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

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share		The Nasdaq Capital Market

PART I

 

Item 1.                        Business

 

Autobytel Inc. was incorporated in 1996 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Unless specified otherwise, as used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “ we ,” “ us ,” “ our ,” the “ Company ” or “ Autobytel ” refer to Autobytel Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

Overview

 

We are an automotive marketing services company that assists automotive retail dealers (“ Dealers ”) and automotive manufacturers (“ Manufacturers ”) market and sell new and used vehicles to consumers through our programs for online lead referrals (“ Leads ”), Dealer marketing products and services, and online advertising and consumer traffic referral programs and mobile products.  Our consumer-facing automotive websites (“ Company Websites ”), which include our flagship website Autobytel.com ® , provide consumers with information and tools to aid them with their automotive purchase decisions and the ability to submit inquiries requesting Dealers to contact the consumers regarding purchasing or leasing vehicles (“ Vehicle Leads ”).  Our AutoWeb pay-per-click advertising marketplace program uses proprietary technology to refer in-market consumer traffic to Dealers and Manufacturer websites.  For consumers who may not be able to secure loans through conventional lending sources, our Company Websites provide these consumers the ability to submit inquiries requesting Dealers or other lenders that may offer vehicle financing to these consumers to contact the consumers regarding vehicle financing (“ Finance Leads ”).  The Company’s mission for consumers is to be “Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor ® ” by engaging consumers throughout the entire lifecycle of their automotive needs.

 

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Available Information

 

Our corporate website is located at www.autobytel.com . Information on our website is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. At or through the Investor Relations section of our website we make available free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to these reports as soon as practicable after this material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics is available at the Corporate Governance link of the Investor Relations section of our website, and a copy of the code may also be obtained, free of charge, by writing to the Corporate Secretary, Autobytel Inc., 18872 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 200, Irvine, California 92612-1400.

 

Significant Business Developments

 

AutoWeb Acquisition . On October 1, 2015 (“ AutoWeb Merger Date ”), Autobytel entered into and consummated an Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Autobytel, New Horizon Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Autobytel (“ Merger Sub ”), AutoWeb Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ AutoWeb ”), and Jose Vargas, in his capacity as Stockholder Representative.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of Autobytel.  AutoWeb was a privately-owned company providing an automotive search engine that enables Manufacturers and Dealers to optimize advertising campaigns and reach highly-targeted car buyers through a click marketplace.  Prior to the acquisition, the Company owned approximately 15% of the outstanding shares of AutoWeb, on a fully converted and diluted basis, and accounted for the investment on the cost basis.  See Note 3 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

AutoWeb brings new technology and practice to Autobytel’s technology team and platform. The AutoWeb technical team has deep roots in automation and multivariate testing that bring to Autobytel the ability to change, update and improve technology more quickly and identify key optimization opportunities, which are focused on driving better conversion and monetization of consumer traffic. A shortened cycle of iteration is accomplished through the use of automated processes taking developed technology through testing and deployment as frequently as daily or even multiple times a day. We believe these added benefits to the Autobytel technology team, platform and practice can bring greater scale and faster time-to-market for key initiatives on a more cost-effective basis than is currently the case.

In connection with the AutoWeb acquisition, Autobytel obtained AutoWeb’s Guatemalan website, software development and operations, which were provided as a contract service provider organization through Endine Enterprises Corp., a British Virgin Islands company and an entity effectively controlled by AutoWeb (“ Endine ”). We currently plan to terminate this contract service provider arrangement and maintain the forgoing services and operations directly under a wholly-owned, indirect Guatemalan subsidiary of Autobytel that we anticipate will have approximately seventy website, software development and operational employees in Guatemala.

Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition . On May 21, 2015 (“ Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date ”), Autobytel and CDK Global, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ CDK ”), entered into and consummated a Stock Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock in Dealix Corporation, a California corporation (“ Dealix ”) and subsidiary of CDK, and Autotegrity, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Autotegrity ”) and subsidiary of CDK (Dealix and Autotegrity are collectively, “ Dealix/Autotegrity ”).  Dealix Corporation provides new and used car Leads to automotive dealerships, Dealer groups and Manufacturers, and Autotegrity, Inc. is a consumer Leads acquisition and analytics business.  See Note 3 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

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  Industry Background

 

       We believe that consumers engaged in the vehicle purchasing process have adopted the internet, primarily because the internet is one of the best methods to easily find the information necessary to make informed buying decisions. Additionally, the internet is a primary tool for consumers to begin communicating with local Dealers regarding vehicle pricing, availability, options and financing. J.D. Power and Associates reported in 2015 that 80% of all U.S. new light vehicle consumer buyers use third party websites for vehicle research. In addition, we believe that many Dealers and all major Manufacturers that market their vehicles in the U.S. use the internet as an efficient way to reach consumers through marketing programs.

 

       According to Automotive News, U.S. light vehicle sales were 17.5 million in 2015, a 6% increase over 16.5 million vehicles sold in 2014.  J.D. Power and LMC Automotive are forecasting 2016 U.S. light vehicle and retail light-vehicle sales at 17.8 million and 14.5 million, respectively.  We believe an increase in automotive sales should result in increased use of the internet by consumers engaged in the vehicle purchasing process and increased submission of Leads by consumers in 2016.

  Products and Services

 

Leads are internally-generated from our Company Websites (“ Internally-Generated Leads ”) or acquired from third parties (“ Non-Internally-Generated Leads ”) that generate Leads from their websites (“ Non-Company Websites ”). We sell Internally-Generated Leads and Non-Internally-Generated Leads directly to Dealers and indirectly to Dealers through a wholesale market consisting of Manufacturers and other third parties in the automotive Lead distribution industry.  In conjunction with our Lead programs, we also offer Dealers and Manufacturers other products and services, including our iControl by Autobytel ® , WebLeads+, Email Marketing Manager, Payment Pro ® and Lead Call products and services, to assist them in capturing online, in-market customers and selling more vehicles by improving conversion of Leads to sale transactions. Our AutoWeb pay-per-click advertising marketplace program provides Dealers and Manufacturers with access to what we believe are some of the highest intent car shoppers on the internet.

 

Vehicle Lead Programs

 

We provide Dealers and Manufacturers with opportunities to market their vehicles efficiently to potential vehicle buyers.  Dealers participate in our Vehicle Lead programs, and Manufacturers participate in our Vehicle Lead programs, our display advertising programs and our direct marketing programs, reaching consumers that are in the market to acquire a vehicle.  For consumers, we provide, at no cost to the consumer, an easy way to obtain valuable information to assist them in their vehicle shopping process. Leads may be submitted by consumers through our Company Websites or through Non-Company Websites. For consumers using our Company Websites, we provide research information, including vehicle specification data, safety data, pricing data, photos, videos, regional rebate and incentive data, and additional tools, such as the compare and configuration tools, to assist them in this process.  We also provide additional content on our Company Websites, including our database of articles, such as consumer and professional reviews, and other analyses.  Additional automotive information is also available on our Company Websites to assist consumers with specific vehicle research, such as the trade-in value of their current vehicle.

 

New Vehicle Lead Program . Our Vehicle Lead program for new vehicles allows consumers to submit requests for pricing and availability of specific makes and models.  A new Vehicle Lead provides information regarding the make and model of a vehicle, and may also include additional data regarding the consumer’s needs, including any vehicle trade-in, whether the consumer wishes to lease or buy, and other options that are important to the vehicle acquisition decision. A Lead will usually also include the consumer’s name, phone number and email address and may include a postal address.

 

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  Our Leads are subject to quality verification that is designed to maintain the high quality of our Leads and increase the Lead buy rates for our Lead customers. Quality verification includes the validation of name, phone number, email address and postal address. Our quality verification also involves proprietary systems as well as arrangements with third party vendors specializing in customer validation. After a Lead has been subjected to quality verification, if we have placement coverage for the Lead within our own Dealer network, we send the Lead to Dealers that sell the type of vehicle requested in the consumer’s geographic area. We also send an email message to the consumer with the Dealer’s name and phone number, and if the Dealer has a dedicated internet manager, the name of that manager. Dealers contact the consumer with a price quote and availability information for the requested vehicle. In addition to sales of Leads directly to Dealers in our network, we also sell Leads wholesale to Manufacturers for delivery to their Dealers and to third parties that have placement coverage for the Lead with their own customers.

 

  Dealers participate in our retail new Vehicle Lead program by entering into contracts directly with us or through major Dealer groups. Generally, our Dealer contracts may be terminated by either party on 30 days’ notice and are non-exclusive. The majority of our retail new Vehicle Lead revenues consists of either a monthly subscription or a per Lead fee paid by Dealers in our network; however, under our pay-per-sale program, we offer a limited number of Dealers in states where we are permitted to charge on a per transaction basis the opportunity to pay a flat per transaction fee for a Lead that results in a vehicle sale. We reserve the right to adjust our fees to retail Dealers upon 30 days’ prior notice at any time during the term of the contract. Manufacturers (directly or through their marketing agencies) and other third parties participate in our wholesale new Vehicle Lead programs generally by entering into agreements where either party has the right to terminate upon prior notice, with the length of time for the notice varying by contract. Revenues from retail new Vehicle Leads accounted for 27%, 32% and 28% of total revenues in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Revenues from wholesale Leads accounted for 47%, 44% and 51% of total revenues in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

We measure Lead quality by the conversion of Leads to actual vehicle sales, which we refer to as the “buy rate.” Buy rate is the percentage of the consumers submitting Leads that we delivered to our customers represented by the number of these consumers who purchased vehicles within ninety days of the date of the Lead submission.  We rely on detailed feedback from Manufacturers and wholesale customers to confirm the performance of our Leads.  In addition, we use IHS Inc. (“ IHS ”), a third party business data and analytics company, to evaluate the performance quality of  Leads that we send to our customers.  Our Manufacturers, wholesale customers and IHS each match the Leads we deliver to our customers against vehicle sales or registration data to provide us with information about vehicle purchases by the consumers who submitted Leads that we delivered to our customers. This information allows us to estimate the buy rates for the consumers who submitted our Internally-Generated Leads and our Non-Internally Generated Leads and based on these estimates, to estimate an industry average buy rate. Based on the most current IHS data, we have estimated that, on average, consumers who submit Internally-Generated Leads that we deliver to our customers have an estimated buy rate of approximately 19%, which is three times our internal estimate of the industry average buy rate.  Buy rates that individual Dealers may achieve can be impacted by factors such as the strength of processes and procedures within the dealership to manage communications and follow up with consumers.

 

In addition, we report a number of key metrics to our customers, allowing them to gain a better understanding of the revenue opportunities that they may realize by acquiring Leads from us.  We can now optimize the mix of Leads we deliver to our customers based on multiple sources of quality measurements. Also, by reporting the buying behavior of potential consumers , the findings also can help shape improvements to online Lead management, online advertising and dealership sales process training.  By providing actionable data, we are now placing useful information in the hands of our customers.

 

During 2015, we continued to focus our Dealer acquisition and retention strategies on dealerships to which we could deliver a higher percentage of our Internally-Generated Leads and that are more cost effective for us to support.  We believe this will result in increased vehicle sales for our Dealers and ultimately stronger relationships with us because, based on our evaluation of  the third party performance data discussed above, we believe our Internally-Generated Leads are of  high quality.  We believe that this strategy should allow us to have more profitable relationships with our Dealers both in terms of cost to supply Leads and to support the Dealers.  Dealer count is the sum of the number of Dealer franchises subscribing to our new vehicle Leads programs and the sum of the number of Dealer franchises and independent Dealers subscribing to our used vehicle Leads program.  For 2015, we increased the number of our Dealers and ended the year with 14% more Dealers compared to the number of Dealers at year-end 2014. The increase in Dealers was primarily attributable to the acquisition of Dealix.

 

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Used Vehicle Lead Program .  Our used Vehicle Lead program allows consumers to search for used vehicles according to specific search parameters, such as the price, make, model, mileage, year and location of the vehicle. The consumer is able to locate and display the description, price and, if available, digital images of vehicles that satisfy the consumer’s search parameters.  The consumer can then submit a Lead for additional information regarding a specific vehicle that we then deliver to the Dealer offering the vehicle. In addition to sending Leads directly to Dealers through our Lead delivery system, consumers may choose to contact the Dealer using a toll free number posted next to the vehicle search results. We charge each Dealer that participates in the used Vehicle Lead program a monthly subscription or per Lead fee.  Revenues from used Vehicle Leads accounted for 11%, 12% and 8% of total revenues in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Finance Lead Program

 

Our Finance Lead program is designed to provide consumers who may not be able to secure loans through conventional lending sources the opportunity to obtain vehicle financing and other services from Dealers or financial institutions offering vehicle financing to these consumers. Consumers can submit a request for vehicle financing or submit a credit questionnaire for a credit report or other credit services that are provided by third party providers.  Finance Leads are forwarded to the nearest participating Dealer that offers financing or, if a Dealer is not available, to an institutional automotive finance lender. We charge each Dealer and institutional finance lender that participates in the Finance Lead program a monthly subscription or per Lead fee. Revenues from Finance Leads accounted for 5%, 7% and 8% of total revenues in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  We have a call center program that consists of telephone surveys of Finance Lead consumers.  The purpose of this program is to evaluate consumer experience with our Dealers and other financing customers and our Finance Lead program and to determine whether or not the consumer purchased a vehicle.  In addition, we inquire about the consumer’s interest in obtaining information or quotes for relevant products and services, including credit report repair and vehicle loan refinancing, offered by third parties.  If the consumer expresses an interest, we refer the consumer to the third party and obtain a referral fee. 

 

Other Dealer Products and Services

 

In conjunction with our automotive Vehicle Lead programs, we also offer products and services that assist Dealers in connecting with in-market consumers and closing vehicle sales.

iControl by Autobytel ®   iControl by Autobytel ® is our proprietary technology that allows Dealers many options to filter and control the volume and source of their Vehicle Leads.   iControl by Autobytel ® can be controlled at the dealership (or by a representative of Autobytel on behalf of the dealership), at the Dealer group level from a web-based, easy-to-use console that makes it quick and simple for dealerships to change their Lead acquisition strategy to adjust for inventory conditions at their stores and broader industry patterns (such as changes in gas prices or changes in consumer demand). From the console, dealerships can easily contract or expand territories and increase, restrict or block specific models and Lead web sources, making it much easier to target inventory challenges and focus marketing resources more efficiently.

 

We currently have over one-half of our new vehicle Dealers participating in our iControl by Autobytel ® product.

 

WebLeads+ . Designed to work in connection with a Dealer’s participation in our traditional Lead programs, WebLeads+ offers a Dealer multiple coupon options that display relevant marketing messages to consumers visiting the Dealer’s website.  When a Dealer uses WebLeads+ , consumers visiting the Dealer’s website are encouraged to take action in two ways.  First, while interacting with the Dealer website, a consumer is presented with a customized special offer formatted for easy Lead submission. If a vehicle quote is requested, the Lead goes directly into the dealership management tool so a salesperson can promptly address the customer’s questions.  Second, if the consumer leaves the Dealer’s website but remains online, Autobytel’s WebLeads+   product   keeps the coupon active under the consumer’s browser windows, providing the Dealer a repeat branding opportunity and giving the consumer an easy way to re-engage with the Dealer’s website through submission of a Lead.  The additional Leads generated by the coupons are seamlessly integrated into our Extranet tool.

 

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Email Manager and Lead Call . Email Manager provides, on behalf of the Dealers, timely and relevant follow up emails to consumers who have submitted Leads on scheduled intervals following a consumer’s Lead submission.  After submission of a Lead, Lead Call provides a live phone call to the Dealer to ensure that the Dealer contacts the consumer in a timely manner.

Payment Pro ® .   Payment Pro ® is a Dealer website conversion tool based on a third party product that offers consumers real-time online monthly payment information based on an instant qualification process.  The payments are based on the consumer’s credit, the actual vehicle being researched and the Dealer finance rates without requiring the consumer to provide personal information, such as date of birth or social security number.

 

Mobile Products and Services. We provide Dealers and Manufacturers with a suite of mobile technologies that facilitate communication between Dealers and car buyers on smart phones and tablets at the time, place and in a manner preferred by many consumers.  At the center of this platform is Autobytel’s unique TextShield ® product that offers Dealers the ability to connect with consumers using text communication via a secure platform that protects the consumer’s privacy.  In addition, we offer Dealers mobile websites designed to drive consumer engagement with Dealers as well as mobile apps, text message marketing and the ability for consumers to send information to their mobile devices using our “send to phone” product.

 

SaleMove Products and Services.   Our exclusive arrangement with SaleMove, Inc. (“ SaleMove ”) allows Autobytel to provide the automotive industry with innovative technology for enhancing communications with consumers.  SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real time using the method most comfortable to them including live video, audio and text based chat or by phone helping Dealers improve the online car shopping experience for their customers.  Autobytel is providing the tools necessary to capture the opportunities being created as online shopping becomes increasingly popular with in-market car buyers.

 

Advertising Programs

 

Our Company Websites attract an audience of prospective automotive buyers that advertisers can target through display advertising. A primary way advertisers use our Company Websites to reach consumers is through vehicle content targeting .  This allows automotive marketers to reach consumers while they are researching one of our comprehensive automotive segments such as mini-vans or SUVs and offer Manufacturers sponsorship opportunities to assist in their efforts both in terms of customer retention and conquest strategies. Our Company Websites also offer Manufacturers the opportunity to feature their makes and models within highly contextual content. Through their advertising placements, Manufacturers can direct consumers to their respective websites for further information. We believe this transfer of consumers from our Company Websites to Manufacturer sites is the most significant action measured by Manufacturers in evaluating our performance and value for the Manufacturer’s marketing programs. Through our agreement with Jumpstart Automotive Group (“ Jumpstart ”), Jumpstart sells our fixed placement advertising across our Company Websites to automotive advertisers. Jumpstart currently reaches 21.0 million unique visitors per month and works with every major automotive Manufacturer across its portfolio of digital publishers.  We also offer a direct marketing platform that enables Manufacturers to selectively target in-market consumers during the often-extended vehicle shopping process. Designed to keep a specific automotive brand in consideration, our direct marketing programs allow automotive marketers to deliver specific communication through either email or direct mail formats to in-market consumers during their purchase cycle.

 

Our AutoWeb product is our pay-per-click advertising marketplace program. The AutoWeb program proprietary technology analyzes web traffic and adjusts advertiser costs based on traffic quality and content.

 

Advertising revenues, including direct marketing, accounted for 8%, 4% and 4% of total revenues in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

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Strategy

 

Our goal is to garner a larger share of the billions of dollars spent annually by Dealers and Manufacturers on automotive marketing services.  We plan to achieve this objective through the following principal strategies:

 

Increasing Traffic to our Company Websites .   Traffic to our Company Websites is obtained through a variety of sources and methods, including direct navigation to our Company Websites, natural search (search engine optimization or “ SEO ”, which is the practice of optimizing keywords in website content to drive traffic to a website), paid search (search engine marketing, or “ SEM ,” which is the practice of bidding on keywords on search engines to drive traffic to a website), direct marketing and partnering with other website publishers that provide links to our websites.  Traffic to our Company Websites is monetized primarily though the creation of Vehicle Leads that are delivered to our Dealer and Manufacturer customers to help them market and sell new and used vehicles, and through the sale of advertising space on our Company Websites.  We plan to increase revenues from our Company Websites by:

 

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I ncreasing the quality of our Leads .   High quality Leads are those Leads that result in high transaction (i.e., purchase) closing rates for our Dealer customers.  Internally-Generated Leads are generally higher quality than Non-Internally-Generated Leads and increase the overall quality of our Lead portfolio.  Non-Internally-Generated Leads are of varying quality. Therefore, we plan to continue to develop and maintain strong relationships only with suppliers of Non-Internally-Generated Leads that consistently provide high quality Leads.

 

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I ncreasing traffic acquisition activities .   We plan to increase the traffic to our Company Websites through enhancements to our Company Websites and effective SEO and SEM traffic acquisition activities.  Our goal is that over time, paid traffic such as SEM will be balanced by greater visitation from direct navigation and SEO, which we expect to result in increased gross profit margins.

 

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Continuing to enhance the quality and user experience of our Company Websites .   We continuously make enhancements to our Company Websites, including enhancements of the design and functionality of our Company Websites.  These enhancements are intended to position our Company Websites as comprehensive best in class destinations for automotive purchase research by consumers.

 

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Increasing the conversion rate of visitors to Leads on our Company Websites .  Through increased SEO and SEM activities and significant content, tools and user interface enhancements to our websites, we believe we will be able to increase the number of website visits and improve website “engagement,” and thereby increase the conversion of page views into Leads.  We believe that an increased conversion rate of page views into Leads could result in higher revenue per visitor.

Increasing Lead Sales to Our Dealer Customers .  Sales of Vehicle Leads to our Dealer network constitute a significant source of our revenues.  Our goal is to continue to increase the number of Vehicle Leads sold to our retail Dealer customers by:

 

●	increasing the quality of the Vehicle Leads sold to our Dealers,

●	increasing the number of Dealers in our Dealer network,

●	reducing Dealer churn in our Dealer network,

●	providing customizable Lead programs to meet our Dealers’ unique marketing requirements,

●	providing additional value added marketing services that help Dealers more effectively utilize the internet to market and sell new and used vehicles,

●	increasing overall Dealer satisfaction by improving all aspects of our services,

●	increasing the size of our retail Dealer footprint,

●	focusing on higher revenue Dealers that are more cost-effective to support; and

●	enhancing our internal lead generation activities by leveraging our expanded retail lead coverage.

 

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Increasing Vehicle Lead Sales to New and Existing Manufacturer Customers.   We currently have agreements to sell Leads to 31 Manufacturer Lead programs, including all mainstream Manufacturers with the exception of one luxury brand that has yet to launch a Lead program.  Demonstrating how important third-party leads are to Manufacturers, over the past three years several major Manufacturers, including two major Japanese manufacturers, launched corporate Lead programs for the first time.  Others have completely re-launched their programs and some have changed business rules, pricing or coverage in order to be able to purchase more of Autobytel’s high quality, organic Leads.

 

Increasing Advertising Revenues.   As traffic to and time spent on our Company Websites by consumers increases, we will seek to increase our advertising revenues.  Through our agreement with Jumpstart we benefit from Jumpstart's relationships with every major automotive Manufacturer and/or its advertising agencies by increasing revenue for our traditional display advertising.  It is our belief that if the volume of our traffic continues to increase, advertisers will recognize this increased value by agreeing to purchase additional advertising space available on our Company Websites.  Additionally, we believe that our AutoWeb program provides an opportunity to increase Autobytel advertising revenue through additional monetization opportunities for our existing and growing traffic.

 

Continuing to Expand our Products and Services.   We gather significant amounts of data on consumer intent as it relates to purchasing vehicles.  We intend to use this data to create products and services, including direct business database offerings, which we believe will ultimately help Manufacturers and Dealers market and sell more new and used vehicles.  Our objective is to generate revenues from this asset in the most effective and efficient ways possible.  We also intend to further enhance our mobile product offerings by incorporating the latest technologies and optimizing user touchpoints across our entire suite of products.  In addition, mobile capabilities have been added to the SaleMove product, and we will continue to leverage integration points between SaleMove and our other product suites.

 

Focusing on Mobile Products.   The Company’s Autobytel Mobile group provides the automotive industry with a suite of advanced mobile technologies that facilitate communication between Dealers and consumers on smart phones and tablets at the time, place and in a manner preferred by many consumers.   This platform is the core of a wide array of mobile services Autobytel offers to its Dealer and Manufacturer customers and also makes it available to consumers through Company Websites.  At the center of this platform is Autobytel’s unique TextShield ® product that offers Dealers the ability to connect with consumers using text communication via a secure platform that protects the consumer’s privacy.  In addition, we offer Dealers mobile websites designed to drive consumer engagement with Dealers as well as mobile apps, text message marketing and the ability for a consumer to send information to their mobile devices using our “send to phone” product.

 

Leveraging the SaleMove Enhanced Online Shopping Experience. Through our agreement with SaleMove we are the exclusive provider to the automotive industry of SaleMove’s innovative technology for enhancing communications with consumers.  SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone.  Utilizing SalesMove’s “guided tour” capabilities, Dealers can take advantage of a new line of high touch communication with consumers by browsing the Dealer’s website with consumers, creating a virtual extension of the Dealer’s physical showroom.  Additionally, SaleMove’s technology helps Dealers and Manufacturers improve the online consumer experience and identify potential buyers by better understanding visitor preferences gathered through real-time viewing of how consumers are interacting with a website.  Using this technology, our customers will be able to interact directly with consumers on a deeper and more personal level, providing a highly customized experience for car buyers.  In addition to the foregoing reseller arrangement with SaleMove, the Company holds convertible promissory note investments in SaleMove. See Note 2 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding our investment in SaleMove.

 

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Continuing to develop the AutoWeb targeted pay-per-click marketplace for online automotive advertisers and publishers.   Our merger with AutoWeb has allowed us to become the first automotive publisher to benefit from AutoWeb’s pay-per-click platform that uses proprietary technology and a unique pay-per-click business model to analyze web traffic and adjust advertiser costs accordingly based on traffic quality.  This traffic network is targeted to attract high intent, high volume publishers and is intended to allow them to monetize traffic that has previously been under-monetized.  In-market car shoppers are presented with highly relevant display advertisements and benefit from an online experience that delivers information that consumers use in making their car buying decisions.  Manufacturers benefit from this high quality traffic from serious in-market car buyers.  Our AutoWeb program enables Manufacturers and Dealers to optimize their advertising by driving traffic to appropriate areas of their Tier 1 (Manufacturer national advertising), Tier 2 (Manufacturer and advertising associations regional advertising) and Tier 3 (Dealer) websites.  Moving forward we believe that Manufacturers and Dealers will continue to see the measureable attribution from this click traffic and will reallocate marketing spend from traditional channels into this emerging medium.

 

Strategic Acquisitions, Investments and Alliances.  Our goal is to grow and advance our business and we may do so, in part, through strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances. We continue to review strategic opportunities that may provide opportunities for growth. We believe that strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances may allow us to increase market share, benefit from advancements in technology and strengthen our business operations by enhancing our product and service offerings.

 

Our ability to implement the foregoing strategies and plans is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control.  Accordingly, there is no assurance that we will successfully implement our strategies and plans.  See “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Seasonality

 

Our q uarterly revenues and operating results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future due to consumer buying trends, changing economic conditions, vehicle Manufacturer incentive programs and actual or threatened severe weather events.  Excluding the effect of acquisitions in 2015, Lead volume is typically highest in summer (third quarter) and winter (first quarter) months, followed by spring (second quarter) and fall (fourth quarter) months.

 

Intellectual Property

 

Our intellectual property includes patents and patent applications related to our innovations, products and services; trademarks related to our brands, products and services; copyrights in software and creative content; trade secrets; and other intellectual property rights and licenses of various kinds. We seek to protect our intellectual property assets through patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark and other laws and through contractual provisions. We enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors, and non-disclosure agreements with third parties with whom we conduct business in order to secure our proprietary rights and additionally limit access to, and disclosure of, our proprietary information.  We have registered service marks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including Autobytel, Autobytel.com, MyGarage, Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor, iControl by Autobytel, TextShield, Payment Pro, AutoWeb, AutoWeb.com and the global highway logo. We have also been issued patents related to methods and systems for managing a Lead in data center systems; and a method and system for managing Leads and routing them to one or more destinations. We cannot assure that any of our patents will be enforceable by us in litigation. We have applied for additional patents, including a patent on our proprietary Lead distribution engine and a patent for a system and method for message tethering and tagging related to mobile device texting. We cannot assure that any additional patents will be issued, or if issued, that they will be enforceable by us in litigation.

 

Additional information regarding certain risks related to our intellectual property is included in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

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Competition

 

In the automotive-related Lead marketing services and advertising marketplace we compete for Dealer and Manufacturer customers.  Competition with respect to our core Lead referral programs continued to be impacted by changing industry conditions in 2015. We continue to compete with several companies that maintain business models similar to ours, some with greater resources, and competition has increased from larger competitors that traditionally have competed only in the used vehicle market.  Dealers continue to invest in their proprietary websites and traffic acquisition activities, and we expect this trend to continue as Dealers strive to own and control more Lead generating assets under their captive brands.  Additionally, all major Manufacturers that market their vehicles in the U.S. have their own websites that market their vehicles direct to consumers and generate Leads for delivery direct to the Manufacturers’ Dealers.

 

We believe that third party Leads have been the standard in our industry for many years.  However, we continue to observe new and emerging business models, including pay per sale and consumer pay models, relating to the generation and delivery of Leads.  From time to time, new products and services are introduced that take the focus away from third party Lead generation, which we believe is a profitable way to sell vehicles to in-market buyers.  Dealers and Manufacturers may decide to pull back on their third party Lead programs to test these new approaches.

 

In the advertising marketplace, we compete with major internet portals, transaction based websites, automotive related companies, numerous lifestyle websites and emerging entrants in the relatively new automotive click revenue medium. We also compete with traditional marketing channels such as print, radio and television.

 

Customers

 

We have a concentration of credit risk with our automotive industry related accounts receivable balances, particularly with Urban Science Applications (which represents several Manufacturer programs), General Motors and Ford Direct. During 2015, approximately 28% of our total revenues were derived from these three customers, and approximately 37% or $10.7 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2015.  In 2015, Urban Science Applications accounted for 16% of total revenues and accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015, respectively.

 

Operations and Technology

 

We believe that our future success is significantly dependent upon our ability to continue to deliver high-performance, reliable and comprehensive websites, enhance consumer and Dealer product and service offerings, maintain the highest levels of information privacy and ensure transactional security. Our Company Websites are hosted at secure third-party data center facilities and public cloud providers. These data centers and public cloud systems include redundant power infrastructure, redundant network connectivity, fire detection and suppression systems and security systems to prevent unauthorized access. Our network and computer systems are built on industry standard technology.

 

System enhancements are primarily intended to accommodate increased traffic across our Company Websites, improve the speed in which Leads are processed and introduce new and enhanced products and services. System enhancements entail the implementation of sophisticated new technology and system processes. We plan to continue to make investments in technology as we believe appropriate.

 

Government Regulation

 

We are subject to laws and regulations generally applicable to providers of advertising and commerce over the internet, including federal and state laws and regulations governing data security and privacy; voice, email and text messaging communications with consumers; unfair and deceptive acts and practices; advertising; contests, sweepstakes and promotions; and content regulation. For additional important information related to government regulation of our business, including governmental regulations relating to the marketing and sale of automobiles, see the information set forth in Part I, Item 1A“Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Employees

 

As of March 7, 2016, we had 200 employees.  None of our employees are represented by labor unions.

 

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Item  1A.      Risk Factors

 

The risks described below are not the only risks that we face. The following risks as well as risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, earnings per share, cash flow or the trading price of our stock, individually and collectively referred to in these Risk Factors as our “ financial performance .”   See also the discussion of “Forward-Looking Statements” immediately preceding Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

We may be unable to increase Vehicle Lead revenues and could suffer a decline in revenues due to dealer attrition.

 

  We derive more than 90% of our revenues from Vehicle Lead fees paid by Dealers and Manufacturers participating in our Lead programs. Our ability to increase revenues from sales of Vehicle Leads is dependent on a mix of interrelated factors that include increasing Vehicle Lead revenues by attracting and retaining Dealers and Manufacturers, increasing the number of high quality Vehicle Leads we sell to Dealers and Manufacturers, and improving margins by increasing the number of Internally-Generated Leads that we sell to our customers. We are also focused on higher revenue Dealers that are more cost-effective to support. Our sales strategy is intended to result in more profitable relationships with our Dealers both in terms of cost to supply Leads and to support the Dealers. Dealer churn impacts our revenues, and if our sales strategy does not mitigate the loss in revenues by maintaining the overall number of Leads sold by increasing sales to other Dealers or Manufacturers while maintaining the overall margins we receive from the Leads sold, our revenues would decrease. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to prevent Dealer attrition or to offset the revenues lost due to Dealer attrition by other means, and our failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our financial performance.

 

We may lose customers or quality Lead supplies to our competitors.

 

Our ability to provide increased numbers of high quality Leads to our customers is dependent on increasing the number of Internally-Generated Leads and acquiring high quality Non-Internally-Generated Leads from third parties. Originating Internally-Generated Leads is dependent on our ability to increase consumer traffic to our Company Websites by providing secure and easy to use websites with relevant and quality content for consumers and increasing visibility of our brands to consumers and by our SEM activities. We compete for Dealer and Manufacturer customers and for acquisition of Non-Internally-Generated Leads with companies that maintain automotive Lead referral businesses that are very similar to ours. Several of these competitors are larger than us and may have greater financial resources than we have. If we lose customers or quality Lead supply volume to our competitors, or if our pricing or cost to acquire Leads is impacted, our financial performance will be materially and adversely impacted.

Our financial performance could be negatively affected by changes in Internet search engine algorithms and dynamics .

 

We use Google to generate a significant portion of the traffic to our websites, and, to a lesser extent, we use other search engines and meta-search websites to generate traffic to our websites, principally through pay-per-click advertising campaigns. The pricing and operating dynamics on these search engines can experience rapid change commercially, technically and competitively. For example, Google frequently updates and changes the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a consumer's search, such that the placement of links to our websites can be negatively affected and our costs to improve or maintain our placement in search results can increase.

 

We are affected by general economic and market conditions, and, in particular, conditions in the automotive industry.

 

Our financial performance is affected by general economic and market factors, conditions in the automotive industry, and the market for automotive marketing services, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

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●	The effect of unemployment on the number of vehicle purchasers;

●	Pricing and purchase incentives for vehicles;

●	The expectation that consumers will be purchasing fewer vehicles overall during their lifetime as a result of better quality vehicles and longer warranties;

●	The impact of fuel prices on demand for the number and types of vehicles;

●	Increases or decreases in the number of retail Dealers or in the number of Manufacturers and other wholesale customers in our customer base;

●	Volatility in spending by Manufacturers and others in their marketing budgets and allocations; and

●	The competitive impact of consolidation in the online automotive referral industry.

 

We may acquire other companies, and there are many risks associated with acquisitions.

 

As part of our business strategy we evaluate potential acquisitions that we believe will complement or enhance our existing business. We currently do not have any definitive agreements to acquire any company or business, and we may not be able to identify or complete any acquisition in the future.  Acquisitions involve numerous risks that include the following, any of which could materially and adversely affect our financial performance:

 

●	We may not fully realize all of the anticipated benefits of an acquisition or may not realize them in the timeframe expected, including due to acquisitions where we expand into product and service offerings or enter or expand into markets in which we are not experienced.

●

In order to complete acquisitions, we may issue common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, potentially creating dilution for existing stockholders. Issuance of equity securities may also restrict utilization of net operating loss carryforwards because of an annual limitation due to ownership change limitations under the Internal Revenue Code.

●	We may borrow to finance acquisitions, and the amount and terms of any potential future acquisition-related or other borrowings may not be favorable to the Company and could affect our liquidity and financial condition.

●

Acquisitions may result in significant costs and expenses and charges to earnings, including those related to severance pay, early retirement costs, employee benefit costs, goodwill and asset impairment charges, charges from the elimination of duplicative facilities and contracts, assumed litigation and other liabilities, legal, accounting and financial advisory fees, and required payments to executive officers and key employees under retention plans.

●	Our due diligence process may fail to identify significant issues with an acquired company that may result in unexpected or increased costs, expenses or liabilities that could make an acquisition less profitable or unprofitable.

●	The failure to further our strategic objectives that may require us to expend additional resources to develop products, services and technology internally.

●	An announced business combination and investment transaction may not close timely or at all, which may cause our financial results to differ from expectations in a given quarter.

●	Business combination and investment transactions may lead to litigation that can be costly to defend or settle, even if no actual liability exists.

●	Integration of acquisitions are often complex, time-consuming and expensive and if not successfully integrated could materially and adversely affect our financial performance. The challenges involved with integration of acquisitions include:

●	Diversion of management attention to assimilating the acquired business from other business operations and concerns.

●	Integration of management information and accounting systems of the acquired business into our systems, and the failure to fully realize all of the anticipated benefits of an acquisition.

●	Difficulties in assimilating the operations and personnel of an acquired business into our own business.

●	Difficulties in integrating management information and accounting systems of an acquired business into our current systems.

●	Convincing our customers and suppliers and the customers and suppliers of the acquired business that the transaction will not diminish client service standards or business focus and that they should not defer purchasing decisions or switch to other suppliers.

 

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●	Consolidating and rationalizing corporate IT infrastructure, which may include multiple legacy systems from various acquisitions and integrating software code and business processes.

●	Persuading employees that business cultures are compatible, maintaining employee morale, retaining key employees and integrating employees into the Company.

●	Coordinating and combining administrative, manufacturing, research and development and other operations, subsidiaries, facilities and relationships with third parties in accordance with local laws and other obligations while maintaining adequate standards, controls and procedures.

●	Managing integration issues shortly after or pending the completion of other independent transactions.

 

Concentration of credit risk and risks due to significant customers could materially and adversely affect our financial performance .

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, investments and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are primarily maintained with two financial institutions in the United States. Deposits held by banks exceed the amount of insurance provided for such deposits. Generally these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. Accounts receivable are primarily derived from fees billed to Dealers and Manufacturers. We have a concentration of credit risk with our automotive industry related accounts receivable balances, particularly with Urban Science Applications (which represents several Manufacturer programs), General Motors and Ford Direct. During 2015 approximately 28% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from these customers, and approximately 37% or $10.7 million of gross accounts receivable are receivable from them at December 31, 2015. In 2015, Urban Science Applications accounted for 16% of total revenues and accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015, respectively.  No collateral is required to support our accounts receivables, and we maintain an allowance for bad debts for potential credit losses.  If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of our customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with their services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required, and the adverse impact on our financial performance could be material.

 

We depend on Manufacturers through our third party sales channel for a significant amount of our advertising revenues, and we may not be able to maintain or grow these relationships.

 

We depend on Manufacturers through our third party sales channel for a significant amount of our advertising revenues. A decline in the level of advertising on our websites, reductions in advertising rates or any significant failure to develop additional sources of advertising would cause our advertising revenues to decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance. We periodically negotiate revisions to existing agreements and these revisions could decrease our advertising revenues in future periods and a number of our advertising agreements with Manufacturers may be terminated at any time without cause. We may not be able to maintain our relationship with Manufacturers on favorable terms or find alternative comparable relationships capable of replacing advertising revenues on terms satisfactory to us. If we cannot do so, our advertising revenues would decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

 

Our ability to maintain and add to our relationships with advertisers and thereby increase advertising revenues is dependent on our ability to attract consumers and acquire traffic to our Company Websites and monetize that traffic at profitable margins with advertisers. Our consumer facing websites compete with offerings from the major internet portals, transaction based sites, automotive-related verticals (websites with content that is primarily automotive in nature) and numerous lifestyle websites. Our advertising business is characterized by minimal barriers to entry, and new competitors may be able to launch competitive services at relatively low costs. If our websites do not provide a compelling, differentiated user experience, we may lose visitors to competing sites, and if our website traffic declines, we may lose relevance to our major advertisers who may reduce or eliminate their advertising buys from us.

 

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Uncertainty exists in the application of various laws and regulations to our business. New laws or regulations applicable to our business, or expansion or interpretation of existing laws and regulations to apply to our business, could subject us to licensing, claims, judgments and remedies, including monetary liabilities and limitations on our business practices, and could increase administrative costs or materially and adversely affect our financial performance.

 

We operate in a regulatory climate in which there is uncertainty as to the application of various laws and regulations to our business.  Our business could be significantly affected by different interpretations or applications of existing laws or regulations, future laws or regulations, or actions or rulings by judicial or regulatory authorities.  Our operations may be subjected to adoption, expansion or interpretation of various laws and regulations, and compliance with these laws and regulations may require us to obtain licenses at an undeterminable and possibly significant initial and annual expense. These additional expenditures may increase future overhead, thereby potentially reducing our future results of operations. There can be no assurances that future laws or regulations or interpretations or expansions of existing laws or regulations will not impose requirements on internet commerce that could substantially impair the growth of e-commerce and adversely affect our financial performance. The adoption of additional laws or regulations may decrease the popularity or impede the expansion of e-commerce and internet marketing, restrict our present business practices, require us to implement costly compliance procedures or expose us and/or our customers to potential liability.

 

We may be considered to “operate” or “do business” in states where our customers conduct their business, resulting in regulatory action. If any state licensing laws were determined to be applicable to us, and if we are required to be licensed and we are unable to do so, or we are otherwise unable to comply with laws or regulations, we could be subject to fines or other penalties or be compelled to discontinue operations in those states.  In the event any state’s regulatory requirements impose state specific requirements on us or include us within an industry-specific regulatory scheme, we may be required to modify our marketing programs in that state in a manner that may undermine the program’s attractiveness to consumers or Dealers. In the alternative, if we determine that the licensing and related requirements are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate operations in that state. In each case, our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected.  We have identified below areas of government regulation, which if changed or interpreted to apply to our business, we believe could be costly for us.

 

Automotive Dealer/ Broker and Vehicle Advertising Laws. All states comprehensively regulate vehicle sales and lease transactions, including strict licensure requirements for Dealers (and, in some states, brokers) and vehicle advertising. Most of these laws and regulations, we believe, specifically address only traditional vehicle purchase and lease transactions, not internet-based Lead referral programs such as our programs. If we determine that the licensing or other regulatory requirements in a given state are applicable to us or to a particular marketing services program, we may elect to obtain required licenses and comply with applicable regulatory requirements.  However, if licensing or other regulatory requirements are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate operations or particular marketing services programs in that state or elect to not operate or introduce particular marketing services programs in that state. In some states we have modified our marketing programs or pricing models to reduce uncertainty regarding our compliance with local laws. As we introduce new services, we may need to incur additional costs associated with additional licensing regulations and regulatory requirements.  

 

  Financial Broker and Consumer Credit Laws . We provide a connection through our websites that allows consumers to obtain finance information and submit Leads for vehicle financing to third party lenders. We also acquire finance-related Leads from third parties. We receive marketing fees from financial institutions and Dealers in connection with this marketing activity. We do not demand nor do we receive any fees from consumers for this service. In the event states require us to be licensed as a financial broker, we may be unable to comply with a state’s laws or regulations, or we could be required to incur significant fees and expenses to obtain any financial broker required license and comply with regulatory requirements.  In addition, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act established a new consumer financial protection bureau with broad regulatory powers, which could lead to regulation of our Finance Lead business directly or indirectly through regulation of automotive finance companies and other financial institutions.

 

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Insurance Broker Laws. We provide links on our websites and referrals from call centers enabling consumers to be referred to third parties to receive quotes for insurance and extended warranty coverage from such third parties. All online applications for quotes are completed on the respective insurance carriers’ or other third party websites, and all applications for quotes obtained through call center referrals are conducted by the insurance carrier or other third party. We receive marketing fees from participants in connection with this marketing activity. We do not receive any premiums from consumers nor do we charge consumers fees for our services.

 

Changes in the taxation of internet commerce may result in increased costs .

 

Because our business is dependent on the internet, the adoption of new local, state or federal tax laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations by governmental authorities may subject us to additional local, state or federal sales, use or income taxes and could decrease the growth of internet usage or marketing or the acceptance of internet commerce which could, in turn, decrease the demand for our services and increase our costs.  As a result, our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected. Tax authorities in a number of states are currently reviewing and re-evaluating the tax treatment of companies engaged in internet commerce, including the application of sales taxes to internet marketing businesses similar to ours. We accrue for tax contingencies based upon our estimate of the taxes ultimately expected to be paid, which we update over time as more information becomes available, new legislation or rules are adopted or taxing authorities interpret their existing statutes and rules to apply to internet commerce, including internet marketing businesses similar to ours.  The amounts ultimately paid in resolution of reviews or audits by taxing authorities could be materially different from the amounts we have accrued and result in additional tax expense, and our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Data Security and Privacy Risks

 

Our business is subject to various laws, rules and regulations relating to data security and privacy. New data security and privacy laws, rules and regulations may be adopted regarding the internet or other online services that could limit our business flexibility or cause us to incur higher compliance costs.  In each case, our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected.  We have identified below some of these risks that we believe could be costly for us.

 

Anti-spam laws, rules and regulations. Various state and federal laws, rules and regulations regulate email communications and internet advertising and restrict or prohibit unsolicited email (commonly known as “spam”). These laws, rules or regulations may adversely affect our ability to market our services to consumers in a cost-effective manner. The federal Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (“ CAN-SPAM ”) imposes complex and often burdensome requirements in connection with sending commercial emails. In addition, state laws regulating the sending of commercial emails, including California’s law regulating the sending of commercial emails, to the extent found to not be preempted by CAN-SPAM, may impose requirements or conditions more restrictive than CAN-SPAM. Violation of these laws, rules or regulations may result in monetary fines or penalties or damage to our reputation.

 

Data privacy laws, rules and regulations. Various laws, rules and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of data that we receive from our users, advertisers and affiliates. In addition, we have and post on our website our own privacy policies and practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of user data and personal information. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, Federal Trade Commission requirements or orders or other federal or state privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations or industry self-regulatory principles could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. Further, failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our policies, applicable requirements or industry self-regulatory principles related to the collection, use, sharing or security of personal information or other privacy-related matters could result in a loss of user confidence in us, damage to our brands, and ultimately in a loss of users, advertisers or Lead referral and advertising affiliates. We cannot predict whether new legislation or regulations concerning data privacy and retention issues related to our business will be adopted, or if adopted, whether they could impose requirements that may result in a decrease in our user registrations and materially and adversely affect our financial performance.  Proposals that have or that are currently being considered include restrictions relating to the collection and use of data and information obtained through the tracking of internet use, including the possible implementation of a “Do Not Track” list, that would allow internet users to opt-out of such tracking.

 

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Security risks associated with online Leads collection and referral, advertising and e-commerce risks associated with other online fraud and scams.   A significant issue for online businesses like ours is the secure transmission of confidential and personal information over public networks. Concerns over the security of transactions conducted on the internet, consumer identity theft and user privacy issues have been significant barriers to growth in consumer use of the internet, online advertising and e-commerce. Despite our implementation of security measures, our computer systems or those of our vendors may be susceptible to electronic or physical computer break-ins, viruses and other disruptive harms and security breaches. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other developments may specifically compromise our security measures. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any perceived or actual unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding website visitors, whether through breach of our network by an unauthorized party, employee theft or misuse, or otherwise, could harm our reputation and brands, substantially impair our ability to attract and retain our audiences, or subject us to claims or litigation arising from damages suffered by consumers. If consumers experience identity theft after using any of our websites, we may be exposed to liability, adverse publicity and damage to our reputation. To the extent that identity theft gives rise to reluctance to use our websites or a decline in consumer confidence in financial transactions over the internet, our business could be adversely affected. Alleged or actual breaches of the network of one of our business partners or competitors whom consumers associate with us could also harm our reputation and brands. In addition, we could incur significant costs in complying with the multitude of state, federal and foreign laws regarding the unauthorized disclosure of personal information. For example, California law requires companies to inform individuals of any security breaches that result in their personal information being stolen. Because our success depends on the acceptance of online services and e-commerce, we may incur significant costs to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by those breaches. Internet fraud has been increasing over the past few years, and the Company has experienced fraudulent use of our name and trademarks on websites in connection with the purported sale of vehicles offered on third party websites, with payments to be handled through an online escrow service purported to be owned and operated by the Company.  These fraudulent online transactions and scams, should they continue to increase in prevalence, could affect our reputation with consumers and give rise to claims by consumers for funds transferred to the fraudulent accounts, which could materially and adversely affect our financial performance.

 

We are insured for some, but not all, of the foregoing risks.  Even for those risks for which we are insured and have coverage under the terms and conditions of the applicable policies, there are no assurances given that the coverage limits would be sufficient to cover all costs, liabilities or losses we might incur or experience.

 

Telemarketing Risks.   We are subject to various federal and state laws, rules, regulations and orders regarding telemarketing and privacy, including restrictions on the use of unsolicited emails and restrictions on marketing activities conducted through the use of telephonic communications (including text messaging to mobile telephones). Our financial performance could be adversely affected by newly-adopted or amended laws, rules, regulations and orders relating to telemarketing and increased enforcement of such laws, rules, regulations or orders by governmental agencies or by private litigants. One example of regulatory changes that may affect our financial performance are the regulations under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“ TCPA ”). Regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission under the TCPA require the prior express written consent of the called party before a caller can initiate telemarketing calls (i) to wireless numbers (including text messaging) using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice; or (ii) to residential lines using an artificial or prerecorded voice. Failure to comply with the TCPA can result in significant penalties, including statutory damages.  Our efforts to comply with these regulations may negatively affect conversion rates of leads, and thus, our revenue or profitability.

 

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Technology Risks

 

 Our business is dependent on keeping pace with advances in technology. If we are unable to keep pace with advances in technology, consumers may stop using our services and our revenues will decrease. If we are required to invest substantial amounts in technology, our financial performance will be adversely impacted.   The internet and electronic commerce markets are characterized by rapid technological change, changes in user and customer requirements, frequent new service and product introductions embodying new technologies, including mobile internet applications, and the emergence of new industry standards and practices that could render our existing websites and technology obsolete. These market characteristics are intensified by the emerging nature of the market and the fact that many companies are expected to introduce new internet products and services in the near future. If we are unable to adapt to changing technologies, our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected. Our performance will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to enhance our existing services, develop new technology that addresses the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our prospective customers, license leading technologies and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a timely and cost-effective basis. The development of our websites, mobile applications and other proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. We may not be successful in using new technologies effectively or adapting our websites or other proprietary technology to customer requirements or to emerging industry standards. In addition, if we are required to invest substantial amounts in technology in order to keep pace with technological advances, our financial performance could suffer.

 

  Interruptions or failures in our information technology platforms, communication systems or security systems could materially and adversely affect our financial performance.   Our information technology and communications systems are susceptible to outages and interruptions due to fire, flood, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failures, cyber attacks, terrorist attacks, failure of redundant systems and disaster recovery plans and similar events. Such outages and interruptions could damage our reputation and harm our operating results.  Despite our network security measures, our information technology platforms are vulnerable to computer viruses, worms, physical and electronic break-ins, sabotage and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering, as well as coordinated denial-of-service attacks. We do not have multiple site capacity for all of our services. In the event of delays or disruptions to services we rely on third party providers to perform disaster recovery planning and services on our behalf. We are vulnerable to extended failures to the extent that planning and services are not adequate to meet our continued technology platform, communication or security systems’ needs.  We rely on third party providers for our primary and secondary internet connections. Our co-location service and public cloud services that provide infrastructure and platform services, environmental and power support for our technology platforms, communication systems and security systems are received from third party providers. We have little or no control over these third party providers. Any disruption of the services they provide us or any failure of these third party providers to effectively design and implement sufficient security systems or plan for increases in capacity could, in turn, cause delays or disruptions in our services. We are insured for some, but not all, of these events.  Even for those events for which we are insured and have coverage under the terms and conditions of the applicable policies, there are no assurances given that the coverage limits would be sufficient to cover all losses we might incur or experience.

We are exposed to risks associated with overseas operations and outsourcing.   We currently maintain website, software development and operations in Guatemala that we acquired in our acquisition of AutoWeb and receive software development and maintenance services for some of our systems from contractors located in Pakistan.  These overseas operations and contractor arrangements are subject to many inherent risks, including but not limited to:

 

●	Political, social and economic instability;

●	Exposure to different business practices and legal standards, particularly with respect to labor and employment laws and intellectual property;

●	Continuation of overseas conflicts and the risk of terrorist attacks and resulting heightened security;

●	The imposition of governmental controls and restrictions and unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

●	Theft and other crimes;

●	Nationalization of business and blocking of cash flows;

●	Changes in taxation and tariffs;

●	Difficulties in staffing and managing international operations; and

●	Foreign currency exchange fluctuations.

 

 

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  These risks can significantly impact our overseas operations and outsourcing and increase the cost of such operations and outsourcing, resulting in a material and adverse impact on our financial performance.  In addition, we are subject to certain anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Pr   actices Act, in addition to the laws of the foreign countries in which we operate. If any of our overseas operations, or our employees or agents, violates such laws, we could become subject to sanctions or significant penalties that could negatively affect our reputation and financial performance.

 

Securities Market Risks

 

The public market for our common stock may be volatile, especially because market prices for internet-related and technology stocks have often been unrelated to operating performance; our common stock could be delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market if we are not able to satisfy continued listing requirements, in which case the price of our common stock  and our ability to raise additional capital and issue equity-based compensation may be adversely affected, and the ability to buy and sell our stock may be less orderly and efficient.   Our common stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ABTL,” but we cannot assure that an active trading market will be sustained or that the market price of the common stock will not decline. The stock market in general periodically experiences significant price fluctuations. The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors such as:

 

●	Actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results;

●	Historical and anticipated operating metrics such as the number of participating Dealers, volume of Lead deliveries to Dealers, the number of visitors to Company Websites and the frequency with which they interact with Company Websites;

●	Announcements of new product or service offerings;

●	Technological innovations;

●	Low trading volumes;

●	Concentration of holdings in our common stock resulting in low public float for our shares;

●	Decisions by holders of large blocks of our stock to sell their holdings on accelerated time schedules, including by reason of their decision to liquidate investment funds that hold our stock;

●	Limited analyst coverage of the Company;

●	Competitive developments, including actions by Manufacturers;

●	Changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or our failure to meet such estimates;

●	Conditions and trends in the internet, electronic commerce and automotive industries;

●	Adoption of new accounting standards affecting the technology or automotive industry;

●	Rumors, whether or not accurate, about us, our industry or possible transactions or other events;

●	The impact of open market repurchases of our common stock; and

●	General market or economic conditions and other factors.

 

Further, the stock markets, and in particular The Nasdaq Capital Market, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices of equity securities of many technology companies and have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market factors have affected and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rates, energy prices, international currency fluctuations, terrorist acts, political revolutions, military actions or wars, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies with publicly traded securities. This litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

 

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For our common stock to continue to be listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, the Company must satisfy various continued listing requirements established by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“ Nasdaq ”). In the event the Company were not able to satisfy these continued listing requirements, we expect that our common stock would be quoted on an over-the-counter market.  These markets are generally considered to be less efficient and less broad than The Nasdaq Capital Market. Investors may be reluctant to invest in the common stock if it is not listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market or another stock exchange. Delisting of our common stock could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock and would also eliminate our ability to rely on the preemption of state securities registration and qualification requirements afforded by Section 18 of the Securities Act of 1933 for “covered securities.” The loss of this preemption could result in higher costs for capital raising, could limit resale of our stock in some states, and could adversely impact our ability to issue equity-based compensation to Company employees.

 

No assurances can be given that the Company will continue to be able to meet the continued listing requirements for listing of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

Risks Associated with Litigation

 

Misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property and proprietary rights, enforcement actions to protect our intellectual property and claims from third parties relating to intellectual property could materially and adversely affect our financial performance. Litigation regarding intellectual property rights is common in the internet and technology industries. We expect that internet technologies and software products and services may be increasingly subject to third party infringement claims as the number of competitors in our industry segment grows and the functionality of products in different industry segments overlaps.   Our ability to compete depends upon our proprietary systems and technology.  While we rely on trademark, trade secret, patent and copyright law, confidentiality agreements and technical measures to protect our proprietary rights, we believe that the technical and creative skills of our personnel, continued development of our proprietary systems and technology, brand name recognition and reliable website maintenance are more essential in establishing and maintaining a leadership position and strengthening our brands. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our services or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Policing unauthorized use of our proprietary rights is difficult and may be expensive. We have no assurance that the steps taken by us will prevent misappropriation of technology or that the agreements entered into for that purpose will be enforceable. Effective trademark, service mark, patent, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available when our products and services are made available online. In addition, if litigation becomes necessary to enforce or protect our intellectual property rights or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity, this litigation, even if successful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.  We also have no assurances that our products and services do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties. Claims of infringement, even if unsuccessful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. If we are not successful, we may be subject to preliminary and permanent injunctive relief and monetary damages which may be trebled in the case willful infringements.

 

We could be adversely affected by actions of third parties that could subject us to litigation that could significantly and adversely affect our financial performance.   We could face liability for information retrieved or obtained from or transmitted over the internet by third parties and liability for products sold over the internet by third parties. We could be exposed to liability with respect to third party information that may be accessible through our websites, links or vehicle review services. These claims might, for example, be made for defamation, negligence, patent, copyright or trademark infringement, personal injury, breach of contract, unfair competition, false advertising, invasion of privacy or other legal theories based on the nature, content or copying of these materials. These claims might assert, among other things that, by directly or indirectly providing links to websites operated by third parties we should be liable for copyright or trademark infringement or other wrongful actions by such third parties through those websites. It is also possible that, if any third party content provided on our websites contains errors, consumers could make claims against us for losses incurred in reliance on such information. Any claims could result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, cause delays in releasing new or upgrading existing services or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements.

 

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We also enter into agreements with other companies under which any revenues that results from the purchase or use of services through direct links to or from our websites or on our websites is shared. In addition, we acquire personal information and data in the form of Leads purchased from third party websites involving consumers who submitted personally identifiable information and data to the third parties and not directly to us. These arrangements may expose us to additional legal risks and uncertainties, including disputes with these parties regarding revenue sharing, local, state and federal government regulation and potential liabilities to consumers of these services, even if we do not provide the services ourselves or have direct contact with the consumer. These liabilities can include liability for violations by these third parties of laws, rules and regulations, including those related to data security and privacy laws and regulations; unsolicited email, text messaging, telephone or wireless voice marketing; and licensing. We have no assurance that any indemnification provided to us in our agreements with these third parties, if available, will be adequate.

We could be materially and adversely affected by other litigation.   From time to time, we are involved in litigation or legal matters not related to intellectual property rights and arising from the normal course of our business activities. The actions filed against us and other litigation or legal matters, even if not meritorious, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention and an adverse outcome in litigation could materially and adversely affect our financial performance. Our liability insurance may not cover all potential claims to which we are exposed and may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, tax benefit preservation plan and Delaware law contain provisions that could discourage a third party from acquiring us or limit the price third parties are willing to pay for our stock.

 

Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws relating to our corporate governance and provisions in our Tax Benefit Preservation Plan could make it difficult for a third party to acquire us, and could discourage a third party from attempting to acquire control of us. These provisions could limit the price that some investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. The issuance of preferred stock also could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock or could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of the common stock.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation allows us to issue preferred stock with rights senior to those of the common stock without any further vote or action by the stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the board of directors is divided into three classes, which may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or change in our management because less than a majority of the board of directors are up for election at each annual meeting. In addition, provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws:

 

●	Require that actions to be taken by our stockholders may be taken only at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders and not by written consent;

●	Specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, a committee of the board of directors, the Chairman of our board of directors or our President;

●	Establish advance notice procedures for stockholders to submit nominations of candidates for election to our board of directors and other proposals to be brought before a stockholders meeting;

●	Provide that our bylaws may be amended by our board of directors without stockholder approval;

●	Allow our board of directors to establish the size of our board of directors;

●	Provide that vacancies on our board of directors or newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of our directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum; and

●	Do not give the holders of our common stock cumulative voting rights with respect to the election of directors.

 

 These provisions could make it more difficult for stockholders to effect corporate actions such as a merger, asset sale or other change of control of us.

 

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Under our Tax Benefit Preservation Plan, rights to purchase capital stock of the Company (“ Rights ”) have been distributed as a dividend at the rate of five Rights for each share of common stock.  Each Right entitles its holder, upon triggering of the Rights, to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company at a price of $75.00 (as such price may be adjusted under the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan) or, in certain circumstances, to instead acquire shares of common stock. The Rights will convert into a right to acquire common stock or other capital stock of the Company in certain circumstances and subject to certain exceptions.  The Rights will be triggered upon the acquisition of 4.90% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock or future acquisitions by any existing holders of 4.90% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock. If a person or group acquires 4.90% or more of our common stock, all Rights holders, except the acquirer, will be entitled to acquire at the then exercise price of a Right that number of shares of our common stock which, at the time, has a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right.  The Tax Benefit Preservation Plan authorizes our board of directors to exercise discretionary authority to deem a person acquiring common stock in excess of 4.90% not to be an “Acquiring Person” under the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan, and thereby not trigger the Rights, if the Board finds that the beneficial ownership of the shares by the person acquiring the shares will not be likely to directly or indirectly limit the availability to the Company of the net operating loss carryovers and other tax attributes that the plan is intended to preserve or  is otherwise in the best interests of the Company.

 

We are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, the statute prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder, and an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or did own 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. Section 203 could discourage a third party from attempting to acquire control of us.

 

If our internal controls and procedures fail, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our 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. In making its assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, management used the criteria described in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“ COSO ”). A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, that results in a more than remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected.

 

Management determined that we had no material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015. Our internal controls may not prevent all potential errors and fraud, because any control system, no matter how well designed, can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance that the objectives of the control system will be achieved. We have had material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the past and there is no assurance that we will not have one or more material weaknesses in the future resulting from failure of our internal controls and procedures.  Management excluded from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting the Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb businesses acquired during 2015.

 

Our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis could be adversely affected by a failure in our internal control over financial reporting. If our financial statements are not fairly presented, investors may not have an accurate understanding of our operating results and financial condition. If our financial statements are not timely filed with the SEC, we could be delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market. If either or both of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business and the market price of our common stock. In addition, a failure in our internal control over financial reporting could materially and adversely affect our financial performance.

 

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If we lose our key personnel or are unable to attract, train and retain additional highly qualified sales, marketing, managerial and technical personnel, our business may suffer.

 

Our future success depends on our ability to identify, hire, train and retain highly qualified sales, marketing, managerial and technical personnel.  In addition, as we introduce new services we may need to hire additional personnel. We may not be able to attract, assimilate or retain such personnel in the future. The inability to attract and retain the necessary managerial, technical, sales and marketing personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our business and operations are substantially dependent on the performance of our executive officers and key employees.  Each of these executive officers would be difficult to replace.  There is no guarantee that these or any of our other executive officers and key employees will remain employed with us. The loss of the services of one or more of our executive officers or key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Item  1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2.

Properties

 

Our headquarters are located in Irvine, California. Our headquarters consist of approximately 40,000 square feet of leased office space under a lease that expires in July 2017, with two extension options of one-year each (subject to the landlord’s right to terminate the second extension option in the event the premises are to be redeveloped).  Our SEM operations located in Tampa, Florida are in leased office space that consists of approximately 2,800 square feet under a lease that expires in June 2016. Our Tampa SEM operations will be moving in or about June 2016 to new leased office space in Tampa, Florida consisting of approximately 8,724 square feet under a lease that expires seven years after we f irst occupy the space . Our website development operations located in Guatemala City, Guatemala occupy approximately 4,434 square feet of leased office space under a lease that expires in February 2020. Our Finance Leads operations are located in Troy, Michigan and occupy approximately 5,400 square feet of leased office space under a lease that expires in July 2018, with two options to extend the lease, each for an additional three-year term. We also maintain SEM, direct marketing and software development operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts that occupy approximately 5,460 square feet of leased office space under a lease that expires in November 2017.We believe that our existing facilities are adequate to meet our needs and that existing needs and future growth can be accommodated by leasing alternative or additional space.

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

                   

From time to time, we may be involved in litigation matters arising from the normal course of our business activities.  Such litigation, even if not meritorious, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, and an adverse outcome in litigation could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition,  cash flows, earnings per share and stock price.

 

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

 

 Not applicable.

 

 

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PART II

 

Item  5.

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

 

Our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market and trades under the symbol “ABTL.” The following table sets forth, for the calendar quarters indicated, the range of high and low sales prices of our common stock:

 

Year		High				Low
2014
First Quarter		$	18.63			$	11.91
Second Quarter		$	15.09			$	10.67
Third Quarter		$	13.42			$	7.99
Fourth Quarter		$	11.77			$	8.56
2015
First Quarter		$	14.78			$	9.07
Second Quarter		$	17.97			$	12.68
Third Quarter		$	19.79			$	14.93
Fourth Quarter		$	24.57			$	16.30

 

As of March 7, 2016, there were 205 holders of record of our common stock. We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.  Payment of any future dividends will depend on our earnings, cash flows and financial condition and will be subject to legal and contractual restrictions.  As of March 7, 2016, our common stock closing price was $19.00 per share.

 

Performance Graph

The following graph shows a comparison of cumulative total stockholder returns for our common stock, the NASDAQ Composite, the S&P Automobile Manufacturers Index, and the S&P Smallcap 600 Automotive Retail Index.  The comparisons reflected in the graph and table below are not intended to predict the future performance of our stock and may not be indicative of our future performance.  The data regarding our common stock assume an investment in our common stock at the closing price of $4.30 per share of our common stock on December 31, 2010.

 

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		Cumulative Total Return
			12/10				12/11				12/12				12/13				12/14				12/15
Autobytel		$	100.00			$	81.40			$	92.56			$	351.86			$	253.49			$	524.65
NASDAQ Composite			100.00				100.53				116.92				166.19				188.78				199.95
S&P Automobile Manufacturers			100.00				64.09				78.57				102.22				99.16				97.05
S&P Smallcap 600 Automotive Retail			100.00				114.28				133.86				187.69				214.33				235.43

 

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data

    

The tables below set forth our selected consolidated financial data.  We prepared this information using the consolidated financial statements of Autobytel for the five years ended December 31, 2015.  Certain amounts in the selected consolidated financial data have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.  You should read these selected consolidated financial data together with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and also Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

		Years ended December 31,
		2015				2014				2013 (1)				2012				2011
		(Amounts in thousands, except per-share data)
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS:
Total revenues		$	133,226			$	106,278			$	78,361			$	66,802			$	63,812
Income from continuing operations		$	4,646			$	3,411			$	38,144				1,387			$	416
Net income		$	4,646			$	3,411			$	38,144				1,387			$	416
Basic earnings per common share		$	0.47			$	0.38			$	4.29			$	0.15			$	0.05
Diluted earnings per common share		$	0.37			$	0.32			$	3.61			$	0.15			$	0.04
Weighted average diluted shares			12,662				11,212				10,616				9,204				9,536

(1)	Net income in 2013 included a one-time benefit of $35.5 million in connection with the release of a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets.

 

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		Years ended December 31,
		2015				2014				2013				2012				2011
		(Amounts in thousands)
FINANCIAL POSITION (1):
Cash and cash equivalents		$	23,993			$	20,747			$	18,930			$	15,296			$	11,209
Total assets		$	153,588			$	104,749			$	88,193			$	40,767			$	38,794
Non-current liabilities		$	21,750			$	11,061			$	10,450			$	5,620			$	5,607
Accumulated deficit		$	(234,295	)		$	(238,941	)		$	(242,352	)		$	(280,496	)		$	(281,883	)
Stockholders’ equity		$	108,201			$	69,258			$	64,828			$	25,765			$	24,896

(1)

See Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements” in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding business combinations and other items that may affect comparability.

 

Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition in conjunction with the “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A and our Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  See also the discussion of “Forward-Looking Statements” immediately preceding Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2015, our business, results of operations and financial condition were affected and may continue to be affected in the future by the events that occurred during or subsequent to year end that are described in Part I, Item 1 – Business – Significant Business Developments of this Annual report on Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth our results of operations as a percentage of revenues:

 

			Years Ended December 31,
			2015			2014				2013
Revenues:
Lead fees			90.6	%			94.8	%			95.4	%
Advertising			7.9				3.9				4.2
Other revenues			1.5				1.3				0.4
Total revenues:			100.0				100.0				100.0
Cost of revenues			61.2				60.7				61.1
Gross margin			38.8				39.3				38.9
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing			12.0				13.5				12.2
Technology support			8.8				7.5				9.3
General and administrative			9.9				10.9				12.2
Depreciation and amortization			2.3				1.7				1.9
Litigation settlements			(0.1	)			(0.1	)			(0.4	)
Total operating expenses			32.9				33.5				35.2
Operating income			5.8				5.8				3.7
Interest and other income (expense), net			0.2				(0.7	)			0.3
Income tax provision (benefit)			2.5				1.9				(44.7	)
Net income			3.5	%			3.2	%			48.7	%

 

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Revenues by groups of similar services and gross profits are as follows (dollars in thousands):

 

		Years Ended December 31,												2015 vs. 2014 Change							2014 vs. 2013 Change
		2015			2014				2013					$					%		$						%
Revenues:
Lead fees		$	120,678			$	100,744			$	74,732			$	19,934				20	%		$	26,012				35	%
Advertising			10,534				4,171				3,289				6,363				153				882				27
Other revenues			2,014				1,363				340				651				48				1,023				301
Total revenues			133,226				106,278				78,361				26,948				25				27,917				36
Cost of revenues			81,586				64,465				47,915				17,121				27				16,550				35
Gross profit		$	51,640			$	41,813			$	30,446			$	9,827				24	%		$	11,367				37	%

 

2015 Compared to 2014

Lead fees. Lead fees increased $19.9 million or 20% in 2015 compared to 2014. The increase in Lead fees was primarily due to the higher lead volume associated with the increase in incremental and overlapping Dealers from the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in May 2015 paired with increased spend by certain OEM/wholesale partners.

 

Advertising.   The $6.4 million or 153% increase in advertising revenues in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily due to increases in click revenue coupled with increased revenue associated with increased page views and direct marketing revenue.

 

Other revenues.   Other revenues increased $0.7 million or 48% in 2015 compared to 2014.  The increase in other revenues was due to an increase in mobile product sales as a result of our acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Advanced Mobile, LLC and Advanced Mobile Solutions Worldwide, Inc. (collectively, “ Advanced Mobile ”).

 

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of Lead and traffic acquisition costs and other cost of revenues. Lead and traffic acquisition costs consist of payments made to our Lead providers, including internet portals and online automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of search engine marketing (“ SEM ”) and fees paid to third parties for data and content, including search engine optimization (“ SEO ”) activity, included on our properties, connectivity costs, development costs related to our websites, compensation related expense and technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization directly related to the Company Websites. SEM, sometimes referred to as paid search marketing, is the practice of bidding on keywords on search engines to drive traffic to a website.

 

The $17.1 million or 27% increase in cost of revenues in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily due to a corresponding increase in revenue as a result of the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in May 2015.

2014 Compared to 2013

Lead fees. Lead fees increased $26.0 million or 35% in 2014 compared to 2013. The increase in Lead fees was primarily due to the higher lead volume associated with the increase in incremental and overlapping Dealers associated with the AutoUSA acquisition in January 2014.

 

Advertising.   The $0.9 million or 27% increase in advertising revenues in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily due to increased website traffic and better monetization of traffic through the Jumpstart relationship, as well as increased AutoWeb click revenue.

Other revenues.   Other revenues increased $1.0 million or 301% in 2014 compared to 2013.  The increase in other revenues was due to an increase in mobile product sales as a result of the Advanced Mobile acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2013.

 

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Cost of Revenues. The $16.6 million or 35% increase in cost of revenues in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily due to the increase in automotive Lead volume, associated with the AutoUSA acquisition in January 2014.

 

Operating expenses were as follows (dollars in thousands):

 

		Years Ended December 31,												2015 vs. 2014 Change							2014 vs. 2013 Change
		2015			2014				2013					$					%		$						%
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing		$	15,956			$	14,404			$	9,612			$	1,552				11	%		$	4,792				50	%
Technology support			11,740				8,014				7,303				3,726				46				711				10
General and administrative			13,189				11,538				9,554				1,651				14				1,984				21
Depreciation and amortization			3,106				1,858				1,450				1,248				67				408				28
Litigation settlements			(108	)			(143	)			(316	)			35				(24	)			173				(55	)
Total operating expenses		$	43,883			$	35,671			$	27,603			$	8,212				23	%		$	8,068				29	%

 

2015 Compared to 2014

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expense includes costs for developing our brand, personnel costs, and other costs associated with Dealer sales, website advertising, Dealer support and bad debt expense.

 

Sales and marketing expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $1.6 million or 11% compared to the prior year, due to increased headcount related costs associated with the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in May 2015 coupled with increased marketing costs.

 

Technology Support.   Technology support includes compensation, benefits, software licenses and other direct costs incurred by the Company to enhance, manage, maintain, support, monitor and operate the Company's websites and related technologies, and to operate the Company's internal technology infrastructure.

 

Technology support expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $3.7 million or 46% compared to the prior year, primarily due to an increase in headcount related costs associated with the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in May 2015.

 

General and Administrative. General and administrative expense consists of executive, financial and legal personnel expenses and costs related to being a public company.

 

General and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $1.7 million or 14% compared to the prior year. The increase was due to increased professional fees associated with the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in May 2015 and AutoWeb acquisition in October 2015.

 

Depreciation and Amortization.   Depreciation and amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased $1.2 million or 67% from the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to the addition of intangible assets associated with the Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb acquisitions.

 

Litigation Settlements . Litigation settlements decreased to $108,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to $143,000 for the year ended December 31, 2014.  These payments primarily relate to a settlement of patent infringement claims against third parties relating to the third party’s method of Lead delivery.

 

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Interest and Other Income (Expense), net. Interest and other income was $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to interest and other expense of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Interest expense was $0.8 million and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.  The year ended December 31, 2015 included $0.6 million related to a gain on investment recognized from the acquisition of AutoWeb and $0.5 million related to the Company’s recovery of short-swing profits from a stockholder pursuant to Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Income tax provision.   Income tax expense was $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to income tax expense of $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  The Company’s effective tax rate of 42.5% for the year ended December 31, 2015 differed from the federal statutory rate principally as a result of deferred tax asset adjustments and state income taxes and permanent non-deductible tax items.  The Company’s effective tax rate of 37.4% for the year ended December 31, 2014 differed from the federal statutory rate principally as a result of deferred tax asset adjustments and state income taxes.

 

2014 Compared to 2013

Sales and Marketing.   Sales and marketing expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $4.8 million or 50% compared to the prior year, due principally to increased headcount costs associated with the AutoUSA and Advanced Mobile acquisitions which occurred in January 2014 and October 2013, respectively.

 

Technology Support.   Technology support expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $0.7 million or 10% compared to the prior year, primarily due to an increase in headcount costs and professional fees associated with the AutoUSA acquisition.

 

General and Administrative. General and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $2.0 million or 21% compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to increased headcount related costs and professional fees related to the AutoUSA acquisition.

 

Depreciation and Amortization.   Depreciation and amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $0.4 million or 28% from the year ended December 31, 2013 primarily due to the addition of intangible assets associated with the AutoUSA and Advanced Mobile acquisitions offset by a portion of the intangible assets associated with the Cyber  acquisition becoming fully amortized in 2013.

 

Litigation Settlements . Litigation settlements decreased to $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.  These payments primarily relate to a settlement of patent infringement claims against third parties relating to the third party’s method of Lead delivery.

Interest and Other Income (Expense), net. Interest and other expense was $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to interest and other income of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.  Interest expense was $0.7 million and $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  2013 included receipt of a $0.5 million final payment related to early termination of a license agreement pursuant to which the Company, as licensor, had licensed certain rights in the Company’s proprietary software, business procedures and brand.

Income tax provision (benefit).   Income tax expense was $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to income tax benefit of $35.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.  The Company’s effective tax rate of 37.4% for the year ended December 31, 2014 differed from the federal statutory rate principally as a result of deferred tax asset adjustments, a reversal of a portion of the valuation allowance, and state income taxes and permanent non-deductible tax items.  The Company’s effective tax rate of (1,139.1)% for the year ended December 31, 2013 differed from the federal statutory rate principally as a result of the reversal of a portion of the valuation allowance, federal rate adjustment from 35% to 34%, deferred tax asset adjustments and state income taxes.

 

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Due to overall cumulative losses incurred over the years, the Company maintained a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets as of September 30, 2013. Historically, the Company has been in a position of overall cumulative losses over the trailing twelve quarters. However, ending with the quarter ended September 30, 2013, the Company had achieved a position of overall cumulative income in the trailing twelve quarters. While this factor did not in and of itself indicate that the valuation allowance or a portion of the allowance should be removed, cumulative three year income was an indicator that was considered in evaluating the need to maintain or release the valuation allowance. Other factors that were assessed included the future projections of income and the Company's ability to accurately project such income.  The Company determined that it was appropriate to release $37.5 million of the valuation allowance in the quarter ended December 31, 2013.  The only valuation allowance remaining is $1.4 million related to California net operating losses that will likely expire unutilized and $4.6 million related to stock option deductions that will be realized in the future years once the deductions reduce income taxes payable.  This reversal was a one-time benefit to the financial statements and the Company began recognizing a tax provision on its pre-tax income prospectively, commencing with the quarter ending March 31, 2014.

 

Segment Information

 

We conduct our business within one business segment, which is defined as providing automotive marketing services.  Our operations are aggregated into a single reportable operating segment based upon similar economic and operating characteristics as well as similar markets.  

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

The table below sets forth a summary of our cash flow for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 (dollars in thousands):

 

			Years Ended December31,
			2015			2014				2013
Net cash provided by operating activities		$	12,200			$	7,890			$	4,332
Net cash used in investing activities			(28,105	)			(12,548	)			(5,052	)
Net cash provided by financing activities			19,151				6,475				4,354

 

Our principal sources of liquidity are our cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable balances. Our cash and cash equivalents totaled $24.0 million as of December 31, 2015 compared to $20.7 million as of December 31, 2014.

 

On June 7, 2012, the Company announced that its board of directors had authorized the Company to repurchase up to $2.0 million of Company common stock, and on September 17, 2014 the Company announced that the board of directors had approved the repurchase of up to an additional $1.0 million of Company common stock. The authorization may be increased or otherwise modified, renewed, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, without prior notice. We may repurchase common stock from time to time on the open market or in private transactions.  Shares repurchased under this program have been retired and returned to the status of authorized and unissued shares. We funded repurchases and anticipate that we would fund future repurchases through the use of available cash. The repurchase authorization does not obligate the Company to repurchase any particular number of shares. The timing and actual number of repurchases of additional shares, if any, under the Company’s stock repurchase program will depend upon a variety of factors, including price, market conditions, release of quarterly and annual earnings and other legal, regulatory and corporate considerations at the Company's sole discretion. The impact of repurchases on the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan and on the Company’s use of its net operating loss carryovers and other tax attributes if the Company were to experience an “ownership change,” as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code is also a factor that the Company considers in connection with share repurchases. No repurchases were made in 2015.  As of December 31, 2015, approximately $1.2 million remained available for the repurchase of Company common stock under this program.

 

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On May 20, 2015, the Company entered into a Third Amendment to Loan Agreement (“ Credit Facility Amendment ”) with MUFG Union Bank, N.A., formerly Union Bank, N.A. (“ Union Bank ”), amending the Company’s existing Loan Agreement with Union Bank initially entered into on February 26, 2013, as amended on September 10, 2013 and January 13, 2014 (the existing Loan Agreement, as amended to date, is referred to collectively as the “ Credit Facility Agreement ”).  The Credit Facility Agreement provided for a $9.0 million term loan (“ Term Loan 1 ”).  The Credit Facility Amendment provides for (i) a new $15.0 million term loan (“ Term Loan 2 ”); (ii) the amendment of certain financial covenants in the Credit Facility Agreement; and (iii) amendments to the Company’s existing $8.0 million working capital revolving line of credit (“ Revolving Loan ”).

Term Loan 1 is amortized over a period of four years, with fixed quarterly principal payments of $562,500. Borrowings under Term Loan 1 bear interest at either (i) the bank's Reference Rate (prime rate) minus 0.50% or (ii) the LIBOR plus 2.50%, at the option of the Company. Interest under Term Loan 1 adjusts (i) at the end of each LIBOR rate period (1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months terms) selected by the Company, if the LIBOR rate is selected; or (ii) with changes in Union Bank's Reference Rate, if the Reference Rate is selected.  Borrowings under Term Loan 1 are secured by a first priority security interest on all of the Company's personal property (including, but not limited to, accounts receivable) and proceeds thereof. Term Loan 1 matures on December 31, 2017.  Borrowing under Term Loan 1 was limited to use for the acquisition of AutoUSA, and the Company drew down the entire $9.0 million of Term Loan 1, together with $1.0 million under the Revolving Loan, in financing this acquisition.  The outstanding balance of Term Loan 1 as of December 31, 2015 was $4.5 million.

 

Term Loan 2 is amortized over a period of five years, with fixed quarterly principal payments of $750,000. Borrowings under Term Loan 2 bear interest at either (i) the London Interbank Offering Rate (“ LIBOR ”) plus 3.00% or (ii) the bank’s Reference Rate (prime rate), at the option of the Company. Borrowings under the Revolving Loan bear interest at either (i) the LIBOR plus 2.50% or (ii) the bank’s Reference Rate (prime rate) minus 0.50%, at the option of the Company. Interest under both Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan adjust (i) at the end of each LIBOR rate period (1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months terms) selected by the Company, if the LIBOR rate is selected; or (ii) with changes in Union Bank's Reference Rate, if the Reference Rate is selected. The Company paid an upfront fee of .10% of the Term Loan 2 principal amount upon drawing upon Term Loan 2 and also pays a commitment fee of 0.10% per year on the unused portion of the Revolving Loan, payable quarterly in arrears. Borrowings under Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan are secured by a first priority security interest on all of the Company's personal property (including, but not limited to, accounts receivable) and proceeds thereof. Term Loan 2 matures June 30, 2020, and the maturity date of the Revolving Loan was extended from March 31, 2017 to April 30, 2018. Borrowings under the Revolving Loan may be used as a source to finance working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and stock buybacks and for other general corporate purposes. Borrowing under Term Loan 2 was limited to use for the acquisition of Dealix/Autotegrity, and the Company drew down the entire $15.0 million of Term Loan 2, together with $2.75 million under the Revolving Loan and $6.76 million from available cash on hand, in financing this acquisition.  The outstanding balances of Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan as of December 31, 2015 were $13.5 million and $8.0 million, respectively.

The Credit Facility Agreement contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and restrictive and financial covenants, including that the Company maintain specified levels of minimum consolidated liquidity and quarterly and annual earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization, which the Company was in compliance with as of December 31, 2015.

We believe our current cash and cash equivalent balances together with anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to satisfy our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months.

 

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities.   Net cash provided by operating activities in 2015 of $12.2 million resulted primarily from net income of $4.6 million, as adjusted for non-cash charges to earnings, offset by a decrease in working capital, primarily from a decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $1.4 million.

 

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Net cash provided by operating activities in 2014 of $7.9 million resulted primarily from net income of $3.4 million, as adjusted for non-cash charges to earnings, offset by a decrease in working capital, which was the result of a year-over-year increase in our accounts receivable balance of $2.6 million in addition to a decrease in other assets of $0.6 million offset by an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $1.8 million.

 

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities.   Net cash used in investing activities of $28.1 million in 2015 primarily consisted of $25.0 million used to acquire Dealix/Autotegrity, a $0.4 million investment in GoMoto, Inc. (See “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates-Investments” below) and $2.7 million in purchases of property and equipment.

Net cash used in investing activities of $12.5 million in 2014 primarily consisted of $10.0 million used to acquire AutoUSA, a $0.9 million investment in AutoWeb and $1.1 million in purchases of property and equipment.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Net cash provided by financing activities of $19.2 million in 2015 consisted of borrowings of   $15.0 million and $2.8 million against the Term Loan and Revolving Loan, respectively, to fund the purchase of Dealix/Autotegrity in the year ended December 31, 2015.  Stock options for 145,979 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised in the year ended December 31, 2015 resulting in $1.2 million of cash inflow.    Payments of $3.8 million were made against the Term Loan borrowings in the year ended December 31, 2015.  We also received $1.9 million of proceeds related to the exercise of the Cyber Warrant by Auto Holdings and $2.1 million related to the acquisition of AutoWeb.

Net cash provided by financing activities of $6.5 million in 2014 consisted of borrowings of   $9.0 million and $1.0 million against the Term Loan and Revolving Loan, respectively, to fund the purchase of AutoUSA in the year ended December 31, 2014.  Stock options for 134,668 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised in the year ended December 31, 2014 resulting in $0.6 million of cash inflow.    Payments of $2.3 million were made against the Term Loan borrowings in the year ended December 31, 2014.  $1.8 million was also used to repurchase our common stock.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

The following table provides aggregated information about our outstanding contractual obligations as of December 31, 2015 (in thousands):

 

		Total				Less than 1 year				1-3 years				3-5 years			More than 5 years
Long-term Debt Obligations (a)		$	27,000			$	5,250			$	16,250			$	5,500		$	—
Operating Lease Obligations (b)			5,523				1,810				2,263				722			728
Total		$	32,523			$	7,060			$	18,513			$	6,222		$	728

(a)	Long-term debt obligations as defined by FASB Topic, “Debt,” and disclosed in Note 5 and 6 of the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(b)	Operating lease obligations as defined by FASB Topic, “Accounting for Leases,” and disclosed in Note 5 of the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

We prepare our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“ U.S. GAAP ”), which require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We believe the following critical accounting policies, among others, require significant judgment in determining estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.  Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from our estimates. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and our actual results, our financial condition or results of operations may be affected. For a detailed discussion of the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Revenue Recognition. Leads consist of vehicle buying Leads for new and used vehicles and finance request fees.  Fees paid by Dealers and Manufacturers participating in our Lead programs are comprised of monthly transaction and/or subscription fees.  Advertising revenues represent fees for display advertising on our websites.

 

We recognize revenues when evidence of an arrangement exists, pricing is fixed and determinable, collection is reasonably assured, and delivery or performance of service has occurred. Leads are generally recognized as revenues in the period the service is provided. Advertising revenues are generally recognized in the period the advertisements are displayed on our websites. Fees billed prior to providing services are deferred, as they do not satisfy all U.S. GAAP revenue recognition criteria. Deferred revenues are recognized as revenue over the periods services are provided.

 

Investments .  We make strategic investments because we believe that they may allow us to increase market share, benefit from advancements in technology and strengthen our business operations by enhancing our product and service offerings.

 

In September 2013 we entered into a Contribution Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which Autobytel contributed to AutoWeb $2.5 million and assigned to AutoWeb all the ownership interests in the autoweb.com domain name and two registered trademarks related to the AutoWeb name and related goodwill in exchange for 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock represented 16% of all issued and outstanding common stock of AutoWeb as of September 18, 2013, assuming conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into AutoWeb common stock as of September 18, 2013. The Company also obtained an option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock at a per share exercise price of $500.00. In connection with this investment, the Company also entered into arrangements with AutoWeb to use the AutoWeb pay-per-click, auction-driven automotive marketplace technology platform as both a publisher and as an advertiser. In November 2014 we entered into a Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which the Company paid $880,394 in exchange for 1,076 shares of AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The investments in AutoWeb were recorded at cost because prior to the AutoWeb Merger Date, the Company did not have significant influence over AutoWeb.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, the shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, and the option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock were cancelled.  See Note 3 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

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In September 2013 we entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel invested $150,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 1 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on September 1, 2015 unless converted prior to such maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.

In October 2013 the Company entered into an agreement with SaleMove to become the exclusive reseller to the automotive industry of SaleMove’s technology for enhancing communications with consumers.  SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone.  We agreed to advance costs and expenses up to a total of $1.0 million (“ SaleMove Advances ”), all of which was advanced as of December 31, 2014. SaleMove Advances are repaid to the Company from SaleMove's share of net revenues from this reseller agreement. As of December 31, 2015, the net advances due from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million.

In November 2014 we invested an additional $400,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 2 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on November 18, 2016 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  SaleMove Note 1 and SaleMove Note 2 were converted into 190,997 Series A Preferred Stock in July 2015 upon a preferred stock financing by SaleMove and is classified as a long-term investment on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

In December 2014, we entered into a Series Seed Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with GoMoto in which we paid $100,000 for 317,460 shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share.  The $100,000 investment in GoMoto was recorded at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over GoMoto.  In October 2015 we invested an additional $375,000 in GoMoto in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ GoMoto Note ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 4.0% and is due and payable in full on or after October 28, 2017 upon demand or at GoMoto’s option ten days’ written notice unless converted prior to the maturity date.  The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of GoMoto in the event of a preferred stock financing by GoMoto of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  The GoMoto Note is classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

 

Allowances for Bad Debt and Customer Credits.  We estimate and record allowances for potential bad debts and customer credits based on factors such as the write-off percentages, the current business environment and known concerns within our accounts receivable balances.

 

The allowance for bad debts is our estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or refusal of our customers to pay for our services. Additions to the estimated allowance for bad debts are recorded as an increase in sales and marketing expenses and are based on factors such as historical write-off percentages, the current business environment and the known concerns within the current aging of accounts receivable. Reductions in the estimated allowance for bad debts due to subsequent cash recoveries are recorded as a decrease in sales and marketing expenses. As specific bad debts are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for bad debts and have no impact on operating expenses.

 

The allowance for customer credits is our estimate of adjustments for services that do not meet our customers’ requirements. Additions to the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as a reduction in revenues and are based on historical experience of: (i) the amount of credits issued; (ii) the length of time after services are rendered that the credits are issued; (iii) other factors known at the time; and (iv) future expectations. Reductions in the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as an increase in revenues. As specific customer credits are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for customer credits and have no impact on revenues.

 

If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of our customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with our services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required and the impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition could be material.  We generally do not require collateral to support our accounts receivables.

 

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Contingencies.  From time to time we may be subject to proceedings, lawsuits and other claims. We assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes of these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. We record a loss contingency when an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The amount of allowances required, if any, for these contingencies is determined after analysis of each individual case. The amount of allowances may change in the future if there are new material developments in each matter.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments. We record our financial assets and liabilities at fair value, which is defined under the applicable accounting standards as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measure date.  We use valuation techniques to measure fair value, maximizing the use of observable outputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs.  The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value which are the following:

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Inputs include management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.  The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument’s valuation.

Cash equivalents, accounts receivable, net of allowance, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, are carried at cost, which management believes approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

Our investments at December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist primarily of investments in SaleMove, AutoWeb and GoMoto and are accounted for under the cost method. Although there is no established market for these investments, we evaluated the investments for impairment by comparing them to an estimated fair value and determined that there is no impairment. To determine the estimated fair value for our investment in SaleMove, we analyzed the discounted future cash flows of our sales of SaleMove products. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and represent a Level 3 measurement.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.  Prior to the acquisition, we owned 15% of the outstanding shares of AutoWeb, on a fully converted and diluted basis.

 

 The following table presents the Company’s activity for 2015 (dollars in thousands):

		Note			Note
		receivable-			receivable-
Description		long-term			Current				Investments
Balance at December 31, 2014		$	—			$	150			$	3,880
Total gains or (losses) (realized or unrealized)			—				—				636
Purchases			375				—				—
Sales			—				—				—
Transfers			—				(150	)			(3,836	)
Balance at December 31, 2015		$	375			$	—			$	680

 

 

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Variable Interest Entities.   We have investments in certain entities that are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) under GAAP.  We have concluded that our investment in SaleMove qualifies as a variable interest and SaleMove is a VIE. In addition, in relation to our acquisition of AutoWeb in October 2015 and AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine, we have concluded that AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine qualifies as a variable interest and Endine is a VIE.  VIEs are legal entities in which the equity investors do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to independently finance its activities or the collective holders do not have the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance, the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or the right to receive expected residual returns of the entity. Consolidation of a VIE is considered appropriate if a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary, the party that has both significant influence and control over the VIE. Management periodically performs a qualitative analysis to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. This analysis includes review of the VIEs’ capital structures, contractual terms, and primary activities, including the Company’s ability to direct the activities of the VIEs and obligations to absorb losses, or the right to receive benefits, significant to the VIEs.  Additionally, changes in our various equity investments have in the past resulted in a reconsideration event

Based on our analysis, Autobytel is not the primary beneficiary of SaleMove. Accordingly, SaleMove does not meet the criteria for consolidation. The SaleMove Advances are classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.  The carrying value and maximum potential loss exposure from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million and $1.6 million as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

We performed an analysis of the VIE rules as it related to the acquisition of AutoWeb and its relationships.  AutoWeb has a contract with Endine wherein Endine provides the technical expertise for AutoWeb that will continue into 2016.  Based on our analysis of the contract that AutoWeb has with Endine under the VIE guidelines, we have concluded that AutoWeb is the primary beneficiary of Endine and that Endine meets the criteria for consolidation.  We performed an analysis of Endine’s financial position and operations and determined that consolidation of Endine into Autobytel is immaterial to Autobytel’s consolidated financial statements.  Our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 do not include the consolidation of Endine.

 

Property and Equipment.   Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally three years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is provided using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Gains or losses resulting from the retirement or sale of property and equipment are recorded as operating income or expenses, respectively.

 

Capitalized Internal Use Software and Website Development Costs.   We capitalize costs to develop internal use software in accordance with the Internal-Use Software and the Website Development Costs Topics, which require the capitalization of external and internal computer software costs and website development costs, respectively, incurred during the application development stage. The application development stage is characterized by software design and configuration activities, coding, testing and installation. Training and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred while upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that such expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized internal use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three years. Capitalized website development costs, once placed in service are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related websites.

Share-Based Compensation Expense.  We account for our share-based compensation using the fair value method in accordance with the Stock Compensation Topic of the Codification.  Under these provisions, we recognize share-based compensation net of an estimated forfeiture rate and therefore only recognize compensation cost for those shares expected to vest over the service period of the award. The fair value of each stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the underlying common stock closing price as of the date of grant, the expected term, expected stock price volatility and expected risk-free interest rates.

 

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Calculating share-based compensation expense requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected term of the share-based awards, expected stock price volatility and expected pre-vesting option forfeitures. We estimate the expected life of options granted based on historical experience, which we believe are representative of future behavior. We estimate the volatility of the price of our common stock at the date of grant based on historical volatility of the price of our common stock for a period equal to the expected term of the awards. We have used historical volatility because we have a limited number of options traded on our common stock to support the use of an implied volatility or a combination of both historical and implied volatility. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based awards represent our best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors change and we use different assumptions, our share-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. In addition, we are required to estimate the expected forfeiture rate and only recognize expense for those shares expected to vest. We estimate the forfeiture rate based on historical experience of our share-based awards that are granted, exercised and cancelled. If our actual forfeiture rate is materially different from our estimate, the share-based compensation expense could be significantly different from what we have recorded in the current period.

 

Income Taxes. We account for income taxes under the liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We record a valuation allowance, if necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. During 2013, we reversed $37.5 million of our valuation allowance due to our historical earnings and future earnings projections.

 

As of December 31, 2015, we had $0.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits.  There was a reduction of $0.1 million of uncertain tax positions due to lapses in the statute of limitations during the current period. Our policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2015, we accrued $10,000 of interest associated with our unrecognized tax benefits, and $3,000 of interest expense was recognized in 2015.

 

Goodwill.   Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for business acquisitions over the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired. We evaluate the carrying value of enterprise goodwill for impairment. Testing for impairment of goodwill is a two-step process. The first step requires us to compare the enterprise’s carrying value to its fair value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, enterprise goodwill is potentially impaired and we then complete the second step to measure the impairment loss, if any. The second step requires the calculation of the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible and intangible net assets from the fair value of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of enterprise goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. We evaluate enterprise goodwill, at a minimum, on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of each year or whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired.  During 2015 and 2014 we recognized $22.0 million and $7.3, respectively, in goodwill related to the acquisitions of AutoUSA, Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb.  As of December 31, 2015, there were no changes in the recognized amount of goodwill and no goodwill impairment was recorded during the year.

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets. We periodically review long-lived assets to determine if there is any impairment of these assets. We assess the impairment of these assets, or the need to accelerate amortization, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Our judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on legal factors, market conditions and operational performance of our long-lived assets and other intangibles. Future events could cause us to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that the assets should be reviewed to determine their fair value. We assess the assets for impairment based on the estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined based on a valuation process that provides an estimate of a fair value of these assets using a discounted cash flow model, which includes many assumptions and estimates. Once the valuation is determined, we will write-down these assets to their determined fair value, if necessary. Any write-downs could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We did not record any impairment in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

 

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Codification 225-20 “Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items.”   In January 2015, Accounting Standards Update (“ ASU ”) No. 2015-01, “Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items” was issued.  This ASU eliminates from GAAP the concept of extraordinary items.  Preparers will not have to assess whether a particular event is extraordinary.  However, presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual and infrequently occurring.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods with those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015.  A reporting entity may apply the amendments prospectively.  A reporting entity also may apply the amendments retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements.  Early adoption is permitted provided the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption.  The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on the ongoing financial reporting.

Accounting Standards Codification 810 “Consolidation.”   In February 2015, ASU No. 2015-02, “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis” was issued.  This ASU was issued to respond to stakeholders’ concerns about current accounting for consolidation of certain legal entities. The amendments in the ASU (i) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities or voting interest entities, (ii) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (iii) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships and (iv) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Codification 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”   In May 2014, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” was issued.  This ASU requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective.  Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method.  In August 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date and it is now effective for public entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2017.  Early adoptions of the standard is permitted, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. This update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect this guidance will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

Accounting Standards Codification 805 “Business Combinations.”   In September 2015, ASU No. 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments” was issued.  This ASU requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined.  The amendments require that the acquirer record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years.  The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date of this ASU with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

 

 Accounting Standards Codification 740 “Income Taxes.”   In November 2015, ASU No. 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” was issued.  This ASU requires that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position.  The amendments in this Update apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years.   The Company believes this ASU will be immaterial to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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Accounting Standards Codification 842 “Leases.”   In February 2016, ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” was issued.  This ASU will require lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases of terms more than 12 months.  The ASU will require both capital and operating leases to be recognized on the balance sheet.  Qualitative and quantitative disclosures will also be required to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.  The ASU will take effect for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Item  7A.     Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

The Company does not use financial instruments for trading.  Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity to our Credit Facility Agreement.  The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in interest rates would have increased our interest expense by $65,000 in the year ended December 31, 2015.

   

Item  8.       Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

Our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 and our Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income, Stockholders’ Equity and Cash Flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, together with the report of our independent registered public accounting firm, begin on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.         Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

None.

Item 9A.      Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

We have established and maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries required to be disclosed by us in the reports that are filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“ Exchange Act ”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported in the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that this information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only a reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management was necessarily required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2015. Based on this evaluation, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2015.

 

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Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer, management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements or fraud. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth in the framework issued by the COSO entitled Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) . Based on this evaluation, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015. Management reviewed the results of its assessment with the audit committee of the board of directors.

As discussed in Note 3 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we acquired Dealix/Autotegrity in May 2015 and AutoWeb in October 2015.

We have excluded Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb from our assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015.  The combined Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb financial statements in aggregate constitute approximately 8.2% of total assets (excluding approximately $40.3 million of goodwill and intangible assets, which were integrated into the Company’s systems and control environment) and approximately 19.3% of total revenues of the consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Except for the acquisitions of Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb discussed above, there have been no changes in internal controls over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rules 13a-15 of the Exchange Act that have occurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

The effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015 has been audited by Moss Adams LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included below.

 

Item 9B.      Other Information

 

 Not applicable.

 

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PART III

Information called for by the Items included under this Part III is incorporated by reference to the sections listed below of our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders that will be filed not later than 120 days after December 31, 2015 (“ 2016 Proxy Statement ”).

 

Item 10

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

 

The information called for by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to the following sections of the 2016 Proxy Statement: “Proposal 1-Nomination and Election of Directors;” “Board of Directors;” “Executive Officers;” “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance;” and the following paragraphs under the section “Corporate Governance Matters” “--Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee,” and “--Code of Conduct and Ethics.”

 

Item 11

Executive Compensation

 

The information called for in this Item 11 is incorporated by reference to the following sections of the 2016 Proxy Statement: “Executive Compensation,” “Corporate Governance Matters--Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation,” and “Executive Compensation--Compensation Committee Report.”

 

Item 12

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

 

The information called for in this Item 12 is incorporated by reference to the following sections of the 2016 Proxy Statement: “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Executive Compensation-- Equity Compensation Plans.”

 

Item 13

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

The information called for in this Item 13 is incorporated by reference to the following sections of the 2016 Proxy Statement: “Corporate Governance Matters--Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” and “--Director Independence.”

 

Item 14

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The information called for in this Item 14 is incorporated by reference to the following sections of the 2015 Proxy Statement: “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Audit Committee Report--Principal Accountant Fees and Services,” “--Audit Fees,” “--Audit Related Fees,” “--Tax Fees,” “--All Other Fees,” and “--Pre-Approval Policy for Services.”

 

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PART IV

 

Item 15.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

(a) The following documents are filed as a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

 

(1)

Financial Statements:

 

		Page
Index			F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm			F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets			F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income			F-4
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity			F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows			F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements			F-7

 

(2)

Financial Statement Schedules:

 

Schedule II- Valuation Qualifying Accounts

F-37

 

    All other schedules have been omitted since the required information is presented in the financial statements and the related notes or is not applicable.

 

(3)

Exhibits:

 

 The exhibits filed or furnished as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are listed in the Exhibit Index immediately preceding such exhibits, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 10th day of March, 2016.

 

	AUTOBYTEL INC.
	By:	/s/ JEFFREY H. COATS
		Jeffrey H. Coats
		President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, and the undersigned Directors and Officers of Autobytel Inc. hereby constitute and appoint Jeffrey H. Coats, Kimberly Boren or Glenn E. Fuller as its or his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, for it or him and in its or his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, with full power to act alone, to sign any and all amendments to this report, and to file each such amendment to this report, with all exhibits thereto, and any and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform any and all acts and things requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as it or he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

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

 

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ MICHAEL J. FUCHS Michael J. Fuchs	Chairman of the Board and Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ JEFFREY H. COATS Jeffrey H. Coats	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)	March 10, 2016
/s/ KIMBERLY BOREN Kimberly Boren	Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)	March 10, 2016
/s/ WESLEY OZIMA Wesley Ozima	Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)	March 10, 2016
/s/ MICHAEL A. CARPENTER Michael A. Carpenter	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ MARK N. KAPLAN Mark N. Kaplan	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ ROBERT J. MYLOD, JR. Robert J. Mylod, Jr.	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ JEFFREY M. STIBEL Jeffrey M. Stibel	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ MATIAS DE TEZANOS Matias de Tezanos	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ JANET M. THOMPSON Janet M. Thompson	Director	March 10, 2016
/s/ JOSE VARGAS Jose Vargas	Director	March 10, 2016

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

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

 

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Board of Directors and Stockholders of Autobytel Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Autobytel Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015. We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. As discussed in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, management excluded from its assessment a portion of the internal control over financial reporting at Dealix Corporation and Autotegrity, Inc., (“Dealix/Autotegrity”) acquired in May, 2015 and AutoWeb Inc. (“AutoWeb”) acquired in October, 2015, and whose combined financial statements constitute approximately 8.2% of the Company’s consolidated total assets (excluding $40.3 million of goodwill and intangible assets, which were integrated into the Company’s control environment), and approximately 19.3% of consolidated net revenues of the consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015. Accordingly, our audit did not include the internal control over financial reporting at Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb. The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, 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 Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting 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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall consolidated financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

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, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Autobytel Inc. as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, Autobytel Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

/s/ MOSS ADAMS LLP

Los Angeles, CA

March 10, 2016

 

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except per-share and share data)

 

		December 31, 2015				December 31, 2014
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	23,993			$	20,747
Accounts receivable, net of allowances for bad debts and customer credits of $1,045 and $770 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively			28,091				18,311
Deferred tax asset			3,642				5,498
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			1,276				811
Total current assets			57,002				45,367
Property and equipment, net			4,296				1,904
Investments			680				3,880
Intangible assets, net			29,515				4,173
Goodwill			42,903				20,948
Long-term deferred tax asset			17,820				27,396
Other assets			1,372				1,081
Total assets		$	153,588			$	104,749
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		$	7,643			$	7,685
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities			10,744				9,495
Convertible note payable			—				5,000
Current portion of term loan payable			5,250				2,250
Total current liabilities			23,637				24,430
Convertible note payable			1,000				1,000
Long-term portion of term loan payable			12,750				4,500
Borrowings under revolving credit facility			8,000				5,250
Other non-current liabilities			—				311
Total liabilities			45,387				35,491
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)
Stockholders’ equity:
Series A Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 11,445,187 shares authorized; none outstanding			—				—
Series B Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 168,007 and no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively			—				—
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 55,000,000 shares authorized; 10,626,624 and 8,880,377 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively			11				9
Additional paid-in capital			342,485				308,190
Accumulated deficit			(234,295	)			(238,941	)
Total stockholders’ equity			108,201				69,258
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	153,588			$	104,749

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in thousands, except per-share data)

 

			Years Ended December 31,
			2015			2014				2013
Revenues:
Lead fees		$	120,678			$	100,744			$	74,732
Advertising			10,534				4,171				3,289
Other revenues			2,014				1,363				340
Total revenues			133,226				106,278				78,361
Cost of revenues			81,586				64,465				47,915
Gross profit			51,640				41,813				30,446
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing			15,956				14,404				9,612
Technology support			11,740				8,014				7,303
General and administrative			13,189				11,538				9,554
Depreciation and amortization			3,106				1,858				1,450
Litigation settlements			(108	)			(143	)			(316	)
Total operating expenses			43,883				35,671				27,603
Operating income			7,757				6,142				2,843
Interest and other income (expense), net			322				(694	)			237
Income tax provision (benefit)			3,433				2,037				(35,064	)
Net income and comprehensive income		$	4,646			$	3,411			$	38,144
Basic earnings  per common share		$	0.47			$	0.38			$	4.29
Diluted earnings  per common share		$	0.37			$	0.32			$	3.61

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands, except share data)

 

		Common Stock								Preferred Stock								Additional Paid-In-Capital				Accumulated Deficit
		Number of Shares				Amount				Number of Shares				Amount												Total
Balance at December 31, 2012			8,855,400			$	9				-			$	-			$	306,252			$	(280,496	)		$	25,765
Share-based compensation			-				-				-				-				705				-				705
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options			54,337				-				-				-				214				-				214
Net income			-				-				-				-				-				38,144				38,144
Balance at December 31, 2013			8,909,737				9				-				-				307,171				(242,352	)			64,828
Share-based compensation			-				-				-				-				1,426				-				1,426
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options			134,668				-				-				-				562				-				562
Issuance of warrants			-				-				-				-				510				-				510
Premium on convertible note			-				-				-				-				300				-				300
Repurchase of common stock			(164,028	)			-				-				-				(1,779	)			-				(1,779	)
Net income			-				-				-				-				-				3,411				3,411
Balance at December 31, 2014			8,880,377				9				-				-				308,190				(238,941	)			69,258
Share-based compensation			-				-				-				-				2,563				-				2,563
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options			145,979				-				-				-				1,197				-				1,197
Issuance of AutoWeb warrants			-				-				-				-				2,542				-				2,542
Issuance of AutoWeb preferred shares			-				-				168,007				-				21,133				-				21,133
Issuance of restricted stock			125,000				-				-				-				-				-				-
Exercise of warrants			400,000				1				-				-				1,860				-				1,861
Conversion of note payable			1,075,268				1				-				-				5,000				-				5,001
Net income			-				-				-				-				-				4,646				4,646
Balance at December 31, 2015			10,626,624				11				168,007				-				342,485				(234,295	)			108,201

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

 

			Years Ended December 31,
			2015			2014				2013
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income		$	4,646			$	3,411			$	38,144
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization			4,021				2,227				1,875
Provision for bad debt			379				354				92
Provision for customer credits			803				1,037				511
Share-based compensation			2,557				1,421				704
Gain on long-term strategic investment			(636	)			—				(108	)
Change in deferred tax assets			2,996				1,758				(35,495	)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable			(381	)			(2,590	)			(4,610	)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			(121	)			(261	)			6
Other non-current assets			147				(625	)			(246	)
Accounts payable			(586	)			137				1,416
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities			(1,352	)			1,847				1,445
Non-current liabilities			(273	)			(826	)			598
Net cash provided by operating activities			12,200				7,890				4,332
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of AutoUSA			—				(10,044	)			—
Purchase of Advanced Mobile			—				—				(1,824	)
Purchase of Dealix/Autotegrity			(25,011	)			—				—
Investment in AutoWeb			—				(880	)			(2,500	)
Investment in SaleMove			—				(400	)			(150	)
Purchase of intangible assets			—				—				(16	)
Investment in GoMoto			(375	)			(100	)			—
Change in long-term strategic investment			—				—				108
Purchases of property and equipment			(2,719	)			(1,124	)			(670	)
Net cash used in investing activities			(28,105	)			(12,548	)			(5,052	)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchase of common stock			—				(1,779	)			—
Borrowings under credit facility			2,750				1,000				4,250
Borrowings under term loan			15,000				9,000				—
Payments on term loan borrowings			(3,750	)			(2,250	)			—
Net proceeds from stock option exercises			1,197				567				215
Proceeds from exercise of warrants			1,860				—				—
Proceeds from issuance of preferred shares			2,132				—				—
Payment of contingent fee arrangement			(38	)			(63	)			(111	)
Net cash provided by financing activities			19,151				6,475				4,354
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents			3,246				1,817				3,634
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period			20,747				18,930				15,296
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period		$	23,993			$	20,747			$	18,930
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes		$	552			$	355			$	135
Cash paid for interest		$	884			$	697			$	324
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Purchase of AutoWeb		$	21,543			$	—			$	—
Conversion of Cyber Note		$	5,000			$	—			$	—

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

1.	Organization and Operations of Autobytel

 

Autobytel Inc. (“ Autobytel ” or the “ Company ”) is an automotive marketing services company that assists automotive retail dealers (“ Dealers ”) and automotive manufacturers (“ Manufacturers ”) market and sell new and used vehicles through its programs for online lead referrals (“ Leads ”), Dealer marketing products and services, and online advertising and consumer  traffic referral programs and mobile products.

 

The Company’s consumer-facing automotive websites (“ Company Websites ”), including its flagship website Autobytel.com ® , provide consumers with information and tools to aid them with their automotive purchase decisions and the ability to submit inquiries requesting Dealers to contact the consumers regarding purchasing or leasing vehicles (“ Vehicle Leads ”). For consumers who may not be able to secure loans through conventional lending sources, the Company Websites provide these consumers the ability to submit inquiries requesting Dealers or other lenders that may offer vehicle financing to these consumers to contact the consumers regarding vehicle financing (“ Finance Leads ”). The Company’s mission for consumers is to be “Your Lifetime Automotive Advisor ® ” by engaging consumers throughout the entire lifecycle of their automotive needs.

 

The Company was incorporated in Delaware on May 17, 1996. Its principal corporate offices are located in Irvine, California. The Company’s common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol ABTL.

 

  On October 1, 2015 (“ AutoWeb Merger Date ”), Autobytel entered into and consummated an Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among Autobytel, New Horizon Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Autobytel (“ Merger Sub ”), AutoWeb Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ AutoWeb ”) and Jose Vargas, in his capacity as Stockholder Representative.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of Autobytel.  AutoWeb was a privately-owned company providing an automotive search engine that enables Manufacturers and Dealers to optimize advertising campaigns and reach highly-targeted car buyers through an auction-based click marketplace.  Prior to the acquisition, the Company previously owned approximately 15% of the outstanding shares of AutoWeb, on a fully converted and diluted basis, and accounted for the investment on the cost basis.  See Note 3.

In connection with the AutoWeb acquisition, Autobytel obtained AutoWeb’s Guatemalan website, software development and operations, which were provided as a contract service provider organization through Endine Enterprises Corp., a British Virgin Islands company and an entity effectively controlled by AutoWeb (“ Endine ”). Endine was not consolidated by AutoWeb as required under the VIE rules historically.  The Company has not consolidated Endine under the VIE rules as the effects of such consolidation would not be material and the Company currently plans to terminate this contract service provider arrangement.  The Company is in the process of establishing a wholly-owned, indirect Guatemalan subsidiary of Autobytel that will maintain the forgoing services and operations directly.  Eventually, the Company anticipates it will employ approximately seventy website, software development and operational personnel in Guatemala.

 

On May 21, 2015 (“ Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date ”), Autobytel and CDK Global, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ CDK ”), entered into and consummated a Stock Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock in Dealix Corporation, a California corporation and subsidiary of CDK, and Autotegrity, Inc., a Delaware corporation and subsidiary of CDK (collectively, “ Dealix/Autotegrity ”).  Dealix Corporation provides new and used car Leads to automotive dealerships, Dealer groups and Manufacturers, and Autotegrity, Inc. is a consumer Leads acquisition and analytics business.  See Note 3.

 

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On April 27, 2015, Auto Holdings Ltd. (“ Auto Holdings ”) acquired from Cyber Ventures, Inc. and Autotropolis, Inc. the $5.0 million convertible subordinated promissory note and the warrant to purchase 400,000 shares of Autobytel common stock issued by the Company to Cyber Ventures and Autotropolis in September 2010 in connection with Autobytel’s acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Cyber Ventures and Autotropolis (collectively referred to as “ Cyber ”).  Concurrent with the acquisition of the Cyber convertible note (“ Cyber Note ”) and warrant (“ Cyber Warrant ”), Auto Holdings converted the Cyber Note and fully exercised the Cyber Warrant at its conversion price of $4.65 per share.  As required under the terms of the conversion for the Cyber Note, Autobytel issued 1,075,268 shares of its common stock and under the terms of exercise for the Cyber Warrant, it issued an additional 400,000 shares of its common stock.  Autobytel consented to this transaction.

On January 13, 2014 (“ AutoUSA Acquisition Date ”), Autobytel, AutoNation, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Seller Parent ”), and AutoNationDirect.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation and subsidiary of Seller Parent (“ Seller ”), entered into and consummated a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in AutoUSA, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of Seller (“ AutoUSA ”).  AutoUSA was a competitor to the Company and at the time of the acquisition was a (i) lead aggregator purchasing internet-generated automotive consumer leads from third parties and reselling those consumer leads to automotive dealers; and (ii) reseller of third party products and services to automotive Dealers.  See Note 3.

 

2.	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation .  The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.  Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current period presentation.  These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.

 

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements.   The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“ U.S. GAAP ”) requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, allowances for bad debts and customer credits, useful lives of depreciable assets and capitalized software costs, long-lived asset impairments, goodwill and purchased intangible asset valuations, accrued liabilities, contingent payment provisions, debt valuation and valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, warrant valuation and stock-based compensation expense. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents.   For purposes of the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents represent amounts held by the Company for use by the Company and are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value.

 

Investments.     In September 2013 the Company entered into a Contribution Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which Autobytel contributed to AutoWeb $2.5 million and assigned to AutoWeb all the ownership interests in the autoweb.com domain name and two registered trademarks related to the AutoWeb name and related goodwill in exchange for 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock represented 16% of all issued and outstanding common stock of AutoWeb as of September 18, 2013, assuming conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into AutoWeb common stock as of September 18, 2013. The Company also obtained an option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock at a per share exercise price of $500.00. In connection with this investment, the Company also entered into arrangements with AutoWeb to use the AutoWeb pay-per-click, auction-driven automotive marketplace technology platform as both a publisher and as an advertiser. In November 2014 the Company entered into a Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which the Company paid $880,394 in exchange for 1,076 shares of AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The investments in AutoWeb were recorded at cost because prior to the AutoWeb Merger Date, the Company did not have significant influence over AutoWeb.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, the shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, and the option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock were cancelled.  See Note 3.

 

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In September 2013 the Company entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel invested $150,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 1 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on September 1, 2015 unless converted prior to such maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.

In October 2013 the Company entered into an agreement with SaleMove to become the exclusive reseller to the automotive industry of SaleMove’s technology for enhancing communications with consumers.  SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone.  The Company agreed to advance costs and expenses up to a total of $1.0 million (“ SaleMove Advances ”), all of which was advanced as of December 31, 2014.   SaleMove Advances are repaid to the Company from SaleMove's share of net revenues from this reseller agreement. As of December 31, 2015, the net advances due from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million.

In November 2014 the Company invested an additional $400,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 2 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on November 18, 2016 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  SaleMove Note 1 and SaleMove Note 2 were converted into 190,997 Series A Preferred Stock in July 2015 upon a preferred stock financing by SaleMove and is classified as a long-term investment on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

In December 2014 the Company entered into a Series Seed Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with GoMoto, Inc. (“ GoMoto ”) in which we paid $100,000 for 317,460 shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share.  The $100,000 investment in GoMoto was recorded at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over GoMoto.  In October 2015 we invested an additional $375,000 in GoMoto in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ GoMoto Note ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 4.0% and is due and payable in full on or after October 28, 2017 upon demand or at GoMoto’s option ten days’ written notice unless converted prior to the maturity date.  The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of GoMoto in the event of a preferred stock financing by GoMoto of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  The GoMoto Note is classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

Accounts Receivable.   Credit is extended to customers based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition, and when credit is extended, collateral is generally not required. Interest is not normally charged on receivables.

 

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Allowances for Bad Debts and Customer Credits.   The allowance for bad debts is an estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or refusal of customers to pay for services. Additions to the estimated allowance for bad debts are recorded to sales and marketing expenses and are based on factors such as historical write-off percentages, the current business environment and known concerns within the current aging of accounts receivable. Reductions in the estimated allowance for bad debts due to subsequent cash recoveries are recorded as a decrease in sales and marketing expenses. As specific bad debts are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for bad debts with no impact on operating expenses.

 

The allowance for customer credits is an estimate of adjustments for services that do not meet the customer requirements. Additions to the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as a reduction of revenues and are based on the Company’s historical experience of: (i) the amount of credits issued; (ii) the length of time after services are rendered that the credits are issued; (iii) other factors known at the time; and (iv) future expectations. Reductions in the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as an increase in revenues. As specific customer credits are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for customer credits with no impact on revenues.

 

If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of the Company’s customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with their services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required, and the impact on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, earnings per share, cash flow or the trading price of our stock could be material.

Contingencies.    From time to time the Company may be subject to proceedings, lawsuits and other claims.  The Company assesses the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes of these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. The Company records a loss contingency when an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The amount of allowances required, if any, for these contingencies is determined after analysis of each individual case. The amount of allowances may change in the future if there are new material developments in each matter.  Gain contingencies are not recorded until all elements necessary to realize the revenue are present. Any legal fees incurred in connection with a contingency are expensed as incurred.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments.   The Company records its financial assets and liabilities at fair value, which is defined under the applicable accounting standards as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measure date.  The Company uses valuation techniques to measure fair value, maximizing the use of observable outputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs.  The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value which are the following:

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

 

Level 3 – Inputs include management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.  The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument’s valuation.

Cash equivalents, accounts receivable, net of allowance, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, are carried at cost, which management believes approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

 

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            The Company’s investments at December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist primarily of investments in SaleMove, AutoWeb and GoMoto and are accounted for under the cost method. Although there is no established market for these investments, we evaluated the investments for impairment by comparing them to an estimated fair value and determined that there is no impairment. To determine the estimated fair value for our investment in SaleMove, we analyzed the discounted future cash flows of our sales of SaleMove products. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and represent a Level 3 measurement.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autobytel.  Prior to the acquisition, we owned 15% of the outstanding shares of AutoWeb, on a fully converted and diluted basis.

Variable Interest Entities.   The Company has investments in certain entities that are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) under GAAP.  The Company has concluded that their investment in SaleMove qualifies as a variable interest and SaleMove is a VIE. In addition, in relation to the Company’s acquisition of AutoWeb in October 2015 and AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine, the Company has concluded that AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine qualifies as a variable interest and Endine is a VIE.  VIEs are legal entities in which the equity investors do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to independently finance its activities or the collective holders do not have the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance, the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or the right to receive expected residual returns of the entity. Consolidation of a VIE is considered appropriate if a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary, the party that has both significant influence and control over the VIE. Management periodically performs a qualitative analysis to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. This analysis includes review of the VIEs’ capital structures, contractual terms, and primary activities, including the Company’s ability to direct the activities of the VIEs and obligations to absorb losses, or the right to receive benefits, significant to the VIEs.  Additionally, changes in our various equity investments have in the past resulted in a reconsideration event.

Based on Autobytel’s analysis for the periods presented in this report, it is not the primary beneficiary of SaleMove. Accordingly, SaleMove does not meet the criteria for consolidation.   The SaleMove Advances are classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.   The carrying value and maximum potential loss exposure from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million as of December 31, 2015, and $1.6 million as of December 31, 2014.

The Company performed an analysis of the VIE rules as it related to the acquisition of AutoWeb and its relationships.  AutoWeb has a contract with Endine wherein Endine provides the technical expertise for AutoWeb that will continue into 2016.  Based on Autobytel’s analysis of the contract that AutoWeb has with Endine under the VIE guidelines, the Company has concluded that AutoWeb is the primary beneficiary of Endine and that Endine meets the criteria for consolidation.  The Company performed an analysis of Endine’s financial position and operations and determined that consolidation of Endine into Autobytel is immaterial to Autobytel’s consolidated financial statements.  The Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 do not include the consolidation of Endine.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Risks Due to Significant Customers.   Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, investments and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are primarily maintained with two financial institutions in the United States. Deposits held by banks exceed the amount of insurance provided for such deposits. Generally these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. Accounts receivable are primarily derived from fees billed to automotive Dealers and automotive Manufacturers.

 

The Company has a concentration of credit risk with its automotive industry related accounts receivable balances, particularly with Urban Science Applications (which represents several Manufacturer programs), General Motors and Ford Direct.  During 2015, approximately 28% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from these three customers, and approximately 37% or $10.7 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2015.  In 2015, Urban Science Applications accounted for 16% of total revenues and total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015.

 

During 2014, approximately 27% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from Urban Science Applications, General Motors and Jumpstart, and approximately 41% or $7.8 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2014.  In 2014, Urban Science Applications accounted for 19% of total revenues and 23% of the total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2014.

 

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Property and Equipment.   Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally three years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is provided using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Gains or losses resulting from the retirement or sale of property and equipment are recorded as operating income or expenses, respectively.

Operating Leases.   The Company leases office space and certain office equipment under operating lease agreements which expire on various dates through 2023, with options to renew on expiration of the original lease terms.

Reimbursed tenant improvements are considered in determining straight-line rent expense and are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the lease term. The lease term begins on the date of initial possession of the leased property for purposes of recognizing rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Lease renewal periods are considered on a lease-by-lease basis and are generally not included in the initial lease term.

 

Capitalized Internal Use Software and Website Development Costs.   The Company capitalizes costs to develop internal use software in accordance with the Internal-Use Software and the Website Development Costs Topics, which require the capitalization of external and internal computer software costs and website development costs, respectively, incurred during the application development stage. The application development stage is characterized by software design and configuration activities, coding, testing and installation. Training and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred while upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that such expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized internal use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three to five years. Capitalized website development costs, once placed in service, are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related websites.  The Company capitalized $1.5 million, $0.6 million and $82,000 of such costs for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets.   The Company periodically reviews long-lived assets to determine if there is any impairment of these assets. The Company assesses the impairment of these assets, or the need to accelerate amortization, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on legal factors, market conditions and operational performance of the long-lived assets and other intangibles. Future events could cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that the assets should be reviewed to determine their fair value. The Company assesses the assets for impairment based on the estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined based on a valuation process that provides an estimate of a fair value of these assets using a discounted cash flow model, which includes many assumptions and estimates. Once the valuation is determined, the Company would write-down these assets to their determined fair value, if necessary. Any write-down could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

 

Goodwill.   Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for business acquisitions over the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired. The Company evaluates the carrying value of enterprise goodwill for impairment. Testing for impairment of goodwill is a two-step process. The first step requires the Company to compare the enterprise’s carrying value to its fair value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, enterprise goodwill is potentially impaired and the Company then completes the second step to measure the impairment loss, if any. The second step requires the calculation of the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible and intangible net assets from the fair value of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of enterprise goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. The Company evaluates enterprise goodwill, at a minimum, on an annual basis, in the fourth quarter of each year or whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired.

 

Revenue Recognition.   Lead fees consist of fees from the sale of Leads for new and used vehicles and Leads for vehicle financing.  Fees paid by customers participating in the Company’s Lead programs are comprised of monthly transaction and/or subscription fees.  Advertising revenues represent fees for display advertising on Company’s Websites.

 

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The Company recognizes revenues when evidence of an arrangement exists, pricing is fixed and determinable, collection is reasonably assured and delivery or performance of service has occurred. Lead fees are generally recognized as revenues in the period the service is provided. Advertising revenues are generally recognized in the period the advertisements are displayed on Company Websites. Fees billed prior to providing services are deferred, as they do not satisfy all U.S. GAAP revenue recognition criteria. Deferred revenues are recognized as revenue over the periods services are provided.

 

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of Lead and traffic acquisition costs and other cost of revenues. Lead and traffic acquisition costs consist of payments made to the Company’s Lead providers, including internet portals and on-line automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of search engine marketing (“ SEM ”) and fees paid to third parties for data and content, including search engine optimization (“ SEO ”) activity, included on the Company’s properties, connectivity costs and development costs related to the Company Websites, compensation related expense and technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization directly related to Company Websites.  SEM, sometimes referred to as paid search marketing, is the practice of bidding on keywords on search engines to drive traffic to a website.

 

 Income Taxes.   The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance, if necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount it believes is more likely than not to be realized.

 

Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Earnings per Share.   Basic net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares, and if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding, as determined under the treasury stock and if-converted method, during the period. Potential common shares consist of common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options, common shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants described below and common shares issuable upon conversion of the shares described in Note 3.

 

The following are the share amounts utilized to compute the basic and diluted net earnings per share for the years ended December 31:

 

	2015		2014				2013
Basic Shares:
Weighted average common shares outstanding	9,907,066			8,998,035				8,883,357
Weighted average common shares repurchased	—			(18,138	)			—
Basic Shares	9,907,066			8,979,897				8,883,357
Diluted Shares:
Basic Shares	9,907,066			8,979,897				8,883,357
Weighted average dilutive securities	2,755,258			2,232,011				1,732,596
Dilutive Shares	12,662,324			11,211,908				10,615,953

 For the year ended December 31, 2015, weighted average dilutive securities included dilutive options, warrants and convertible preferred shares.  For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, weighted average dilutive securities included dilutive options, warrants and convertible debt.

 

Potentially dilutive securities representing approximately 1.4 million, 1.1 million and 1.1 million shares of common stock for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share for these periods because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

 

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Share-Based Compensation.   The Company grants restricted stock and stock option awards (the “ Awards ”) under several of its share-based compensation Plans (the “ Plans ”), that are more fully described in Note 9.  The Company recognizes share-based compensation based on the Awards’ fair value, net of estimated forfeitures on a straight line basis over the requisite service periods, which is generally over the awards’ respective vesting period, or on an accelerated basis over the estimated performance periods for options with performance conditions. 

 

Restricted stock fair value is measured on the grant date based on the quoted market price of the Company’s common stock, and the stock option fair value is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the underlying common stock closing price as of the date of grant, the expected term, stock price volatility and risk-free interest rates.

 

Business Segment. The Company conducts its business within the United States and within one business segment which is defined as providing automotive and marketing services.  The Company’s operations are aggregated into a single reportable operating segment based upon similar economic and operating characteristics as well as similar markets.

 

Advertising Expense.   Advertising costs are expensed in the period incurred and the majority of advertising expense is recorded in sales and marketing expense. Advertising expense in the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $2.0 million, $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

  Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

Accounting Standards Codification 225-20 “Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items.”   In January 2015, Accounting Standards Update (“ ASU ”) No. 2015-01, “Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items” was issued.  This ASU eliminates from GAAP the concept of extraordinary items.  Preparers will not have to assess whether a particular event is extraordinary.  However, presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual and infrequently occurring.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods with those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015.  A reporting entity may apply the amendments prospectively.  A reporting entity also may apply the amendments retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements.  Early adoption is permitted provided the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption.  The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on the ongoing financial reporting.

Accounting Standards Codification 810 “Consolidation.”   In February 2015, ASU No. 2015-02, “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis” was issued.  This ASU was issued to respond to stakeholders’ concerns about current accounting for consolidation of certain legal entities. The amendments in the ASU (i) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities or voting interest entities, (ii) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (iii) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships and (iv) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Codification 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”   In May 2014, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” was issued.  This ASU requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective.  Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method.  In August 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date and it is now effective for public entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2017.  Early adoptions of the standard is permitted, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. This update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect this guidance will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

 

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Accounting Standards Codification 805 “Business Combinations.”   In September 2015, ASU No. 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments” was issued.  This ASU requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined.  The amendments require that the acquirer record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years.  The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date of this ASU with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

 

 Accounting Standards Codification 740 “Income Taxes."   In November 2015, ASU No. 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” was issued.  This ASU requires that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position.  The amendments in this Update apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position.  The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years.  The Company believes this ASU will be immaterial to the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Codification 842 “Leases.”   In February 2016, ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” was issued.  This ASU will require lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases of terms more than 12 months.  The ASU will require both capital and operating leases to be recognized on the balance sheet.  Qualitative and quantitative disclosures will also be required to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.  The ASU will take effect for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.  The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

3.                      Acquisitions

Acquisition of AutoWeb

On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autobytel.  AutoWeb provides an automotive search engine that enables Manufacturers and Dealers to optimize their advertising campaigns and reach highly targeted car buyers through an auction-based click marketplace.

 

The AutoWeb Merger Date fair value of the consideration transferred totaled $23.8 million consisting of (i) 168,007 newly issued shares of Series B Junior Participating Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Autobytel (“ Series B Preferred Stock ”); (ii) warrants to purchase up to 148,240 shares of Series B Preferred Stock “ AutoWeb Warrant ”); and (iii) $0.3 million in cash to cancel vested, in-the-money options to acquire shares of AutoWeb common stock.  As a result of accounting for the transaction as a business combination achieved in stages, the Company also recorded $0.6 million as a gain to the pre-merger investment in AutoWeb.  The results of operations of AutoWeb have been included in the Company’s results of operations since the AutoWeb Merger Date.

		(in thousands)
Series B Preferred Stock		$	20,989
Series B Preferred warrants to purchase 148,240 shares of Series B Preferred Stock			2,542
Cash			279
Fair value of prior ownership in AutoWeb			4,016
		$	27,826

The shares of Series B Preferred Stock are convertible, subject to certain limitations, into ten (10) shares of Common Stock.  All shares will be automatically converted upon stockholder approval.

 

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The AutoWeb Warrant becomes exercisable three years after the closing date, subject to the following vesting conditions: (i) with respect to the first one-third of the warrant shares, if at any time after the issuance date of the AutoWeb Warrant and prior to the expiration date of the AutoWeb Warrant the weighted average closing price of the Common Stock for the preceding 30 trading days (adjusted for any stock splits, stock dividends, reverse stock splits or combinations of the Common Stock occurring after the issuance date) (“ Weighted Average Closing Price ”) is at or above $30.00; (ii) with respect to the second one-third of the warrant shares, if at any time after the issuance date of the AutoWeb Warrant and prior to the expiration date the Weighted Average Closing Price is at or above $37.50; and (iii) with respect to the last one-third of the warrant shares, if at any time after the issuance date of the AutoWeb Warrant and prior to the expiration date the Weighted Average Closing Price is at or above $45.00.  The AutoWeb Warrant expires on the seventh anniversary of their issuance date.

The following table summarizes the preliminary estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the AutoWeb Merger Date.  Because the transaction was completed during the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company has not yet finalized the fair values of the assets and liabilities assumed in connection with the acquisition. 

		(in thousands)
Net identifiable assets acquired:
Total tangible assets acquired		$	4,456
Total liabilities assumed			543
Net identifiable assets acquired			3,913
Definite-lived intangible assets acquired			17,690
Goodwill			5,954
		$	27,557

The preliminary fair value of the acquired intangible assets was determined using the below valuation approaches. In estimating the fair value of the acquired intangible assets, the Company utilized the valuation methodology determined to be most appropriate for the individual intangible asset being valued as described below. The intangible assets related to the AutoWeb acquisition include the following:

 

	Valuation Method		Estimated Fair Value				Estimated Useful Life (1)
			(in thousands)				(years)
Customer relationships	Excess of earnings ( 2 )		$	7,470				4
Trademark/trade names	Relief from Royalty ( 3 )			2,600				6
Developed technology	Excess of earnings ( 4 )			7,620				7
Total purchased intangible assets			$	17,690

 

(1)	Determination of the estimated useful lives of the individual categories of purchased intangible assets was based on the nature of the applicable intangible asset and the expected future cash flows to be derived from such intangible asset. Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives is recognized over the shorter of the respective life of the agreement or the period of time the assets are expected to contribute to future cash flows.
(2)	The excess of earnings method estimates a purchased intangible asset's value based on the present value of the prospective net cash flows (or excess earnings) attributable to it. The value attributed to these intangibles was based on projected net cash inflows from existing contracts or relationships.
(3)	The relief from royalty method is an earnings approach which assesses the royalty savings an entity realizes since it owns the asset and isn’t required to pay a third party a license fee for its use.
(4)	The excess of earnings method estimates a purchased intangible asset's value based on the present value of the prospective net cash flows (or excess earnings) attributable to it. The method takes into account technological and economic obsolescence of the technology.

 

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Additionally, in connection with the acquisition of AutoWeb, the Company entered into non-compete agreements with key executives of Auto Web.  The fair value of the AutoWeb non-compete agreements was $270,000 and was derived by calculating the difference between the present value of the Company’s forecasted cash flows with the agreements in place and without the agreements in place.  The Company will amortize the value of the AutoWeb non-compete agreement over two years.

 

Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in the estimate of the fair value of the identifiable purchased intangible assets include all assumptions associated with forecasting cash flows and profitability. The primary assumptions used for the determination of the preliminary fair value of the purchased intangible assets were generally based upon the discounted present value of anticipated cash flows. Estimated years of projected earnings generally follow the range of estimated remaining useful lives for each intangible asset class.

The goodwill recognized of $6.0 million was attributable primarily to expected synergies and the assembled workforce of AutoWeb.  The Company incurred approximately $0.9 million of acquisition-related costs related to the AutoWeb acquisition in 2015, all of which were expensed.

 

Acquisition of Dealix/Autotegrity

On the Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date, Autobytel acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Dealix and Autotegrity.  Dealix provides new and used car leads to automotive dealerships, Dealer groups and Manufacturers, and Autotegrity is a consumer leads acquisition and analytics business.  The Company acquired Dealix/Autotegrity to further expand its reach and influence in the industry by increasing its Dealer network.

 

The Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration transferred totaled $25.0 million in cash (plus a working capital adjustment of $11,000).  The results of operations of Dealix/Autotegrity have been included in the Company’s results of operations since the Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date.

The following table summarizes the preliminary estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the Dealix/Autotegrity Acquisition Date.  Because the transaction was completed during the second quarter of 2015, the Company has not yet finalized the fair values of the assets and liabilities assumed in connection with the acquisition. 

		(in thousands)
Net identifiable assets acquired:
Total tangible assets acquired		$	9,664
Total liabilities assumed			2,488
Net identifiable assets acquired			7,176
Definite-lived intangible assets acquired			7,655
Indefinite-lived intangible assets acquired			2,200
Goodwill			7,440
		$	24,471

 

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The preliminary fair value of the acquired intangible assets was determined using the below valuation approaches. In estimating the fair value of the acquired intangible assets, the Company utilized the valuation methodology determined to be most appropriate for the individual intangible asset being valued as described below. The intangible assets related to the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition include the following:

 

	Valuation Method		Estimated Fair Value			Estimated Useful Life (1)
			(in thousands)			(years)
Customer relationships	Excess of earnings ( 2 )		$	7,020		10
Trademark/trade names – Autotegrity	Relief from Royalty ( 3 )			120		3
Trademark/trade names – UsedCars.com	Relief from Royalty ( 3 )			2,200		Indefinite
Developed technology	Cost Approach ( 4 )			515		3
Total purchased intangible assets			$	9,855

 

(1)	Determination of the estimated useful lives of the individual categories of purchased intangible assets was based on the nature of the applicable intangible asset and the expected future cash flows to be derived from such intangible asset. Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives is recognized over the shorter of the respective life of the agreement or the period of time the assets are expected to contribute to future cash flows.
(2)	The excess of earnings method estimates a purchased intangible asset's value based on the present value of the prospective net cash flows (or excess earnings) attributable to it. The value attributed to these intangibles was based on projected net cash inflows from existing contracts or relationships.
(3)	The relief from royalty method is an earnings approach which assesses the royalty savings an entity realizes since it owns the asset and isn’t required to pay a third party a license fee for its use.
(4)	The cost approach   estimates the cost required to repurchase or reproduce the intangible assets. The method takes into account technological and economic obsolescence of the technology.

 

 

Additionally, in connection with the acquisition of Dealix/Autotegrity, the Company entered into non-compete agreements with CDK and a key executive of Dealix/Autotegrity.  The fair value of the non-compete agreements with CDK and the key executive from Dealix/Autotegrity was $0.5 million and  $40,000, respectively, and was derived by calculating the difference between the present value of the Company’s forecasted cash flows with the agreements in place and without the agreements in place.  The Company will amortize the value of the non-compete agreement with CDK and the key executive from Dealix/Autotegrity over two and one year(s), respectively.

 

Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in the estimate of the fair value of the identifiable purchased intangible assets include all assumptions associated with forecasting cash flows and profitability. The primary assumptions used for the determination of the preliminary fair value of the purchased intangible assets were generally based upon the discounted present value of anticipated cash flows. Estimated years of projected earnings generally follow the range of estimated remaining useful lives for each intangible asset class.

The goodwill recognized of $7.4 million was attributable primarily to expected synergies and the assembled workforce of Dealix/Autotegrity.  The Company incurred approximately $1.3 million of acquisition-related costs related to the Dealix/Autotegrity acquisition in 2015, all of which were expensed.

Proforma information for Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb

The following unaudited pro forma information presents the consolidated results of the Company, Dealix/Autotegrity and AutoWeb for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, with adjustments to give effect to pro forma events that are directly attributable to the acquisition and have a continuing impact, but excludes the impact of pro forma events that are directly attributable to the acquisition and are one-time occurrences. The unaudited pro forma information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations of future periods, the results of operations that actually would have been realized had the entities been a single company during the periods presented or the results of operations that the combined company will experience after the acquisition. The unaudited pro forma information does not give effect to the potential impact of current financial conditions, regulatory matters or any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies or cost savings that may be associated with the acquisition. The unaudited pro forma information also does not include any integration costs or remaining future transaction costs that the companies may incur as a result of the acquisition and combining the operations of the companies.

 

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The unaudited pro forma consolidated results of operations, assuming the acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2014, are as follows:

 

		Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2015				Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2014
		(in thousands)
Unaudited pro forma consolidated results:
Revenues		$	146,649			$	158,564
Net income		$	4,839			$	7,557

 

Acquisition of AutoUSA

On the AutoUSA Acquisition Date, Autobytel acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests in AutoUSA.  The Company acquired AutoUSA to expand its reach and influence in the industry by increasing its Dealer network.

 

The AutoUSA Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration transferred totaled $11.9 million, which consisted of the following:

		(in thousands)
Cash (including a working capital adjustment of $44)		$	10,044
Convertible subordinated promissory note			1,300
Warrant to purchase $1.0 million of Company common stock			510
		$	11,854

As part of the consideration paid for the acquisition, the Company issued a convertible subordinated promissory note for $1.0 million (“ AutoUSA Note ”) to the Seller.  The fair value of the AutoUSA Note as of the AutoUSA Acquisition Date was $1.3 million.  This valuation was estimated using a binomial option pricing method.  Key assumptions used by the Company's outside valuation consultants in valuing the AutoUSA Note include a market yield of 1.6% and stock price volatility of 65.0%.  As the AutoUSA Note was issued with a substantial premium, the Company recorded the premium as additional paid-in capital.  Interest is payable at an annual interest rate of 6% in quarterly installments.  The entire outstanding balance of the AutoUSA Note is to be paid in full on January 31, 2019.  At any time after January 31, 2017, the holder of the AutoUSA Note may convert all or any part, but at least 30,600 shares, of the then outstanding and unpaid principal of the AutoUSA Note into fully paid shares of the Company's common stock at a conversion price of $16.34 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and other similar events).  The right to convert the AutoUSA Note into common stock of the Company is accelerated in the event of a change in control of the Company.  In the event of default, the entire unpaid balance of the AutoUSA Note will become immediately due and payable and will bear interest at the lower of 8% per year and the highest legal rate permissible under applicable law.

The warrant to purchase 69,930 shares of Company common stock issued in connection with the acquisition (" AutoUSA Warrant ") was valued as of the AutoUSA Acquisition Date at $7.35 per share for a total value of $0.5 million.  The Company used an option pricing model to determine the value of the AutoUSA Warrant.  Key assumptions used by the Company's outside valuation consultants in valuing the AutoUSA Warrant are as follows: risk-free rate of 1.6%, stock price volatility of 65.0% and a term of 5.0 years.  The AutoUSA Warrant was valued based on long-term stock price volatilities of the Company.  The exercise price of the AutoUSA Warrant is $14.30 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and other similar events).  The AutoUSA Warrant becomes exercisable on the third anniversary of the issuance date and expires on the fifth anniversary of the issuance date.  The right to exercise the AutoUSA Warrant is accelerated in the event of a change in control of the Company.

 

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The following table summarizes the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of December 31, 2015. 

		(in thousands)
Net identifiable assets acquired		$	758
Long-lived intangible assets acquired			3,660
Goodwill			7,346
		$	11,764

The preliminary fair value of the acquired intangible assets was determined using the below valuation approaches. In estimating the preliminary fair value of the acquired intangible assets, the Company utilized the valuation methodology determined to be most appropriate for the individual intangible asset being valued as described below. The acquired intangible assets include the following:

 

	Valuation Method		Estimated Fair Value				Estimated Useful Life (1)
			(in thousands)				(years)
Customer relationships	Excess of earnings ( 2 )		$	2,660				5
Trademark/trade names	Relief from Royalty ( 3 )			1,000				5
Total purchased intangible assets			$	3,660

 

(1)

Determination of the estimated useful lives of the individual categories of purchased intangible assets was based on the nature of the applicable intangible asset and the expected future cash flows to be derived from such intangible asset. Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives are recognized over the shorter of the respective lives of the agreement or the period of time the assets are expected to contribute to future cash flows.

 

(2)

The excess of earnings method estimates a purchased intangible asset's value based on the present value of the prospective net cash flows (or excess earnings) attributable to it. The value attributed to these intangibles was based on projected net cash inflows from existing contracts or relationships.

 

(3)	The relief from royalty method is an earnings approach which assesses the royalty savings an entity realizes since it owns the asset and isn’t required to pay a third party a license fee for its use.

 

Additionally, in connection with the acquisition of AutoUSA, the Company entered into a non-compete agreement with a key executive of AutoUSA.  The fair value of the AutoUSA non-compete agreement was $90,000 and was derived by calculating the difference between the present value of the Company’s forecasted cash flows with the agreement in place and without the agreement in place.  The Company will amortize the value of the AutoUSA non-compete agreement over two years.

 

Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in the estimate of the fair value of the identifiable purchased intangible assets include all assumptions associated with forecasting cash flows and profitability. The primary assumptions used for the determination of the preliminary fair value of the purchased intangible assets were generally based upon the discounted present value of anticipated cash flows. Estimated years of projected earnings generally follow the range of estimated remaining useful lives for each intangible asset class.

The goodwill recognized of $7.3 million is attributable primarily to expected synergies and the assembled workforce of AutoUSA.  The full amount is expected to be amortizable for income tax purposes.  

 

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The Company incurred approximately $1.1 million of acquisition-related costs related to AutoUSA in 2014, all of which were expensed.

Proforma results for the year ended December 31, 2014 are immaterial since the acquisition was on January 14, 2014.

 

Acquisition of Advanced Mobile

 

As of the Advanced Mobile Acquisition Date, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Advanced Mobile.  Advanced Mobile provides mobile marketing solutions (e.g., mobile applications, mobile portals, mobile websites, TextShield®, mobile text marketing, quick response codes, text messaging, short message service and multimedia service) for the automotive industry.  The acquired assets consisted primarily of customer contracts, technology license rights and rights in domain names and short codes used for SMS texting.  Advanced Mobile was acquired to enable the Company to offer the automotive industry the mobile technology and resources required to exploit the expanding growth in smart phone and tablet use.

 

The Advanced Mobile Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration transferred totaled $3.4 million, which consisted of the following:

		(in thousands)
Cash (including working capital adjustment of $70)		$	2,570
Contingent consideration			825
		$	3,395

The contingent consideration arrangement (“ Contingent Consideration ”) requires the Company to pay up to $1.5 million of additional consideration to Advanced Mobile if certain revenue and gross profit targets are met.  The fair value of the Contingent Consideration as of the Advanced Mobile Acquisition Date was $825,000.  The fair value of the Contingent Consideration was estimated using a Monte Carlo Simulation.  The fair value measurement is based on significant inputs not observable in the market and thus represents a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.  The key assumptions used by the Company's outside valuation consultants in applying the Monte Carlo Simulation consisted of volatility inputs for both revenue and gross profit, forecasted gross margin and a weighted-average cost of capital assumption used to adjust forecasted revenue and gross margin for risk.

The following table summarizes the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the Advanced Mobile Acquisition Date.  

		(in thousands)
Net identifiable assets acquired		$	90
Definite-lived intangible assets acquired			1,270
Goodwill			1,925
Net assets acquired		$	3,285

 

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The fair value of the acquired intangible assets was determined using the below valuation approaches. In estimating the fair value of the acquired intangible assets, the Company utilized the valuation methodology determined to be most appropriate for the individual intangible asset being valued as described below. The acquired intangible assets include the following:

	Valuation Method		Estimated Fair Value				Estimated Useful Life (1)
			(in thousands)				(years)
Customer relationships	Excess of earnings (2)		$	450				2
Developed technology	Excess of earnings (2)			820				5
Total purchased intangible assets			$	1,270

(1)

Determination of the estimated useful lives of the individual categories of purchased intangible assets was based on the nature of the applicable intangible asset and the expected future cash flows to be derived from such intangible asset. Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives are recognized over the shorter of the respective lives of the agreement or the period of time the assets are expected to contribute to future cash flows.

(2)

The excess of earnings method estimates a purchased intangible asset’s value based on the present value of the prospective net cash flows (or excess earnings) attributable to it. The value attributed to these intangibles was based on projected net cash inflows from existing contracts or relationships.

 

         Additionally, in connection with the acquisition of Advanced Mobile, the Company entered into a non-compete agreement with a key executive of Advanced Mobile. The fair value of the Advanced Mobile non-compete agreement was $110,000 and was derived by calculating the difference between the present value of the Company’s forecasted cash flows with the agreement in place and without the agreement in place. The Company will amortize the value of the Advanced Mobile non-compete agreement over five years.

 

Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in the estimate of the fair value of the identifiable purchased intangible assets include all assumptions associated with forecasting cash flows and profitability. The primary assumptions used for the determination of the preliminary fair value of the purchased intangible assets were generally based upon the discounted present value of anticipated cash flows. Estimated years of projected earnings generally follow the range of estimated remaining useful lives for each intangible asset class.

 The goodwill recognized of $1.9 million is attributable primarily to expected synergies and the assembled workforce of Advanced Mobile.  The full amount is amortizable for income tax purposes.  

 

 The Company incurred $0.3 million of acquisition-related costs related to Advanced Mobile, all of which were expensed in 2013.

 

4.                      Investments

Investments.   The Company’s investments at December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist primarily of investments in SaleMove, AutoWeb and GoMoto and are recorded at cost.  Although there is no established market for these investments, the Company evaluated the investments for impairment by comparing them to an estimated fair value and determined that no impairment existed.  To determine the estimated fair value for the investment in SaleMove, the Company analyzed the discounted future cash flows of Autobytel’s sales of SaleMove products.  To determine the estimated fair value for the investment in AutoWeb, the Company analyzed participants in the Series B round of financing in November 2014.  These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and represent a Level 3 measurement.

 

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The following table presents the Company’s activity for 2015:

 

			Note		Note
			receivable-		receivable-
Description			long-term		current				Investments
		(in thousands)
Balance at December 31, 2014		$	—		$	150			$	3,880
Total gains or (losses) (realized or unrealized)			—			—				636
Purchases			375			—				—
Sales			—			—				—
Transfers			—			(150	)			(3,836	)
Balance at December 31, 2015		$	375		$	—			$	680

 

In September 2013 the Company entered into a Contribution Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which Autobytel contributed to AutoWeb $2.5 million and assigned to AutoWeb all the ownership interests in the autoweb.com domain name and two registered trademarks related to the AutoWeb name and related goodwill in exchange for 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock represented 16% of all issued and outstanding common stock of AutoWeb as of September 18, 2013, assuming conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into AutoWeb common stock as of September 18, 2013. The Company also obtained an option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock at a per share exercise price of $500.00. In connection with this investment, the Company also entered into arrangements with AutoWeb to use the AutoWeb pay-per-click, auction-driven automotive marketplace technology platform as both a publisher and as an advertiser. In November 2014 we entered into a Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which the Company paid $880,394 in exchange for 1,076 shares of AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The investments in AutoWeb were recorded at cost because prior to the AutoWeb Merger Date, the Company did not have significant influence over AutoWeb.  On the AutoWeb Merger Date, the shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, and the option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock were cancelled.  See Note 3.

In September 2013 the Company entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel invested $150,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 1 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on September 1, 2015 unless converted prior to such maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.

 

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In November 2014 the Company invested an additional $400,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ SaleMove Note 2 ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on November 18, 2016 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  SaleMove Note 1 and SaleMove Note 2 were converted into 190,997 Series A Preferred Stock in July 2015 upon a preferred stock financing by SaleMove and is classified as a long-term investment on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

In December 2014 the Company entered into a Series Seed Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with GoMoto in which the Company paid $100,000 for 317,460 shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share.  The $100,000 investment in GoMoto was recorded at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over GoMoto.  In October 2015 the Company invested an additional $375,000 in GoMoto in the form of a convertible promissory note (“ GoMoto Note ”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 4.0% and is due and payable in full on or after October 28, 2017 upon demand or at GoMoto’s option ten days’ written notice unless converted prior to the maturity date.  The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of GoMoto in the event of a preferred stock financing by GoMoto of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  The GoMoto Note is classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

   

5.                     Selected Balance Sheet Accounts

 

    Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment consists of the following:

		As of December 31,
		2015				2014
		(in thousands)
Computer software and hardware and capitalized internal use software		$	15,741			$	12,990
Furniture and equipment			1,419				1,271
Leasehold improvements			1,424				957
			18,584				15,218
Less—Accumulated depreciation and amortization			(14,288	)			(13,314	)
Property and Equipment, net		$	4,296			$	1,904

 

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, capitalized internal use software, net of amortization, was $2.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively.  Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015.  Of this amount, $0.4 million was recorded in cost of revenues and $0.6 million was recorded in operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2015. Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Of this amount, $0.2 million was recorded in cost of revenues and $0.5 million was recorded in operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

 

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Intangible Assets.   The Company amortizes specifically identified intangible assets using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.  The Company’s intangible assets will be amortized over the following estimated useful lives (in thousands):

 

			December 31, 2015												December 31, 2014
Intangible Asset	Estimated Useful Life		Gross				Accumulated Amortization				Net				Gross			Accumulated Amortization				Net
Trademarks/trade names/licenses/domains	3-6 years		$	11,494			$	(6,071	)		$	5,423			$	6,574		$	(5,594	)		$	980
Software and publications	3 years			1,300				(1,300	)			—				1,300			(1,300	)			—
Customer relationships	2 - 10 years			19,563				(4,341	)			15,222				5,074			(2,696	)			2,378
Employment/non-compete agreements	1-5 years			1,510				(849	)			661				700			(500	)			200
Developed technology	5-7 years			8,955				(746	)			8,209				820			(205	)			615
			$	42,822			$	(13,307	)		$	29,515			$	14,468		$	(10,295	)		$	4,173

 

Amortization expense is included in “Depreciation and amortization” in the Statements of Income.  Amortization expense for intangible assets for the next five years is as follows:

 

Year		Amortization Expense
		(in thousands)
2016		$	5,647
2017			5,427
2018			5,052
2019			3,655
2020			2,224
		$	22,005

 

Goodwill.   Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired.  Goodwill is not amortized and is assessed annually for impairment or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable.  The Company did not record any impairment related to goodwill as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.  As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, goodwill consisted of the following:

 

		(in thousands)
Goodwill as of December 31, 2014		$	20,948
Acquisition of Dealix/Autotegrity			11,215
Acquisition of AutoWeb			10,740
Goodwill as December 31, 2015		$	42,903

In connection with the Dealix/Autotegrity stock acquisition in Note 3 above, the Company recorded net deferred tax liabilities of $3.8 million and adjusted goodwill by $3.8 million in 2015.  In connection with the AutoWeb acquisition in Note 3 above, the Company recorded net deferred tax liabilities of $4.7 million and adjusted goodwill by $4.7 million in 2015.

 

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Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

 

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

 

		As of December 31,
		2015				2014
		(in thousands)
Compensation and related costs and professional fees		$	3,981			$	5,149
Other accrued expenses			5,715				3,383
Amounts due to customers			486				267
Other current liabilities			562				696
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities		$	10,744			$	9,495

 

Convertible Notes Payable .  In connection with the acquisition of Cyber, the Company issued the Cyber Note to the sellers.  The fair value of the Cyber Note as of the Cyber Acquisition Date was $5.9 million.  This valuation was estimated using a binomial option pricing method.  Key assumptions used by the Company's outside valuation consultants in valuing the Cyber Note included a market yield of 15.0% and stock price volatility of 77.5%.  As the Cyber Note was issued with a substantial premium, the Company recorded the premium as additional paid-in capital.  Interest is payable at an annual interest rate of 6% in quarterly installments.  The Cyber Note was acquired by Auto Holdings and was converted into 1,075,268 shares of Company common stock on April 27, 2015, as discussed in Note 1.  Upon conversion of the Cyber Note, the Company removed the liability from the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

In connection with the acquisition of AutoUSA, the Company issued the AutoUSA Note to the Seller. For information concerning the fair value of the AutoUSA Note, see Note 3.

 

6.                     Credit Facility

On May 20, 2015, the Company entered into a Third Amendment to Loan Agreement (“ Credit Facility Amendment ”) with MUFG Union Bank, N.A., formerly Union Bank, N.A. (“ Union Bank ”), amending the Company’s existing Loan Agreement with Union Bank initially entered into on February 26, 2013, as amended on September 10, 2013 and January 13, 2014 (the existing Loan Agreement, as amended to date, is referred to collectively as the “ Credit Facility Agreement ”).  The Credit Facility Agreement provided for a $9.0 million term loan (“ Term Loan 1 ”).  The Credit Facility Amendment provides for (i) a new $15.0 million term loan (“ Term Loan 2 ”); (ii) the amendment of certain financial covenants in the Credit Facility Agreement; and (iii) amendments to the Company’s existing $8.0 million working capital revolving line of credit (“ Revolving Loan ”).

Term Loan 1 is amortized over a period of four years, with fixed quarterly principal payments of $562,500. Borrowings under Term Loan 1 bear interest at either (i) the bank's Reference Rate (prime rate) minus 0.50% or (ii) the LIBOR plus 2.50%, at the option of the Company. Interest under Term Loan 1 adjusts (i) at the end of each LIBOR rate period (1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months terms) selected by the Company, if the LIBOR rate is selected; or (ii) with changes in Union Bank's Reference Rate, if the Reference Rate is selected.  Borrowings under Term Loan 1 are secured by a first priority security interest on all of the Company's personal property (including, but not limited to, accounts receivable) and proceeds thereof. Term Loan 1 matures on December 31, 2017.  Borrowing under Term Loan 1 was limited to use for the acquisition of AutoUSA, and the Company drew down the entire $9.0 million of Term Loan 1, together with $1.0 million under the Revolving Loan, in financing this acquisition.  The outstanding balance of Term Loan 1 as of December 31, 2015 was $4.5 million.

 

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Term Loan 2 is amortized over a period of five years, with fixed quarterly principal payments of $750,000. Borrowings under Term Loan 2 bear interest at either (i) the London Interbank Offering Rate (“ LIBOR ”) plus 3.00% or (ii) the bank’s Reference Rate (prime rate), at the option of the Company. Borrowings under the Revolving Loan bear interest at either (i) the LIBOR plus 2.50% or (ii) the bank’s Reference Rate (prime rate) minus 0.50%, at the option of the Company. Interest under both Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan adjust (i) at the end of each LIBOR rate period (1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months terms) selected by the Company, if the LIBOR rate is selected; or (ii) with changes in Union Bank's Reference Rate, if the Reference Rate is selected. The Company paid an upfront fee of .10% of the Term Loan 2 principal amount upon drawing upon Term Loan 2 and also pays a commitment fee of 0.10% per year on the unused portion of the Revolving Loan, payable quarterly in arrears. Borrowings under Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan are secured by a first priority security interest on all of the Company's personal property (including, but not limited to, accounts receivable) and proceeds thereof. Term Loan 2 matures June 30, 2020, and the maturity date of the Revolving Loan was extended from March 31, 2017 to April 30, 2018. Borrowings under the Revolving Loan may be used as a source to finance working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and stock buybacks and for other general corporate purposes. Borrowing under Term Loan 2 was limited to use for the acquisition of Dealix/Autotegrity, and the Company drew down the entire $15.0 million of Term Loan 2, together with $2.75 million under the Revolving Loan and $6.76 million from available cash on hand, in financing this acquisition.  The outstanding balances of Term Loan 2 and the Revolving Loan as of December 31, 2015 were $13.5 million and $8.0 million, respectively.

The Credit Facility Agreement contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and restrictive and financial covenants, including that the Company maintain specified levels of minimum consolidated liquidity and quarterly and annual earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization, which the Company was in compliance with as of December 31, 2015.

 

7.	Commitments and Contingencies

 

     Operating Leases

The Company leases its facilities and certain office equipment under operating leases which expire on various dates through 2023.  The Company’s future minimum lease payments on leases with non-cancelable terms in excess of one year were as follows (in thousands):

 

Years Ending December 31,
2016		$	1,810
2017			1,551
2018			713
2019			401
2020			320
Thereafter			728
		$	5,523

 

Rent expense included in operating expenses was $1.2 million, $0.7 million and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Employment Agreements

 

The Company has employment agreements and retention agreements with certain key employees. A number of these agreements require severance payments, continuation of certain insurance benefits and acceleration of vesting of stock options in the event of a termination of employment without cause or for good reason.

 

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Litigation

From time to time, the Company may be involved in litigation matters arising from the normal course of its business activities.  Such litigation, even if not meritorious, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, and an adverse outcome in litigation could materially adversely affect its business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

8.                     Retirement Savings Plan

 

The Company has a retirement savings plan which qualifies as a deferred salary arrangement under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“ IRC ”) (the “ 401(k) Plan ”). The 401(k) Plan covers all employees of the Company who are over 21 years of age and is effective on the first day of the month following date of hire. Under the 401(k) Plan, participating employees are allowed to defer up to 100% of their pretax salaries not to exceed the maximum IRC deferral amount. The Company contributions to the 401(k) Plan are discretionary. The Company did not make a contribution in the year ended December 31, 2013.  The Company contribution in the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively.

 

9.                       Stockholders’ Equity

 

Stock-Based Incentive Plans

 

The Company has established several plans that provide for stock-based awards (“ Awards ”) primarily in the form of stock options and restricted stock awards (“ RSAs ”). Certain of these plans provide for awards to employees, the Company’s Board of Directors and independent consultants. The Awards were granted under the 1998 Stock Option Plan, the 1999 Stock Option Plan, the 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan, the 2000 Stock Option Plan, the Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, the 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, the 2006 Inducement Stock Option Plan, 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.  As of June 19, 2014, awards may only be granted under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.  An aggregate of 0.3 million shares of Company common stock are reserved for future issuance under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan at December 31, 2015.

 

In addition to Awards under the foregoing plans, (i) during the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company granted 40,000 inducement stock options (“ 2015 Inducement Options ”) to a new employee; (ii) during the year ended December 31, 2014 in connection with the acquisition of AutoUSA, the Company granted 40,000 performance-based inducement stock options (“ 2014 AutoUSA Inducement Options ”) to a new employee; and (iii) during the year ended December 31, 2013 in connection with the acquisition of Advanced Mobile, the Company granted 88,641 performance-based inducement stock options (“ 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options ”) to a new employee.  The 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options were allocated in three equal grants of 29,547 options each, with the actual amount of each grant that may be awarded being determined based upon the revenues and gross profit achievement of the Autobytel Mobile business for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively.

 

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Share-based compensation expense is included in costs and expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income as follows:  

 

			Years Ended December 31,
			2015			2014				2013
			(in thousands)
Share-based compensation expense:
Cost of revenues		$	150			$	69			$	50
Sales and marketing			713				544				153
Technology support			518				251				206
General and administrative			1,185				562				297
Share-based compensation expense			2,566				1,426				706
Amount capitalized to internal use software			9				5				2
Total share-based compensation expense		$	2,557			$	1,421			$	704

 

As of December 31, 2015, December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, there was approximately $2.9 million, $2.3 million and $0.6 million, respectively, of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options. This expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.8 years.

 

Stock Options

 

The fair value of stock options is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the underlying common stock closing price as of the date of grant, the expected term, stock price volatility and risk-free interest rates. The expected risk-free interest rate is based on United States treasury yield for a term consistent with the expected life of the stock option in effect at the time of grant. Expected volatility is based on the Company’s historical experience for a period equal to the expected life. The Company has used historical volatility because it has limited or no options traded on its common stock to support the use of an implied volatility or a combination of both historical and implied volatility. The Company estimates the expected life of options granted based on historical experience, which it believes is representative of future behavior.  The dividend yield is not considered in the option-pricing formula since the Company has not paid dividends in the past and has no current plans to do so in the future. The estimated forfeiture rate used is based on historical experience and is adjusted based on actual experience.

 

The Company grants its options at exercise prices that are not less than the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Stock options generally have a seven or ten year maximum contractual term and generally vest one-third on the first anniversary of the grant date and ratably over twenty-four months, thereafter. The vesting of certain stock options is accelerated under certain conditions, including upon a change in control of the Company, termination without cause of an employee and voluntary termination by an employee with good reason.

 

Awards granted under the Company’s stock option plans, the 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options, 2014 AutoUSA Inducement Options and 2015 Inducement Options were estimated to have a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $5.73, $6.86 and $2.57 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model on the date of grant using the following weighted average assumptions:

 

	Years Ended December 31,
	2015		2014				2013
Expected volatility	56%			56%				65%
Expected risk-free interest rate	1.3%			1.4%				0.8%
Expected life (years)	4.4			4.3				4.3

 

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A summary of the Company’s outstanding stock options as of December 31, 2015, and changes during the year then ended is presented below:

 

		Number of Options				Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share				Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term				Aggregate Intrinsic Value
										(years)				(thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2014			1,971,269			$	7.73				4.5
Granted			606,750				12.45
Exercised			(145,979	)			8.19
Forfeited or expired			(80,099	)			14.43
Outstanding at December 31, 2015			2,351,941			$	8.70				4.2			$	32,616
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015			2,262,633			$	8.60				4.2			$	31,597
Exercisable at December 31, 2015			1,539,979			$	6.65				3.3			$	24,510

 

Service-Based Options.   During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company granted 606,750, 473,750 and 113,500 service-based stock options, which had weighted average grant date fair values of $5.73, $6.92 and $2.37, respectively.

 

Performance-Based Options.   During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company granted the 2014 AutoUSA Inducement Options, which had a weighted average grant date fair value of $6.08, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model and weighted average exercise price of $13.62.  The 2014 AutoUSA Inducement Options are subject to two vesting requirements and conditions: (i) level of achievement of performance goals based on revenue and gross margin of the Company’s retail dealer services group for 2014 and (ii) service vesting.  Based on the performance of the Company’s retail dealer services group for 2014, all 40,000 of the 2014 AutoUSA Inducement Options were awarded under the performance vesting conditions, with one-third of these options vested on January 21, 2015 and the remainder vesting ratably over twenty four months from that date thereafter.

 During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company granted 87,177 performance-based stock options (“ 2013 Performance-Based Options ”) to certain employees with a weighted average grant date fair value and exercise price of $2.19 and $4.00, respectively, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model.  The 2013 Performance-Based Options are subject to two vesting requirements and conditions: (i) percentage achievement of 2013 revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“ EBITDA ”) goals and (ii) service vesting.  Based on the Company’s 2013 revenues and EBITDA performance, 83,398 of the 2013 Performance-Based Options were awarded under the performance vesting condition, with one-third of these awarded options vested on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remainder vesting ratably over twenty four months from that date thereafter.

 

 During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company also granted the 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options, which had a weighted average grant date fair value of $3.21, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model and weighted average exercise price of $7.17.  The 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options are subject to two vesting requirements and conditions: (i) percentage achievement of 2014, 2015 and 2016 revenues and gross profit goals for the Autobytel Mobile business and (ii) time vesting.  Of the 29,547 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options originally granted and allocated to the 2014 revenues and gross profit performance of the Autobytel Mobile business, 2,955 of these options were awarded based on the revenues and gross profit achieved by the business for 2014, with one-third of these awarded options vested on January 21, 2015 and the remainder vesting ratably over twenty-four months from that date thereafter. The remaining 26,592 of the 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options allocated to 2014 performance were canceled.  Of the 29,547 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options originally granted and allocated to the 2015 revenues and gross profit performance of the Autobytel Mobile business, 2,955 of these options were awarded based on the revenues and gross profit achieved by the business for 2015, with one-third of these awarded options vested on January 22, 2016 and the remainder vesting ratably over twenty-four months from that date thereafter. The remaining 26,592 of the 2013 Advanced Mobile Inducement Options allocated to 2015 performance were canceled.

 

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 Market Condition Options

 

 In 2009, the Company granted 213,650 stock options to substantially all employees at exercise prices equal to the price of the stock on the grant date of $1.75, with a fair market value per option granted of $0.97, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model.  One-third of these options vested on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining two-thirds vest ratably over twenty-four months thereafter.  In addition, the remaining two-thirds of the awards must meet additional conditions in order to be exercisable.  One-third of the remaining options must also satisfy the condition that the closing price of Autobytel’s common stock over any 30 consecutive trading days is at least two times the option exercise price to be exercisable (“ Market Condition A ”).  The final one-third of the remaining options must also satisfy the condition that the closing price of Autobytel’s common stock over any 30 consecutive trading days is at least three times the option exercise price to be exercisable (“ Market Condition B ”). Certain of these options will accelerate vesting upon a change in control of the Company. Market Condition A was achieved during 2009 and Market Condition B was achieved in 2010.   During 2015, 8,050 stock options were exercised related to these market condition options.

 

 During 2015, 145,979 options were exercised (inclusive of 8,050 market condition stock options exercised during 2015), with an aggregate weighted average exercise price of $8.19.  During 2014, 134,668 options were exercised (inclusive of 17,431 market condition stock options exercised during 2014), with an aggregate weighted average exercise price of $4.18.  During 2013, 54,337 options were exercised (inclusive of the 5,879 market condition stock options exercised during 2013), with an aggregate weighted average exercise price of $3.92.  The total intrinsic value of options exercised during 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $1.9 million, $1.3 million and $60,000, respectively.

  Restricted Stock Awards.   The Company granted an aggregate of 125,000 restricted stock awards (“ RSAs ”) on April 23, 2015 in connection with the promotion of one of its executive officers.  Of the 125,000 RSAs, 25,000 were service-based (“ Service-Based RSA Award ”) and the forfeiture restrictions lapse with respect to one-third of the restricted stock on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of the award.  The Service-Based RSA Award had a fair market value of $15.37 per share.   This executive officer was also awarded 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock in the form of performance-based restricted stock (“ Performance-Based RSA Award ”).  The Performance-Based RSA Award had a fair market value of $5.23 per share.  The shares are subject to forfeiture upon the earlier of (such earliest date being referred to as the “ Termination Date ”) (i) a termination of the executive officer’s employment with the Company; (ii) March 31, 2018; and (iii) other events of forfeiture set forth in the award agreement, subject to the following: (i) the forfeiture restrictions with respect to 50,000 of the restricted shares will lapse if any time prior to the Termination Date the weighted average closing price of the Company’s common stock for the preceding 30 trading days is at or above $30.00 per share, and (ii) the forfeiture restrictions with respect to any of the restricted shares that remain subject to forfeiture restrictions will lapse if any time prior to the Termination Date the weighted average closing price of the Company’s common stock for the preceding 30 trading days is at or above $45.00 per share.  None of the forfeiture restrictions had lapsed during 2015.

 

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Tax Benefit Preservation Plan

 

The Company’s Tax Benefit Preservation Plan dated as of May 26, 2010 between Autobytel and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Tax Benefit Preservation Plan dated as of April 14, 2014 (collectively, the “ Tax Benefit Preservation Plan ”) was adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors to protect stockholder value by preserving the Company’s net operating loss carryovers and other tax attributes that the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan is intended to preserve (“ Tax Benefits ”).  Under the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan, rights to purchase capital stock of the Company (“ Rights ”) have been distributed as a dividend at the rate of five Rights for each share of common stock.  Each Right entitles its holder, upon triggering of the Rights, to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company at a price of $75.00 (as such price may be adjusted under the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan) or, in certain circumstances, to instead acquire shares of common stock. The Rights will convert into a right to acquire common stock or other capital stock of the Company in certain circumstances and subject to certain exceptions.  The Rights will be triggered upon the acquisition of 4.9% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock or future acquisitions by any existing holder of 4.9% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock. If a person or group acquires 4.9% or more of the Company’s common stock, all rights holders, except the acquirer, will be entitled to acquire, at the then exercise price of a Right, that number of shares of the Company common stock which, at the time, has a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right. The Rights will expire upon the earliest of: (i) the close of business on May 26, 2017 unless that date is advanced or extended, (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed or exchanged under the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan, (iii)  the repeal of Section 382 or any successor statute if the Board determines that the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan is no longer necessary for the preservation of the Company’s Tax Benefits, (iv) the beginning of a taxable year of the Company to which the Board determines that no Tax Benefits may be carried forward, or (v) such time as the Board determines that a limitation on the use of the Tax Benefits under Section 382 would no longer be material to the Company. The Tax Benefit Preservation Plan was reapproved by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

 

Series B Preferred Stock

 

On the AutoWeb Merger Date, the Company issued the Series B Preferred Stock.  The shares of Series B Preferred Stock are convertible, subject to certain limitations, into 10 shares of Common Stock (with such conversion ratio subject to adjustment as set forth in the certificate of designations for the Series B Preferred Stock).  All shares of Series B Preferred Stock will be automatically converted if stockholder approval required by Section 5635 of The Nasdaq Stock Market continued listing rules is obtained.  The Series B Preferred Stock was valued at $124.93 per share on the AutoWeb Merger Date, which was based on ten times the closing price of the Company’s stock on September 30, 2015, discounted using a discount rate of 25.5%.

 

Warrant

 

On September 17, 2010 (“ Cyber Acquisition Date ”), the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Cyber.   In connection with the acquisition of Cyber, the Company issued to the sellers the Cyber Warrant. The Cyber Warrant was valued at $3.15 per share on the Cyber Acquisition Date using an option pricing model with the following key assumptions: risk-free rate of 2.3%, stock price volatility of 77.5% and a term of 8.04 years.  The Cyber Warrant was valued based on historical stock price volatilities of the Company and comparable public companies as of the Cyber Acquisition Date.  The exercise price of the Cyber Warrant was $4.65 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and other similar events).  The Cyber Warrant was acquired by Auto Holdings and exercised on April 27, 2015, as discussed in Note 1.  Based upon the terms of exercise of the Cyber Warrant, the Company issued 400,000 shares of Company Common stock and received approximately $1.9 million in cash.

The AutoUSA Warrant issued in connection with the acquisition described in Note 3 was valued at $7.35 per share for a total value of $0.5 million.  The Company used an option pricing model to determine the value of the AutoUSA Warrant.  Key assumptions used in valuing the AutoUSA Warrant are as follows: risk-free rate of 1.6%, stock price volatility of 65.0% and a term of 5.0 years.  The AutoUSA Warrant was valued based on long-term stock price volatilities of the Company.  The exercise price of the AutoUSA Warrant is $14.30 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and other similar events).  The AutoUSA Warrant becomes exercisable on the third anniversary of the issuance date and expires on the fifth anniversary of the issuance date.  The right to exercise the AutoUSA Warrant is accelerated in the event of a change in control of the Company.

The AutoWeb Warrant issued in connection with the acquisition described in Note 3 was valued at $1.72 per share for a total value of $2.5 million.  The Company used an option pricing model to determine the value of the AutoWeb Warrant.  Key assumptions used in valuing the AutoWeb Warrant are as follows: risk-free rate of 1.9%, stock price volatility of 74.0% and a term of 7.0 years.  The AutoWeb Warrant was valued based on long-term stock price volatilities of the Company.  The exercise price of the AutoWeb Warrant is $184.47 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and other similar events).  The AutoWeb Warrant becomes exercisable on the third anniversary of the issuance date and expires on the seventh anniversary of the issuance date.  

 

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Shares Reserved for Future Issuance

The Company had the following shares of common stock reserved for future issuance upon the exercise or issuance of equity instruments as of December 31, 2015:

		Number of Shares
Stock options outstanding			2,351,941
Authorized for future grants under stock-based incentive plans			315,273
Reserved for conversion of preferred shares issued in relation to AutoWeb			1,680,070
Reserved for exercise of warrants			1,552,330
Reserved for conversion of promissory notes			61,200
Total			5,960,814

 

10.                   Income Taxes

 

Income tax expense (benefit) from continuing operations consists of the following for the years ended December 31:

 

		2015		2014				2013
				(in thousands)
Current:
Federal	$	212		$	129			$	95
State		226			150				113
		438			279				208
Deferred:
Federal		2,997			1,714				1,353
State		586			385				902
		3,583			2,099				2,255
Valuation allowance release		(588	)		(341	)			(37,527	)
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	3,433		$	2,037			$	(35,064	)

 

The reconciliations of the U.S. federal statutory rate to the effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:

 

		2015			2014			2013
Tax provision at U.S. federal statutory rates		34.0	%		34.0	%		34.0	%
State taxes		2.3			2.6			3.5
Federal rate adjustment		—			—			34.6
State rate adjustment		—			—			0.5
Deferred tax asset adjustments		6.8			6.4			5.9
Non-deductible permanent items		0.7			0.4			0.6
Acquisition costs		7.0			—			—
Stock options		—			—			0.4
Other		(1.0	)		0.3			0.5
Change in valuation allowance		(7.3	)		(6.3	)		(1,219.1	)
Effective income tax rate		42.5	%		37.4	%		(1,139.1	)%

 

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Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred taxes as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 are as follows:

 

		2015				2014
		(in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
Allowance for doubtful accounts		$	394			$	284
Accrued liabilities			1,266				1,473
Net operating loss carry-forwards			31,325				34,473
Fixed assets			16				83
Intangible assets			—				744
Share-based compensation expense			2,422				1,566
Other			613				286
Total gross deferred tax assets			36,036				38,909
Valuation allowance			(5,427	)			(6,015	)
			30,609				32,894
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets			(9,147	)			—
Total gross deferred tax liabilities			(9,147	)			—
Net deferred tax assets		$	21,462			$	32,894

 

During 2015, management assessed the available positive and negative evidence to estimate if sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize the existing deferred tax assets.  Significant pieces of objective positive evidence evaluated were the cumulative earnings generated over the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 and the Company’s strong future earnings projections.  Based on this evaluation, as of December 31, 2015, the Company reversed $0.6 million of its valuation allowance.  We believe, however, that it is more likely than not that $0.8 million in state net operating loss carryforwards will not be realized.  Accordingly, a valuation allowance has been maintained on these state net operating losses.  In addition, included in the NOL deferred tax asset above is approximately $13.5 million of federal NOLs attributable to excess stock option deductions.  Due to a provision within ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation (“ ASC 718 ”) concerning when tax benefits related to excess stock option deductions can be credited to paid-in-capital, the related valuation allowance of $4.6 million cannot be reversed, even if the facts and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset can be realized.  The valuation allowance will only be reversed as the related deferred tax asset is applied to reduce taxes payable.  The Company follows ASC 740 ordering to determine when such NOL has been realized.

 

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At December 31, 2015, the Company had federal and state net operating loss carry-forwards (“ NOLs ”) of approximately $88.2 million and $51.4 million, respectively.  The federal NOLs expire through 2035 as follows (in millions):

 

2021		$	4.6
2022			1.7
2023			—
2024			4.1
2025			7.7
2026			25.5
2027			15.5
2028			5.2
2029			7.7
2030			10.6
2031			1.3
2032			—
2033			0.1
2034			2.5
2035			1.7
		$	88.2

 

The state NOLs expire through 2035 as follows (in millions):

2016		$	19.6
2017			3.1
2028			2.6
2029			5.8
2030			11.0
2034			2.1
2035			1.5
California NOLs			45.7
Other State NOLs			5.7
Total State NOLs		$	51.4

 

Utilization of the net operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation due to ownership change limitations that may have occurred or that could occur in the future, as required by Section 382 of the IRC, as well as similar state provisions. These ownership changes may limit the amount of NOLs and research and development credit carry-forwards that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively.  A Section 382 ownership change occurred in 2006 and any changes have been reflected in the NOLs presented above as of December 31, 2015.  As a result of an acquisition in 2001, approximately $9.9 million of the NOLs are subject to an annual limitation of approximately $0.5 million per year.

 

The federal and state NOLs begin to expire in 2021 and 2016, respectively. Approximately $10.8 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of the federal and state net operating loss carry-forwards were incurred by subsidiaries prior to the date of the Company’s acquisition of such subsidiaries. The Company established a valuation allowance of $4.1 million at the date of acquisitions related to these subsidiaries. During 2013, the valuation allowance has been reversed.  The tax benefits associated with the realization of such NOLs will be credited to the provision for income taxes. In addition, federal NOLs of approximately $13.5 million relate to stock option deductions. Therefore, once the stock option deductions reduce income taxes payable in the future in accordance with ASC 718, approximately $4.6 million will be credited to stockholders’ equity rather than to income tax benefit.

 

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At December 31, 2015, deferred tax assets exclude approximately $1.4 million and $0.3 million of tax-effected federal and state NOLs pertaining to tax deductions from stock-based compensation. Upon future realization of these benefits, the Company expects to increase additional paid-in capital and reduce income taxes payable. The benefit of excess stock option deductions is not recorded until such time that the deductions reduce income taxes payable. The $1.4 million federal amount is a component of the $4.6 million that will be credited to stockholders’ equity once the stock option deductions reduce income taxes payable in the future in accordance with ASC 718.  For purposes of determining when the stock options reduce income taxes payable, the Company has adopted the “with and without” approach whereby the Company considers NOLs arising from continuing operations prior to NOLs attributable to excess stock option deductions.

 

At December 31, 2015, the Company has federal and state research and development tax credit carry-forwards of $0.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively.  The federal credits begin to expire in 2021.  The state credits do not expire.

 

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $0.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively, all of which, if subsequently recognized, would have affected the Company’s tax rate.  A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

		2015				2014
		(in thousands)
Balance at January 1,		$	636			$	636
Reductions based on the lapse of the statutes of limitations			(109	)			—
Balance at December 31,		$	527			$	636

 

The Company files income tax returns in the United States and various state jurisdictions. In general, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal and state income tax examinations for years prior to 2010 (except for the use of tax losses generated prior to 2010 that may be used to offset taxable income in subsequent years). The Company has estimated that $42,000 of unrecognized tax benefits related to income tax positions may be affected by expiring statutes of limitation within the next twelve months.

 

The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. The Company accrued $10,000 and $28,000 of interest, respectively, associated with its unrecognized tax benefits in the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

11.	Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

Below is a summary table of the Company’s quarterly data for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

		Quarter Ended
		Dec 31, 2015				Sep 30, 2015				Jun 30, 2015				Mar 31, 2015				Dec 31, 2014				Sep 30, 2014				Jun 30, 2014				Mar 31, 2014
		(in thousands, except per-share amounts)
Total net revenues		$	36,421			$	40,175			$	30,387			$	26,243			$	26,041			$	27,364			$	25,913			$	26,959
Gross profit		$	14,474			$	15,297			$	11,770			$	10,098			$	10,404			$	11,008			$	10,316			$	10,085
Net income		$	1,386			$	1,615			$	871			$	773			$	1,117			$	1,124			$	801			$	370
Basic earnings per share		$	0.13			$	0.16			$	0.09			$	0.09			$	0.12			$	0.12			$	0.09			$	0.04
Diluted earnings per share		$	0.10			$	0.14			$	0.08			$	0.07			$	0.11			$	0.11			$	0.08			$	0.04

 

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AUTOBYTEL INC.

 

SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

 

			Years Ended December 31,
			2015			2014				2013
						(in thousands)
Allowance for bad debts:
Beginning balance		$	490			$	294			$	268
Additions			379				354				92
Write-offs			(264	)			(158	)			(66	)
Ending balance		$	605			$	490			$	294
Allowance for customer credits:
Beginning balance		$	280			$	111			$	158
Additions			803				1,037				511
Write-offs			(644	)			(868	)			(558	)
Ending balance		$	439			$	280			$	111
Tax valuation allowance:
Beginning balance		$	6,015			$	6,356			$	43,883
Charged (credited) to tax expense			(588	)			(341	)			(37,527	)
Ending balance		$	5,427			$	6,015			$	6,356

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Number	Description
2.1 ‡	Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of September 30, 2013 by and among Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, Advanced Mobile, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Advanced Mobile Solutions Worldwide, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 3, 2013 (SEC File No. 001-34761)
2.2 ‡	Membership Interest Purchase Agreement dated as of January 13, 2014 by and among Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, AutoNation, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and AutoNationDirect.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 17, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ January 2014 Form 8-K ”)
2.3‡	Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of May 21, 2015 by and among the Company, CDK Global, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Dealix Corporation, a California corporation, and Autotegrity, Inc., a Delaware corporation incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 27, 2015 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ May 2015 Form 8-K ”)
2.4‡	Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of October 1, 2015 by and among Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, New Horizon Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, AutoWeb, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Jose Vargas, which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 6, 2015 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“  October 2015 Form 8-K  ”)

3.1	Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Autobytel Inc. (formerly Autobytel.com Inc.) certified by the Secretary of State of Delaware (filed December 14, 1998), as amended by Certificate of Amendment dated March 1, 1999, Second Certificate of Amendment of the Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Autobytel dated July 22, 1999, Third Certificate of Amendment of the Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Autobytel dated August 14, 2001, Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock dated July 30, 2004, and Amended Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock dated April 24, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2009 filed with the SEC on April 24, 2009 (SEC File No. 000-22239); Fourth Certificate of Amendment to Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Autobytel dated July 10, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 12, 2012; and Fifth Certificate of Amendment to Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Autobytel dated July 3, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2013 filed with the SEC on August 1, 2013 (SEC File No. 001-34761); and Certificate of Designations of Series B Junior Participating Convertible Preferred Stock of Autobytel Inc. dated October 1, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the October 2015 Form 8-K
3.2	Fifth Amended and Restated Bylaws of Autobytel Inc. dated October 1, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the October 2015 Form 8-K
4.1	Form of Common Stock Certificate of Autobytel, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2001 filed with the SEC on November 14, 2001 (SEC File No. 000-22239)

 

 

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4.2	Tax Benefit Preservation Plan dated as of May 26, 2010 between Autobytel and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent, together with the following exhibits thereto: Exhibit A – Form of Right Certificate; and Exhibit B – Summary of Rights to Purchase Shares of Preferred Stock of Autobytel Inc., which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 2, 2010 (SEC File No. 000-22239), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Tax Benefit Preservation Plan dated as of April 14, 2014, between Autobytel Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 16, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761)
4.3	Certificate of Adjustment Under Section 11(m) of the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012 filed with the SEC on November 8, 2012 (SEC File No. 001-34761)

10.1 ■	Autobytel.com Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to Amendment No. 1 to S-1 Registration Statement, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan dated September 22, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 1999 filed with the SEC on November 12, 1999 (SEC File No. 000-22239) and Amendment No. 2 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(5) to Schedule TO filed with the SEC on December 14, 2001 (SEC File No. 005-58067) (“ Schedule TO ”); and Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to Autobytel.com Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(14) to the Schedule TO
10.2 ■	Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to Amendment No. 1 to S-1 Registration Statement, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan dated September 22, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 1999 filed with the SEC on November 12, 1999  (SEC File No. 000-22239); and Amendment No. 2 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(8) to the Schedule TO; Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(15) to the Schedule TO; Form of Performance Stock Option Agreement pursuant to Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(18) to the Schedule TO; and Form of Outside Director Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 3, 2004 (SEC File No. 000-22239) (“ November 2004 Form 8-K ”)
10.3 ■	Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8  filed with the SEC on November 1, 1999 (SEC File No. 333-90045), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) to the Schedule TO and Amendment No. 2 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan dated May 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.86 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2009 filed with the SEC on July 24, 2009 (SEC File No. 000-22239) (“ Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q ”); and Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(16) to the Schedule TO
10.4 ■	Form of Employee Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel.com Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan, the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Employee and Acquisition Related Stock Option Plan and the Autobytel.com Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 3, 2008 (SEC File No. 000-22239) (“ October 2008 Form 8-K ”)

 

 

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10.5 ■	Autobytel.com Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on June 15, 2000 (SEC File No. 333-39396), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(12) to the Schedule TO, Amendment No. 2 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.46 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2001 filed with the SEC on March 22, 2002 (SEC File No. 000-22239) and Amendment No. 3 to the Autobytel.com Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan dated May 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.87 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q; and Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to Autobytel.com Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(17) to the Schedule TO
10.6 ■	Autobytel Inc. Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to the Post-Effective Amendment to Registration Statement on Form S-8  filed with the SEC on July 31, 2003 (SEC File No. 333-67692), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel Inc. Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan dated May 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.88 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q; and Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the Autobytel Inc. Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the October 2008 Form 8-K (SEC File No. 000-22239)
10.7 ■	Form of Employee Stock Option Agreement under the Autobytel Inc. Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2015 (SEC File No. 001-34761)
10.8 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.8 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on June 28, 2004 (SEC File No. 333-116930)  (“ 2004 Form S-8 ”), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel Inc. 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan dated May 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.89 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q; Form of Employee Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.9 to the 2004 Form S-8; Form of Outside Director Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the November 2004 Form 8-K; Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.65 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2004 filed with the SEC on May 31, 2005 (SEC File No. 000-22239); Form of Outside Director Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 14, 2005 (SEC File No. 000-22239) (“ September 2005 Form 8-K ”); and Form of Letter Agreement (amending certain stock option agreements with Outside Directors), which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the September 2005 Form 8-K
10.9 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2006 Inducement Stock Option Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.9 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8  filed with the SEC on June 16, 2006 (SEC File No. 333-135076) (“ 2006 Form S-8 ”), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Autobytel Inc. 2006 Inducement Stock Option Plan dated May 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.90 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q; and Form of Employee Inducement Stock Option Agreement, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.10 to the 2006 Form S-8

 

 

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10.10 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 25, 2010 (SEC File No. 001-34761); Form of Employee Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.58 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on March 1, 2012 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ 2011 Form 10-K ”); Form of 2013 Performance-Based Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.79 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2012 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2013 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ 2012 Form 10-K ”); Form of 2012 Performance-Based Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.59 to the 2011 Form 10-K; Form of Non-Employee Director Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.60 to the 2011 Form 10-K; and Form of (Management) Employee Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.61 to the 2011 Form 10-K
10.11 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 23, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761); and Form of Stock Option Award Agreement pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2014 filed with the SEC on July 31, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761)
10.12 ■	Letter Agreement dated October 10, 2006 between the Company and Glenn E. Fuller, as amended by Memorandum dated April 18, 2008, Memorandum dated as of December 8, 2008, and Memorandum dated as of March 1, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.77 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2008 filed with the SEC on March 13, 2009 (SEC File No. 000-22239) (“ 2008 Form 10-K ”)
10.13 ■	Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated as of September 29, 2008 between the Company and Glenn E. Fuller, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the October 2008 Form 8-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated December 14, 2012 between Autobytel and Glenn E. Fuller, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.73 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.14 ■	Letter Agreement dated October 4, 2007 between the Company and Curtis E. DeWalt, as amended by Memorandum dated as of December 8, 2008 and Memorandum dated March 1, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.79 to the 2008 Form 10-K
10.15 ■	Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated as of September 29, 2008 between the Company and Curtis E. DeWalt, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 9, 2009 (SEC File No. 000-22239), as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated October 19, 2012 between Autobytel and Curtis E. DeWalt, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.72 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.16 ■	Letter Agreement dated August 6, 2004 between the Company and Wesley Ozima, as amended by Memorandum dated March 1, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.81 to the 2008 Form 10-K
10.17 ■	Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated as of November 15, 2008 between the Company and Wesley Ozima, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.82 to the 2008 Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Severance Agreement dated October 16, 2012 between Autobytel and Wesley Ozima, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.74 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.18 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2000 Stock Option Plan, Stock Option Award Agreement dated effective as of April 3, 2009 between Autobytel and Jeffrey H. Coats, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.92 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q

 

 

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10.19 ■	Autobytel Inc. Amended and Restated 2001 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, Stock Option Award Agreement dated effective as of April 3, 2009 between Autobytel and Jeffrey H. Coats, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.93 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q
10.20 ■	Autobytel Inc. 2004 Restricted Stock and Option Plan, Stock Option Award Agreement dated effective as of April 3, 2009 between Autobytel and Jeffrey H. Coats, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.94 to the Second Quarter 2009 Form 10-Q
10.21■	Employee Stock Option Award Agreement dated as of January 21, 2016 between Autobytel Inc. and Jeffrey H. Coats pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC January 27, 2016 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ January 2016 Form 8-K   ”)
10.22■	Employee Stock Option Award Agreement dated as of January 21, 2016 between Autobytel Inc. and Jeffrey H. Coats pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan incorporated by reference to Exhibits 10.3 to the January 2016 Form 8-K
10.23■	Form of Amended and Restated Indemnification Agreement between Autobytel and its directors and officers, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 22, 2010 (SEC File No. 001-34761)
10.24 ■*	Form of Indemnification Agreement between Autobytel and its directors and officers
10.25 ■	Letter Agreement dated March 9, 2010 between Autobytel and Kimberly Boren, as amended by Memorandum dated December 21, 2010 and Memorandum dated as of December 1, 2011, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.73 to the 2011 Form 10-K
10.26 ■	Amended and Restated Severance Benefits Agreement dated as of February 25, 2011 between Autobytel and Kimberly Boren, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.74 to the 2011 Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Severance Benefits Agreement dated November 14, 2012 between Autobytel and Kimberly Boren, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.70 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.27 ■	Severance Benefits Agreement dated as of September 17, 2010 between Autobytel and William Ferriolo, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.76 to the 2011 Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Severance Benefits Agreement dated November 30, 2012 between Autobytel and William Ferriolo, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.77 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.28 ■	Letter Agreement dated May 21, 2007 between Autobytel and John Steerman, as amended by Memorandum dated March 20, 2009, Memorandum dated September 30, 2009 and Memorandum dated as of December 1, 2011, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.77 to the 2011 Form 10-K
10.29 ■	Severance Agreement dated as of October 1, 2009 between Autobytel and John Steerman, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.78 to the 2011 Form 10-K, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Severance Agreement dated September 19, 2012 between Autobytel and John D. Steerman, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.75 to the 2012 Form 10-K and Amendment No. 2 to Severance Agreement dated November 7, 2012 between Autobytel and John D. Steerman, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.76 to the 2012 Form 10-K
10.30	Consulting Services Agreement entered into as of April 1, 2015 by and between Autobytel Inc. and Curtis E. DeWalt which is incorporated herein by reference to the form agreement filed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on August 6, 2015 (“ Second Quarter 2015 Form 10-Q ”)

 

 

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10.31	Lease Agreement dated April 6, 1997 between The Provider Fund, The Colton Company and Autobytel (“ Irvine Lease ”), as amended by Amendment No. 12 to Irvine Lease dated February 6, 2009, Amendment No. 13 to Irvine Lease dated March 5, 2009, and Amendment No. 14 to Irvine Lease dated November 29, 2010, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.79 to the 2011 Form 10-K, Amendment No. 15 to Irvine Lease dated October 31, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.69 to the 2012 Form 10-K.
10.32*	Irvine Lease, as amended by Amendment No. 16 between GFE MacArthur Investments, LLC as successor-in-interest to The Provider Fund Partners and Autobytel Inc. dated August 7, 2015.
10.33	Loan Agreement dated as of February 26, 2013 by and between Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Union Bank, N.A., a national banking association, as amended by First Amendment to Loan Agreement dated as of September 10, 2013, Second Amendment to Loan Agreement dated as of January 13, 2014, Security Agreement dated January 13, 2014, Commercial Promissory Note dated January 13, 2014 ($9,000,000 Term Loan), and Commercial Promissory Note dated January 13, 2014 ($8,000,000 Revolving Loan), which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the January 2014 Form 8-K and amended by Third Amendment to Loan Agreement dated as of May 20, 2015, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the May 2015 Form 8-K, Commercial Promissory Note dated May 20, 2015 ($15,000,000 Term Loan), and Commercial Promissory Note dated May 20, 2015 ($8,000,000 Revolving Loan) which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 to the May 2015 Form 8-K
10.34	Convertible Subordinated Promissory Note dated as of January 13, 2014 (Principal Amount $1,000,000.00) issued by Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, to AutoNationDirect.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the January 2014 Form 8-K
10.35	Warrant to Purchase 69,930 Shares of Autobytel Inc. Common Stock dated as of January 13, 2014 issued by Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, to AutoNationDirect.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the January 2014 Form 8-K
10.36	Shareholder Registration Rights Agreement dated as of January 13, 2014 by and between Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, and AutoNationDirect.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the January 2014 Form 8-K
10.37 ■	Severance Benefits Agreement dated October 1, 2013 between Autobytel Inc. and Bret Dunlap, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2013 filed with the SEC on November 7, 2013 (“ Third Quarter 2013 Form 10-Q ”)
10.38 ■	Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement dated September 30, 2013 between Autobytel Inc. and Bret Dunlap, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Third Quarter 2013 Form 10-Q
10.39 ■	Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement dated September 30, 2013 between Autobytel Inc. and Bret Dunlap, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Third Quarter 2013 Form 10-Q
10.40 ■	Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement dated September 30, 2013 between Autobytel Inc. and Bret Dunlap, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Third Quarter 2013 Form 10-Q
10.41 ■	Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement dated January 13, 2014 between Autobytel Inc. and Phillip W. DuPree, which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.87 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2013 filed with the SEC on February 20, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ 2013 Form 10-K ”)
10.42 ■	Severance Benefits Agreement dated January 13, 2014 between Autobytel Inc. and Phillip DuPree, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.89 to the 2013 Form 10-K

 

 

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10.43 ■	Second Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated as of April 3, 2014 between Autobytel Inc. and Jeffrey H. Coats, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 8, 2014 (SEC File No. 001-34761) as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated January 21, 2016 by and between Autobytel Inc. and Jeffrey H. Coats which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the January 2016 Form 8-K
10.44	Amended and Restated Stockholder Agreement dated as of October 1, 2015 by and among Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, Auto Holdings Ltd., a British Virgin Islands business company, Manatee Ventures Inc., a British Virgin Islands business company, Galeb3 Inc.,  a Florida corporation, Matias de Tezanos, and Jose Vargas, and the other parties set forth on the signature pages thereto, which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the October 2015 Form 8-K
10.45	Form of Warrant to Purchase Series B Junior Participating Convertible Preferred Stock dated as of October 1, 2015 issued by Autobytel Inc., a Delaware corporation, to the persons listed on Schedule A thereto, which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the October 2015 Form 8-K
10.46■	Restricted Stock Award Agreement dated as of April 23, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and William Ferriolo pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 29, 2015 disclosing an April 23, 2015 event (SEC File No. 001-34761) (“ April 2015 Form 8-K ”)
10.47 ■	Restricted Stock Award Agreement dated as of April 23, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and William Ferriolo pursuant to the Autobytel Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the April 2015 Form 8-K
10.48 ■	Amended and Restated Letter Agreement dated as of April 23, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and William Ferriolo incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the April 2015 Form 8-K and as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Letter Agreement dated January 22, 2016 by and between Autobytel Inc. and William Ferriolo incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the January 2016 Form 8-K
10.49■*	Severance Benefits Agreement dated May 1, 2013 between Autobytel Inc. and John Skocilic.
10.50■	Severance Benefits Agreement dated May 21, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and John Vicidomino incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Second Quarter 2015 Form 10-Q
10.51■	Employment Offer Letter dated June 18, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and H. Donald Perkins, Jr. incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Second Quarter 2015 Form 10-Q
10.52■	Severance Benefits Agreement dated June 18, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and H. Donald Perkins, Jr. incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Second Quarter 2015 Form 10-Q
10.53■	Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement dated June 18, 2015 between Autobytel Inc. and H. Donald Perkins, Jr. incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Second Quarter 2015 Form 10-Q

 

 

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10.54■*	Employment Offer Letter dated February 23, 2016 between Autobytel Inc. and Jose Vargas
21.1*	Subsidiaries of Autobytel Inc.
23.1*	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Moss Adams LLP
24.1*	Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto)
31.1*	Chief Executive Officer Section 302 Certification of Periodic Report dated March 10, 2016
31.2*	Chief Financial Officer Section 302 Certification of Periodic Report dated March 10 , 2016
32.1*	Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Section 906 Certification of Periodic Report dated March 10, 2016
101.INS††	XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH††	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL††	XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF††	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Document
101.LAB††	XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE††	XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document

*	Filed herewith.

 

■	Management Contract or Compensatory Plan or Arrangement.

 

‡

Certain schedules in this Exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K.  Autobytel Inc. will furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request; provided, however, that Autobytel Inc. may request confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for any schedule or exhibit so furnished.

††

Furnished with this report.  In accordance with Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, the information in these exhibits shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to liability under that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.