Kimball Electronics (KE) SEC Quarterly Report (10-Q) for Q4 2015

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended December 31, 2015

OR

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

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number     001-36454

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  

Yes  x No o

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 (Section 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).

Yes  x    No  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer  o                                                                                        Accelerated filer  o

Non-accelerated filer  x  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)           Smaller reporting company  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). 

Yes  o     No  x

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant's common stock as of January 25, 2016 was 28,940,961 shares.

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

FORM 10-Q

INDEX

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in Thousands, Except for Share Data)

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements .

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Amounts in Thousands, Except for Per Share Data)

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements .

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Amounts in Thousands)

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements .

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in Thousands)

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements .

KIMBALL ELECTRONICS, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Note 1. Business Description and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Business Description:

Kimball Electronics, Inc. (also referred to herein as "Kimball Electronics," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") is a global contract electronic manufacturing services ("EMS") company that specializes in producing durable electronics for the automotive, medical, industrial, and public safety markets. We offer a package of value that begins with our core competency of producing "durable electronics" and includes our set of robust processes and procedures that help us ensure that we deliver the highest levels of quality, reliability, and service throughout the entire life cycle of our customers' products. We have been producing safety critical electronic assemblies for our automotive customers for over 30 years. We are well recognized by customers and industry trade publications for our excellent quality, reliability, and innovative service.

Kimball Electronics, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Kimball International, Inc. ("former Parent" or "Kimball International") and on October 31, 2014 became a stand-alone public company upon the completion of a spin-off from former Parent. In conjunction with the spin-off, Kimball International distributed 29.1 million shares of Kimball Electronics common stock to Kimball International Share Owners. Holders of Kimball International common stock received three shares of Kimball Electronics common stock for every four shares of Kimball International common stock held on October 22, 2014. Kimball International structured the distribution to be tax free to its U.S. Share Owners for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Basis of Presentation:

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements presented herein reflect the consolidated financial position as of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 , results of operations for the three and six months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 , and cash flows for the six months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 . The financial data presented herein is unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the annual Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the year ended June 30, 2015 and related notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. As such, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") have been condensed or omitted, although we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. Management believes the financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary to present fairly the financial statements for the interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods shown in this report are not necessarily indicative of results for any future interim period or for the entire fiscal year.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include allocations from former Parent for direct costs and indirect costs attributable to the operations of the Company through October 31, 2014, the spin-off date. These allocations were made on a direct usage or cost incurred basis when appropriate, with the remainder allocated using various drivers including average capital deployed, payroll, revenue less material costs, headcount, or other measures. While we believe such allocations are reasonable, these financial statements do not purport to reflect what the results of operations, comprehensive income, or cash flows would have been had the Company operated as a stand-alone public company for the periods prior to the spin-off. Note 2 - Related Party Transactions of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements provides information regarding direct and indirect cost allocations.

Notes Receivable and Trade Accounts Receivable:

Notes receivable and trade accounts receivable are recorded per the terms of the agreement or sale, and accrued interest is recognized when earned. We determine on a case-by-case basis the cessation of accruing interest, the resumption of accruing interest, the method of recording payments received on nonaccrual receivables, and the delinquency status for our limited number of notes receivable.

Our policy for estimating the allowance for credit losses on trade accounts receivable and notes receivable includes analysis of such items as aging, credit worthiness, payment history, and historical bad debt experience. Management uses these specific analyses in conjunction with an evaluation of the general economic and market conditions to determine the final allowance for credit losses on the trade accounts receivable and notes receivable. Trade accounts receivable and notes receivable are written off after exhaustive collection efforts occur and the receivable is deemed uncollectible. Our limited amount of notes receivable allows management to monitor the risks, credit quality indicators, collectability, and probability of impairment on an individual basis. Adjustments to the allowance for credit losses are recorded in Selling and Administrative Expenses.

In the ordinary course of business, customers periodically negotiate extended payment terms on trade accounts receivable. Customary terms require payment within 30 to 45 days, with any terms beyond 45 days being considered extended payment terms. We may utilize accounts receivable factoring arrangements with third-party financial institutions in order to extend terms for the customer without negatively impacting our cash flow.  These arrangements in all cases do not contain recourse provisions which would obligate us in the event of our customers' failure to pay.  Receivables are considered sold when they are transferred beyond the reach of Kimball Electronics and its creditors, the purchaser has the right to pledge or exchange the receivables, and we have surrendered control over the transferred receivables. In the six months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively, we sold, without recourse, $60.2 million and $65.1 million of accounts receivable. Factoring fees were not material.

The Company's China operation, in limited circumstances, may receive banker's acceptance drafts from customers as payment for their trade accounts receivable. The banker's acceptance drafts are non-interest bearing and primarily mature within six months from the origination date. The Company has the ability to sell the drafts at a discount or transfer the drafts in settlement of current accounts payable prior to the scheduled maturity date. These drafts, which totaled $2.9 million at December 31, 2015 and $4.3 million at June 30, 2015 , are reflected in the Receivables line on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets until the banker's drafts are sold at a discount, transferred in settlement of current accounts payable, or cash is received at maturity.

Non-operating Income (Expense), net:

The Non-operating income (expense), net line item includes the impact of such items as foreign currency rate movements and related derivative gain or loss, fair value adjustments on supplemental employee retirement plan ("SERP") investments, bank charges, and other miscellaneous non-operating income and expense items that are not directly related to operations. The gain (loss) on SERP investments is offset by a change in the SERP liability that is recognized in Selling and Administrative Expenses.

Components of Non-operating income (expense), net:

Income Taxes:

In determining the quarterly provision for income taxes, we use an estimated annual effective tax rate which is based on expected annual income, statutory tax rates, and available tax planning opportunities in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Unusual or infrequently occurring items are separately recognized in the quarter in which they occur.

"Emerging Growth Company" Reporting Requirements:

The Company qualifies as an "emerging growth company" as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the "JOBS Act"). For as long as a company is deemed to be an "emerging growth company," it may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other regulatory requirements that are generally unavailable to other public companies. Among other things, we are not required to provide an auditor attestation report on the assessment of the internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act").

Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

For further information regarding our status as an "emerging growth company," refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015.

New Accounting Standards:

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued guidance for the Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The guidance addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments including, among other items: requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income; requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk; and requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2020 annual financial statements and interim periods for our fiscal year 2021. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2015, the FASB issued guidance on the balance sheet classification of deferred taxes. Under the current guidance, deferred tax liabilities and assets must be separated into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified statement of financial position. The new guidance requires deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The new guidance does not change the requirement that deferred tax liabilities and assets of a tax-paying component of an entity to be offset and presented as a single amount. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2019 annual financial statements and interim periods within annual periods for our fiscal year 2020, with earlier application permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The guidance offers two acceptable adoption methods: (i) retrospective adoption to all periods presented; or (ii) prospective adoption to all deferred tax liabilities and assets. We do not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In July 2015, the FASB issued guidance on Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. The guidance amends the subsequent measurement of inventory from the lower of cost or market to the lower of cost and net realizable value. Under the current guidance, market value could be replacement cost, net realizable value, or net realizable value less an approximately normal profit margin. Within the scope of the new guidance, an entity should measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2018 financial statements. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued guidance to customers of cloud computing arrangements about whether an arrangement includes a software license. If a software license exists in the arrangement, the guidance requires the software license element of the arrangement to be accounted for consistently with the acquisition of other software licenses by the customer. Otherwise, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2017 financial statements using either of two acceptable adoption methods: (i) retrospective adoption; or (ii) prospective adoption to all arrangements entered into or materially modified after the effective date. We do not expect the adoption to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB provided explicit guidance on how to account for share-based payments granted to employees in which the terms of the award provide that a performance target that affects vesting could be achieved after the requisite service period. The guidance will be applied prospectively for our first quarter fiscal year 2017 financial statements.  We do not expect the adoption to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance on the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. The core principle of the guidance is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration which the company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve this core principle, the guidance provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The guidance addresses several areas including transfer of control, contracts with multiple performance obligations, and costs to obtain and fulfill contracts. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. In August 2015, the FASB issued additional guidance deferring the effective date for one year while allowing entities the option to adopt one year early. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2020 financial statements using either of two acceptable adoption methods: (i) retrospective adoption to each prior reporting period presented with the option to elect certain practical expedients; or (ii) adoption with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application and providing certain additional disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor determined the effect of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

In April 2014, the FASB issued guidance on reporting discontinued operations and disclosures of disposals of components of an entity. Under the new guidance, a disposal that represents a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results is a discontinued operation. The new guidance requires expanded disclosures that will provide more information about the assets, liabilities, income, and expenses of discontinued operations, and also requires disclosures of significant disposals that do not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The guidance is effective for our fiscal year 2016 annual financial statements. As we currently do not have discontinued operations or had any significant disposals during the six-month period ended December 31, 2015 , we do not expect the adoption to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Note 2. Related Party Transactions

Services Provided by Kimball International, Inc.:

Prior to the spin-off on October 31, 2014, Kimball Electronics operated as a reportable segment within Kimball International. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include allocations of general corporate expenses from former Parent including, but not limited to, spin-off costs, finance, legal, information technology, human resources, employee benefits administration, treasury, risk management, and other shared services. The allocations were primarily made using various drivers including average capital deployed, payroll, revenue less material costs, headcount, or other measures, with the remainder allocated on a direct usage or cost incurred basis when appropriate. Former Parent charged us for such services and indirect general and corporate overhead expenses of approximately $1.5 million and $4.5 million for the three and six months ended December 31, 2014 , respectively. Additionally, former Parent charged us approximately $0.4 million and $2.1 million for the three and six months ended December 31, 2014 , respectively, for corporate incentive plan expenses, including stock-based compensation. These costs which were charged through October 31, 2014, the spin-off date, are primarily included in Selling and Administrative Expenses.

We consider the basis on which the expenses were allocated to be a reasonable reflection of the utilization of services provided to or the benefit received by us through the spin-off date. The allocations may not, however, reflect the expense we would have incurred as an independent, publicly traded company for the periods prior to the spin-off.

Taxes:

The Company entered into a Tax Matters Agreement with former Parent that governs the Company's rights and obligations after the spin-off with respect to tax liabilities and benefits, tax attributes, tax contests, and other tax sharing regarding income taxes, other tax matters, and related tax returns. The Company will continue to have joint and several liabilities with former Parent with the IRS and certain U.S. state tax authorities for U.S. federal income and state taxes for the taxable periods in which the Company was a part of former Parent's consolidated group. The tax matters agreement specifies the portion, if any, of this liability for which the Company bears responsibility, and former Parent has agreed to indemnify the Company against any amounts for which the Company is not responsible. As of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 , the Company has a receivable from Kimball International recorded for $0.8 million , of which $0.6 million is a long-term receivable and was recorded in Other Assets on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, relating to benefits from federal and state research and development tax credits.

Cash Management:

For purposes of the historical Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, former Parent did not allocate to us the cash and cash equivalents held at former Parent's corporate level prior to the spin-off. Our cash balance prior to the spin-off primarily represented cash held by international entities at the local level. In connection with the spin-off, net distributions of cash were made from former Parent to us of $44.3 million on or around October 31, 2014. We began operations as an independent company with approximately $63 million of cash, including cash held by our foreign facilities.

Note 3. Inventories

Inventories are valued using the lower of first-in, first-out (FIFO) cost or market value. Inventory components were as follows:

Note 4. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The following reclassifications were made from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) to the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income:

Amounts in parentheses indicate reductions to income.

(1) See Note 7 - Derivative Instruments of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on derivative instruments.

(2) See Note 9 - Postemployment Benefits of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on postemployment benefit plans.

Note 5. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Standby letters of credit are issued to third-party suppliers, lessors, and insurance institutions and can only be drawn upon in the event of the Company's failure to pay its obligations to a beneficiary. As of December 31, 2015 , we had a maximum financial exposure from unused standby letters of credit totaling $0.4 million . We are not aware of circumstances that would require us to perform under any of these arrangements. We believe that the resolution of any claims related to these standby letters of credit that might arise in the future, either individually or in the aggregate, would not materially affect our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Accordingly, no liability has been recorded as of December 31, 2015 with respect to the standby letters of credit. The Company also may enter into commercial letters of credit to facilitate payments to vendors and from customers.

The Company's China operation, in limited circumstances, receives banker's acceptance drafts from customers as settlement for their trade accounts receivable. We in turn may transfer the acceptance drafts to a supplier of ours in settlement of current accounts payable. These drafts contain certain recourse provisions afforded to the transferee under laws of The Peoples Republic of China. If a transferee were to exercise its available recourse rights, our China operation would be required to satisfy the obligation with the transferee and the draft would revert back to our China operation. At December 31, 2015 , the drafts

transferred and outstanding totaled $1.2 million . No transferee has exercised their recourse rights against us. For additional information on banker's acceptance drafts, see Note 1 – Business Description and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

We maintain a provision for limited warranty repair or replacement of products manufactured and sold, which has been established in specific manufacturing contract agreements. We estimate product warranty liability at the time of sale based on historical repair or replacement cost trends in conjunction with the length of the warranty offered. Management refines the warranty liability periodically based on changes in historical cost trends and in certain cases where specific warranty issues become known.

Changes in the product warranty accrual for the six months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

Note 6. Fair Value

The Company categorizes assets and liabilities measured at fair value into three levels based upon the assumptions (inputs) used to price the assets or liabilities. Level 1 provides the most reliable measure of fair value, whereas level 3 generally requires significant management judgment. The three levels are defined as follows:

Our policy is to recognize transfers between these levels as of the end of each quarterly reporting period. There were no transfers between these levels during the six months ended December 31, 2015 . There were also no changes in the inputs or valuation techniques used to measure fair values during the six months ended December 31, 2015 .

Financial Instruments Recognized at Fair Value:

The following methods and assumptions were used to measure fair value:

Recurring Fair Value Measurements:

We had no Level 3 assets or liabilities during the six months ended December 31, 2015 .

Nonqualified supplemental employee retirement plan (SERP) assets consist primarily of equity funds, balanced funds, a bond fund, and a money market fund. The SERP investment assets are offset by a SERP liability which represents Kimball Electronics' obligation to distribute SERP funds to participants. See Note 8 - Investments of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the SERP.

Financial Instruments Not Carried At Fair Value:

The carrying value of our cash deposit accounts, trade accounts receivable, and trade accounts payable approximates fair value due to the relatively short maturity and immaterial non-performance risk.

Note 7. Derivative Instruments

Foreign Exchange Contracts:

We operate internationally and are therefore exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations in the normal course of business. Our primary means of managing this exposure is to utilize natural hedges, such as aligning currencies used in the supply chain with the sale currency. To the extent natural hedging techniques do not fully offset currency risk, we use derivative instruments with the objective of reducing the residual exposure to certain foreign currency rate movements. Factors considered in the decision to hedge an underlying market exposure include the materiality of the risk, the volatility of the market, the duration of the hedge, the degree to which the underlying exposure is committed to, and the availability, effectiveness, and cost of derivative instruments. Derivative instruments are only utilized for risk management purposes and are not used for speculative or trading purposes.

We use forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges to protect against foreign currency exchange rate risks inherent in forecasted transactions denominated in a foreign currency. Foreign exchange contracts are also used to hedge against foreign currency exchange rate risks related to intercompany balances denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies. As of December 31, 2015 , we had outstanding foreign exchange contracts to hedge currencies against the U.S. dollar in the aggregate notional amount of $28.9 million and to hedge currencies against the Euro in the aggregate notional amount of 62.6 million Euro. The notional amounts are indicators of the volume of derivative activities but may not be indicators of the potential gain or loss on the derivatives.

In limited cases due to unexpected changes in forecasted transactions, cash flow hedges may cease to meet the criteria to be designated as cash flow hedges. Depending on the type of exposure hedged, we may either purchase a derivative contract in the opposite position of the undesignated hedge or may retain the hedge until it matures if the hedge continues to provide an adequate offset in earnings against the currency revaluation impact of foreign currency denominated liabilities.

The fair value of outstanding derivative instruments is recognized on the balance sheet as a derivative asset or liability. When derivatives are settled with the counterparty, the derivative asset or liability is relieved and cash flow is impacted for the net settlement. For derivative instruments that meet the criteria of hedging instruments under FASB guidance, the effective portions of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument are initially recorded net of related tax effect in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), a component of Share Owners' Equity, and are subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period or periods during which the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. The ineffective portion of the derivative gain or loss is reported in the Non-operating income (expense), net line item on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income immediately. The gain or loss associated with derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments or that cease to meet the criteria for hedging under FASB guidance is also reported in the Non-operating income (expense), net line item on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income immediately.

Based on fair values as of December 31, 2015 , we estimate a $0.8 million pre-tax derivative loss deferred in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) will be reclassified into earnings, along with the earnings effects of related forecasted transactions, within the next 12 months. Losses on foreign exchange contracts are generally offset by gains in operating income in the income statement when the underlying hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. Because gains or losses on foreign exchange contracts fluctuate partially based on currency spot rates, the future effect on earnings of the cash flow hedges alone is not determinable, but in conjunction with the underlying hedged transactions, the result is expected to be a decline in currency risk. The maximum length of time we had hedged our exposure to the variability in future cash flows was 12 months as of both December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 .

See Note 6 - Fair Value of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the fair value of derivative assets and liabilities and the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the changes in deferred derivative gains and losses. Information on the location and amounts of derivative fair values in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and derivative gains and losses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income are presented below.

Fair Value of Derivative Instruments on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

The Effect of Derivative Instruments on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The Effect of Derivative Instruments on Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

Note 8. Investments

The Company established and maintains a self-directed supplemental employee retirement plan ("SERP"), similar to former Parent's plan, for executive and other key employees. Subsequent to the spin-off, the assets and liabilities of former Parent's SERP related to Kimball Electronics' employees were transferred to the Company sponsored SERP. The Company SERP utilizes a rabbi trust, and therefore assets in the SERP portfolio are subject to creditor claims in the event of bankruptcy. The Company recognizes SERP investment assets on the balance sheet at current fair value. A SERP liability of the same amount is recorded on the balance sheet representing an obligation to distribute SERP funds to participants. The SERP investment assets are classified

as trading, and accordingly, realized and unrealized gains and losses are recognized in income in the Other Income (Expense) category. Adjustments made to revalue the SERP liability are also recognized in income as selling and administrative expenses and offset valuation adjustments on SERP investment assets. The change in net unrealized holding gains (losses) for the six months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was, in thousands, $30 and $(156) , respectively.

SERP asset and liability balances applicable to Kimball Electronics participants were as follows:

Note 9. Postemployment Benefits

The Company maintains severance plans for all domestic employees. These plans cover domestic employees and provide severance benefits to eligible employees meeting the plans' qualifications, primarily involuntary termination without cause. There are no statutory requirements for us to contribute to the plans, nor do employees contribute to the plans. The plans hold no assets. Benefits are paid using available cash on hand when eligible employees meet plan qualifications for payment. Benefits are based upon on employee's years of service and accumulate up to certain limits specified in the plans and include both salary and an allowance for medical benefits. The benefit obligation for periods prior to the spin-off was determined in total for each of the plans and allocated by the number of Kimball Electronics domestic employees participating in the plans. In conjunction with the spin-off, these plans were legally separated and were remeasured. There were no significant changes to the actuarial assumptions used in the remeasurement.

The components of net periodic postemployment benefit cost applicable to Kimball Electronics participants were as follows:

The benefit cost in the above table includes only normal recurring levels of severance activity. Unusual or non-recurring severance actions are not estimable using actuarial methods and are expensed in accordance with the applicable U.S. GAAP.

Note 10. Stock Compensation Plan

The Company maintains a stock compensation plan, the Kimball Electronics, Inc. 2014 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the "Plan"), which allows for the issuance of up to 4.5 million shares and may be awarded in the form of incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, unrestricted shares, restricted share units, or performance shares and performance units. The Plan is a ten-year plan with no further awards allowed to be made under the Plan after October 1, 2024. For more information on our Plan, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015.

During the first six months of fiscal year 2016 , the following stock compensation was awarded under the Plan to non-employee members of the Company's Board of Directors.

(1) Unrestricted shares which were awarded to non-employee members of the Company's Board of Directors as compensation for the portion of director's fees prescribed to be paid in unrestricted shares in addition to the portion of director's fees to be paid in unrestricted shares as a result of directors' elections to receive unrestricted shares in lieu of cash payment. Director's fees are expensed over the period that directors earn the compensation. Unrestricted shares do not have vesting periods, holding periods, restrictions on sales, or other restrictions.

Note 11. Share Owners' Equity

Effective October 16, 2014, the Company's authorized capital was increased to 165 million shares comprised of 15 million preferred shares without par value and 150 million common shares without par value. On the same day, 50 thousand common shares outstanding were split into 29.1 million common shares. On October 31, 2014, Kimball International, Inc., the Company's sole Share Owner, distributed all 29.1 million outstanding shares of Kimball Electronics common stock to Kimball International Share Owners in connection with the spin-off. Upon the spin-off, holders of Kimball International common stock received three shares of Kimball Electronics common stock for every four shares of Kimball International common stock held on October 22, 2014. Preferred and common shares were retrospectively restated for the number of Kimball Electronics shares authorized and outstanding immediately following these events.

On October 21, 2015 , the Company's Board of Directors authorized an 18 -month stock repurchase plan (the "Plan") allowing a repurchase of up to $20 million worth of common stock. Purchases may be made under various programs, including in open-market transactions, block transactions on or off an exchange, or in privately negotiated transactions, all in accordance with applicable securities laws and regulations. The Plan may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The Company repurchased $3.8 million of common stock under the Plan during the quarter ended December 31, 2015 at an average cost of $11.22 per share.

During the six months ended December 31, 2015 , the Company acquired an additional 78 thousand shares of its common stock, recorded as Treasury stock, at cost in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. These shares were not acquired in open market purchases as part of the Plan but were acquired in connection with automatically withholding shares from employees upon the vesting of performance share awards to satisfy minimum statutory withholding tax obligations.

Prior to the spin-off, Share Owners' Equity included a Net Parent investment component that represented former Parent's historical investment in us, our accumulated net earnings after taxes, and the net effect of the transactions with and allocations from former Parent. As of July 1, 2014, Net Parent investment was converted to Additional paid-in-capital. During the six months ended December 31, 2014 , Net contribution from Parent was $45.7 million , which included non-cash net transfers to Parent of $4.6 million , and was recorded in Additional paid-in capital. For additional information, see Note 1 – Business Description and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , as well as Note 2 – Related Party Transactions of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Note 12. Earnings Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share were calculated as follows:

Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Spin-Off Transaction

On October 31, 2014, Kimball Electronics, Inc. (also referred to herein as "Kimball Electronics," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") became a stand-alone public company upon the completion of a spin-off from Kimball International, Inc. ("former Parent" or "Kimball International") into two independent publicly-traded companies. Prior to the spin-off, the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements presented herein, and discussed below, were derived from the accounting records of former Parent as if we operated on a stand-alone basis. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include allocations of general corporate expenses from former Parent including, but not limited to, spin-off costs, finance, legal, information technology, human resources, employee benefits administration, treasury, risk management, and other shared services through October 31, 2014, the spin-off date. The allocations were made on a direct usage or cost incurred basis when appropriate, with the remainder allocated using various drivers including average capital deployed, payroll, revenue less material costs, headcount, or other measures. While we believe these allocations have been made on a consistent basis and are reasonable based on the relevant cost drivers, such expenses may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred had Kimball Electronics been operating as a stand-alone company.

Emerging Growth Company Status

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") and reflect the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of Kimball Electronics. Kimball Electronics qualifies as an "emerging growth company" as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the "JOBS Act"). For as long as a company is deemed to be an "emerging growth company," it may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other regulatory requirements that are generally unavailable to other public companies. The JOBS Act also provides that an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

Business Overview

We are a global contract electronic manufacturing services ("EMS") company that specializes in producing durable electronics for the automotive, medical, industrial, and public safety markets. Our engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain services utilize common production and support capabilities globally. We are well recognized by our customers and the EMS industry for our excellent quality, reliability, and innovative service.

A significant business challenge that we face as an independent publicly traded company is maintaining our profit margins while we look to accelerate revenue growth.  During the past few years, the EMS industry as a whole has experienced slower market growth as compared to pre-recession levels, which has added pressure to an already competitive marketplace.  As a mid-sized

player in the EMS market, we can expect to be challenged by the agility and flexibility of the smaller, regional players and we can expect to be challenged by the scale and price competitiveness of the larger global players.

We enjoy a unique market position between these extremes which allows us to compete with the larger scale players for high-volume projects, but also maintain our competitive position in the generally lower volume durable electronics market space.  We expect to continue to effectively operate in this market space.  Price increases are uncommon in the market as production efficiencies and material pricing advantages for most projects drive costs and prices down over the life of the projects.  This characteristic of the contract electronics marketplace is expected to continue, which will allow us to effectively compete in the same manner as we did prior to becoming an independent company.

Key economic indicators currently point toward continued strengthening in the overall economy. However, uncertainties still exist and may pose a threat to our future growth as they have the tendency to cause disruption in business strategy, execution, and timing in many of the markets in which we compete.

The January 2015 edition of the Manufacturing Market Insider published by New Venture Research provided an outlook for the coming years. The publication suggested that the worldwide semiconductor capital spending is an indicator for the EMS industry. As noted in the publication, Gartner, a market research company, projected flat growth for 2015 and 2016, but 7% or greater growth for 2017 and 2018. The Company does not directly serve the semiconductor market; however, it may be indicative of the end market demand for products utilizing electronic components. The December 2015 edition of the Manufacturing Market Insider indicated leading EMS companies experienced revenue growth of 5.4% in the first nine months of calendar year 2015. The Company experienced revenue growth of approximately 3% during the first nine months of calendar year 2015.

Our focus is on the four key vertical markets of automotive, medical, industrial, and public safety. Our overall expectation for the EMS market is that of moderate growth, but with mixed demand.

The automotive end market has benefited from relative strength in the China and U.S. markets, while demand in Europe is stable.  The industrial market has been impacted by lower end market demand for climate control products; however, we are seeing increased demand for smart metering and energy efficient lighting. We are seeing demand in the public safety market stabilize. Demand in the medical market remains stable. We continue to monitor the current economic environment and its potential impact on our customers.

We invest in capital expenditures prudently for projects in support of both organic growth and potential acquisitions that would enhance our capabilities and diversification while providing an opportunity for growth and improved profitability. We have a strong focus on cost control and closely monitor market changes and our liquidity in order to proactively adjust our operating costs and discretionary capital spending as needed. Managing working capital in conjunction with fluctuating demand levels is likewise key. In addition, a long-standing component of our profit sharing incentive bonus plan is that it is linked to our performance which results in varying amounts of compensation expense as profits change.

In addition to the above discussion related to the current market conditions, management currently considers the following events, trends, and uncertainties to be most important to understanding our financial condition and operating performance:

our sales trends, we believe it does provide useful information regarding our customer loyalty and new business growth. Additional risk factors that could have an effect on our performance are located within the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015.

Certain preceding statements could be considered forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, adverse changes in the global economic conditions, loss of key customers or suppliers, or similar unforeseen events. Additional information on risks is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2015.

Financial Overview