately $46 million in fiscal 2014, $99 million in fiscal 2013, and $33 million in fiscal 2012. Although under current accounting rules goodwill is not amortized, we may incur impairment charges related to the goodwill already recorded and to goodwill arising out of future acquisitions. We test the impairment of goodwill annually in our fourth fiscal quarter or more frequently if indicators of impairment arise. The timing of the formal annual test may result in charges to our statement of operations in our fourth fiscal quarter that may not have been reasonably foreseen in prior periods. The total costs and expenses for fiscal 2013 included a goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges of $46 million that reduced the carrying value of our Intuit Health goodwill and intangible assets to zero. We completed the sale of that business in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. At July 31, 2014, we had $1.6 billion in goodwill and $199 million in net acquired intangible assets on our balance sheet, both of which may be subject to impairment charges in the future. New acquisitions, and any impairment of the value of acquired intangible assets, may have a significant negative impact on our future financial results.
Our acquisition and divestiture activities may disrupt our ongoing business, may involve increased expenses and may present risks not contemplated at the time of the transactions.
We have acquired and may continue to acquire companies, products and technologies that complement our strategic direction. Acquisitions involve significant risks and uncertainties, including:
• |
inability to successfully integrate the acquired technology and operations into our business and maintain uniform standards, controls, policies, and procedures; |
• |
inability to realize synergies expected to result from an acquisition; |
• |
disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management; |
• |
challenges retaining the key employees, customers, resellers and other business partners of the acquired operation; |
• |
the internal control environment of an acquired entity may not be consistent with our standards and may require significant time and resources to improve; |
• |
unidentified issues not discovered in our due diligence process, including product or service quality issues, intellectual property issues and legal contingencies; |
• |
failure to successfully further develop an acquired business or technology and any resulting impairment of amounts currently capitalized as intangible assets; |
• |
in the case of foreign acquisitions and investments, the impact of particular economic, tax, currency, political, legal and regulatory risks associated with specific countries. |
23
We have divested and may in the future divest certain assets or businesses that no longer fit with our strategic direction or growth targets. Divestitures involve significant risks and uncertainties, including:
• |
inability to find potential buyers on favorable terms; |
• |
failure to effectively transfer liabilities, contracts, facilities and employees to buyers; |
• |
requirements that we retain or indemnify buyers against certain liabilities and obligations in connection with any such divestiture; |
• |
the possibility that we will become subject to third-party claims arising out of such divestiture; |
• |
challenges in identifying and separating the intellectual properties to be divested from the intellectual properties that we wish to retain; |
• |
inability to reduce fixed costs previously associated with the divested assets or business; |
• |
challenges in collecting the proceeds from any divestiture; |
• |
disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management; |
• |
loss of key employees who leave the Company as a result of a divestiture;
|
• |
if customers or partners of the divested business do not receive the same level of service from the new owners, our other businesses may be adversely affected, to the extent that these customers or partners also purchase other products offered by us or otherwise conduct business with our retained business. |
Because acquisitions and divestitures are inherently risky, our transactions may not be successful and may, in some cases, harm our operating results or financial condition. Although we typically fund our acquisitions through cash available from operations, if we were to use debt to fund acquisitions or for other purposes, our interest expense and leverage would increase significantly, and if we were to issue equity securities as consideration in an acquisition, current shareholders’ percentage ownership and earnings per share would be diluted.
We have $500 million in debt outstanding and may incur other debt in the future, which may adversely affect our financial condition and future financial results.
In fiscal 2007 we issued $500 million in senior unsecured notes due in March 2012 and $500 million in senior unsecured notes due in March 2017. We repaid the March 2012 notes when they became due using cash from operations. As the March 2017 debt matures, we will have to expend significant resources to either repay or refinance these notes. If we decide to refinance the notes, we may be required to do so on different or less favorable terms or we may be unable to refinance the notes at all, both of which may adversely affect our financial condition.
We have also entered into a $500 million five-year revolving credit facility. Although we have no current plans to request any advances under this credit facility, we may use the proceeds of any future borrowing for general corporate purposes, including future acquisitions.
This debt may adversely affect our financial condition and future financial results by, among other things:
• |
increasing our vulnerability to downturns in our business, to competitive pressures and to adverse economic and industry conditions; |
• |
requiring the dedication of a portion of our expected cash from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of expected cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures and acquisitions; and |
• |
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our businesses and our industries. |
Our current revolving credit facility imposes restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to create liens on our assets and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur indebtedness, and require us to maintain compliance with specified financial ratios. Our ability to comply with these ratios may be affected by events beyond our control. In addition, our short- and long-term debt includes covenants that may adversely affect our ability to incur certain liens or engage in certain types of sale and leaseback transactions. If we breach any of the covenants under our short- and long-term debt or our revolving credit facility and do not obtain a waiver from the lenders, then, subject to applicable cure periods, any outstanding indebtedness may be declared immediately due and payable.
24
In addition, changes by any rating agency to our credit rating may negatively impact the value and liquidity of both our debt and equity securities. If our credit ratings are downgraded or other negative action is taken, the interest rate payable by us under our revolving credit facility may increase. In addition, any downgrades in our credit ratings may affect our ability to obtain additional financing in the future and may affect the terms of any such financing.
We are subject to risks associated with information disseminated through our services.
The laws relating to the liability of online services companies for information such as online content disseminated through their services are subject to frequent challenges. In spite of settled law in the U.S., claims are made against online services companies by parties who disagree with the content. Where our online content is accessed on the internet outside of the U.S., challenges may be brought under foreign laws which do not provide the same protections for online services companies as in the U.S. These challenges in either U.S. or foreign jurisdictions may rise to legal claims alleging defamation, libel, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, or other theories based on the nature and content of the materials disseminated through the services. Certain of our services include content generated by users of our online services. Although this content is not generated by us, claims of defamation or other injury may be made against us for that content. Any costs incurred as a result of this potential liability may harm our business.
Our stock price may be volatile and your investment could lose value.
Our stock price is subject to changes in recommendations or earnings estimates by financial analysts, changes in investors' or analysts' valuation measures for our stock, our credit ratings and market trends unrelated to our performance. Furthermore, speculation in the press or investment community about our strategic position, financial condition, results of operations, business or security of our products, can cause changes in our stock price. These factors, as well as general economic and political conditions and the timing of announcements in the public market regarding new products, product enhancements or technological advances by our competitors or us, and any announcements by us of acquisitions, major transactions, or management changes may adversely affect our stock price. Further, any changes in the amounts or frequency of share repurchases or dividends may also adversely affect our stock price. A significant drop in our stock price could expose us to the risk of securities class actions lawsuits, which may result in substantial costs and divert management's attention and resources, which may adversely affect our business.
Our business depends on our strong reputation and the value of our brands.
Developing and maintaining awareness of our brands is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our existing and future products and services and is an important element in attracting new customers. Adverse publicity (whether or not justified) relating to events or activities attributed to us, our employees or agents may tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brands. Damage to our reputation and loss of brand equity may reduce demand for our products and services and thus have an adverse effect on our future financial results, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our reputation and restore the value of the brands.
25
ITEM 1B
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2
PROPERTIES
Our principal locations, their purposes and the expiration dates for the leases on facilities at those locations as of July 31, 2014 are shown in the table below. We have renewal options on many of our leases.
Location |
Purpose |
Approximate
Square
Feet
|
Principal
Lease
Expiration
Dates
|
|||
Mountain View and Menlo Park, California |
Corporate headquarters and principal offices for Small Business segment and Consumer Ecosystem business |
889,000 |
2024 - 2026 |
|||
San Diego, California |
Principal offices for Consumer Tax business |
466,000 |
2017 |
|||
Bangalore, India |
Principal offices for Intuit India |
359,000 |
2015 - 2022 |
|||
Quincy, Washington |
Primary data center |
240,000 |
Owned |
|||
Woodland Hills, California |
Principal offices for Small Business payment solutions business |
168,000 |
2018 |
|||
Plano, Texas |
Principal offices for Professional Tax segment and data center |
166,000 |
2026 |
We own buildings comprising approximately 192,000 square feet of the total square feet shown in the table above for our Mountain View and Menlo Park, California headquarters facility. We also lease or own facilities in a number of smaller domestic locations and internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, and several other locations. We believe our facilities are suitable and adequate for our current and near-term needs, and that we will be able to locate additional facilities as needed. See Note 9 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information about our lease commitments.
ITEM 3
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Intuit is subject to certain routine legal proceedings, as well as demands, claims and threatened litigation, that arise in the normal course of our business, including assertions that we may be infringing patents or other intellectual property rights of others. We currently believe that, in addition to any amounts accrued, the amount of potential losses, if any, for any pending claims of any type (either alone or combined) will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The ultimate outcome of any litigation is uncertain and, regardless of outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on Intuit because of defense costs, negative publicity, diversion of management resources and other factors. Our failure to obtain necessary license or other rights, or litigation arising out of intellectual property claims could adversely affect our business.
ITEM 4
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None.
26
PART II
ITEM 5
MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information for Common Stock
Intuit’s common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “INTU.” The following table shows the range of high and low sale prices reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market for the periods indicated. The closing price of Intuit’s common stock on August 29, 2014 was $83.18.
High |
Low |
||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2013 |
|||
First quarter |
$61.70 |
$57.09 |
|
Second quarter |
64.47 |
57.60 |
|
Third quarter |
68.41 |
55.54 |
|
Fourth quarter |
65.73 |
56.74 |
|
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2014 |
|||
First quarter |
$71.97 |
$61.50 |
|
Second quarter |
77.78 |
70.81 |
|
Third quarter |
82.40 |
69.02 |
|
Fourth quarter |
83.54 |
73.50 |
Stockholders
As of August 29, 2014 we had approximately 540 record holders and approximately 119,000 beneficial holders of our common stock.
Dividends
Prior to fiscal 2012, Intuit paid no cash dividends on its common stock. We declared and paid quarterly cash dividends that totaled $0.60 per share of outstanding common stock or $178 million during fiscal 2012; $0.68 per share of outstanding common stock or $203 million during fiscal 2013; and $0.76 per share of outstanding common stock or $220 million during fiscal 2014. In August 2014 our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share of outstanding common stock payable on October 20, 2014 to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 10, 2014. We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends on a quarterly basis in the future; however, future declarations of dividends and the establishment of future record dates and payment dates are subject to the final determination of our Board of Directors.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
27
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Stock repurchase activity during the three months ended July 31, 2014 was as follows:
Period |
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
|
Average
Price Paid
per Share
|
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
as Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans
|
Approximate
Dollar Value
of Shares
That May Yet
Be Purchased
Under
the Plans
|
||||||||
May 1, 2014 through May 31, 2014 |
882,343 |
$76.29 |
882,343 |
$1,955,231,114 |
||||||||
June 1, 2014 through June 30, 2014 |
1,077,843 |
$78.99 |
1,077,843 |
$1,870,088,800 |
||||||||
July 1, 2014 through July 31, 2014 |
— |
$— |
— |
$1,870,088,800 |
||||||||
Total |
1,960,186 |
$77.78 |
1,960,186 |
Note: All of the shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans during the three months ended July 31, 2014 were purchased under a plan we announced on August 19, 2013 under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $2 billion of our common stock from time to time over a four-year period ending on August 19, 2017. At July 31, 2014, authorization from our Board of Directors to expend up to $1.9 billion remained available under that plan.
28
Company Stock Price Performance
The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on Intuit common stock for the last five full fiscal years with the cumulative total returns on the S&P 500 Index and the Morgan Stanley Technology Index for the same period. The graph assumes that $100 was invested in Intuit common stock and in each of the other indices on July 31, 2009 and that all dividends were reinvested. Intuit did not pay cash dividends prior to fiscal 2012. The comparisons in the graph below are based on historical data – with Intuit common stock prices based on the closing price on the dates indicated – and are not intended to forecast the possible future performance of Intuit’s common stock.
July 31, 2009 |
July 31, 2010 |
July 31, 2011 |
July 31, 2012 |
July 31, 2013 |
July 31, 2014 |
||||||||||||||||||
Intuit Inc. |
$ |
100.00 |
$ |
133.84 |
$ |
157.24 |
$ |
197.53 |
$ |
220.00 |
$ |
285.04 |
|||||||||||
S&P 500 |
$ |
100.00 |
$ |
113.83 |
$ |
136.21 |
$ |
148.64 |
$ |
185.80 |
$ |
217.28 |
|||||||||||
Morgan Stanley Technology Index |
$ |
100.00 |
$ |
113.68 |
$ |
139.39 |
$ |
155.12 |
$ |
164.45 |
$ |
210.75 |
29
ITEM 6
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following tables show Intuit’s selected financial information for the past five fiscal years. The comparability of the information is affected by a variety of factors, including acquisitions and divestitures of businesses, issuance and repayment of long-term debt, share-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired technology and other acquired intangible assets, repurchases of common stock under our stock repurchase programs, and the payment of cash dividends.
In fiscal 2007 we issued $1 billion in senior notes and in fiscal 2012 we repaid $500 million of those notes when they became due using cash from operations. In fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2014 we acquired several companies, including PayCycle, Inc., Mint Software Inc., Demandforce, Inc., and Check Inc. We have included the results of operations for each of them in our consolidated results of operations from their respective dates of acquisition.
We sold our Intuit Real Estate Solutions business in fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2013 we completed the sale of our Intuit Websites business and in fiscal 2014 we completed the sales of our Intuit Financial Services and Intuit Health businesses. We accounted for all of these businesses as discontinued operations and have therefore reclassified our statements of operations for all periods presented below to reflect them as such. We have also reclassified our balance sheets for all periods presented below to reflect Intuit Financial Services as discontinued operations. The net assets of Intuit Real Estate Solutions, Intuit Websites, and Intuit Health were not significant, so we have not reclassified our balance sheets for any period presented below to reflect them as discontinued operations.
To better understand the information in these tables, investors should read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of this Annual Report, and the financial statements and related notes in Item 8 of this Annual Report, especially Note 7, “Discontinued Operations.”
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data |
Fiscal |
||||||||||||||||||
(In millions, except per share amounts) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
||||||||||||||
Total net revenue |
$ |
4,506 |
$ |
4,171 |
$ |
3,808 |
$ |
3,449 |
$ |
3,091 |
|||||||||
Total costs and expenses |
3,192 |
2,938 |
2,640 |
2,367 |
2,161 |
||||||||||||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
1,314 |
1,233 |
1,168 |
1,082 |
930 |
||||||||||||||
Total share-based compensation expense included in total costs and expenses |
204 |
184 |
159 |
144 |
126 |
||||||||||||||
Net income from continuing operations |
861 |
823 |
764 |
688 |
579 |
||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations |
46 |
35 |
28 |
(54 |
) |
(5 |
) |
||||||||||||
Net income |
907 |
858 |
792 |
634 |
574 |
||||||||||||||
Net income per common share: |
|||||||||||||||||||
Basic net income per share from continuing operations |
$ |
3.02 |
$ |
2.78 |
$ |
2.58 |
$ |
2.24 |
$ |
1.83 |
|||||||||
Basic net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.09 |
(0.18 |
) |
(0.01 |
) |
||||||||||||
Basic net income per share |
$ |
3.18 |
$ |
2.89 |
$ |
2.67 |
$ |
2.06 |
$ |
1.82 |
|||||||||
Diluted net income per share from continuing operations |
$ |
2.96 |
$ |
2.72 |
$ |
2.51 |
$ |
2.17 |
$ |
1.78 |
|||||||||
Diluted net income(loss) per share from discontinued operations |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.09 |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.01 |
) |
||||||||||||
Diluted net income per share |
$ |
3.12 |
$ |
2.83 |
$ |
2.60 |
$ |
2.00 |
$ |
1.77 |
|||||||||
Dividends declared per common share |
$ |
0.76 |
$ |
0.68 |
$ |
0.60 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
30
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data |
At July 31, |
||||||||||||||||||
(In millions) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
||||||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and investments |
$ |
1,914 |
$ |
1,661 |
$ |
744 |
$ |
1,421 |
$ |
1,622 |
|||||||||
Long-term investments |
31 |
83 |
75 |
63 |
91 |
||||||||||||||
Working capital |
1,200 |
1,116 |
258 |
449 |
1,074 |
||||||||||||||
Total assets |
5,201 |
5,486 |
4,684 |
5,110 |
5,198 |
||||||||||||||
Current portion of long-term debt |
— |
— |
— |
500 |
— |
||||||||||||||
Long-term debt |
499 |
499 |
499 |
499 |
998 |
||||||||||||||
Other long-term obligations |
203 |
167 |
166 |
175 |
143 |
||||||||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity |
3,078 |
3,531 |
2,744 |
2,616 |
2,821 |
ITEM 7
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) includes the following sections:
• |
Executive Overview that discusses at a high level our operating results and some of the trends that affect our business. |
• |
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates that we believe are important to understanding the assumptions and judgments underlying our financial statements. |
• |
Results of Operations that includes a more detailed discussion of our revenue and expenses. |
• |
Liquidity and Capital Resources which discusses key aspects of our statements of cash flows, changes in our balance sheets and our financial commitments. |
You should note that this MD&A discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Please see the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors” at the beginning of Item 1A for important information to consider when evaluating such statements.
You should read this MD&A in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes in Item 8 of this Annual Report. In fiscal 2014 we acquired Check Inc. and in fiscal 2012 we acquired Demandforce, Inc. We have included their results of operations in our consolidated results of operations from the dates of acquisition.
In fiscal 2013 we completed the sale of our Intuit Websites business and in fiscal 2014 we completed the sales of our Intuit Financial Services (IFS) and Intuit Health businesses. We accounted for all of these businesses as discontinued operations and have therefore reclassified our statements of operations for all periods presented to reflect them as such. We have also reclassified our balance sheets for all periods presented to reflect IFS as discontinued operations. The net assets of Intuit Websites and Intuit Health were not significant, so we have not reclassified our balance sheets for any period presented to reflect them as discontinued operations. Because the cash flows of our Intuit Websites, IFS, and Intuit Health discontinued operations were not material for any period presented, we have not segregated the cash flows of those businesses from continuing operations on our statements of cash flows. See “Results of Operations – Non-Operating Income and Expense – Discontinued Operations” later in this Item 7 for more information. Unless otherwise noted, the following discussion pertains to our continuing operations.
Executive Overview
This overview provides a high level discussion of our operating results and some of the trends that affect our business. We believe that an understanding of these trends is important in order to understand our financial results for fiscal 2014 as well as our future prospects. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to be a substitute for the detailed discussion and analysis provided elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
31
Industry Trends and Seasonality
The industry in which we operate is dynamic and highly competitive, and we expect it to remain so in the future. The markets for software and related services, especially highly-available connected services, are characterized by rapid technological change, shifting customer needs, and frequent new product introductions and enhancements. Competitive interest and expertise in many of the markets we serve have grown markedly over the past few years and we expect this trend to continue. There are also large, cloud-based service companies who innovate quickly and serve small businesses and consumers. While today our competition with such companies may be limited, as we and those companies grow, our competition with them may increase. In recent years the widespread availability of the Internet, the emergence of mobile devices, and the explosion of social media have accelerated the pace of change and revolutionized the way that people throughout the world manage important financial tasks. The result is a global market that is shifting from traditional services that are paper-based, human-produced, and brick-and-mortar bound, to one where people understand, demand, and embrace the benefits of connected services. This trend toward connected services is the primary driver of the strategies in all of our businesses.
Historically, our QuickBooks, Consumer Tax, and Professional Tax offerings have been highly seasonal. Revenue from our QuickBooks software products have tended to be highest during our second and third fiscal quarters. Sales of income tax preparation products and services are heavily concentrated from November through April. In our Consumer Tax business, a greater proportion of our revenue has shifted to later in this seasonal period due in part to the growth in sales of TurboTax Online, for which we recognize revenue when tax returns are printed or electronically filed. The seasonality of our Consumer Tax and Professional Tax revenue is also affected by the timing of the availability of tax forms from taxing agencies and the ability of those agencies to receive electronic tax return submissions. Delays in the availability of tax forms or the ability of taxing agencies to receive submissions can cause revenue to shift between our fiscal quarters. These seasonal patterns mean that our total net revenue is usually highest during our second quarter ending January 31 and third quarter ending April 30. We typically report losses in our first quarter ending October 31 and fourth quarter ending July 31. During these quarters, revenue from our tax businesses is minimal while core operating expenses such as research and development continue at relatively consistent levels.
In August 2014 we announced that we will begin delivering ongoing releases for our future desktop offerings in order to improve the product experience, accommodate operating system updates, and provide access to connected services. We believe that providing more frequent releases will create a better experience for customers who choose our desktop offerings, as well as a more seamless transition to our online offerings in the future. This decision will affect the timing of revenue recognition for future sales of our QuickBooks and Quicken desktop products, where revenue will be recognized over approximately three years, and our Professional Tax solutions, where more revenue will be recognized later in the tax year. As a result of this decision, in fiscal 2015 we expect to defer approximately $400 million in revenue to future periods. We expect the seasonality of our Small Business and Professional Tax offerings to be partially mitigated by this change beginning in fiscal 2015.
Key Challenges and Risks
Our growth strategy depends upon our ability to initiate and embrace disruptive technology trends, to enter new markets, and to drive broad adoption of the products and services we develop and market. Our future growth also increasingly depends on the strength of our third-party business relationships and our ability to continue to develop, maintain and strengthen new and existing relationships. To remain competitive and continue to grow, we are investing significant resources in our product development, marketing, and sales capabilities, and we expect to continue to do so in the future.
As we continue transitioning to offer more connected services, the ongoing operation and availability of our information technology and communication systems and those of our external service providers is becoming increasingly important. Because we help customers manage their financial lives, we face risks associated with the hosting, collection, use and retention of personal customer information and data. We are investing significant management attention and resources in our information technology infrastructure and in our privacy and security capabilities, and we expect to continue to do so in the future.
For a complete discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties affecting our business, please see “Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Report.
Overview of Financial Results
The most important financial indicators that we use to assess our business are revenue growth for the company as a whole, for each reportable segment, and for product lines within each reportable segment; operating income growth and operating income margins for the company as a whole and for each reportable segment; earnings per share; and cash flow from operations. We also track certain non-financial drivers of revenue growth and, when material, identify them in the applicable discussions of segment results below. These non-financial drivers include, for example, customer growth and retention for all of our
32
businesses, annualized recurring revenue (ARR) for our Small Business Online Ecosystem, and transaction volume for our payment processing business. We define ARR as four times the most recent fiscal quarter revenue for our online small business offerings, including QuickBooks Online, online payroll, online payments, Demandforce, and QuickBase. Total credit and debit card transaction volume correlates strongly with the macroeconomic environment and is one of the key drivers of revenue growth in our payment processing business. Customers for our connected services offerings have generally grown faster than those for our traditional desktop software offerings, reflecting our strategic focus on connected services over the past few years. Connected services generated $3.0 billion or 66% of our total revenue in fiscal 2014, compared with 50% of our total revenue six years ago. We expect connected services revenue as a percentage of our total revenue to continue to grow in the future.
Total net revenue for fiscal 2014 was $4.5 billion, an increase of 8% compared with fiscal 2013. Our Small Business and Consumer segments were the key drivers of revenue growth. Revenue in our Small Business segment increased 10% compared with fiscal 2013 due to growth in connected services offerings. Revenue in our Consumer segment increased 7% compared with fiscal 2013 due to 10% growth in paid federal TurboTax units, partially offset by changes in product mix.
Operating income from continuing operations increased 7% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to higher revenue partially offset by higher costs and expenses. Operating expenses were higher due to increases in staffing expenses and, to a lesser extent, to increases in expenses for marketing programs and share-based compensation. Net income from continuing operations increased 5% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to the increase in operating income and a gain on the sale of an equity investment, partially offset by a higher effective tax rate in the fiscal 2014 period. Diluted net income per share from continuing operations for fiscal 2014 increased 9% to $2.96 as a result of the increase in net income and the decline in weighted average diluted common shares compared with fiscal 2013.
We ended fiscal 2014 with cash, cash equivalents and investments totaling $1.9 billion. In fiscal 2014 we generated cash from operations, from the sale of our Intuit Financial Services business and, to a lesser extent, from the issuance of common stock under employee stock plans. During the same period we used cash for the repurchase of shares of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, acquisitions of businesses, the payment of cash dividends, and capital expenditures. At July 31, 2014, we had authorization from our Board of Directors to expend up to an additional $1.9 billion for stock repurchases through August 19, 2017.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In preparing our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we are required to make estimates, assumptions, and judgments that can have a significant impact on our net revenue, operating income or loss and net income or loss, as well as on the value of certain assets and liabilities on our balance sheet. We believe that the estimates, assumptions, and judgments involved in the following accounting policies have the greatest potential impact on our consolidated financial statements, so we consider these to be our critical accounting policies:
• |
Revenue Recognition |
• |
Business Combinations |
• |
Goodwill, Acquired Intangible Assets, and Other Long-Lived Assets – Impairment Assessments |
• |
Accounting for Share-Based Compensation Plans |
• |
Legal Contingencies |
• |
Accounting for Income Taxes – Estimates of Deferred Taxes, Valuation Allowances, and Uncertain Tax Positions
|
Our senior management has reviewed the development and selection of these critical accounting policies and their disclosure in this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Audit and Risk Committee of our Board of Directors.
Revenue Recognition
We derive revenue from the sale of software subscriptions, hosted services, packaged software products, financial supplies, technical support plans, transaction fees, merchant services hardware, and multiple element arrangements that may include a combination of these items. We follow the appropriate revenue recognition rules for each type of revenue. For additional information, see “Revenue Recognition” in Note 1 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report. We generally recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, we have delivered the product or performed the service, the fee is fixed or determinable and collectibility is probable. However, determining whether and when some of these criteria have been satisfied often involves exercising judgment and using estimates that can have a significant impact on the timing and
33
amount of revenue we report. For example, for multiple element arrangements containing only software and software-related elements, we must exercise judgment and use estimates in order to (1) allocate the total price among the various elements we must deliver; (2) determine whether undelivered services are essential to the functionality of the delivered products and services; (3) determine whether vendor-specific evidence of fair value exists for each undelivered element; and (4) determine whether and when each element has been delivered. For multiple element arrangements containing non-software elements, we must exercise judgment and use estimates in order to (1) determine whether and when each element has been delivered; (2) determine the fair value of each element using the selling price hierarchy of vendor-specific evidence (VSOE) of fair value if available, third-party evidence (TPE) if VSOE is not available, and estimated selling price (ESP) if neither VSOE nor TPE is available; and (3) allocate the total price among the various elements based on the relative selling price method. If we were to change any of these judgments or estimates, it could cause a material increase or decrease in the amount of revenue that we report in a particular period. Amounts for fees collected or invoiced and due relating to arrangements where revenue cannot be recognized are reflected on our balance sheet as deferred revenue and recognized when the applicable revenue recognition criteria are satisfied.
In connection with the sale of certain products, we provide a limited amount of free technical support assistance to customers. We do not defer the recognition of any revenue associated with sales of these products since the cost of providing this free technical support is insignificant. The technical support is generally provided within one year after the associated revenue is recognized and free product enhancements are minimal and infrequent. We accrue the estimated cost of providing this free support upon product shipment.
Business Combinations
As described in “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Business Combinations,” in Note 1 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report, under the acquisition method of accounting we generally recognize the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interests in an acquiree at their fair values as of the date of acquisition. We measure goodwill as the excess of consideration transferred, which we also measure at fair value, over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The acquisition method of accounting requires us to exercise judgment and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding the fair values of the elements of a business combination as of the date of acquisition, including the fair values of identifiable intangible assets, deferred tax asset valuation allowances, liabilities related to uncertain tax positions, and contingencies. This method also requires us to refine these estimates over a one-year measurement period to reflect new information obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have affected the measurement of the amounts recognized as of that date. If we are required to retroactively adjust provisional amounts that we have recorded for the fair values of assets and liabilities in connection with acquisitions, these adjustments could materially decrease our operating income and net income and result in lower asset values on our balance sheet.
Significant estimates and assumptions that we must make in estimating the fair value of acquired technology, customer lists, and other identifiable intangible assets include future cash flows that we expect to generate from the acquired assets. If the subsequent actual results and updated projections of the underlying business activity change compared with the assumptions and projections used to develop these values, we could record impairment charges. In addition, we have estimated the economic lives of certain acquired assets and these lives are used to calculate depreciation and amortization expense. If our estimates of the economic lives change, depreciation or amortization expenses could be accelerated or slowed.
Goodwill, Acquired Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets – Impairment Assessments
We estimate the fair value of acquired intangible assets and other long-lived assets that have finite useful lives whenever an event or change in circumstances indicates that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. We test for potential impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives annually in our fourth fiscal quarter or whenever indicators of impairment arise. The timing of the annual test may result in charges to our statement of operations in our fourth fiscal quarter that could not have been reasonably foreseen in prior periods.
As described in “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Goodwill, Acquired Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets,” in Note 1 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report, in order to estimate the fair value of goodwill we use a weighted combination of a discounted cash flow model (known as the income approach) and comparisons to publicly traded companies engaged in similar businesses (known as the market approach). The income approach requires us to use a number of assumptions, including market factors specific to the business, the amount and timing of estimated future cash flows to be generated by the business over an extended period of time, long-term growth rates for the business, and a rate of return that considers the relative risk of achieving the cash flows and the time value of money. We evaluate cash flows at the reporting unit level. Although the assumptions we use in our discounted cash flow model are
34
consistent with the assumptions we use to generate our internal strategic plans and forecasts, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of future cash flows from each reporting unit and the relative risk of achieving those cash flows. When using the market approach, we make judgments about the comparability of publicly traded companies engaged in similar businesses. We base our judgments on factors such as size, growth rates, profitability, risk, and return on investment. We also make judgments when adjusting market multiples of revenue, operating income, and earnings for these companies to reflect their relative similarity to our own businesses. We had a total of $1.6 billion in goodwill on our balance sheet at July 31, 2014. See Note 5 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for a summary of goodwill by reportable segment.
We estimate the recoverability of acquired intangible assets and other long-lived assets that have finite useful lives by comparing the carrying amount of the asset to the future undiscounted cash flows that we expect the asset to generate. In order to estimate the fair value of those assets, we estimate the present value of future cash flows from those assets. The key assumptions that we use in our discounted cash flow model are the amount and timing of estimated future cash flows to be generated by the asset over an extended period of time and a rate of return that considers the relative risk of achieving the cash flows and the time value of money. Significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of future cash flows and the relative risk of achieving those cash flows. We also make judgments about the remaining useful lives of acquired intangible assets and other long-lived assets that have finite lives. We had a total of $199 million in net acquired intangible assets on our balance sheet at July 31, 2014.
Assumptions and estimates about future values and remaining useful lives are complex and often subjective. They can be affected by a variety of factors, including external factors such as industry and economic trends, and internal factors such as changes in our business strategy and our internal forecasts. For example, if our future operating results do not meet current forecasts or if we experience a sustained decline in our market capitalization that is determined to be indicative of a reduction in fair value of one or more of our reporting units, we may be required to record future impairment charges for goodwill and acquired intangible assets. Impairment charges could materially decrease our future net income and result in lower asset values on our balance sheet.
During the fourth quarters of fiscal 2014, fiscal 2013, and fiscal 2012 we performed our annual goodwill impairment tests. Using the methodology described in “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Goodwill, Acquired Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets,” in Note 1 to the financial statements in Part 8 of this Annual Report, we determined that the estimated fair values of all of our reporting units exceeded their carrying values and that they were not impaired. In addition, during this analysis we concluded that the estimated fair values of all of our reporting units substantially exceeded their carrying values.
In March 2013 the largest customer for our Intuit Health business acquired a company that offered similar solutions and competed with us directly in that market space. As a result, we performed an interim impairment test of goodwill and acquired intangible assets during the third quarter of fiscal 2013. We concluded that the carrying amounts of goodwill and certain definite-lived acquired intangible assets associated with our Intuit Health business were impaired and recorded an impairment charge of approximately $46 million that reduced the carrying value of those assets to zero. See “Fair Value Measurements – Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis,” in Note 2 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 management approved a plan to sell our Intuit Health business and we accounted for it as discontinued operations. In the first quarter of fiscal 2014 we completed the sale for cash consideration that was not significant. Intuit Health was part of our former Other Businesses reportable segment.
Accounting for Share-Based Compensation Plans
At July 31, 2014, there was $455 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested share-based compensation arrangements granted under all equity compensation plans which we will amortize to expense in the future. Total unrecognized compensation cost will be adjusted for future changes in estimated forfeitures. We expect to recognize that cost over a weighted average vesting period of 2.4 years.
We use a lattice binomial model and the assumptions described in Note 11 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report to estimate the fair value of stock options granted. We estimate the expected term of options granted based on implied exercise patterns using a binomial model. We estimate the volatility of our common stock at the date of grant based on the implied volatility of publicly traded one-year and two-year options on our common stock. Our decision to use implied volatility is based upon the availability of actively traded options on our common stock and our assessment that implied volatility is more representative of future stock price trends than historical volatility. We base the risk-free interest rate that we use in our option valuation model on the implied yield in effect at the time of option grant on constant maturity U.S. Treasury issues with equivalent remaining terms. We use an annualized expected dividend yield in our option valuation model. We estimate forfeitures at the time of grant and revise those estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
35
We use historical data to estimate pre-vesting option forfeitures and record share-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest. We amortize the fair value of options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods of the awards, which are generally the vesting periods. We may elect to use different assumptions under our option valuation model in the future, which could materially affect our net income or loss and net income or loss per share.
Restricted stock units (RSUs) granted typically vest based on continued service. We value these time-based RSUs at the date of grant using the intrinsic value method, adjusted for estimated forfeitures. We amortize the fair value of time-based RSUs on a straight-line basis adjusted for estimated forfeitures over the service period. Certain RSUs granted to senior management vest based on the achievement of pre-established performance or market goals. We estimate the fair value of performance-based RSUs at the date of grant using the intrinsic value method and the probability that the specified performance criteria will be met, adjusted for estimated forfeitures. Each quarter we update our assessment of the probability that the specified performance criteria will be achieved and adjust our estimate of the fair value of the performance-based RSUs if necessary. We amortize the fair values of performance-based RSUs over the requisite service period adjusted for estimated forfeitures for each separately vesting tranche of the award. We estimate the fair value of market-based RSUs at the date of grant using a Monte Carlo valuation methodology and amortize those fair values over the requisite service period adjusted for estimated forfeitures for each separately vesting tranche of the award. The Monte Carlo methodology that we use to estimate the fair value of market-based RSUs at the date of grant incorporates into the valuation the possibility that the market condition may not be satisfied. Provided that the requisite service is rendered, the total fair value of the market-based RSUs at the date of grant must be recognized as compensation expense even if the market condition is not achieved. However, the number of shares that ultimately vest can vary significantly with the performance of the specified market criteria. All of the RSUs we grant have dividend rights that are subject to the same vesting requirements as the underlying equity awards, so we do not adjust the intrinsic (market) value of our RSUs for dividends. See Note 11 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Legal Contingencies
We are subject to certain legal proceedings, as well as demands, claims and threatened litigation that arise in the normal course of our business. We review the status of each significant matter quarterly and assess our potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we record a liability and an expense for the estimated loss. If we determine that a loss is possible and the range of the loss can be reasonably determined, then we disclose the range of the possible loss. Significant judgment is required in the determination of whether a potential loss is probable, reasonably possible, or remote as well as in the determination of whether a potential exposure is reasonably estimable. Our accruals are based on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to our pending claims and litigation and may revise our estimates. Potential legal liabilities and the revision of estimates of potential legal liabilities could have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations.
Accounting for Income Taxes – Estimates of Deferred Taxes, Valuation Allowances, and Uncertain Tax Positions
We estimate our income taxes based on the various jurisdictions where we conduct business. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide income tax provision. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax rules and the potential for future adjustment of our uncertain tax positions by the United States Internal Revenue Service or other taxing jurisdictions. We estimate our current tax liability and assess temporary differences that result from differing treatments of certain items for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which we show on our balance sheet. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be realized. To the extent we believe that realization is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance. When we establish a valuation allowance or increase this allowance in an accounting period, we record a corresponding tax expense in our statement of operations.
At July 31, 2014, we had net deferred tax assets of $72 million which included a valuation allowance of $24 million for loss and tax credit carryforwards related to state tax credits, state capital and operating losses, and foreign losses. We recorded the valuation allowance to reflect uncertainties about whether we will be able to utilize some of our deferred tax assets before they expire. While we believe our current valuation allowance is sufficient, we could in the future be required to increase the valuation allowance to take into account additional deferred tax assets that we may be unable to realize. We assess the need for an adjustment to the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The assessment is based on our estimates of future sources of taxable income for the jurisdictions in which we operate and the periods over which our deferred tax assets will be realizable. See Note 10 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
36
We recognize and measure benefits for uncertain tax positions using a two-step approach. The first step is to evaluate the tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained upon audit, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. For tax positions that are more likely than not of being sustained upon audit, the second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. Significant judgment is required to evaluate uncertain tax positions. We evaluate our uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. Our evaluations are based upon a number of factors, including changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, correspondence with tax authorities during the course of audits and effective settlement of audit issues. Changes in the recognition or measurement of uncertain tax positions could result in material increases or decreases in our income tax expense in the period in which we make the change, which could have a material impact on our effective tax rate and operating results.
Results of Operations
Financial Overview
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) |
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
2014-2013
% Change
|
2013-2012
% Change
|
||||||||||||
Total net revenue |
$4,506 |
$4,171 |
$3,808 |
8 |
% |
10 |
% |
||||||||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
1,314 |
1,233 |
1,168 |
7 |
% |
6 |
% |
||||||||||
Net income from continuing operations |
861 |
823 |
764 |
5 |
% |
8 |
% |
||||||||||
Diluted net income per share from continuing operations |
$2.96 |
$2.72 |
$2.51 |
9 |
% |
8 |
% |
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Total net revenue increased $335 million or 8% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013, driven by revenue growth in our Small Business and Consumer segments. Revenue in our Small Business segment was up 10%. Continued growth in revenue for QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, and QuickBooks Plus subscription offerings was partially offset by lower QuickBooks desktop license revenue. Revenue growth for our small business payroll solutions was driven by 25% growth in online payroll subscribers and price increases for desktop payroll customers. Revenue in our Consumer segment increased 7% due to 10% growth in paid federal TurboTax units, partially offset by changes in product mix. Revenue in our Professional Tax segment revenue increased 4% due to price increases and new customer growth for our higher-priced offerings.
Operating income from continuing operations increased 7% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to the increase in revenue described above partially offset by higher costs and operating expenses. Total operating expenses were $163 million higher in the fiscal 2014 period, including about $134 million for higher staffing expenses, about $22 million for higher marketing program expenses, and about $18 million for higher share-based compensation expenses. See “Cost of Revenue” and “Operating Expenses” later in this Item 7 for more information.
Net income from continuing operations increased 5% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to the increase in operating income and a $21 million gain on the sale of an equity investment, partially offset by a higher effective tax rate in the fiscal 2014 period. See “Non-Operating Income and Expenses – Income Taxes” later in this Item 7 for more information. Diluted net income per share from continuing operations for fiscal 2014 increased 9% to $2.96 as a result of the increase in net income and the decline in weighted average diluted common shares compared with fiscal 2013.
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Total net revenue increased $363 million or 10% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012, driven by revenue growth in our Small Business and Consumer segments. Revenue in our Small Business segment was up 16%, or 12% excluding revenue from Demandforce, which we acquired in May 2012. Higher organic revenue in this segment was driven by continuing growth in QuickBooks Online, small business payroll, and small business payments revenue. In our Consumer segment, revenue increased 4% due to 4% growth in paid federal TurboTax units. Revenue in our Professional Tax segment increased 5% due to customer growth and price increases.
Operating income from continuing operations increased 6% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to the increase in revenue described above partially offset by higher costs and operating expenses. Total operating expenses were $306 million
37
higher in the fiscal 2013 period, including about $100 million for higher staffing expenses, about $60 million for higher advertising and other marketing program expenses, and about $23 million for higher share-based compensation expenses. See “Cost of Revenue” and “Operating Expenses” later in this Item 7 for more information.
Net income from continuing operations increased 8% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to higher operating income and lower interest expense due to the repayment of debt in March 2012. Diluted net income per share from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 increased 8% to $2.72, in line with the increase in net income compared with fiscal 2012.
Segment Results
The information below is organized in accordance with our three reportable segments. All of our segments operate primarily in the United States and sell primarily to customers in the United States. International total net revenue was approximately 5% of consolidated total net revenue for all periods presented.
Segment operating income is segment net revenue less segment cost of revenue and operating expenses. Segment expenses do not include certain costs, such as corporate selling and marketing, product development, and general and administrative expenses and share-based compensation expenses, which are not allocated to specific segments. These unallocated costs totaled $890 million in fiscal 2014, $809 million in fiscal 2013, and $724 million in fiscal 2012. Unallocated costs increased in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 and in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to increases in corporate product development and selling and marketing expenses in support of the growth of our businesses and to a lesser extent due to increases in share-based compensation expenses. Segment expenses also do not include amortization of acquired technology, amortization of other acquired intangible assets, and goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges. See Note 14 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for reconciliations of total segment operating income to consolidated operating income from continuing operations for each fiscal year presented.
We calculate revenue growth rates and segment operating margin figures using dollars in thousands. Those results may vary slightly from figures calculated using the dollars in millions presented.
Small Business
(Dollars in millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
2014-2013
% Change
|
2013-2012
% Change
|
||||||||||||
Product revenue |
$ |
851 |
$ |
849 |
$ |
811 |
|||||||||||
Service and other revenue |
1,402 |
1,208 |
968 |
||||||||||||||
Total segment revenue |
$ |
2,253 |
$ |
2,057 |
$ |
1,779 |
10 |
% |
16 |
% |
|||||||
% of total revenue |
50 |
% |
49 |
% |
47 |
% |
|||||||||||
Segment operating income |
$ |
843 |
$ |
800 |
$ |
712 |
5 |
% |
13 |
% |
|||||||
% of related revenue |
37 |
% |
39 |
% |
40 |
% |
Service and other revenue in our Small Business segment is derived primarily from QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Online Accountant, our hosted financial and business management offerings; QuickBooks Pro Plus, QuickBooks Premier Plus, and QuickBooks Accountant Plus, our subscription offerings; QuickBooks technical support plans; small business payroll services, including Quickbooks Online Payroll, Intuit Online Payroll, Intuit Full Service Payroll, and QuickBooks Assisted Payroll; payment processing services for small businesses; Demandforce; and QuickBase. Product revenue in our Small Business segment is derived primarily from QuickBooks desktop software products, including QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, QuickBooks Accountant, and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions; QuickBooks Basic Payroll and QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll; QuickBooks Point of Sale solutions; ProAdvisor Program subscriptions for the accounting professionals who serve small businesses; and financial supplies.
As part of our connected services strategy, over the past several quarters we have been focusing Small Business segment resources on the enhancement and marketing of our QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks desktop subscription offerings. As a result, QuickBooks desktop license units and revenue have been declining as more customers choose our hosted and subscription offerings and we expect this trend to continue. In our payments business we have recently begun focusing resources on core offerings for QuickBooks merchants in support of our small business ecosystem approach. Over the next few quarters we anticipate declining revenue for certain non-QuickBooks payments offerings that may slow overall revenue growth in our payments business.
38
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Small Business segment total net revenue increased $196 million or 10% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013. Customer acquisition in our Small Business Online Ecosystem continued to drive Small Business segment revenue growth in fiscal 2014. QuickBooks Online customers grew 40%, online payroll customers grew 25%, and active online payments customers grew 4%. Online payments charge volume was 24% higher in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013. Annualized recurring revenue (ARR) for our Small Business Online Ecosystem grew 34% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013. In our Small Business Desktop Ecosystem, revenue from QuickBooks desktop software licenses declined 9% on 10% lower unit sales while revenue from QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions grew 25% and revenue from QuickBooks Plus subscriptions grew 16% in fiscal 2014. Revenue for certain non-core payments offerings was lower in fiscal 2014.
Small Business segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue decreased in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013. The increase in segment revenue described above was partially offset by $73 million in higher staffing expenses due to an increase in headcount and $35 million in higher advertising and other marketing program expenses.
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Small Business segment total net revenue increased $278 million or 16% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012. When adjusted to exclude revenue from Demandforce, which we acquired in May 2012, Small Business segment revenue was 12% higher in fiscal 2013. Customer acquisition in our Small Business Online Ecosystem drove organic Small Business segment revenue growth in fiscal 2013. QuickBooks Online customers grew 28%, online payroll customers grew 18%, and active online payments customers grew 21%. Online payments charge volume was 37% higher in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012. In our Small Business Desktop Ecosystem, revenue from QuickBooks desktop software licenses was flat on 6% lower unit sales while revenue from QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions grew 10% and revenue from QuickBooks Plus subscriptions more than doubled in fiscal 2013.
Small Business segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue decreased slightly in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012. The increase in segment revenue described above was partially offset by higher segment costs and expenses that included costs and expenses for Demandforce. Fiscal 2013 staffing expenses were about $100 million higher, driven by an increase in headcount. Advertising and other marketing program expenses also increased.
Consumer
(Dollars in millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
2014-2013
% Change
|
2013-2012
% Change
|
||||||||||||
Product revenue |
$ |
309 |
$ |
324 |
$ |
334 |
|||||||||||
Service and other revenue |
1,522 |
1,384 |
1,307 |
||||||||||||||
Total segment revenue |
$ |
1,831 |
$ |
1,708 |
$ |
1,641 |
7 |
% |
4 |
% |
|||||||
% of total revenue |
41 |
% |
41 |
% |
43 |
% |
|||||||||||
Segment operating income |
$ |
1,139 |
$ |
1,035 |
$ |
965 |
10 |
% |
7 |
% |
|||||||
% of related revenue |
62 |
% |
61 |
% |
59 |
% |
Our Consumer segment includes our Consumer Tax and Consumer Ecosystem product lines. Consumer Tax service and other revenue is derived primarily from TurboTax Online tax return preparation services and electronic tax filing services.
Consumer Tax product revenue is derived primarily from TurboTax desktop tax return preparation software. Consumer Ecosystem product revenue is derived primarily from Quicken desktop personal finance software products. Consumer Ecosystem service and other revenue is derived primarily from mobile and online consumer finance offerings as well as from online lead generation fees from our Mint personal finance offerings.
39
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Consumer segment total net revenue increased $123 million or 7% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to 10% growth in paid federal TurboTax units, partially offset by changes in product mix. Online federal units represented approximately 80% of total federal TurboTax units for the 2013 tax season, up from approximately 78% for the 2012 tax season.
Consumer segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue increased slightly in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to the higher revenue described above and lower expenses for advertising and other marketing programs in fiscal 2014.
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Consumer segment total net revenue increased $67 million or 4% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to 4% growth in paid federal TurboTax units. Online federal units represented approximately 78% of total federal TurboTax units for the 2012 tax season, up slightly from approximately 77% for the 2011 tax season.
Consumer segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue increased in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to the higher revenue described above partially offset by slightly higher costs and expenses. Higher expenses for advertising and other marketing programs were nearly offset by lower costs for refund debit card processing and data center hosting costs in our Consumer Tax business. Debit card processing costs were lower because we offered that program through a partner in fiscal 2013 rather than managing it internally, as we did in fiscal 2012.
Professional Tax
(Dollars in millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
2014-2013
% Change
|
2013-2012
% Change
|
||||||||||||
Product revenue |
$ |
362 |
$ |
342 |
$ |
334 |
|||||||||||
Service and other revenue |
60 |
64 |
54 |
||||||||||||||
Total segment revenue |
$ |
422 |
$ |
406 |
$ |
388 |
4 |
% |
5 |
% |
|||||||
% of total revenue |
9 |
% |
10 |
% |
10 |
% |
|||||||||||
Segment operating income |
$ |
268 |
$ |
260 |
$ |
248 |
4 |
% |
4 |
% |
|||||||
% of related revenue |
64 |
% |
64 |
% |
64 |
% |
Professional Tax segment product revenue is derived primarily from ProSeries and Lacerte professional tax preparation software products. Professional Tax service and other revenue is derived primarily from Intuit Tax Online tax return preparation services, electronic tax filing services, bank product transmission services, and training services.
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Professional Tax segment total net revenue increased $16 million or 4% in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to price increases and new customer growth for our higher-priced offerings.
Professional Tax segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue was flat in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 because costs and expenses grew in proportion to revenue.
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Professional Tax segment total net revenue increased $18 million or 5% in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to customer growth and price increases.
Professional Tax segment operating income as a percentage of related revenue was flat in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 because costs and expenses grew in proportion to revenue.
40
Cost of Revenue
(Dollars in millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
% of
Related
Revenue
|
Fiscal
2013
|
% of
Related
Revenue
|
Fiscal
2012
|
% of
Related
Revenue
|
||||||||||||||
Cost of product revenue |
$ |
141 |
9 |
% |
$ |
130 |
9 |
% |
$ |
146 |
10 |
% |
||||||||
Cost of service and other revenue |
501 |
17 |
% |
429 |
16 |
% |
429 |
18 |
% |
|||||||||||
Amortization of acquired technology |
26 |
n/a |
18 |
n/a |
10 |
n/a |
||||||||||||||
Total cost of revenue |
$ |
668 |
15 |
% |
$ |
577 |
14 |
% |
$ |
585 |
15 |
% |
Our cost of revenue has three components: (1) cost of product revenue, which includes the direct costs of manufacturing and shipping or electronically downloading our desktop software products; (2) cost of service and other revenue, which reflects direct costs associated with providing services, including data center costs related to delivering online services; and (3) amortization of acquired technology, which represents the cost of amortizing developed technologies that we have obtained through acquisitions over their useful lives.
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Cost of service and other revenue as a percentage of service and other revenue increased slightly in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013 due to higher customer care costs in our payments business, partially offset by growth in our TurboTax Online, QuickBooks Online, and online payroll offerings. Online revenues have relatively lower costs of revenue compared with our other service offerings.
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Cost of product revenue as a percentage of product revenue decreased slightly in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to favorable product mix. Cost of service and other revenue as a percentage of service and other revenue decreased in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012 due to growth in our TurboTax Online, QuickBooks Online, and online payroll offerings and to lower refund debit card processing and data center hosting costs. Online revenues have relatively lower costs of revenue compared with our other service offerings.
Operating Expenses
(Dollars in millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
% of
Total
Net
Revenue
|
Fiscal
2013
|
% of
Total
Net
Revenue
|
Fiscal
2012
|
% of
Total
Net
Revenue
|
||||||||||||||
Selling and marketing |
$ |
1,281 |
29 |
% |
$ |
1,219 |
29 |
% |
$ |
1,033 |
27 |
% |
||||||||
Research and development |
758 |
17 |
% |
685 |
17 |
% |
618 |
16 |
% |
|||||||||||
General and administrative |
465 |
10 |
% |
422 |
10 |
% |
381 |
10 |
% |
|||||||||||
Amortization of other purchased intangible assets |
20 |
— |
% |
35 |
1 |
% |
23 |
1 |
% |
|||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
$ |
2,524 |
56 |
% |
$ |
2,361 |
57 |
% |
$ |
2,055 |
54 |
% |
Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013
Total operating expenses as a percentage of total net revenue decreased slightly to 56% in fiscal 2014 from 57% in fiscal 2013. Revenue grew $335 million and total operating expenses increased $163 million in fiscal 2014. Operating expenses increased about $134 million for staffing expenses associated with higher headcount, about $22 million for marketing programs in our QuickBooks and Consumer Tax businesses, and about $18 million for share-based compensation expenses. Share-based compensation expenses have been increasing over time because the market price of our common stock has generally been increasing and because our grants have been transitioning away from stock options and toward restricted stock units, which have a higher grant date fair value than stock options.
41
Fiscal 2013 Compared with Fiscal 2012
Total operating expenses as a percentage of total net revenue increased to 57% in fiscal 2013 from 54% in fiscal 2012. Revenue grew $363 million and total operating expenses increased $306 million in fiscal 2013. The increase in operating expenses included the addition of operating expenses for Demandforce, which we acquired in May 2012. Operating expenses increased about $100 million for staffing expenses associated with higher headcount, about $60 million for advertising and other marketing programs in our QuickBooks and Consumer Tax businesses, and about $23 million for higher share-based compensation expenses. Share-based compensation expenses have been increasing over time because the market price of our common stock has generally been increasing and because our grants have been transitioning away from stock options and toward restricted stock units, which have a higher grant date fair value than stock options.
Non-Operating Income and Expenses
Interest Expense
In March 2007 we issued five-year and ten-year senior unsecured notes totaling $1 billion. In March 2012 we repaid $500 million of those senior notes when they became due using cash from operations. Interest expense of $31 million in fiscal 2014, $30 million in fiscal 2013, and $50 million in fiscal 2012 consisted primarily of interest on these senior notes. See Note 9 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Interest and Other Income
(In millions) |
Fiscal
2014
|
Fiscal
2013
|
Fiscal
2012
|
||||||||
Interest income |
$ |
6 |
$ |
3 |
$ |
9 |
|||||
Net gains on executive deferred compensation plan assets |
6 |
7 |
— |
||||||||
Gain on sale of available-for-sale equity security |
21 |
— |
— |
||||||||
Gain on disposition of stock warrants |
— |
— |
10 |
||||||||
Other |
(2 |
) |
(3 |
) |
1 |
||||||
Total interest and other income, net |
$ |
31 |
$ |
7 |
$ |
20 |
Interest and other income, net consists primarily of interest income and net gains and losses on executive deferred compensation plan assets. Higher average invested balances and slightly higher average interest rates resulted in higher interest income in fiscal 2014 compared with fiscal 2013. Lower average interest rates and stable average invested balances resulted in lower interest income in fiscal 2013 compared with fiscal 2012. In accordance with authoritative guidance, we record gains and losses associated with executive deferred compensation plan assets in interest and other income and gains and losses associated with the related liabilities in operating expenses. The total amounts recorded in operating expenses for each period are approximately equal to the total amounts recorded in interest and other income in those periods.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 we sold our available-for-sale equity security for $26 million and recorded the gain of $21 million in interest and other income on our statement of operations. See Note 3 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
In connection with our acquisition of Digital Insight Corporation in fiscal 2007, we acquired stock warrants for a privately held company. During fiscal 2012 that company was acquired and we recorded a gain of approximately $10 million on the disposition of the warrants in interest and other income on our statement of operations.
Income Taxes
Effective Tax Rate
Our effective tax rates for fiscal 2014, fiscal 2013, and fiscal 2012 were approximately 34%, 32%, and 33%. The differences between these rates and the federal statutory rate of 35% were primarily related to the tax benefit received from the domestic production activities deduction and the federal research and experimentation credit, partially offset by state income taxes. See Note 10 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information about our effective tax rates.
42
Net Deferred Tax Assets
At July 31, 2014, we had net deferred tax assets of $72 million which included a valuation allowance of $24 million for loss and tax credit carryforwards related state tax credits, state capital and operating losses, and foreign losses. We recorded the valuation allowance to reflect uncertainties about whether we will be able to utilize some of our deferred tax assets before they expire. While we believe our current valuation allowance is sufficient, we could in the future be required to increase the valuation allowance to take into account additional deferred tax assets that we may be unable to realize. We assess the need for an adjustment to the valuation allowance on a quarterly basis. The assessment is based on our estimates of future sources of taxable income for the jurisdictions in which we operate and the periods over which our deferred tax assets will be realizable. See Note 10 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
We provide U.S. federal income taxes on the earnings of foreign subsidiaries unless the subsidiaries' earnings are intended to be indefinitely reinvested in our international operations. To the extent that foreign earnings previously treated as indefinitely reinvested are repatriated, the related U.S. tax liability may, subject to certain limitations, be reduced by any foreign income taxes paid on these earnings. At July 31, 2014, the cumulative amount of earnings upon which U.S. income taxes had not been provided was approximately $48 million. The unrecognized deferred tax liability for these earnings was approximately $7 million.
Discontinued Operations
In the first quarter of fiscal 2013 we completed the sale of our Intuit Websites business for approximately $60 million in cash and recorded a gain on disposal of approximately $32 million, net of income taxes. We completed the sale of our Intuit Financial Services business in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 for approximately $1.025 billion in cash and recorded a gain on disposal of approximately $36 million, net of income taxes. In the first quarter of fiscal 2014 we also completed the sale of our Intuit Health business for cash consideration that was not significant and recorded a $4 million pre-tax loss on disposal that was more than offset by a related income tax benefit of approximately $14 million, resulting in a net gain on disposal of approximately $10 million. We have reclassified our statements of operations for all periods presented to reflect these three businesses as discontinued operations. See Note 7 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for a more complete description of these discontinued operations and the impact that they have had on our statements of operations for the fiscal periods presented.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
At July 31, 2014, our cash, cash equivalents and investments totaled $1.9 billion, an increase of $253 million from July 31, 2013 due to the factors described in “Statements of Cash Flows” below. Our primary source of liquidity has been cash from operations, which entails the collection of accounts receivable for products and services. Our primary uses of cash have been for research and development programs, selling and marketing activities, capital projects, acquisitions of businesses, debt service costs, repurchases of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, and the payment of cash dividends. As discussed in “Executive Overview – Industry Trends and Seasonality” earlier in this Item 7, our business is subject to significant seasonality. The balance of our cash, cash equivalents and investments generally fluctuates with that seasonal pattern. We believe the seasonality of our business is likely to continue in the future.
The following table summarizes selected measures of our liquidity and capital resources at the dates indicated:
(Dollars in millions) |
July 31, 2014 |
July 31, 2013 |
$
Change
|
%
Change
|
||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and investments |
$ |
1,914 |
$ |
1,661 |
$ |
253 |
15 |
% |
||||||
Long-term investments |
31 |
83 |
(52 |
) |
(63 |
)% |
||||||||
Long-term debt |
499 |
499 |
— |
— |
% |
|||||||||
Working capital |
1,200 |
1,116 |
84 |
8 |
% |
|||||||||
Ratio of current assets to current liabilities |
1.8 : 1 |
1.9 : 1 |
43
We have historically generated significant cash from operations and we expect to continue to do so during fiscal 2015. Since our operations are primarily domestic, approximately 90% of our cash, cash equivalents and investments at July 31, 2014 were located in the U.S. and none of those funds were restricted. Our only significant debt consists of $500 million in senior unsecured notes due in March 2017. We also have an unused $500 million unsecured revolving line of credit facility available to us for general corporate purposes, including future acquisitions.
We evaluate, on an ongoing basis, the merits of acquiring technology or businesses, or establishing strategic relationships with and investing in other companies. Our strong liquidity profile enables us to respond nimbly to these kinds of opportunities.
Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents, investments, and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to meet anticipated seasonal working capital needs, capital expenditure requirements, contractual obligations, commitments, debt service requirements, and other liquidity requirements associated with our operations for at least the next 12 months. We expect to return excess cash generated by operations to our stockholders through repurchases of our common stock and payment of cash dividends, after taking into account our operating and strategic cash needs.
Statements of Cash Flows
The following table summarizes selected items from our statements of cash flows for fiscal 2014, fiscal 2013, and fiscal 2012. See the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for complete statements of cash flows for those periods.
Fiscal |
Fiscal |
Fiscal |
|||||||||
(Dollars in millions) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
||||||||
Net cash provided by (used in): |
|||||||||||
Operating activities |
$ |
1,446 |
$ |
1,366 |
$ |
1,246 |
|||||
Investing activities |
(49 |
) |
(485 |
) |
(225 |
) |
|||||
Financing activities |
(1,551 |
) |
(262 |
) |
(1,344 |
) |
|||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash |
(6 |
) |
(3 |
) |
(6 |
) |
|||||
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
$ |
(160 |
) |
$ |
616 |
$ |
(329 |
) |
During fiscal 2014 we generated $1.4 billion in cash from operations and $1.0 billion from the sale of our Intuit Financial Services business. We also received $165 million in cash from the issuance of common stock under employee stock plans. During the same period we used $1.6 billion in cash for the repurchase of shares of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, $471 million for the acquisition of businesses (primarily Check), $421 million for net purchases of investments, $220 million for the payment of cash dividends, and $186 million for capital expenditures. Over the next five fiscal years, we expect to invest a total of over $250 million in capital improvements to expand our headquarters campus in Mountain View, California.
During fiscal 2013 we generated $1.4 billion in cash from operations. We also received $165 million in cash from the issuance of common stock under employee stock plans. During the same period we used $308 million in cash for net purchases of investments, $292 million for the repurchase of shares of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, $203 million for the payment of cash dividends, and $195 million for capital expenditures.
During fiscal 2012 we generated $1.2 billion in cash from operations. We also received $349 million in cash from net sales of investments and $164 million from the issuance of common stock under employee stock plans. During the same period we used $900 million in cash for the repurchase of shares of our common stock under our stock repurchase programs, $500 million to repay senior notes that became due in March 2012, $392 million for the acquisition of businesses (primarily Demandforce), $178 million for the payment of cash dividends, and $186 million for capital expenditures.
Stock Repurchase Programs and Dividends on Common Stock
As described in Note 11 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report, during fiscal 2014, fiscal 2013, and fiscal 2012 we continued to repurchase shares of our common stock under a series of repurchase programs that our Board of Directors has authorized. At July 31, 2014, we had authorization from our Board of Directors to expend up to an additional $1.9 billion for stock repurchases through August 19, 2017.
During fiscal 2014 and 2013 we also continued to pay quarterly cash dividends on shares of our outstanding common stock. In August 2014 our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share of outstanding common stock
44
payable on October 20, 2014 to stockholders of records at the close of business on October 10, 2014. We currently expect to continue paying comparable cash dividends on a quarterly basis; however, future declarations of dividends and the establishment of future record dates and payment dates are subject to the final determination of our Board of Directors.
Business Combinations
On June 16, 2014 we acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Check Inc. for total cash and other consideration of approximately $369 million. The $369 million included approximately $27 million for the fair value of assumed equity awards that is being charged to expense over service periods of up to four years. Check provides a mobile bill payment application for consumers and became part of our Consumer segment. We have included the results of operations for Check in our consolidated results of operations from the date of acquisition. Their results of operations for periods prior to the date of acquisition were not material when compared with our consolidated results of operations. See Note 6 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
On May 18, 2012 we acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Demandforce, Inc. for total cash and other consideration of approximately $449 million. The $449 million included approximately $44 million for the fair value of assumed equity awards that is being charged to expense over service periods of up to four years. Demandforce is a provider of online marketing and customer communication solutions for small businesses and became part of our Small Business segment. We have included the results of operations for Demandforce in our consolidated results of operations from the date of acquisition. Their results of operations for periods prior to the date of acquisition were not material when compared with our consolidated results of operations. See Note 6 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Commitments for Senior Unsecured Notes
On March 12, 2007 we issued $500 million of 5.40% senior unsecured notes due on March 15, 2012 (the 2012 Notes) and $500 million of 5.75% senior unsecured notes due on March 15, 2017 (the 2017 Notes). We repaid the 2012 Notes when they became due using cash from operations. The 2017 Notes are redeemable by Intuit at any time, subject to a make-whole premium. Interest is payable semiannually on March 15 and September 15. At July 31, 2014, our maximum commitment for interest payments under the 2017 Notes was $86 million. See Note 9 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility
On February 17, 2012 we entered into an agreement with certain institutional lenders for a $500 million unsecured revolving credit facility that will expire on February 17, 2017. See Note 8 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for a description of the key terms of this agreement, including the covenants. We remained in compliance with these covenants at all times during the quarter ended July 31, 2014. We may use amounts borrowed under this credit facility for general corporate purposes, including future acquisitions. To date we have not borrowed under the credit facility. We monitor counterparty risk associated with the institutional lenders that are providing the credit facility. We currently believe that the credit facility will be available to us should we choose to borrow under it.
Cash Held by Foreign Subsidiaries
Our cash, cash equivalents and investments totaled $1.9 billion at July 31, 2014. Of this amount, approximately 10% was held by our foreign subsidiaries and subject to repatriation tax considerations. These foreign funds were located primarily in Canada, and to a lesser extent in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Australia. We intend to permanently reinvest a significant portion of our earnings from foreign operations, and we currently do not anticipate that we will need funds generated from foreign operations to fund our domestic operations. In the event that funds from foreign operations are needed to fund operations in the United States, if U.S. taxes have not been previously provided on the related earnings we would provide for and pay additional U.S. taxes at the time we change our intention with regard to the reinvestment of those earnings.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
At July 31, 2014, we did not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
45
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes our known contractual obligations to make future payments at July 31, 2014:
Payments Due by Period |
|||||||||||||||||||
Less than |
1-3 |
3-5 |
More than |
||||||||||||||||
(In millions) |
1 year |
years |
years |
5 years |
Total |
||||||||||||||
Amounts due under executive deferred compensation plan |
$ |
63 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
63 |
|||||||||
Senior unsecured notes |
— |
500 |
— |
— |
500 |
||||||||||||||
Interest and fees due on long-term obligations |
29 |
58 |
— |
— |
87 |
||||||||||||||
License fee payable (1) |
10 |
20 |
20 |
— |
50 |
||||||||||||||
Operating leases (2) |
72 |
138 |
100 |
260 |
570 |
||||||||||||||
Purchase obligations (3) |
30 |
28 |
61 |
1 |
120 |
||||||||||||||
Total contractual obligations (4) |
$ |
204 |
$ |
744 |
$ |
181 |
$ |
261 |
$ |
1,390 |
_____________________
(1) |
In May 2009 we entered into an agreement to license certain technology for $20 million in cash and $100 million payable over ten fiscal years. See Note 9 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information. |
(2) |
Includes operating leases for facilities and equipment. We had no significant capital leases at July 31, 2014.
|
(3) |
Represents agreements to purchase products and services that are enforceable, legally binding and specify terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the payments. |
(4) |
Other long-term obligations on our balance sheet at July 31, 2014 included non-current income tax liabilities of $32 million which related primarily to unrecognized tax benefits. We have not included this amount in the table above because we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate regarding the timing of settlements with taxing authorities, if any.
|
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For a description of recent accounting pronouncements and the potential impact of these pronouncements on our consolidated financial statements, see "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" in Note 1 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report.
ITEM 7A
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Investment Portfolio
We actively monitor market conditions and developments specific to the securities in which we invest. We believe that we take a conservative approach to investing our funds in that we invest only in highly-rated securities and diversify our portfolio of investments. While we believe we take prudent measures to mitigate investment related risks, such risks cannot be fully eliminated because of market circumstances that are outside our control.
Our investments consist of instruments that meet quality standards that are consistent with our investment policy. This policy specifies that, except for direct obligations of the United States government, securities issued by agencies of the United States government, and money market funds, we diversify our investments by limiting our holdings with any individual issuer. We do not hold derivative financial instruments or European sovereign debt in our portfolio of investments. See Note 3 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for a summary of the amortized cost and fair value of our investments by type of issue.
46
The following table presents our portfolio of cash equivalents and available-for-sale debt securities as of July 31, 2014 by stated maturity. The table is classified by the original maturity date listed on the security and includes cash equivalents, which consist primarily of money market funds. At July 31, 2014, the weighted average tax adjusted interest rate earned on our money market accounts was 0.05% and the weighted average tax adjusted interest rate earned on our investments was 0.37%.
Years Ending July 31, |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(In millions) |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 and
Thereafter
|
Total |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash equivalents |
$ |
652 |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
652 |
|||||||||||||
Investments |
363 |
443 |
303 |
12 |
4 |
84 |
1,209 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Long-term investments |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
21 |
21 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ |
1,015 |
$ |
443 |
$ |
303 |
$ |
12 |
$ |
4 |
$ |
105 |
$ |
1,882 |
Interest Rate Risk
Our cash equivalents and investments are subject to market risk due to changes in interest rates. Interest rate movements affect the interest income we earn on cash equivalents and investments and the value of those investments. Should the Federal Reserve Target Rate increase by 25 basis points from the level of July 31, 2014, the value of our investments would decrease by approximately $4 million. Should the Federal Reserve Target Rate increase by 100 basis points from the level of July 31, 2014, the value of our investments would decrease by approximately $15 million.
We are also exposed to the impact of changes in interest rates as they affect our $500 million revolving credit facility. Advances under the credit facility accrue interest at rates that are equal to JP Morgan's alternate base rate plus a margin that ranges from 0.0% to 0.5% or the London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus a margin that ranges from 0.9% to 1.5%, in both cases based on our senior debt ratings. Consequently, our interest expense would fluctuate with changes in the general level of these interest rates if we were to borrow any amounts under the credit facility. At July 31, 2014, no amounts were outstanding under the credit facility.
On March 12, 2007 we issued $500 million of 5.75% senior unsecured notes due on March 15, 2017. We carry these senior notes at face value less unamortized discount on our balance sheets. Since these senior notes bear interest at fixed rates, we have no financial statement risk associated with changes in interest rates. However, the fair value of these notes fluctuates when interest rates change. See Note 2 and Note 9 to the financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for more information.
Impact of Foreign Currency Rate Changes
The functional currencies of our international operating subsidiaries are generally the local currencies. We translate the assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiaries at the exchange rates in effect on the balance sheet date. We translate their revenue, costs and expenses at the average rates of exchange in effect during the period. We include translation gains and losses in the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets. We include net gains and losses resulting from foreign exchange transactions in interest and other income in our statements of operations.
Since we translate foreign currencies (primarily Canadian dollars, Indian rupees, Singapore dollars, British pounds, and Australian dollars) into U.S dollars for financial reporting purposes, currency fluctuations can have an impact on our financial results. The historical impact of currency fluctuations has generally been immaterial. We believe that our exposure to currency exchange fluctuation risk is not significant primarily because our global subsidiaries invoice customers and satisfy their financial obligations almost exclusively in their local currencies. Although the impact of currency fluctuations on our financial results has generally been immaterial in the past and we believe that for the reasons cited above currency fluctuations will not be significant in the future, there can be no guarantee that the impact of currency fluctuations will not be material in the future. As of July 31, 2014, we did not engage in foreign currency hedging activities.
47
ITEM 8
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
1. |
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
The following financial statements are filed as part of this Report:
Page |
|
2. |
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES |
The following financial statement schedule is filed as part of this Report and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements:
Schedule |
Page |
||
All other schedules not listed above have been omitted because they are inapplicable or are not required. |
48
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of Intuit Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Intuit Inc. as of July 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended July 31, 2014. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in Part II, Item 8. 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 audits.
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. 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Intuit Inc. at July 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended July 31, 2014, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic 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), Intuit Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (1992 framework) and our report dated September 12, 2014 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
/s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP
San Jose, California
September 12, 2014
49
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders of Intuit Inc.
We have audited Intuit Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (1992 framework) (the COSO criteria). Intuit 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 Management's 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, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and 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, Intuit Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of July 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 balance sheets of Intuit Inc. as of July 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended July 31, 2014 of Intuit Inc. and our report dated September 12, 2014 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
/s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP
San Jose, California
September 12, 2014
50
INTUIT INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Twelve Months Ended July 31, |
|||||||||||
(In millions, except per share amounts) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
||||||||
Net revenue: |
|||||||||||
Product |
$ |
1,522 |
$ |
1,515 |
$ |
1,479 |
|||||
Service and other |
2,984 |
2,656 |
2,329 |
||||||||
Total net revenue |
4,506 |
4,171 |
3,808 |
||||||||
Costs and expenses: |
|||||||||||
Cost of revenue: |
|||||||||||
Cost of product revenue |
141 |
130 |
146 |
||||||||
Cost of service and other revenue |
501 |
429 |
429 |
||||||||
Amortization of acquired technology |
26 |
18 |
10 |
||||||||
Selling and marketing |
1,281 |
1,219 |
1,033 |
||||||||
Research and development |
758 |
685 |
618 |
||||||||
General and administrative |
465 |
422 |
381 |
||||||||
Amortization of other acquired intangible assets |
20 |
35 |
23 |
||||||||
Total costs and expenses |
3,192 |
2,938 |
2,640 |
||||||||
Operating income from continuing operations |
1,314 |
1,233 |
1,168 |
||||||||
Interest expense |
(31 |
) |
(30 |
) |
(50 |
) |
|||||
Interest and other income, net |
31 |
7 |
20 |
||||||||
Income from continuing operations before income taxes |
1,314 |
1,210 |
1,138 |
||||||||
Income tax provision |
453 |
387 |
374 |
||||||||
Net income from continuing operations |
861 |
823 |
764 |
||||||||
Net income from discontinued operations |
46 |
35 |
28 |
||||||||
Net income |
$ |
907 |
$ |
858 |
$ |
792 |
|||||
Basic net income per share from continuing operations |
$ |
3.02 |
$ |
2.78 |
$ |
2.58 |
|||||
Basic net income per share from discontinued operations |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.09 |
||||||||
Basic net income per share |
$ |
3.18 |
$ |
2.89 |
$ |
2.67 |
|||||
Shares used in basic per share calculations |
285 |
297 |
296 |
||||||||
Diluted net income per share from continuing operations |
$ |
2.96 |
$ |
2.72 |
$ |
2.51 |
|||||
Diluted net income per share from discontinued operations |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.09 |
||||||||
Diluted net income per share |
$ |
3.12 |
$ |
2.83 |
$ |
2.60 |
|||||
Shares used in diluted per share calculations |
291 |
303 |
305 |
||||||||
Dividends declared per common share |
$ |
0.76 |
$ |
0.68 |
$ |
0.60 |
See accompanying notes.
51
INTUIT INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Twelve Months Ended July 31, |
|||||||||||
(In millions) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
||||||||
Net income |
$ |
907 |
$ |
858 |
$ |
792 |
|||||
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes: |
|||||||||||
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale debt securities |
1 |
(1 |
) |
(1 |
) |
||||||
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale equity security |
(5 |
) |
— |
18 |
|||||||
Realized gain reclassified to net income (1) |
(13 |
) |