Document
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 _______________________________________________
FORM 10-K
  _______________________________________________

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017

Commission File Number: 000-26926
 _______________________________________________
scansourcelogo4a15.jpg
ScanSource, Inc.
South Carolina
(State of incorporation)

57-0965380
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)



6 Logue Court
Greenville, South Carolina 29615
(864) 288-2432
 _______________________________________________ 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class
 
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, no par value
 
NASDAQ Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None.
  _______________________________________________
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    ¨  Yes    ý  No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    ý  Yes    ¨  No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
ý
Accelerated filer
¨
Non-accelerated filer
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
¨
Smaller reporting company
¨
 
 
Emerging growth company
¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    ¨  Yes    ý  No
The aggregate market value of the voting common stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates of the Registrant at December 31, 2016 was $1,012,679,122, as computed by reference to the closing price of such stock on such date.
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Class
 
Outstanding at August 25, 2017
Common Stock, no par value per share
 
25,432,900 shares
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The registrant has incorporated by reference into Part III of this report certain portions of its proxy statement for its 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which is expected to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended June 30, 2017.


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Index to Financial Statements



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The forward-looking statements included in the "Business," "Risk Factors," "Legal Proceedings," "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" sections and elsewhere herein. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "hopes," "forecasts," "seeks," "estimates," "goals," "projects," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," and variations of such words and similar expressions generally identify such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Form 10-K is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as may be required by law, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, except as required by law. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors including, but not limited to, changes in interest and exchange rates and regulatory regimes impacting our overseas operations, the failure of acquisitions to meet our expectations, the failure to manage and implement our organic growth strategy, credit risks involving our larger customers and vendors, termination of our relationship with key vendors or a significant modification of the terms under which we operate with a key vendor, the decline in demand for the products and services that we provide, reduced prices for the products and services that we provide due both to competitor and customer actions and the other factors set forth in "Risk Factors" contained herein.




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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
Page
 
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 1B.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
 
Item 5.
Item 6.
Item 7.
Item 7A.
Item 8.
Item 9.
Item 9A.
Item 9B.
 
Item 10.
Item 11.
Item 12.
Item 13.
Item 14.
 
Item 15.
 


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PART I

ITEM 1.    Business.

ScanSource, Inc. was incorporated in South Carolina in 1992 and is a leading global provider of technology products and solutions. ScanSource, Inc. and its subsidiaries ("the Company") provide value-added solutions for technology vendors and sell to customers in the following specialty technology markets: POS and barcode, networking and security, communications, telecom and cloud services and emerging technologies.
 
We operate in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. We sell products into the United States and Canada from our facilities located in Mississippi; into Latin America principally from facilities located in Florida, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile; and into Europe principally from facilities in Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Business Segments

Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security Segment

The Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment focuses on automatic identification and data capture ("AIDC"), point-of-sale ("POS"), networking, electronic physical security, 3D printing technologies and other specialty technologies. We have business units within this segment in North America, Latin America and Europe. We see adjacencies among these technologies in helping our customers develop solutions, such as with networking products. AIDC and POS products interface with computer systems used to automate the collection, processing and communication of information for commercial and industrial applications, including retail sales, distribution, shipping, inventory control, materials handling, warehouse management and health care applications. Electronic physical security products include identification, access control, video surveillance, intrusion-related and wireless and networking infrastructure products. 3D printing solutions replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input.

Worldwide Communications & Services Segment

The Worldwide Communications & Services segment focuses on communications technologies and services. We have business units within this segment that offer voice, video conferencing, wireless, data networking, cable, collaboration, converged communications solutions, cloud and technology services. In this segment, we operate in North America, Latin America and Europe. As these solutions come together on IP networks, new opportunities are created to move into adjacent solutions for all vertical markets, such as education, healthcare and government. Our teams deliver value-added support programs and services, including education and training, network assessments, custom configuration, implementation and marketing to help customers develop a new technology practice, or to extend their capability and reach.

Products and Markets

We currently market approximately 100,000 products from over 500 hardware, software and service vendors to approximately 34,000 customers from distribution centers in Mississippi, Florida, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment focuses on AIDC, POS, networking and security.

AIDC technology incorporates the capabilities for electronic identification and data processing without the need for manual input and consists of a wide range of products that include portable data collection terminals, wireless products, bar code label printers and scanners. As AIDC technology has become more pervasive, applications have evolved from traditional uses such as inventory control, materials handling, distribution, shipping and warehouse management to more advanced applications, such as health care.

POS products include those computer-based systems that have replaced electronic cash registers in grocery, retail and hospitality environments. POS product lines include computer-based terminals, monitors, payment processing solutions, receipt printers, pole displays, cash drawers, keyboards, peripheral equipment and fully integrated processing units. In addition, ScanSource POS and Barcode business units sell products that attach to the POS network in the store, including kiosks, network access points, routers and digital signage.

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Electronic physical security products include identification, access control, video surveillance and intrusion-related products, and networking infrastructure. Physical security products are used every day across every vertical market to protect lives, property and information. These technology products require specialized knowledge to deploy effectively, and ScanSource Security offers in-depth training and education to its partners to enable them to maintain the appropriate skill levels.

The Worldwide Communications & Services segment focuses on communications technologies and services.

Communications technologies, such as voice and data products include private branch exchanges ("PBXs"), key systems, telephone handsets and components used in voice, fax, data, voice recognition, call center management and IP communication applications. Converged communication products combine voice, data, fax and speech technologies to deliver communications solutions that combine computers, telecommunications and the Internet. Converged communications products include telephone and IP network interfaces, Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") systems, PBX integration products and carrier-class board systems-level products. Video products include video and voice conferencing and network systems; and data networking products include switches, servers and routers.

Our service teams deliver value-added support programs, including education and training, customer configuration, marketing services, network assessments, WiFi services, and partnership programs. Service teams focus on reducing complexity, building efficiency and helping our customers to develop a new technology practice or to extend their capability and reach.

A master agent provides telecommunications network and cloud services and focuses on empowering and educating the channel through assisting business telecom and cloud technologies customers in making informed choices about services, technology and cost savings.

See Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" below for a discussion of the amount of our net sales contributed by business segment.

Vendors

We provide the products of approximately 500 vendors, including Aruba/HPE, Axis, AudioCodes, Avaya, Barco, Bematech, Brocade/Ruckus Wireless, CenturyLink, Cisco, Comcast Business, Datalogic, Dell, Dialogic, Elo, Epson, Hanwha, Honeywell, HID, Ingenico, Jabra, Level 3, March Networks, Mitel, NCR, Oracle, Panasonic, Plantronics, Polycom, Samsung, ShoreTel, Sony, Spectralink, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Ubiquiti, Unify, Verifone, Verizon, Windstream, XO and Zebra Technologies.
 
We provide products for many of our key vendors in all of our geographic markets; however, certain vendors only allow distribution to specific geographies. We typically purchase products directly from the vendor on a non-exclusive basis. Our agreements with our vendors generally do not restrict us from selling similar or comparable products manufactured by competitors. We have the flexibility to terminate or curtail sales of one product line in favor of another due to technological change, pricing considerations, product availability, customer demand or vendor distribution policies.

Three vendors, Avaya, Cisco, and Zebra, each constituted more than 10% of our net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017.

We have two non-exclusive agreements with Avaya. One agreement covers the distribution of Avaya products in the United States and Latin America, and the other agreement covers distribution of Avaya products in the United Kingdom and portions of continental Europe. Our Avaya agreements each have a one year term that automatically renews for additional one year terms. Either party may terminate upon 180 days' notice for the United States and Latin America agreement and upon 90 days' for the European agreement.

We have three non-exclusive agreements with Cisco. One agreement covers the distribution of Cisco products in the United States for our KBZ business and has a three year term; one agreement covers distribution of Cisco products in the Unites States for the ScanSource business and has a two year term; and one agreement covers distribution of products in Brazil and has a two year term. Each of these agreements must be renewed by written agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement upon 30 days' notice to the other party.


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We have two non-exclusive agreements with Zebra. One agreement covers sales of Zebra hardware and software products in North and South America, and another agreement covers sales of Zebra hardware and software products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa ("EMEA"). The Zebra agreements each have a one year term that automatically renews for additional one year terms, and either party may terminate the agreement upon 30 days' notice to the other party.

In addition to the agreements mentioned above, we have written agreements with almost all of our vendors. These agreements generally provide us with non-exclusive distribution rights and often include territorial restrictions that limit the countries in which we can distribute our products. Our agreements are generally short-term, subject to periodic renewal, and provide for termination by either party without cause upon 30 to 120 days' notice. These agreements typically provide us with stock rotation and price protection provisions. Stock rotation rights give us the ability, subject to limitations, to return, for credit, or exchange a portion of the items purchased. Price protection rights enable us to take a credit for declines in inventory value resulting from the vendor's price reductions. Along with our inventory management policies and practices, these provisions are designed to reduce our risk of loss due to slow-moving inventory, vendor price reductions, product updates and obsolescence.

We participate in various rebate, cash discount and cooperative marketing programs offered by our vendors to support expenses associated with selling and marketing the vendors' products. These rebates and purchase discounts are generally influenced by sales volumes and are subject to change.

Our vendors generally warrant the products we sell and allow returns of defective products, including those returned to us by our customers. In three of our product lines, we offer a self-branded warranty program. We purchase contracts from unrelated third parties, generally the original equipment manufacturers, to fulfill any obligation to service or replace defective product claimed on these warranty programs. To maintain customer relations, we also facilitate returns of defective products from our customers by accepting for exchange, with our prior approval, most defective products within 30 days of invoicing. In addition, local laws may in some cases impose warranty obligations on the Company.

Customers

We currently have approximately 34,000 active customers located in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. No single customer accounted for more than 5% of our total net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. We generally target resellers, including specialty technology VARs, direct marketers, Information Technology ("IT") system integrators and service providers.

Specialty Technology VARs

These customers focus on selling specialty technology products as tailored software or integrated hardware solutions for their end-users’ existing applications. They also incorporate specialty technology products into customized technology solutions for their end-users. Primary industries served by these customers include manufacturing, distribution, health care, pharmaceutical, hospitality, government, convenience, grocery, financial and other retail markets.

Direct Marketers

These customers provide a very broad range of technology brands to business, government, education and healthcare markets.  They have strong relationships with end users, and are seeking additional revenue and profit opportunities in specialty technology markets such as AIDC, POS, physical security, or communications.

IT System Integrators

These customers develop computer and networking solutions for their end users’ IT needs. They typically have well-established relationships with end user decision makers and are seeking additional revenue and profit opportunities in technology markets, such as AIDC, POS, physical security or communications.

Service Providers

Service providers focus on providing advanced services that offer customized solutions that bundle data, collaboration, cloud, network and digital telecommunication services for their end-users' needs. They specialize in multi-vendor and multi-discipline

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services within various geographies. Sales agents focus on selling telecommunications and cloud services to end-users, ensuring end-users are making informed choices about various services, technologies and cost savings.

Competition

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. Competition is based primarily on factors such as price, product availability, speed and accuracy of delivery, effectiveness of sales and marketing programs, credit availability, ability to tailor specific solutions to customer needs, quality and breadth of product lines and services, and availability of technical and product information. Because of price competition, sales margins are constantly under pressure.

Our competitors include local, regional, national and international distributors, as well as hardware vendors that sell directly to resellers and to end users. In addition, our competitors include master resellers that sell to franchisees, third party dealers and end users. Certain current and potential competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we have and may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements. Certain smaller, regional competitors, who are specialty two tier or mixed model master resellers, may also be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements. Competition has increased for our sales units over the last several years as broad line and other value added distributors have entered into the specialty technology markets. Such competition could also result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of market share.

In our Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment, we compete with broad-line distributors, such as Ingram Micro, Synnex and Tech Data in most geographic areas, and more specialized security distributors, such as ADI and Anixter. Additionally, we also compete against other smaller, more specialized AIDC and POS distributors, such as Azerty, BlueStar, Jarltech and Nimax. In our Worldwide Communications & Services segment, we compete against broad-line distributors, such as Ingram Micro, Synnex and Tech Data, and more specialized distributors, such as Jenne and Westcon. As we seek to expand our business into other areas closely related to our offerings, we may encounter increased competition from current competitors and/or from new competitors, some of which may be our current customers.

Sales and Electronic Commerce

Our sales department consists primarily of inside sales representatives located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. In order to build strong customer relationships, most active customers are assigned to a sales representative. Each sales representative negotiates pricing directly with his or her assigned customers. We also employ business development representatives who are responsible for developing technical expertise within broad product markets, recruiting customers, creating demand, and reviewing overall product and service requirements of our customers. Each sales representative and business development representative receives comprehensive training with respect to the technical characteristics of each vendor’s products. This training is supplemented by frequent product seminars conducted by vendors’ representatives and bi-weekly meetings among product, marketing and sales managers.

Increasingly, customers are relying upon our electronic ordering and information systems as sources for product information, including availability and price. Through our websites, most customers can gain remote access to our information systems to check real-time product availability, see their customized pricing and place orders. Customers can also follow the status of their orders and obtain package tracking details.

Marketing

We market our products and services through a range of channels, including digital campaigns, such as search engine optimization, search engine marketing, content marketing, content automation, e-commerce, social media optimization, email direct marketing, and online product catalogs for each of the North American, European, and Latin American markets. Additional marketing activities include periodic newsletters, management of sales leads, trade shows with hardware/software companies and vendors, and sales promotions. We also organize and operate our own training and certification courses - working closely with top vendors to recruit prospective customers and introduce new applications for the specialty technology products we distribute. We frequently customize our marketing for vendors and customers.

Value-Added Services


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We differentiate the Company by providing our customers and our vendors an array of pre-sale business tools and value-added services, including logistics, financial services, product configuration tools, sales expertise, and technical support. These services allow our customers to gain knowledge on marketing, to gain expertise in selling and negotiation, to improve customer service, to grow their business profitably and to be more cost effective in their business. Our business is enhanced by our ability and our willingness to provide the extra service that keeps both our vendors and our customers satisfied.

Operations

Information Systems

We are in the process of continuing to roll-out a new, global SAP information system designed to replace the current existing systems. This new system is currently operating in North America, most of Europe and Latin America, excluding Brazil. Our information systems (including the new SAP system) are scalable and capable of supporting numerous operational functions including purchasing, receiving, order processing, shipping, inventory management and accounting. Sales representatives rely on the information systems for on-line, real-time information on product pricing, inventory availability and reservation, and order status. Our warehouse operations use bar code technology for receiving and shipping, and automated systems for freight processing and shipment tracking, each of which is integrated with our multiple information systems. The customer service and technical support departments employ the systems for documentation and faster processing of customer inquiries. To ensure that adequate inventory levels are maintained, our buyers depend on the system’s purchasing and receiving functions to track inventory on a continual basis.

Warehouse and Shipping Strategy

We operate a 741,000 square foot distribution center in Southaven, Mississippi, which is located near the FedEx hub facility in Memphis, Tennessee, and serves primarily all of North America. Our European operations utilize a limited number of distribution centers located in Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Warehouses for our Latin American operations are located in Florida, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile. Our objective is to ship all orders on the same day, using technology to expedite shipments and minimize shipping errors. We offer reduced freight rates and flexible delivery options to minimize a customers’s need for inventory.

Financial Services

Our sales terms are competitive within our specific geographic areas for qualified customers and facilitate various third-party financing options, which include leasing, flooring and other secured financing. We believe this policy reduces the customer’s need to establish multiple credit relationships with a large number of manufacturers.

Employees

As of June 30, 2017, we had over 2,000 employees located in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. We have no organized labor or trade unions in the United States. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Service Marks

We conduct our business under the trade names "ScanSource POS and Barcode," "ScanSource Catalyst," "ScanSource Communications," "ScanSource Services," "ScanSource Networking and Security," "ScanSource KBZ," "ScanSource Europe," "ScanSource Europe Communications," "ScanSource Latin America," "ScanSource de Mexico," "ScanSource Brasil," "ScanSource Imago," "Network1, a ScanSource company," "Intelisys" and "POS Portal."

Certain of our trademarks and service marks are registered, or are in the process of being registered, in the United States and various other countries. We have been issued registrations for the marks including, among others, "ScanSource," "Catalyst Telecom," and "Network1" in countries in our principal markets.   Even though our marks are not registered in every country where we conduct business, in many cases we have acquired rights in those marks because of our continued use of them. These marks do not have value assigned to them and have a designated indefinite life. We do not believe that our operations are dependent upon any of our marks. We also sell products and provide services under various trademarks and service marks to which reference is made in this report that are the property of owners other than the Company.


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Additional Information

Our principal internet address is www.scansource.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report. We provide our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, free of charge on www.scansource.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors.

The following are certain risks that could affect our business, financial position and results of operations. These risks should be considered in connection with evaluating an investment in our company and, in particular, the forward-looking statements contained in this Report because these risks could cause the actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Additionally, there are other risks that we may not describe, because we currently do not perceive them to be material or because they are presently unknown, which could impact us. If any of these risks develops into actual events, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be negatively affected, the market price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any risk factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Organic growth strategies - If we fail to effectively manage and implement our organic growth strategies, we will experience a negative effect on our business and financial results.

A significant component of our growth strategy has been to add new vendors and products, and we expect to be able to enter new product markets in the future. Expansion of our existing product markets and entry into new product markets divert the use of our resources and systems, require additional resources that might not be available (or available on acceptable terms), result in new or more intense competition, may require longer implementation times or greater start-up expenditures than anticipated, and may otherwise fail to achieve the desired results in a timely fashion, if at all. In addition, while we have been successful in adding new vendors in the past, we already represent most of the significant vendors in our primary areas of focus, and there is regular consolidation among our vendors. As a result, there may be fewer vendor expansion opportunities in the future. If we are unable to increase our sales and earnings by expanding our product offerings in a cost effective manner, then our results may suffer.

Our ability to successfully manage our growth will require continued enhancement of our operational, managerial and financial resources and controls. Our failure to effectively manage our growth would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Acquisitions - Our growth strategy includes acquisitions of companies that complement or expand our existing business. Acquisitions involve unique risks and uncertainties.

We have acquired, and expect to continue to acquire, companies that complement or expand our existing business in the United States and internationally, and some of these acquisitions may be in lines of business where we have little, if any, experience. Acquisitions entail a number of risks, including that the acquired company will not perform as expected and that we will be responsible for unexpected costs or liabilities. In addition, increases in the size and complexity of our business place a significant strain on our management, operations, technical performance, financial resources and internal financial control and reporting functions, and there are no assurances that we will be able to manage the acquisition process or newly acquired companies effectively. Our personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to effectively manage our future operations, especially as we employ personnel in multiple domestic and international locations. We may not be able to hire, train, retain and manage the personnel required to address our growth. Failure to effectively manage our growth opportunities could damage our reputation, limit our future growth, negatively affect our operating results and harm our business.

International operations - Our international operations expose us to risks that are different from, and possibly greater than, the risks we are exposed to domestically.

We currently have significant facilities outside the United States, and a significant portion of our revenue is derived from our international operations. These operations are subject to a variety of risks that are different from the risks that we face domestically or are similar risks but with potentially greater exposure. These risks include:


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Fluctuations of foreign currency and exchange rates, which can impact sales, costs of the goods we sell and the reporting of our results and assets on our financial statements;
Difficulties in collecting accounts receivable and longer collection periods;
Changes in, or expiration of, various foreign incentives that provide economic benefits to us;
Labor laws that impact our ability to hire, retain and discharge employees;
Difficulties in staffing and managing operations in foreign countries;
Changes in international trade laws, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, affecting our import and export activities, including export license requirements, restrictions on the export of certain technology and tariff changes;
Changes in the interpretation and enforcement of laws (in particular related to items such as duty and taxation);
Global economic and financial market instability related to the U.K.’s referendum withdrawal from the E.U.;
Potential political and economic instability and changes in governments;
Compliance with foreign and domestic import and export regulations and anti-corruption laws, including the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws of other jurisdictions, governing our business activities outside the United States, the violation of which could result in severe penalties, including monetary fines, criminal proceedings and suspension of export or import privileges; and
Terrorist or military actions that result in destruction or seizure of our assets or suspension or disruption of our operations or those of our customers.

We currently transact business in the U.K., where we also have offices and a distribution center, and in key E.U. markets. A majority of U.K. voters voted for the U.K. to exit the E.U. (“Brexit”). Negotiations are expected to commence to determine the future terms of the U.K.’s relationship with the E.U., including the terms of trade between the U.K. and the E.U. and the rest of the world. The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the U.K. makes to retain access to E.U. markets either during a transitional period or more permanently. The measures could potentially disrupt the markets we serve and the tax jurisdictions in which we operate and adversely change tax benefits or liabilities in these or other jurisdictions, and may cause us to lose customers, suppliers and employees.

Brazilian and Latin America operations - We face special political, economic and regulatory risks by doing business in Brazil and other Latin American countries, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We have substantial operations in Brazil and other Latin American countries and face risks related to these country's complex tax, labor, trade compliance and consumer protection laws and regulations. Additionally, developing markets such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru have greater political volatility, greater vulnerability to infrastructure and labor disruptions, are more likely than developed economies to experience market, currency and interest rate fluctuations and may have higher inflation. In addition, doing business in these countries poses additional challenges, such as finding and retaining qualified employees, particularly management-level employees, underdeveloped infrastructure and identifying and retaining qualified suppliers and service providers, among other risks. Furthermore, in developing markets it may be common for others to engage in business practices prohibited by laws and regulations applicable to us, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or similar local anti-bribery laws. Our commitment to compliance with these laws could put us at a competitive disadvantage, and any lapses in our compliance could subject us to civil and criminal penalties that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, competition in developing markets is increasing as our competitors grow their global operations. Our success in integrating our Brazilian and additional Latin American operations is critical to our growth strategy. If we cannot successfully increase our business in these countries, our product sales, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Credit exposure - We have credit exposure to our customers. Any adverse trends in their businesses could cause us to suffer credit losses.

As is customary in our industry, we extend credit to our customers, and most of our sales are on open accounts. We may be unable to collect on receivables if our customers experience decreases in demand for their products and services, do not manage their businesses adequately, or otherwise become less able to pay due to adverse economic conditions or refinancing events. As we grow and compete for business, our typical payment terms tend to be longer, and therefore may increase our credit risk.

While we evaluate our customers' qualifications for credit and monitor our extensions of credit, and in some instances purchase credit insurance, these efforts cannot prevent all credit losses, and credit losses negatively impact our performance. In addition, for financial reporting purposes, we estimate future credit losses and establish reserves. To the extent that our credit losses exceed

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those reserves, our financial performance will be negatively impacted beyond what is expected. If there is deterioration in the collectability of our receivables, or if we are unable to collect under credit insurance policies, or we fail to take other actions to adequately mitigate such credit risk, our earnings, cash flows and our ability to utilize receivable-based financing could deteriorate.

In addition, extending credit to international customers involves additional risks. It is often more difficult to evaluate credit of a customer or obtain credit protections in our international operations. Also, credit cycles and collection periods are typically longer in our international operations. As a result of these factors and other challenges in extending credit to international customers, we generally face greater credit risk from sales internationally compared to domestic sales.

Vendors - Terminations of a distribution or services agreement or a significant change in supplier terms, authorizations, or lack of product availability, or conditions of sale could negatively affect our operating margins, revenues or the level of capital required to fund our operations.

A significant percentage of our net sales relates to products we purchase from relatively few vendors. As a result of such concentration risk, terminations of supply or services agreements or a change in terms or conditions of sale from one or more of our key vendors could negatively affect our operating margins, revenues or the level of capital required to fund our operations. Our vendors have the ability to make adverse changes in their sales terms and conditions, such as reducing the level of purchase discounts and rebates they make available to us. We have no guaranteed price or delivery agreements with our vendors. In certain product categories, limited price protection or return rights offered by our vendors may have a bearing on the amount of product we may be willing to stock. Our inability to pass through to our customers the impact of these changes, as well as our failure to develop systems to manage ongoing vendor programs, could cause us to record inventory write-downs or other losses and could have significant negative impact on our gross margins.

We receive purchase discounts and rebates from some vendors based on various factors, including goals for quantitative and qualitative sales or purchase volume and customer related metrics. Certain purchase discounts and rebates may affect gross margins. Many purchase discounts from vendors are based on percentage increases in sales of products. Our operating results would be negatively impacted if these rebates or discounts are reduced or eliminated or if our vendors significantly increase the complexity of their refund procedures and thus increase costs for us to receive such rebates.

Our ability to obtain particular products or product lines in the required quantities and our ability to fulfill customer orders on a timely basis is critical to our success. Our vendors have experienced product supply shortages from time to time due to the inability of certain of their suppliers to supply certain products on a timely basis. As a result, we have experienced, and may in the future continue to experience, short-term shortages of specific products. We cannot provide any assurances that vendors will be able to maintain an adequate supply of products to fulfill all of our customer orders on a timely basis.

Vendors who currently distribute their products through us, may decide to shift to or substantially increase their existing distribution with other distributors, their own dealer networks, or directly to resellers or end-users. Vendors have, from time to time, made efforts to reduce the number of distributors with which they do business. This could result in more intense competition as distributors strive to secure distribution rights with these vendors, which could have an adverse impact on our operating results. Our reputation, sales and profitability may suffer if vendors are not able to provide us with an adequate supply of products to fulfill our customer orders on a timely basis or if we cannot otherwise obtain particular products or a product lines.

In addition, our dependence on a limited number of vendors leaves us vulnerable to having an inadequate supply of required products, price increases, late deliveries and poor product quality.  Like other distributors in our industry, we occasionally experience shortages and are unable to purchase our desired volume of products.  Increasingly, our vendors are combining and merging together, leaving us with fewer alternative sources. If we are unable to maintain an adequate supply of products, or if vendors do not regularly invest in, introduce to us, and/or make new products available to us for distribution, our revenue and gross profit could suffer considerably.  Finally, we cannot provide any assurance that particular products, or product lines, will be available to us, or available in quantities sufficient to meet customer demand.  Any limits to product access could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

On January 19, 2017, Avaya Inc. (“Avaya”) filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.  Avaya is one of our largest vendors, and while we expect Avaya to reorganize under the Bankruptcy Code and for our relationship with Avaya to continue consistent with past practices, the bankruptcy process entails numerous uncertainties and it is possible that Avaya will not be able to successfully reorganize, or that the bankruptcy will result in a loss of customer confidence that will negatively impact sales.  Any such adverse outcome could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
 

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Vendor consolidation may also lead to changes in the nature and terms of relationships with our vendors. The loss or deterioration of a major vendor relationship would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Competition - We experience intense competition in all of our markets. Such competition could result in reduced margins and loss of our market share.

The markets that we operate in are fiercely competitive. We compete on the basis of price, product availability, speed and accuracy of delivery, effectiveness of sales and marketing programs, credit availability, ability to tailor solutions to the needs of our customers, quality and breadth of product line and services and availability of technical and product information. Our competitors include local, regional, national and international distributors as well as hardware vendors that sell directly to resellers and to end users. In addition, we compete with master resellers that sell to franchisees, third party dealers and end users. Certain of our current and potential competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we have and may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements. Certain smaller, regional competitors, who are specialty two-tier or mixed model master resellers, may also be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements. Competition has increased for our sales units as broad line and other value-added distributors have entered into the specialty technology markets. Such competition could result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of our market share.

As a result of intense price competition in our industry, our gross margins and our operating profit margins have historically been narrow, and we expect them to be narrow in the future. To remain competitive, we may be forced to offer more credit or extended payment terms to our customers. This could result in an increase in our need for capital, increase our financing costs, increase our bad debt expenses and have a negative impact on our financial results. We do not offer any assurance that we will not lose market share, or that we will not be forced in the future to reduce our prices in response to the action of our competitors and thereby experience a reduction in our gross margins. We expect continued intense competition as current competitors expand their operations and new competitors enter the market. Our inability to compete successfully against current and future competitors could cause our revenue and earnings to decline.

Customers - We operate in a highly competitive environment and good customer relations are critical to our success. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain and expand our customer relationships or acquire new customers.

Meeting our customers' needs quickly and fairly is critical to our business success. Our transactions with our customers are generally performed on a purchase order basis rather than under long term supply agreements. Therefore, our customers can readily choose to purchase from other sources. From time to time, we experience shortages in availability of some products from vendors, and this impacts our customers' decisions regarding whether to make purchases from us. Anything that negatively impacts our customer relations also can negatively impact our operating results. Accordingly, our sales can vary as a result of fluctuations in pricing, product availability, purchasing patterns of end-users and general competitive and economic conditions.

Customer consolidation may also lead to changes in the nature and terms of relationships with our customers. The loss or deterioration of a major customer relationship would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

IT Systems and the transition to a new Enterprise Resource Planning System - Our ability to manage our business and monitor results is highly dependent upon information and communication systems. A failure of these systems could disrupt our business.

We are highly dependent upon a variety of internal computer and telecommunication systems to operate our business, including our enterprise resource planning ("ERP") systems. In order to continue support of our growth, we are making significant technological upgrades to our information systems. This is a lengthy and expensive process that has resulted, and will continue to result in a diversion of resources from other operations.

Our new global ERP system is currently operating in part of our Europe business, Latin America, excluding Brazil, and North America. As we continue to implement our new ERP system in additional geographies, including Brazil, any disruptions, delays or deficiencies in the design and/or implementation of the system, or in the performance of our legacy systems, could adversely affect our ability to effectively run and manage our business and potentially our customers' ability to access our price and product availability information or place orders. Further, as we are dependent upon our ability to gather and promptly transmit accurate information to key decision makers, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected if our information systems do not allow us to transmit accurate information, even for a short period of time. Failure to properly or adequately address these issues could impact our ability to perform necessary business operations, which could adversely affect our reputation, competitive position, business, results of operations and financial condition.


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In addition, the information systems of companies we acquire may not be sufficient to meet our standards or we may not be able to successfully convert them to provide acceptable information on a timely and cost-effective basis. Furthermore, we must attract and retain qualified people to operate our systems, expand and improve them, integrate new programs effectively with our existing programs, and convert to new systems efficiently when required. Any disruption to our business due to such issues, or an increase in our costs to cover these issues that is greater than what we have anticipated, could have an adverse effect on our financial results and operations.

Our customers rely increasingly on our electronic ordering and information systems as a source for product information, including availability and pricing. There can be no assurance that our systems will not fail or experience disruptions, and any significant failure or disruption of these systems could prevent us from making sales, ordering and delivering products and otherwise conducting our business. Many of our customers use our website to check real-time product availability, see their customized pricing and place orders. While our website has not experienced any material disruptions or security breakdowns, any disruptions or breaches in security or a breach that compromises sensitive information could harm our relationship with our vendors, customers and other business partners. Any material disruption of our website or the Internet in general could impair our order processing or prevent our vendors and customers from accessing information and cause us to lose business.

Cyber security risk - Our reputation and business may be harmed from cyber security risk and we may be subject to legal claims if there is loss, disclosure or misappropriation of or access to our customers' or our business partners' or our own information or other breaches of our information security.

We make extensive use of online services and centralized data processing, including through third party service providers. The secure maintenance and transmission of customer information is a critical element of our operations. Our information technology and other systems that maintain and transmit customer or employee information or those of service providers or business partners may be compromised by a malicious third-party penetration of our network security, or that of a third-party service provider or business partner, or impacted by advertent or inadvertent actions or inactions by our employees, or those of a third-party service provider or business partner. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security, or that of our third-party service providers, and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information, create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. As a result, our customers' information may be lost, disclosed, accessed or taken without our customers' consent.

We are subject to regulations relating to customer privacy and the protection of personal information. Any such loss, disclosure or misappropriation of, or access to, customers' or business partners' information or other breach of our information security can result in legal claims or legal proceedings, including regulatory investigations and actions, may have a serious impact on our reputation and may adversely affect our businesses, operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, the loss, disclosure or misappropriation of our business information may adversely affect our businesses, operating results and financial condition.

Economic weakness - Economic weakness and geopolitical uncertainty could adversely affect our results and prospects.

Our financial results, operations and prospects depend significantly on worldwide economic and geopolitical conditions, the demand for our products and services, and the financial condition of our customers and suppliers. Economic weakness and geopolitical uncertainty have in the past resulted, and may result in the future, in reduced demand for products resulting in decreased sales, margins and earnings. Economic weakness and geopolitical uncertainty may also lead us to impair assets, including goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets, take restructuring actions and reduce expenses in response to decreased sales or margins. We may not be able to adequately adjust our cost structure in a timely fashion, which may adversely impact our profitability. Uncertainty about economic conditions may increase foreign currency volatility in markets in which we transacts business, which may negatively impact our results. Economic weakness and geopolitical uncertainty also make it more difficult for us to manage inventory levels and/or collect customer receivables, which may result in provisions to create reserves, write-offs, reduced access to liquidity and higher financing costs.
  
People - The departure, transition or replacement of key personnel could significantly impact results of our operations. If we cannot continue to hire and retain high quality employees, our business and financial results may be negatively affected.

Our operating results could be adversely affected by increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover or increased salary and benefit costs. Like most businesses, our employees are important to our success and we are dependent in part on our ability to retain the services of our key management, sales, IT, operational, finance and administrative personnel. We have built our business on a set of core values, and we attempt to hire employees who are committed to these values. We want to hire and retain employees who will fit our culture of providing exceptional service to our vendors and customers. In order to compete and to continue to grow, we must attract, retain and motivate employees, including those in executive, senior management, sales,

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marketing, logistics, technical support and other operating positions. Our worldwide management structure provides improved management of our operations and improved succession planning within our organization.

Many of our employees work in small teams to provide specific services to vendors and customers. They are trained to develop their knowledge of products, programs and practices and customer business needs, as well as to enhance the skills required to provide exceptional service and to manage our business. As they gain experience and develop their knowledge and skills, our employees become highly desired by other businesses. Therefore, to retain our employees, we have to provide a satisfying work environment and competitive compensation and benefits. If our costs to retain our skilled employees increase, then our business and financial results may be negatively affected.

Disruptive technology - We may not be able to respond and adapt to rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards or changing customer needs or requirements, and thus may become less competitive.

Our ability to react quickly to new technology trends and customer requirements is crucial to our overall success, financial condition and results of operations. If we fail to evolve our product offerings or engage with desirable vendors in time to respond to, and remain ahead of, new technological developments, it would adversely affect our ability to retain or increase market share and revenues. New technologies may emerge that quickly surpass the capabilities of the products we currently hold in inventory or have access to sell through our existing vendor network, and our customers may no longer view our product offerings as desirable or necessary, which could result in a reduction in our market share and ability to obtain sufficient profit margins. Some of our competitors and our vendors’ competitors may be more nimble in adapting to disruptive technology or entering new markets. Our future success depends on our ability to adapt and manage our product offerings to meet customer needs at prices that our customers are willing to pay.

Foreign currency - Our international operations expose us to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that could adversely affect our results of operations.
 
We transact sales, pay expenses, own assets and incur liabilities in countries using currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Volatility in foreign exchange rates increase our risk of loss related to products purchased in a currency other than the currency in which those products are sold. We maintain policies to reduce our net exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations through the use of derivative financial instruments, however there can be no assurance that fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates will not materially affect our financial results. Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, we must translate our financial statements into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during each reporting period. Therefore, increases or decreases in the exchanges rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies we transact in may positively or negatively affect our results of operations. In addition, unexpected and dramatic changes in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively affect our earnings from those markets.

Centralized functions - We have centralized a number of functions to provide efficient support to our business. As a result, a loss or reduction of use of one of our locations would have an adverse effect on our business operations and financial results.

In order to be as efficient as possible, we centralize a number of critical functions. For instance, we currently distribute products to the majority of North America from a single warehouse. Similarly, for the primary business operations, we utilize a single information system based in the United States for the majority of our North American and European operations, while our Latin American operations have separate systems. While we have backup systems and business continuity plans, any significant or lengthy interruption of our ability to provide these centralized functions would significantly impair our ability to continue normal business operations. In addition, the centralization of these functions increases our exposure to local risks, such as the availability of qualified employees and the lessening of competition for critical services, such as freight and communications.

Inventory - The value of our inventory may be adversely affected by market and other factors.

Our business, like that of other distributors, is subject to the risk that the value of our inventory will be adversely affected by price reductions by manufacturers, by technological changes affecting the usefulness or desirability of our products or by foreign currency fluctuations. Under the terms of most of our vendor agreements and the policy of most manufacturers of specialty technology products, we have some price protection and stock rotation opportunities with respect to slow-moving or obsolete inventory items. However, these protections are limited in scope and do not protect against all declines in inventory value, excess inventory, or product obsolescence, and in some instances we may not be able to fulfill all necessary conditions or successfully manage such price protection or stock rotation opportunities. In addition, these industry practices are sometimes not reflected in vendor agreements and their application in a particular situation is dependent upon negotiations between our vendors and us. As a result,

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from time-to-time we are required to write down the value of excess and obsolete inventory, and should any of these write-downs occur at a significant level, they could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Liquidity and capital resources - Market factors may increase the cost and availability of capital. Additional capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms to fund our working capital needs and growth.

Our business requires significant levels of capital to finance accounts receivable and product inventory that is not financed by trade creditors. We have an increased demand for capital when our business is expanding, including through acquisitions and organic growth. Changes in payment terms with either suppliers or customers could also increase our capital requirements. We have historically relied upon cash generated from operations, borrowings under our revolving credit facility, secured and unsecured borrowings and, to a lesser extent, borrowings under a subsidiary's line of credit to satisfy our capital needs and to finance growth. While we believe that our existing sources of liquidity will provide sufficient resources to meet our current working capital and cash requirements, if we require an increase in capital to meet our future business needs, such capital may not be available to us on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Changes in how lenders rate our credit worthiness, as well as macroeconomic factors such as an economic downturn and global economic instability may restrict our ability to raise capital in adequate amounts or on terms acceptable to us, and the failure to do so could harm our ability to operate our business.

In addition, our cash and cash equivalents are deposited with various financial institutions located in the various countries in which we operate. We endeavor to monitor these financial institutions regularly for credit quality; however, we are exposed to risk of loss on such funds or we may experience significant disruptions in our liquidity needs if one or more of these financial institutions were to suffer bankruptcy or similar restructuring.

Reliance on third parties - We are dependent on third parties for services including, the delivery of a majority of our products, logistics and warehousing. Changes in shipping terms or the failure or inability of our third-party shippers to perform could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We rely on arrangements with third parties to perform certain services for our business and for our customers, which, if not performed by these third parties in accordance with the terms of the arrangement could result in significant disruptions or costs to our organization, including monetary damages and an adverse effect on our customer relationships.

In particular, we are dependent upon major shipping companies, including FedEx and UPS, for the shipment of our products to and from our centralized warehouses. Changes in shipping terms, or the inability of these third-party shippers to perform effectively (whether as a result of mechanical failure, casualty loss, labor stoppage, or any other reason), could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, we have experienced significant increases in shipping costs due to increases in fuel costs. Additionally, deterioration of the financial condition of our carriers could have an adverse impact on our logistical processes and shipping costs. Poor financial condition of our freight carriers could result in delayed responsiveness in their service lead times, which would ultimately affect our responsiveness to our customers. Additionally, if our carriers were to increase our shipping costs, it may adversely affect our financial results if we are unable to pass on these higher costs to our customers.

In Europe, Brazil and other Latin American countries, we use third parties to provide warehousing and logistics services in order to provide cost-effective operations and scale in certain regions. The failure or inability of one or more of these third parties to deliver products from suppliers to us or products from us to our customers for any reason could disrupt our business and harm our reputation and operating results. We work closely with our third-party logistics and warehousing providers to anticipate issues, and also review public information regarding their financial health. However, issues may not be identified timely, which may lead to lack of or poor execution, loss or litigation. Additionally, deterioration of the financial condition of our logistical and warehousing providers could result in delayed responsiveness or delivery failure, which would ultimately affect our responsiveness to our customers and thus may adversely affect our business, operations and financial performance.

Increased government scrutiny - We may be subject to additional costs and subject to fines and penalties because certain governmental entities are end-users of products that we sell.

Certain of our customers sell our products to United States government entities, which require us to comply with additional laws, regulations, or contractual requirements relating to how we conduct business. In complying with these laws, regulations, and other requirements, we may incur additional costs, and non-compliance may also allow for the assignment of fines and penalties, including contractual damages or the loss of certain contracts or business. We may also be subject to increased scrutiny and investigation into our business practices, which may increase operating costs and increase legal liability, as well as expose us to additional risk surrounding our reputation.

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Fair value measurement of contingent consideration, goodwill and other intangible assets - Changes in the fair value of the assets and liabilities measured at fair value could have a significant effect on our reported earnings.

We have structured several of our acquisitions with upfront payments and additional earnout payments. In accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, a liability for the contingent consideration driven by an earn-out must be recorded at the onset of the purchase and must be revalued at every reporting period. Changes in the fair value of the liability are recorded as an adjustment to operating income. These changes can occur due to changes in estimated future financial results, the probabilities of achieving these results, the discount rate reflective of our creditworthiness and the market risk premium associated with the Brazilian market. Both gains and losses can occur due to changes in these fair value estimates, thus increasing volatility of our earnings.

On at least an annual basis, we are required to assess our goodwill and other intangible assets, including but not limited to customer relationships and trade names, for impairment. This includes continuously monitoring events and circumstances that could trigger an impairment test outside of our annual impairment testing date in the fourth quarter of each year. Testing goodwill and other intangibles for impairment requires the use of significant estimates and other inputs outside of our control. If the carrying value of goodwill in any of our goodwill reporting units or other intangible assets is determined to exceed their respective fair values, we may be required to record significant impairment charges that would adversely affect our operating results.

Goodwill impairments - Goodwill impairments and impairments of long-lived assets could have a material non-cash adverse effect on our results of operations.

We have substantial goodwill. We test our goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year for all reporting units, or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would warrant such a review. We were not required to record an impairment charge with respect to our goodwill within the past three years. However, in the future, the fair value of one of our reporting units may decrease below its carrying amount and future goodwill impairments that may be material could be recognized.  Any declines resulting in a goodwill impairment or long-lived asset impairment may result in material non-cash charges to our earnings. Impairment charges would also reduce our consolidated shareholders' equity and increase our debt-to-total-capitalization ratio, which could negatively impact our credit rating and access to the public debt and equity markets.

Failure to comply with environmental regulations - We are subject to various environmental regulations, and failing to comply with any requirements may adversely affect our business operations or financial results.

We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations addressing environmental and other impacts from product disposal, use of hazardous materials in products, recycling of products at the end of their useful life and other related matters. Compliance with these environmental laws may have a material adverse effect on our business. These laws include the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, ("RoHS"), RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU ("RoHS 2") and the European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive ("WEEE") as enacted by individual European Union countries and other similar legislation adopted in North America. These directives can make companies involved in the production or distribution of electrical goods, including computers and printers, responsible for collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of recovered products. In addition, these directives and similar legislation can have an impact on the types and design of products we are able to sell in jurisdictions that have adopted such restrictions. While we strive to ensure we are in compliance with all applicable regulations, certain of these regulations impose strict liability. Additionally, we may be held responsible for the prior activities of entities that we have acquired or will acquire in the future. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in substantial costs, fines and civil or criminal sanctions, as well as third party claims for property damage or personal injury. Further, environmental laws may become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs and increasing risks and penalties associated with violation, which could adversely affect our business, financial position or results of operations.

Quarterly fluctuations - Our net sales and operating results are dependent on a number of factors. Our net sales will fluctuate from quarter to quarter, and these fluctuations may cause volatility in our stock price.

Our net sales and operating results may fluctuate quarterly and, as a result our performance in one period may vary significantly from our performance in the preceding quarter, and may differ significantly from our forecast of performance from quarter to quarter. The impact of these variances may cause volatility in our stock price. Additionally, any past financial performance should not be considered an indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in the future as our operating results may fluctuate significantly quarter to quarter. The results of any quarterly period are not indicative of results to be expected for a full fiscal year.

Volatility of Stock Price- The trading price of our common stock.

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The stock market as a whole and the trading prices of companies in the wholesale electronics industry have been volatile. This broad market and industry volatility could significantly reduce the price of our common stock at any time, without regard to our own operating performance. This volatility may affect the price at which you could sell your common stock. Our stock price is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to price and volume fluctuations in response to market and other factors; variations in our quarterly operating results from our expectations or those of securities analysts or investors; downward revisions in securities analysts’ estimates; and announcement by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, transactions, partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments.

A material decline in the price of our common stock may result in the assertion of certain claims against us, and/or the commencement of inquiries and/or investigations against us. A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital, if needed, and the inability for you to obtain a favorable price at which you could sell your shares.
  
Litigation - We routinely are involved in litigation that can be costly and lead to adverse results.

In the ordinary course of our business, we are involved in a wide range of disputes, some of which result in litigation. We are routinely involved in litigation related to commercial disputes surrounding our business activities, intellectual property disputes, and accounts receivable collection activity. In addition, as a public company with a large shareholder base, we are susceptible to class-action and other litigation resulting from disclosures that we make (or do not make) and our other activities. Litigation is expensive to bring and defend, and the outcome of litigation can be adverse and significant. Not all adverse outcomes can be anticipated, and applicable accounting rules do not always require or permit the establishment of a reserve until a final result has occurred or becomes probable and estimable. In some instances we are insured for the potential losses; in other instances we are not. An uninsured or underinsured adverse outcome in significant litigation could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We can make no assurances that we will ultimately be successful in our defense of any of these disputes. See Item 3. "Legal Proceedings" for further discussion of our material legal matters.

ITEM 1B.    Unresolved Staff Comments.

Not applicable.

ITEM 2.
Properties.
Our fixed assets include office space and warehouses. Our principal locations and/or properties as of June 30, 2017, were as follows:
Location
Approximate Square Footage
Type of Interest
Description of Use
United States
 
 
 
Greenville, SC
180,000
Owned
Headquarters - Principal Executive and Sales Offices
Southaven, MS
741,000
Leased
Warehouse
Miami, FL
29,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Petaluma, CA
17,000
Leased
Sales and Administration Offices
 
 
 
 
International
 
 
 
Mexico City, Mexico
25,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Coignieres, France
15,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Mainz, Germany
16,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Brussels, Belgium
28,000
Leased
Sales and Administration Offices
Sao Jose does Pinhais, Brazil
24,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Serra, Espírito Santo, Brazil
26,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil
164,000
Leased
Sales Office and Warehouse
Of the 180,000 owned square footage in Greenville, South Carolina approximately 40,000 square feet is subleased to an unrelated third party. Our primary North American distribution operations are located in Southaven, Mississippi. We utilize the logistical

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services of various third party warehouses in the United States and internationally. We also lease various sales offices and warehouse spaces, each approximately 15,000 square feet or less throughout the United States and international locations.
Management believes our office and warehouse facilities are adequate to support our operations at their current levels and for the foreseeable future.


ITEM 3.
Legal Proceedings.
The Company and our subsidiaries are, from time to time, parties to lawsuits arising out of operations. Although there can be no assurance, based upon information known to us, we believe that any liability resulting from an adverse determination of such lawsuits would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
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 is quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "SCSC." We have never declared or paid a cash dividend since inception. Under the terms of our revolving credit facility, the payment of cash dividends is restricted. As of August 29, 2017, there were approximately 550 holders of record of our common stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
 
High
 
Low
Fiscal Year 2017
 
 
 
First quarter
$
43.49

 
$
33.89

Second quarter
41.70

 
29.05

Third quarter
44.95

 
38.35

Fourth quarter
41.95

 
37.05

Fiscal Year 2016
 
 
 
First quarter
$
39.03

 
$
29.53

Second quarter
41.18

 
32.17

Third quarter
40.48

 
27.46

Fourth quarter
42.54

 
35.57


Stock Performance Chart
The following stock performance graph compares cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock over a five-year period with the Nasdaq Market Index and with the Standard Industrial Classification ("SIC") Code Index (SIC Code 5045 – Wholesale Computers and Peripheral Equipment and Software) for the same period. Total shareholder return represents stock price changes and assumes the reinvestment of dividends. The graph assumes the investment of $100 on June 30, 2012.

totalreturngraphjpga05.jpg

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2012
 
2013
 
2014
 
2015
 
2016
 
2017
ScanSource, Inc.
$
100

 
$
104

 
$
124

 
$
124

 
$
121

 
$
132

NASDAQ Composite
$
100

 
$
118

 
$
156

 
$
177

 
$
173

 
$
221

SIC Code 5045 – Computers & Peripheral Equipment
$
100

 
$
114

 
$
158

 
$
151

 
$
182

 
$
242



Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

On August 29, 2016, we announced our Board of Directors' authorization to repurchase shares up to $120 million of our common stock for up to three years. During the year ended June 30, 2017, we repurchased shares of our common stock as follows:

Period
Total number of shares purchased
Average price paid per share
Total number of shares purchased as part of the publicly announced plan or program
Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plan or program
September 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016
477,113

$
35.35

477,113

$
103,133,794

November 1, 2016 through November 30, 2016
100,530

$
34.51

100,530

$
99,664,707

Total
577,643

$
35.20

577,643

$
99,664,707



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ITEM 6.    Selected Financial Data.

The selected financial data below should be read in conjunction with "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following statement of income data and balance sheet data were derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements.

FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL SUMMARY
 
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
(in thousands, except per share data)
Statement of income data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales
$
3,568,186

 
$
3,540,226

 
$
3,218,626

 
$
2,913,634

 
$
2,876,964

Cost of goods sold
3,184,590

 
3,184,786

 
2,891,536

 
2,612,535

 
2,584,090

Gross profit
383,596

 
355,440

 
327,090

 
301,099

 
292,874

Selling, general and administrative expenses
265,178

 
240,115

 
210,985

 
185,116

 
182,759

Depreciation expense
9,444

 
7,326

 
5,356

 
3,496

 
3,602

Intangible amortization expense
15,524

 
9,828

 
6,641

 
3,880

 
4,855

Impairment charges (legal recovery)

 

 

 
(15,490
)
 
48,772

Change in fair value of contingent consideration
5,211

 
1,294

 
2,667

 
2,311

 
1,843

Operating income
88,239

 
96,877

 
101,441

 
121,786

 
51,043

Interest expense
3,215

 
2,124

 
1,797

 
731

 
775

Interest income
(5,329
)
 
(3,448
)
 
(2,638
)
 
(2,364
)
 
(2,238
)
Other (income) expense, net
(11,142
)
 
2,191

 
2,376

 
312

 
(520
)
Income before income taxes
101,495

 
96,010

 
99,906

 
123,107

 
53,026

Provision for income taxes
32,249

 
32,391

 
34,487

 
41,318

 
18,364

Net income
$
69,246

 
$
63,619

 
$
65,419

 
$
81,789

 
$
34,662

Net income per common share, basic
$
2.74

 
$
2.40

 
$
2.29

 
$
2.89

 
$
1.25

Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic
25,318

 
26,472

 
28,558

 
28,337

 
27,774

Net income per common share, diluted
$
2.71

 
$
2.38

 
$
2.27

 
$
2.86

 
$
1.24

Weighted-average shares outstanding, diluted
25,515

 
26,687

 
28,799

 
28,602

 
27,994


 
As of June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
(in thousands)
Balance sheet data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Working capital
$
624,748

 
$
643,793

 
$
645,398

 
$
715,850

 
$
614,378

Total assets
1,718,303

 
1,491,185

 
1,476,941

 
1,335,124

 
1,164,183

Total long-term debt (including current debt)
97,300

 
76,856

 
8,826

 
5,429

 
5,429

Total shareholders’ equity
$
837,145

 
$
774,496

 
$
808,985

 
$
802,643

 
$
695,956



18

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Index to Financial Statements



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

Overview

ScanSource, Inc. is a leading global provider of technology products and solutions. ScanSource, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "Company") provide value-added solutions for over 500 technology vendors and sell to approximately 34,000 customers in the following specialty technology markets: POS and barcode, networking and security, communications, telecom and cloud services, and emerging technologies.

We operate our business under a management structure that enhances our worldwide technology market focus and growth strategy. As a part of this structure, ScanSource has two technology segments, each with its own president or co-presidents: Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security and Worldwide Communications & Services.

We operate in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. We sell products into the United States and Canada from its facilities located in Mississippi; into Latin America principally from facilities located in Florida, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile; and into Europe principally from facilities in Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Our key vendors include Aruba/HPE, Axis, AudioCodes, Avaya, Barco, Bematech, Brocade/Ruckus Wireless, CenturyLink, Cisco, Comcast Business, Datalogic, Dell, Dialogic, Elo, Epson, Extreme, Hanwha, Honeywell, HID, HP, Ingenico, Jabra, Level 3, March Networks, Mitel, NCR, Oracle, Panasonic, Plantronics, Polycom, Samsung, ShoreTel, Sony, Spectralink, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Ubiquiti, Unify, Verifone, Verizon, Windstream, XO and Zebra Technologies.

Recent Developments

On July 31, 2017 we acquired substantially all the assets of POS Portal, a leading provider of payment devices and services primarily to the SMB market segment in the United States. POS Portal joined our Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security operating segment. With the addition of POS Portal, we intend to create the industry's leading payments channel, ensuring customers have access to the solutions, services and support that can help them be successful.

Our Strategy

Our objective is to continue to grow profitable sales in the technologies we sell and to focus on growth in higher margin businesses. We continue to evaluate strategic acquisitions to enhance our technological offerings and service capabilities. In doing so, we face numerous challenges that require attention and resources. Certain business units and geographies are experiencing increased competition for the products we sell. This competition may come in the form of pricing, credit terms, service levels and product availability. As this competition could affect both our market share and pricing of our products, we may change our strategy in order to effectively compete in the marketplace.

Cost Control/Profitability

Our operating income is driven by gross profits and by a disciplined control of operating expenses. Our operations feature scalable information systems, streamlined management and centralized distribution, enabling us to achieve the economies of scale necessary for cost-effective order fulfillment. From inception, we have managed our general and administrative expenses by maintaining strong cost controls. However, in order to continue to grow in our markets, we have continued to invest in new technologies and increased marketing efforts to recruit new customers.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth for the periods indicated certain income and expense items as a percentage of net sales:


19

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Index to Financial Statements



 
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
Statement of income data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales
100.0
 %
 
100.0
 %
 
100.0
 %
Cost of goods sold
89.2

 
90.0

 
89.8

Gross profit
10.8

 
10.0

 
10.2

Selling, general and administrative expenses, net of amortization expense
7.4

 
6.8

 
6.6

Depreciation expense
0.3

 
0.2

 
0.2

Intangible amortization expense
0.4

 
0.3

 
0.2

Change in fair value of contingent consideration
0.1

 
0.0

 
0.1

Operating income
2.5

 
2.7

 
3.2

Interest expense (income), net
(0.1
)
 
0.0

 
0.0

Other expense (income), net
(0.3
)
 
0.1

 
0.1

Income before income taxes and minority interest
2.8

 
2.7

 
3.1

Provision for income taxes
0.9

 
0.9

 
1.1

Net income
1.9
 %
 
1.8
 %
 
2.0
 %

Comparison of Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015

During the current year, we elected to transition a portion of our Latin American business from the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment to the Worldwide Communications & Services segment. We have reclassified prior period results for each business segment to provide comparable information.

Net Sales

We have two reportable segments, which are based on technologies. Prior period results have been reclassified in the current year to account for the movement of certain business operations from the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment to the Worldwide Communications & Services segment. The following tables summarize our net sales results by business segment and by geographic location for the comparable fiscal years ending June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
% Change Constant Currency, Excluding Acquisitions (a)
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
Sales by Segment:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
2,389,256

 
$
2,361,670

 
$
27,586

 
1.2
 %
 
(2.0
)%
Worldwide Communications & Services
1,178,930

 
1,178,556

 
374

 
 %
 
(3.2
)%
Total net sales
$
3,568,186

 
$
3,540,226

 
$
27,960

 
0.8
 %
 
(2.4
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sales by Geography Category:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North American
$
2,685,820

 
$
2,620,184

 
$
65,636

 
2.5
 %
 
(1.1
)%
International
882,366

 
920,042

 
(37,676
)
 
(4.1
)%
 
(6.1
)%
Total net sales
$
3,568,186

 
$
3,540,226

 
$
27,960

 
0.8
 %
 
(2.4
)%
(a) A reconciliation of non-GAAP net sales in constant currency, excluding acquisitions is presented at the end of Results of Operations, under Non-GAAP Financial Information.


Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security


20

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Index to Financial Statements



The Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment consists of sales to technology customers in North America, Europe, and Latin America. During fiscal year 2017 net sales for this segment increased $27.6 million or 1.2% compared to fiscal year 2016, primarily resulting from sales growth in North America. Excluding the foreign exchange positive impact of $10.2 million and sales from the KBZ acquisition for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, adjusted net sales for fiscal year 2017 decreased $47.3 million, or 2.0%, compared to fiscal year 2016. The decrease in adjusted net sales is primarily due to lower sales volume in our international business and a large transaction with our KBZ business in the prior year December quarter that did not recur, nor did we expect it to recur.

Worldwide Communications & Services

The Worldwide Communications & Services segment consists of sales to technology customers in North America, Europe and Latin America. During fiscal year 2017, net sales for this segment increased $0.4 million compared to fiscal year 2016, primarily due to the Intelisys acquisition, partially offset by lower net sales in all geographies. Excluding the foreign exchange positive impact of $8.6 million and sales from the Intelisys acquisition, adjusted net sales for fiscal year 2017 decreased $37.6 million, or 3.2%, compared to fiscal year 2016. The decrease in adjusted net sales is due to overall lower sales volume in all geographies.

Fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
% Change Constant Currency, Excluding Acquisitions (a)
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
Sales by Segment:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
2,361,670

 
$
2,118,739

 
$
242,931

 
11.5
%
 
0.7
 %
Communications & Services
1,178,556

 
1,099,887

 
78,669

 
7.2
%
 
(1.2
)%
Total net sales
$
3,540,226

 
$
3,218,626

 
$
321,600

 
10.0
%
 
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sales by Geography Category:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North American
$
2,620,184

 
$
2,346,764

 
$
273,420

 
11.7
%
 
(1.5
)%
International
920,042

 
871,862

 
48,180

 
5.5
%
 
4.3
 %
Total net sales
$
3,540,226

 
$
3,218,626

 
$
321,600

 
10.0
%
 
 %
(a) A reconciliation of non-GAAP net sales in constant currency, excluding acquisitions is presented at the end of Results of Operations, under Non-GAAP Financial Information.


Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security

During fiscal year 2016 net sales for this segment increased $242.9 million, or 11.5%, compared to fiscal year 2015 primarily from the inclusion of sales from KBZ, acquired in September 2015. Excluding the foreign exchange negative impact of $80.4 million and sales from acquisitions of $309.4 million, adjusted net sales fiscal year 2016 increased $13.9 million, or 0.7%, compared to fiscal 2015. The increase in adjusted net sales is primarily due to growth in our POS and Barcode business in North America.

Worldwide Communications & Services

During fiscal year 2016, net sales for this segment increased $78.7 million or 7.2% compared to fiscal year 2015 primarily driven by the inclusion of a full year of sales for Network1. Excluding foreign exchange negative impact of $22.8 million and sales from acquisitions of $118.9 million, adjusted net sales fiscal year 2016 decreased $12.8 million, or 1.2%, compared to fiscal 2015. The decrease in adjusted net sales is primarily due to lower sales in North America, partially offset by sales growth in Europe.

Gross Profit

The following tables summarize our gross profit for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

Fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016

21

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Index to Financial Statements



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
195,743

 
$
196,831

 
$
(1,088
)
 
(0.6
)%
 
8.2
%
 
8.3
%
Worldwide Communications & Services
187,853

 
158,609

 
29,244

 
18.4
 %
 
15.9
%
 
13.5
%
Total gross profit
$
383,596

 
$
355,440

 
$
28,156

 
7.9
 %
 
10.8
%
 
10.0
%

Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security

Gross profit dollars for the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment decreased for fiscal year 2017 and gross profit margin decreased slightly to 8.2%, compared to 8.3% for fiscal year 2016, primarily due to vendor program changes from the prior year.

Worldwide Communications & Services

Gross profit dollars and gross profit margin for the Worldwide Communications & Services segment increased $29.2 million and 15.9%, respectively, for fiscal year 2017 as compared to fiscal year 2016, primarily due to the inclusion of results from the Intelisys acquisition. Excluding the impact of the gross profit from the Intelisys acquisition, adjusted gross profit dollars decreased $0.2 million from lower sales volumes. Adjusted gross profit margin, excluding Intelisys, increased to 13.8% for fiscal year 2017, primarily due to timing of vendor program recognition.

Fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
196,831

 
$
175,699

 
$
21,132

 
12.0
%
 
8.3
%
 
8.3
%
Worldwide Communications & Services
158,609

 
151,391

 
7,218

 
4.8
%
 
13.5
%
 
13.8
%
Total gross profit
$
355,440

 
$
327,090

 
$
28,350

 
8.7
%
 
10.0
%
 
10.2
%

Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security

Gross profit dollars for the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment increased for fiscal year 2016 as compared to fiscal year 2015, primarily due to the inclusion of results from the KBZ acquisition. As a percentage of sales, gross profit margin remained consistent at 8.3%.

Worldwide Communications & Services

Gross profit dollars for the Worldwide Communications & Services segment increased for fiscal year 2016 as compared to fiscal year 2015, primarily due to the inclusion of a full year of Network1 results. As a percentage of sales, gross profit margin decreased to 13.5% for fiscal year 2016 compared to 13.8% for the prior year, primarily due to lower vendor program recognition.

Operating expenses

The following tables summarize our operating expenses for the periods ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

Fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016


22

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Index to Financial Statements



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 

 
 
Selling, general and administrative expenses
$
265,178

 
$
240,115

 
$
25,063

 
10.4
%
 
7.4
%
 
6.8
%
Depreciation expense
9,444

 
7,326

 
2,118

 
28.9
%
 
0.3
%
 
0.2
%
Intangible amortization expense
15,524

 
9,828

 
5,696

 
58.0
%
 
0.4
%
 
0.3
%
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
5,211

 
1,294

 
3,917

 
302.7
%
 
0.1
%
 
%
Operating expenses
295,357

 
258,563

 
36,794

 
14.2
%
 
8.3
%
 
7.3
%

Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") increased $25.1 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017. The increase in SG&A expenses is primarily due to the addition of expenses from our Intelisys acquisition and bad debt expense.

The increase in depreciation expense and intangible amortization expense for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 of $2.1 million and $5.7 million, respectively, is largely due to assets acquired through our Intelisys acquisition completed during the current year and additional depreciation on our ERP system.

We have elected to present changes in fair value of the contingent consideration owed to former shareholders of Network1 and Intelisys separately from other selling, general and administrative expenses. Final earnout payments were paid to the former shareholders of Imago in fiscal year 2017 and to CDC in fiscal year 2016. In the current year, we have recorded a $5.2 million loss, largely driven by recurring amortization of the unrecognized fair value discount and improved projections for Intelisys, partially offset by less-than-expected actual results for the current year and a reduction in projected results for Network1.

Fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling, general and administrative expense
$
240,115

 
$
210,985

 
$
29,130

 
13.8
 %
 
6.8
%
 
6.6
%
Depreciation expense
7,326

 
5,356

 
1,970

 
36.8
 %
 
0.2
%
 
0.2
%
Intangible amortization expense
9,828

 
6,641

 
3,187

 
48.0
 %
 
0.3
%
 
0.2
%
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
1,294

 
2,667

 
(1,373
)
 
(51.5
)%
 
%
 
0.1
%
Operating expenses
$
258,563

 
$
225,649

 
$
32,914

 
14.6
 %
 
7.3
%
 
7.1
%

SG&A increased $29.1 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. The increase in SG&A expenses is primarily due to increased employee-related expenses from recent acquisitions and bad debt expense.

The increase of $2.0 million in depreciation expense for fiscal year 2016 is largely due to depreciation on our ERP system, which we first implemented in the third quarter of fiscal year 2015.

Intangible amortization expense increased $3.2 million in fiscal year 2016 due to a full year of amortization on assets acquired through the Imago and Network1 acquisitions compared to the prior fiscal year 2015, in addition to a partial year of amortization expense for our KBZ business.

We have elected to present changes in fair value of the contingent consideration owed to former shareholders of CDC, Imago and Network1 separately from other selling, general and administrative expenses. The final payment to former shareholders of CDC was paid during fiscal year 2016. In the current year, we have recorded a $1.3 million loss, driven by recurring amortization of the unrecognized fair value discount and the achievement of better-than-expected actual results for Imago, partially offset by less-than-expected actual results for Network1.


23

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Index to Financial Statements



Operating Income

The following tables summarize our operating income for the periods ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

Fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 

 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
49,727

 
$
52,227

 
$
(2,500
)
 
(4.8
)%
 
2.1
%
 
2.2
%
Worldwide Communications & Services
39,768

 
45,513

 
(5,745
)
 
(12.6
)%
 
3.4
%
 
3.9
%
Corporate
(1,256
)
 
(863
)
 
(393
)
 
45.5
 %
 
%
 
%
Total operating income
$
88,239

 
$
96,877

 
$
(8,638
)
 
(8.9
)%
 
2.5
%
 
2.7
%

Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security

For the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment, operating income decreased $2.5 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the prior year. Operating income as a percentage of sales remained fairly consistent year-to-year. The decrease in operating income is largely due to lower gross profit margins and increased employee-related costs, partially offset in improvements in bad debt expense recognized.

Worldwide Communications & Services

For the Worldwide Communications & Services segment, operating income decreased $5.7 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the prior year. Operating income as a percentage of sales decreased to 3.4% from 3.9%. The decrease in operating income and margin is largely due to increased amortization expense on intangible assets acquired through our Intelisys acquisition, a higher loss for change in fair value of contingent consideration and higher bad debt expense.

Corporate

Corporate incurred $1.3 million and $0.9 million in acquisition costs for the years ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security
$
52,227

 
$
47,985

 
$
4,242

 
8.8
 %
 
2.2
%
 
2.3
%
Worldwide Communications & Services
45,513

 
56,710

 
(11,197
)
 
(19.7
)%
 
3.9
%
 
5.2
%
Corporate
(863
)
 
(3,254
)
 
2,391

 
(73.5
)%
 
%
 
%
Total operating income
$
96,877

 
$
101,441

 
$
(4,564
)
 
(4.5
)%
 
2.7
%
 
3.2
%

Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security

For the Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security segment, operating income increased $4.2 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the prior year, while operating income as a percentage of sales remained fairly consistent from year-to-year. The increase in operating income is largely due to increased sales volume from KBZ, partially offset by increased employee related costs and bad debt expense. Operating income was also negatively impacted by foreign currency translation of our European and Brazilian operations.


24

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Index to Financial Statements



Worldwide Communications & Services

For the Worldwide Communications & Services segment, operating income decreased $11.2 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the prior year. Operating income as a percentage of sales decreased to 3.9% from 5.2%. The decrease in operating income is primarily attributable to decreased gross profit margin, coupled with increased employee related costs and bad debt expense. Operating income was also negatively impacted by foreign currency translation of our European and Brazilian operations.

Corporate

Corporate incurred $0.9 million and $3.3 million in acquisition costs for the year ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Total Other (Income) Expense

The following tables summarize our total other (income) expense for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

Fiscal year 2017 compared to fiscal year 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2017
 
2016
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
$
3,215

 
$
2,124

 
$
1,091

 
51.4
 %
 
0.1
 %
 
0.1
 %
Interest income
(5,329
)
 
(3,448
)
 
(1,881
)
 
54.6
 %
 
(0.1
)%
 
(0.1
)%
Net foreign exchange losses (gains)
1,919

 
2,571

 
(652
)
 
(25.4
)%
 
0.1
 %
 
0.1
 %
Other, net
(13,061
)
 
(380
)
 
(12,681
)
 
3,337.1
 %
 
(0.4
)%
 
 %
Total other (income) expense
$
(13,256
)
 
$
867

 
$
(14,123
)
 
(1,629.0
)%
 
(0.4
)%
 
 %

Interest expense reflects interest incurred on borrowings, non-utilization fees from our revolving credit facility, and amortization of debt issuance costs. Interest expense increased in fiscal 2017 over 2016 principally from additional borrowings on our multi-currency revolving credit facility.

Interest income for the year ended June 30, 2017 was generated on interest-bearing customer receivables and interest earned on cash and cash equivalents, principally in Brazil. The increase in interest income is primarily due to approximately $1.4 million of interest accrued on a tax settlement in Brazil.

Net foreign exchange gains and losses consist of foreign currency transactional and functional currency re-measurements, offset by net foreign currency exchange contract gains and losses. Foreign exchange gains and losses are generated as the result of fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the Brazilian real, the U.S. dollar versus the euro, the British pound versus the euro, the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar and other currencies versus the U.S. dollar. While we utilize foreign exchange contracts and debt in non-functional currencies to hedge foreign currency exposure, our foreign exchange policy prohibits the use of derivative financial instruments for speculative transactions. We partially offset foreign currency exposure with the use of foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge against these exposures. The costs associated with foreign exchange forward contracts are included in the net foreign exchange loss.

Other income for the fiscal year ended 2017 increased $12.7 million primarily due to the recognition of a legal settlement in the US, net of attorney fees compared to the prior year.

Fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015


25

Table of Contents

Index to Financial Statements



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
% of Sales
June 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
$
2,124

 
$
1,797

 
$
327

 
18.2
 %
 
0.1
 %
 
0.1
 %
Interest income
(3,448
)
 
(2,638
)
 
(810
)
 
30.7
 %
 
(0.1
)%
 
(0.1
)%
Net foreign exchange (gains) losses
2,571

 
3,044

 
(473
)
 
(15.5
)%
 
0.1
 %
 
0.1
 %
Other, net
(380
)
 
(668
)
 
288

 
(43.1
)%
 
 %
 
 %
Total other (income) expense
$
867

 
$
1,535

 
$
(668
)
 
(43.5
)%
 
 %
 
 %

The interest expense increased in fiscal 2016 over 2015, principally from additional borrowings on our multi-currency revolving credit facility.

Interest income for the year ended June 30, 2016 was generated on interest-bearing customer receivables and interest earned on cash and cash equivalents, principally in Brazil. The increase in interest income year-over-year is largely driven by a higher effective interest rate on higher deposit levels in our Brazilian entity.

We experienced foreign exchange losses as foreign currency exchange rates weakened against the U.S. dollar. Losses were partially offset by the use of foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge against currency exposures.

Provision for Income Taxes

Income tax expense was $32.2 million, $32.4 million, and $34.5 million for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015 respectively, reflecting an effective tax rate of 31.8%, 33.7%, and 34.5%, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate for fiscal year 2017 as compared to fiscal year 2016 is primarily due to a favorable tax recovery recognized by the Brazilian Supreme Court during the quarter ending June 30, 2017. The decrease in the effective tax rate for fiscal year 2016 as compared to fiscal year 2015 is primarily due to additional tax credits generated during 2016. We expect the fiscal year 2018 effective tax rate to range between 35% and 36%.
  
Quarterly Results

The following tables set forth certain unaudited quarterly financial data. The information has been derived from unaudited financial statements that, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments.

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Three Months Ended
 
Fiscal 2017
 
Fiscal 2016
 
Jun. 30
2017
 
Mar. 31
2017
 
Dec. 31
2016
 
Sept. 30
2016
 
Jun. 30
2016
 
Mar. 31
2016
 
Dec. 31
2015
 
Sept. 30
2015
 
(in thousands, except per share data)
Net sales
$
917,291

 
$
813,538

 
$
904,792

 
$
932,566

 
$
877,471

 
$
798,404

 
$
993,522

 
$
870,829

Cost of goods sold
816,435

 
720,867

 
806,258

 
841,032

 
794,692

 
713,928

 
892,889

 
783,277

Gross profit
$
100,856

 
$
92,671

 
$
98,534

 
$
91,534

 
$
82,779

 
$
84,476

 
$
100,633

 
$
87,552

Net income
$
18,970

 
$
12,424

 
$
23,036

 
$
14,816

 
$
12,925

 
$
14,042

 
$
20,656

 
$
15,996

Net income per common share, basic
$
0.75

 
$
0.49

 
$
0.92

 
$
0.58

 
$
0.50

 
$
0.54

 
$
0.78

 
$
0.58

Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic
25,341

 
25,262

 
25,146

 
25,523

 
25,661

 
25,863

 
26,648

 
27,702

Net income per common share, diluted
$
0.74

 
$
0.49

 
$
0.91

 
$
0.58

 
$
0.50

 
$
0.54

 
$
0.77

 
$
0.57

Weighted-average shares outstanding, diluted
25,512

 
25,400

 
25,285

 
25,762

 
25,879

 
25,967

 
26,902

 
27,929


Non-GAAP Financial Information

Evaluating Financial Condition and Operating Performance

In addition to disclosing results that are determined in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("US GAAP"), we also disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures. These measures include non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP pre-tax income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP EPS, return on invested capital ("ROIC") and "constant currency." Constant currency is a measure that excludes the translation exchange impact from changes in foreign currency exchange rates between reporting periods. We use non-GAAP financial measures to better understand and evaluate performance, including comparisons from period to period.

These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and the non-GAAP financial measures that we report may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies. Analysis of results and outlook on a non-GAAP basis should be considered in addition to, and not in substitution for or as superior to, measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with US GAAP.

Net Sales in Constant Currency, Excluding Acquisitions
We make references to "constant currency," a non-GAAP performance measure that excludes the foreign exchange rate impact from fluctuations in the average foreign exchange rates between reporting periods. Constant currency is calculated by translating current period results from currencies other than the U.S. dollar into U.S. dollars using the comparable average foreign exchange rates from the prior year period. We also exclude the impact of acquisitions prior to the first full year of operations from the acquisition date in order to show net sales results on an organic basis. This information is provided to analyze underlying trends without the translation impact of fluctuations in foreign currency rates and the impact of acquisitions. Below we provide a non-GAAP reconciliation of net sales in constant currency, excluding acquisition (organic growth):


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Net Sales by Segment:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
 
 
 
 
2017
 
2016
 
$ Change
 
% Change
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security:
(in thousands)
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
2,389,256

 
$
2,361,670

 
$
27,586

 
1.2
 %
Foreign exchange impact (a)
(10,229
)
 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
2,379,027

 
2,361,670

 
17,357

 
0.7
 %
Less: Acquisitions
(99,332
)
 
(34,628
)
 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
2,279,695

 
$
2,327,042

 
$
(47,347
)
 
(2.0
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Communications & Services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
1,178,930

 
$
1,178,556

 
$
374

 
 %
Foreign exchange impact (a)
(8,599
)
 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
1,170,331

 
1,178,556

 
(8,225
)
 
(0.7
)%
Less: Acquisitions
(29,421
)
 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
1,140,910

 
$
1,178,556

 
$
(37,646
)
 
(3.2
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
3,568,186

 
$
3,540,226

 
$
27,960

 
0.8
 %
Foreign exchange impact (a)
(18,828
)
 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
3,549,358

 
3,540,226

 
9,132

 
0.3
 %
Less: Acquisitions
(128,753
)
 
(34,628
)
 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
3,420,605

 
$
3,505,598

 
$
(84,993
)
 
(2.4
)%
(a) Year-over-year net sales growth rate excluding the translation impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Calculated by translating the net sales for the year ended June 30, 2017 into U.S. dollars using the average foreign exchange rates for the year ended June 30, 2016.


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Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Barcode, Networking & Security:
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
(in thousands)
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
2,361,670

 
$
2,118,739

 
$
242,931

 
11.5
 %
Foreign exchange impact (b)
80,356

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
2,442,026

 
2,118,739

 
323,287

 
15.3
 %
Less: Acquisitions
(309,423
)
 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
2,132,603

 
$
2,118,739

 
$
13,864

 
0.7
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worldwide Communications & Services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
1,178,556

 
$
1,099,887

 
$
78,669

 
7.2
 %
Foreign exchange impact (b)
22,759

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
1,201,315

 
1,099,887

 
101,428

 
9.2
 %
Less: Acquisitions
(118,926
)
 
(4,686
)
 
(114,240
)
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
1,082,389

 
$
1,095,201

 
$
(12,812
)
 
(1.2
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales, as reported
$
3,540,226

 
$
3,218,626

 
$
321,600

 
10.0
 %
Foreign exchange impact (b)
103,115

 

 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency
3,643,341

 
3,218,626

 
424,715

 
13.2
 %
Less: Acquisitions
(428,349
)
 
(4,686
)
 
 
 
 
Net sales, constant currency excluding acquisitions
$
3,214,992

 
$
3,213,940

 
$
1,052

 
 %
(b) Year-over-year net sales growth rate excluding the translation impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Calculated by translating the net sales for the year ended June 30, 2016 into U.S. dollars using the average foreign exchange rates for the year ended June 30, 2015.

Non-GAAP Operating Income, Non-GAAP Pre-Tax Income, Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP EPS

To evaluate current period performance on a more consistent basis with prior periods, we disclose non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP pre-tax income, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Non-GAAP results exclude amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions, changes in fair value of contingent consideration, acquisition costs, and other non-GAAP adjustments. Non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP pre-tax income, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS are useful in assessing and understanding our operating performance, especially when comparing results with previous periods or forecasting performance for future periods. Below we provide a non-GAAP reconciliation of operating income, pre-tax income, net income and earnings per share adjusted for the costs and charges mentioned above:

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Year ended June 30, 2017
 
Year ended June 30, 2016
 
Operating Income
 
Pre-Tax Income
 
Net Income
 
Diluted EPS
 
Operating Income
 
Pre-Tax Income
 
Net Income
 
Diluted EPS
 
(in thousands, except per share data)

GAAP Measures
$
88,239

 
$
101,495

 
$
69,246

 
$
2.71

 
$
96,877

 
$
96,010

 
$
63,619

 
$
2.38

Adjustments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amortization of intangible assets
15,524

 
15,524

 
10,247

 
0.40

 
9,828

 
9,828

 
6,790

 
0.25

Change in fair value of contingent considerations
5,211

 
5,211

 
2,921

 
0.11

 
1,294

 
1,294

 
977

 
0.04

Acquisition costs
1,256

 
1,256

 
1,256

 
0.06

 
863

 
863

 
863

 
0.04

Legal settlement, net of attorney fees

 
(12,777
)
 
(8,047
)
 
(0.32
)
 

 

 

 

Tax settlement and related interest income

 
(1,382
)
 
(5,370
)
 
(0.21
)
 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP measures
$
110,230

 
$
109,327

 
$
70,253

 
$
2.75

 
$
108,862

 
$
107,995

 
$
72,249

 
$
2.71


Return on Invested Capital
Management uses ROIC as a performance measurement to assess efficiency at allocating capital under our control to generate returns. Management believes this metric balances our operating results with asset and liability management, is not impacted by capitalization decisions and correlates with shareholder value creation. In addition, it is easily computed, communicated and understood. ROIC also provides management a measure of our profitability on a basis more comparable to historical or future periods.
ROIC assists us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that do not reflect our core operating performance. We believe the calculation of ROIC provides useful information to investors and is an additional relevant comparison of our performance during the year.
We calculate ROIC as earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, plus change in fair value of contingent consideration and other non-GAAP adjustments ("adjusted EBITDA"), divided by invested capital. Invested capital is defined as average equity plus average daily funded interest-bearing debt for the period. The following table summarizes annualized return on invested capital ratio for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
Return on invested capital ratio
13.1
%
 
13.3
%
 
14.6
%
The components of our ROIC calculation and reconciliation to our financial statements are shown, as follows:
Reconciliation of EBITDA to Net Income
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
Net income (GAAP)
$
69,246

 
$
63,619

 
$
65,419

Plus: income taxes
32,249

 
32,391

 
34,487

Plus: interest expense
3,215

 
2,124

 
1,797

Plus: depreciation & amortization
24,968

 
17,154

 
11,997

EBITDA
129,678

 
115,288

 
113,700

Change in fair value of contingent consideration
5,211

 
1,294

 
2,667

       Acquisition costs(a) 
1,256

 
863

 
3,254

Legal recovery, net of attorney fees
(12,777
)
 

 

Interest income related to tax settlement
(1,382
)
 

 

       Adjusted EBITDA (numerator for ROIC) (non-GAAP)
$
121,986

 
$
117,445

 
$
119,621


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Invested capital calculations
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in thousands)
Equity – beginning of the year
$
774,496

 
$
808,985

 
$
802,643

Equity – end of the year
837,145

 
774,496

 
808,985

Change in fair value of contingent consideration, net of tax
2,921

 
977

 
1,842

       Acquisition costs(a) 
1,256

 
863

 
3,254

Legal recovery, net of attorney fees
(8,047
)
 

 

Tax settlement and related interest income, net of tax
(5,370
)
 

 

Average equity, adjusted
801,201

 
792,661

 
808,362

Average funded debt(b) 
131,445

 
93,500

 
13,421