Wednesday January 15 5:35 PM EDT
Sparta Surgical Corp., Announces Results for Its Third Quarter and Nine Months Period
PLEASANTON, Calif., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Sparta Surgical Corp , today announced unaudited results for its three months ended November 30, 1996 ("Third Quarter Fiscal 1997") and nine months ended November 30, 1996 ("Nine Months Fiscal 1997 ").
On December 7, 1995, the Company sold its medical product line, which consisted primarily of wound care gauze dressings, to Tecnol Medical Products, Inc. ("Tecnol"), which resulted in the Company's elimination of the medical product line from its business operations approximately three months before the year ended February 29, 1996. Therefore, the results for the two periods are not strictly comparable.
Net sales for the Third Quarter Fiscal 1997 were $581,683, a decrease of $967,643 from net sales of $1,549,326 for the same period last year. The net sales decrease during the Nine Months Fiscal 1997 is primarily attributed to a decrease of $939,182 in medical product sales which resulted from the sale of the Company's medical product line in December 1995. Sales for its surgical and electrotherapy products remained relatively constant from the same period last year. The net loss for the Third Quarter Fiscal 1997 was $359,194 as compared to a net loss of $1,108 for the same period last year. The decrease in net income is primarily due to a one time $160,000 expense related to the settlement of a litigation.
Net sales for the Nine Months Fiscal 1997 were $1,639,314, a decrease of $3,610,955 from net sales of $5,250,269 for the same period last year. The net sales decrease during the Nine Months Fiscal 1997 is the result of a decrease of $3,151,932 in medical product sales which resulted from the sale of the Company's medical product line in December 1995, a decrease of $88,647 in surgical product sales from $995,157 to $906,510 and a decrease of $370,376 in electrotherapy product sales from $1,103,180 to $732,804 primarily attributed to the completion in July 1995 of a one year $500,000 contract.
Net loss for the Nine Months Fiscal 1997 was $1,767,820 or $.42 per share. The loss is primarily due to the decrease in net sales and the corresponding decrease in gross profit coupled with a one time $855,712 litigation settlement expense and legal expenses in the approximate amount of $190,000 which were incurred in connection with various litigation proceedings. In addition, the Company increased its sales and marketing expenses in an effort to broaden its customer base and target new independent sales representatives and distributors for each of its product lines.
In an effort to increase sales, on November 1, 1996 the Company entered into a non-binding letter of intent for the acquisition of substantially all of the operating assets of Orion Life Systems, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Orion Medical Products, Inc. ("Orion"). Orion specializes in contract manufacturing, packaging, and sterilization of medical devices and single-use procedure trays as well as manufacturing and marketing its own line of urological, respiratory, and I.V. therapy disposable products. Based in Wheeling, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Orion is a privately held company which for its most recent fiscal year ended December 31, 1996, recorded sales in excess of $5.25 million.
Statements, either written or oral, which express the Company's expectation for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies can be identified as forward-looking statements. These statements are made to provide the public with management's assessment of the Company's business. Caution must be taken to consider these statements in light of a number of factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the event such factors do not occur as management anticipates, actual results could differ materially from the expectations expressed in any forward-looking statements.
Sparta Surgical Corporation develops, manufactures and markets specialty surgical and non-invasive electrotherapy devices to the health care industry worldwide. Sparta's specialty surgical products include critical care hospital disposables, microsurgical hand-held instruments and facial reconstructive plating systems for use in General, Ophthalmic, Ear, Nose, Throat, Plastic, and Oral Maxillofacial surgical procedures. In addition, Sparta offers a full line of patented and proprietary transcutancous electrical nerve stimulation devices, supplies and accessories used to relieve chronic and acute pain for use by physicians, physical therapists and their patients.
SPARTA SURGICAL CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended November 30, November 30, 1996 1995 1996 1995
Net Sales(a) $ 581,683 $1,549,326 $1,639,314 $5,250,269 Net Income (Loss) (359,194) (1,108) (1,767,820) 42,359 Preferred Stock Dividends (3,509) (5,839) (96,594) (44,184) Net Income (Loss) Applicable to Common Shareholders $(362,703) $ (6,947) $(1,864,414) $ (1,825) Weighted Average Number of Primary Common Shares Outstanding 4,562,022 3,773,853 4,396,540 3,592,508 Net Income (Loss) Per Primary Common Share $ (.08) $ -- $ (.42) $ --
(a) Net sales adjusted to reflect the disposition of the medical product line were $610,144 and $2,098,337 for the three and nine months ended November 30, 1995, respectively. Therefore, the results of these two periods are not strictly comparable. SOURCE Sparta Surgical Corp. |