Prestige Consumer Healthcare - 10-K annual report 2014

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

OR

Commission File Number: 001-32433

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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check one):

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2014 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent described herein.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”), including, without limitation, information within Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.  The following cautionary statements are being made pursuant to the provisions of the PSLRA and with the intention of obtaining the benefits of the “safe harbor” provisions of the PSLRA.  Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  Except as required under federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not intend to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  As a result of these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or that may be made elsewhere from time to time by, or on behalf of, us.  All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” "intend," "strategy," "future," "seek," "may," "should," "would," "will," “will be,” or other similar words and phrases.  Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, and our business in general is subject to such risks.  For more information, see “Risk Factors” contained in Part I Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  In addition, our expectations or beliefs concerning future events involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation:

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

       

            

Overview

We sell well-recognized, brand name, over-the-counter (“OTC”) healthcare and household cleaning products largely in North America.  We use the strength of our brands, our established retail distribution network, a low-cost operating model and our experienced management team to our competitive advantage in these categories.  Our ultimate success is dependent on several factors, including our ability to:

We engaged in strategic mergers and acquisitions over the last three years as follows:

Pending 2015 Acquisition

On April 25, 2014, we announced that we had entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Insight Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a marketer and distributor of feminine care and other OTC healthcare products for $750 million in cash. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10−K, we have not yet completed the initial accounting for the acquisition, and the acquisition date fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities have not yet been determined. We anticipate closing on this transaction during the first half of this fiscal year, subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Financing for the transaction is expected from a combination of cash on the balance sheet, use of the 2012 ABL Revolver, and an add-on to our 2012 Term Loan.

2015 Acquisition

On April 30, 2014, we completed the acquisition of Hydralyte in Australia and New Zealand from The Hydration Pharmaceuticals Trust of Victoria, Australia. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10−K, we have not yet completed the initial accounting for the acquisition, and the acquisition date fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities have not yet been determined. Hydralyte is the leading OTC brand in oral rehydration in Australia, and will be marketed and sold through Care Pharmaceuticals. Hydralyte is available in pharmacies in multiple forms and is indicated for oral rehydration following diarrhea, vomiting, fever, heat and ailments. We funded this acquisition with a combination of cash on the balance sheet and our existing credit facility.

2014 Acquisition

2012 Acquisitions

2013 Divestiture

Major Brands

Our products are sold through multiple channels, including mass merchandisers and drug, grocery, dollar, convenience, and club stores, which reduces our exposure to any single distribution channel.  

We have developed our brand portfolio through the acquisition of strong and well-recognized brands from larger consumer products and pharmaceutical companies, as well as growth brands from smaller private companies.  While the brands we have purchased from larger consumer products and pharmaceutical companies have long histories of support and brand development, we believe that at the time we acquired them they were considered “non-core” by their previous owners.  Consequently, these brands did not benefit from the focus of senior level personnel or strong marketing support.  We also believe that the brands we have purchased from smaller private companies were constrained by the limited financial resources of their prior owners.  After adding a core brand to our portfolio, we seek to increase its sales, market share and distribution in both new and existing channels through our established retail distribution network.  We pursue this growth through increased advertising and promotion, new sales and marketing strategies, improved packaging and formulations, and innovative new products.  Our business, business model, competitive strengths and growth strategy face various risks that are described in “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Competitive Strengths

Diversified Portfolio of Well-Recognized and Established Consumer Brands

We own and market well-recognized consumer brands, many of which were established over 60 years ago.  Our diverse portfolio of products provides us with multiple sources of growth and minimizes our reliance on any one product or category. We provide significant marketing support to our core brands that is designed to enhance our sales growth and our long-term profitability.  The markets in which we sell our products, however, are highly competitive and include numerous national and global manufacturers, distributors, marketers and retailers.  Many of these competitors have greater research and development and financial resources than us and may be able to spend more aggressively on sales, advertising and marketing programs and research and development, which may have an adverse effect on our competitive position.

Strong Competitor in Attractive Categories

We compete in product categories that address recurring consumer needs.  We believe we are well positioned in these categories due to the long history and consumer awareness of our brands, our strong market positions, and our low-cost operating model.  However, a significant increase in the number of product introductions or increased advertising, marketing and trade support by our competitors in these markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Proven Ability to Develop and Introduce New Products

product introductions are important to the overall growth of a brand, our efforts may reduce sales of existing products within that brand.  In addition, certain of our product introductions may not be successful.

Efficient Operating Model

To gain operating efficiencies, we oversee the production planning and quality control aspects of the manufacturing, warehousing and distribution of our products, while we outsource the operating elements of these functions to well-established third-party providers.  This approach allows us to benefit from their core competencies and maintain a highly variable cost structure, with low overhead, limited working capital requirements, and minimal investment in capital expenditures, as evidenced by the following:

Management Team with Proven Ability to Acquire, Integrate and Grow Brands

Our business has grown through acquisition, integration and expansion of the many brands we have purchased.  Our management team has significant experience in consumer product marketing, sales, legal and regulatory compliance, product development and customer service.  Unlike many larger consumer products companies, which we believe often entrust their smaller brands to successive junior employees, we dedicate experienced managers to specific brands.  We seek more experienced personnel to bear the substantial responsibility of brand management and to effectuate our growth strategy.  These managers nurture the brands to allow the brands to grow and evolve.

Growth Strategy

In order to continue to enhance our brands and drive growth, we focus our growth strategy on our core competencies:

We execute this strategy through the following efforts:

Market Position

See “Major Brands” above for information regarding market share and ACV calculations.

Our History and Accomplishments

In February 2005, we raised $448.0 million through an initial public offering of 28.0 million shares of common stock.  We used the net proceeds of the offering ($416.8 million), plus $3.0 million from our revolving credit facility and $8.8 million of cash on

hand, to (i) repay $100.0 million of our existing senior indebtedness, (ii) redeem $84.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our existing 9.25% senior subordinated notes, (iii) repurchase an aggregate of 4.7 million shares of our common stock held by the investment funds affiliated with GTCR and TCW/Crescent Mezzanine, LLC (“TCW/Crescent”) for $30.2 million, and (iv) redeem all outstanding senior preferred units and class B preferred units of one of our subsidiaries for $199.8 million.

In March 2010, we refinanced our outstanding long-term indebtedness through entry into a $150.0 million senior term loan facility due April 1, 2016 (the “2010 Senior Term Loan”), and the issuance of $150.0 million in senior notes with an 8.25% interest rate due 2018 ("the 2010 Senior Notes").  Proceeds from the new indebtedness were used to retire our senior term loan facility originally due April 1, 2011 and 9.25% senior subordinated notes originally due April 15, 2012.  Additionally, our new credit agreement included a $30.0 million revolving credit facility due April 1, 2015. The refinancing and new credit facility improved our liquidity, extended maturities, and improved covenant ratios, all of which better positioned us to pursue strategic acquisitions.

On January 31, 2012, in connection with the acquisition of the GSK Brands I, we (i) issued 8.125% senior notes due in 2020 in an aggregate principal amount of $250.0 million (the “2012 Senior Notes”), and (ii) entered into a new senior secured credit facility, which consists of a $660.0 million term loan facility with a seven-year maturity (the “2012 Term Loan”) and a $50.0 million asset-based revolving credit facility with a five-year maturity (the “2012 ABL Revolver”). In September 2012, we utilized a portion of our accordion feature to increase the amount of our borrowing capacity under the 2012 ABL Revolver by $25.0 million to $75.0 million. Additionally, in connection with the entry into the new senior secured credit facilities, we repaid the outstanding balance of and terminated our 2010 Senior Term Loan.

On February 21, 2013, we entered into Amendment No. 1 (the "Amendment") to the 2012 Term Loan. The Amendment provides for the refinancing of all of our existing Term B Loans with new Term B-1 Loans. The interest rate on the Term B-1 Loans is based, at our option, on a LIBOR rate plus a margin of 2.75% per annum, with a LIBOR floor of 1.00%, or an alternate base rate, plus a margin. The new Term B-1 Loans will mature on the same date as the Term B Loans original maturity date. In addition, the Amendment provides us with certain additional capacity to prepay subordinated debt, the 2012 Senior Notes and certain other unsecured indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the credit agreement governing the 2012 Term Loan and the 2012 ABL Revolver. 

Products

We conduct our operations through two principal business segments:

Over-the-Counter Healthcare Segment

Chloraseptic

Compound W

Dramamine

Efferdent and Effergrip

Little Remedies

Luden's

PediaCare

The Doctor’s

BC/Goody's

Beano

Gaviscon

Chore Boy

Comet

Spic and Span

For additional information concerning our business segments, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 19 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Marketing and Sales

Our marketing strategy is based on the acquisition and the rejuvenation of established consumer brands that possess what we believe to be significant brand value and unrealized potential.  Our marketing objective is to increase sales and market share by developing innovative new products and line extensions and executing creative and cost-effective advertising and promotional programs.  After we acquire a brand, we implement a brand building strategy that uses the brand’s existing consumer awareness to maximize sales of current products and provides a vehicle to drive growth through product innovation.  This brand building process involves the evaluation of the existing brand name, the development and introduction of innovative new products, and the execution of support programs.  Recognizing that financial resources are limited, we allocate our resources to focus on our core brands with the most impactful, consumer-relevant initiatives, which we believe have the greatest opportunities for growth and financial success.  Brand priorities vary from year to year and generally revolve around new product introductions.

Customers

Our senior management team and dedicated sales force strive to maintain long-standing relationships with our top 50 domestic customers.  We also contract with third-party sales management enterprises that interface directly with our remaining customers and report directly to members of our sales management team.

We enjoy broad distribution across each of the major retail channels, including mass merchandisers, drug, food, dollar, convenience and club stores.  The following table sets forth the percentage of gross sales across our six major distribution channels during each of the past three years ended March 31:

Due to the diversity of our product lines, we believe that each of these channels is important to our business and we continue to seek opportunities for growth in each channel.

periods, our top five and ten customers, including Walmart, will, in the aggregate, continue to account for a large portion of our sales.

Our strong customer relationships and product recognition allow us to attempt to capitalize on a number of important strategic opportunities, including (i) minimization of slotting fees, (ii) maximization of new product introductions, (iii) maximization of shelf space prominence, and (iv) minimization of cash collection days.  We believe that our emphasis on strong customer relationships, speed and flexibility and leading sales technology capabilities, combined with consistent marketing support programs and ongoing product innovation, will continue to maximize our competitiveness in the increasingly complex retail environment.

Outsourcing and Manufacturing

In order to maximize our competitiveness and efficiently allocate our resources, third-party manufacturers fulfill all of our manufacturing needs.  We have found that contract manufacturing maximizes our flexibility and responsiveness to industry and consumer trends while minimizing the need for capital expenditures.  We select contract manufacturers based on their core competencies and our perception of the best overall value, including factors such as (i) depth of services, (ii) professionalism and integrity of the management team, (iii) manufacturing agility and capacity, (iv) regulatory compliance, and (v) competitive pricing.  We also conduct thorough reviews of each potential manufacturer’s facilities, quality standards, capacity and financial stability.  We generally purchase only finished products from our manufacturers.

Our primary contract manufacturers provide comprehensive services from product development through the manufacturing of finished goods.  They are responsible for such matters as (i) production planning, (ii) product research and development, (iii) procurement, (iv) production, (v) quality testing, and (vi) almost all capital expenditures.  In most instances, we provide our contract manufacturers with guidance in the areas of (i) product development, (ii) performance criteria, (iii) regulatory guidance, (iv) sourcing of packaging materials, and (v) monthly master production schedules.  This management approach results in minimal capital expenditures and maximizes our cash flow, which allows us to reinvest to support our marketing initiatives, fund brand acquisitions or repay outstanding indebtedness.

At March 31, 2014, suppliers for our key brands included GlaxoSmithKline, Denison Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Aspen Pharmacare, Olds Products Company, Tower Laboratories Ltd., and Contract Pharmaceuticals Corp. We enter into manufacturing agreements for a majority of our products by sales volume, each of which vary based on the capabilities of the third-party manufacturer and

the products being supplied.  These agreements explicitly outline the manufacturer’s obligations and product specifications with respect to the brand or brands being produced.  The purchase price of products under these agreements is subject to change pursuant to the terms of these agreements due to fluctuations in raw material, packaging and labor costs.  Other products are manufactured on a purchase order basis, which is generally based on batch sizes and results in no long-term obligations or commitments.

Warehousing and Distribution

We receive orders from retailers and/or brokers primarily by electronic data interchange, which automatically enters each order into our computer systems and then routes the order to our distribution center.  The distribution center will, in turn, send a confirmation that the order was received, fill the order and ship the order to the customer, while sending a shipment confirmation to us.  Upon receipt of the shipment confirmation, we send an invoice to the customer.

We manage product distribution in the continental United States primarily through one facility located in St. Louis, which is owned and operated by a third-party provider.  Our warehouse provider provides warehouse services including storage, handling and shipping, as well as transportation services with respect to our full line of products, including (i) complete management services, (ii) claims administration, (iii) proof of delivery, (iv) procurement, (v) report generation, and (vi) automation and freight payment services.

If our warehouse provider abruptly stopped providing warehousing or transportation services to us, our business operations could suffer a temporary disruption while we engage new service providers.  We believe this process could be completed quickly and any resulting temporary disruption would not be likely to have a significant adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.  However, a serious disruption, such as a flood or fire, to our distribution center could damage our inventory and could materially impair our ability to distribute our products to customers in a timely manner or at a reasonable cost.  We could incur significantly higher costs and experience longer lead times associated with the distribution of our products to our customers during the time required to reopen or replace our distribution center.  As a result, any such serious or prolonged disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Competition

The business of selling brand name consumer products in the OTC Healthcare and Household Cleaning categories is highly competitive.  These markets include numerous national and global manufacturers, distributors, marketers and retailers that actively compete for consumers’ business both in the United States and abroad.  In addition, like most companies that market products in these categories, we are experiencing increased competition from “private label” products introduced by major retail chains.  While we believe that our branded products provide superior quality and benefits, we are unable to predict the extent to which consumers will purchase “private label” products as an alternative to branded products.

We compete on the basis of numerous factors, including brand recognition, product quality, performance, price, and product availability at the retail level.  Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging, the timing of new product introductions, and line extensions also have a significant impact on customers’ buying decisions and, as a result, on our sales.  The structure and quality of our sales force, as well as sell-through of our products, affect in-store position, wall display space and inventory levels

in retail outlets.  If we are unable to maintain the inventory levels and in-store positioning of our products in retail stores, our sales and operating results would be adversely affected.  Our markets are also highly sensitive to the introduction of new products, which may rapidly capture a significant share of the market.  An increase in the amount of new product introductions and the levels of advertising spending by our competitors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Many of the competitors noted above are larger and have substantially greater research and development and financial resources than we do, and may therefore have the ability to spend more aggressively and consistently on research and development, advertising and marketing, and to respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions. See “Competitive Strengths” above for additional information regarding our competitive strengths and Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” below for additional information regarding competition in our industry.

 

Product Regulation

The formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, distribution, importation, sale and storage of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), and the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and various agencies of the states, localities and foreign countries in which our products are manufactured, distributed and sold.  Our Regulatory Team is guided by a senior member of management and staffed by individuals with appropriate legal and regulatory experience.  Our Regulatory and Operations teams work closely with our third-party manufacturers on quality-related matters, while we monitor their compliance with FDA regulations and perform periodic audits to ensure compliance.  This continual evaluation process is designed to ensure that our manufacturing processes and products are of the highest quality and in compliance with known regulatory requirements.  If the FDA chooses to audit a particular manufacturing facility, we require the third-party manufacturer to notify us immediately and update us on the progress of the audit as it proceeds.  If we or our manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could become subject to significant claims or penalties or be required to discontinue the sale of the non-compliant product, which could have a material adverse effect our business, financial condition and results from operations.  In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretations of existing regulations may result in significant additional compliance costs or discontinuation of product sales and may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Most of our OTC drug products are regulated pursuant to the FDA’s monograph system.  The monographs set out the active ingredients and labeling indications that are permitted for certain broad categories of OTC drug products.  When the FDA has finalized a particular monograph, it has concluded that a properly labeled product formulation is generally recognized as safe and effective and not misbranded.  A tentative final monograph indicates that the FDA has not made a final determination about products in a category to establish safety and efficacy for a product and its uses.  However, unless there is a serious safety or efficacy issue, the FDA typically will exercise enforcement discretion and permit companies to sell products conforming to a tentative final monograph until the final monograph is published.  Products that comply with either final or tentative final monograph standards do not require pre-market approval from the FDA.

Certain of our OTC drug products are New Drug Applications (“NDA”) or Abbreviated New Drug Applications (“ANDA”) products and are manufactured and labeled in accordance with an FDA-approved submission. These products are subject to reporting requirements as set forth in FDA regulations.

Certain of our OTC Healthcare products are medical devices regulated by the FDA through a system which usually involves pre-market clearance.  During the review process, the FDA makes an affirmative determination as to the sufficiency of the label directions, cautions and warnings for the medical devices in question.

In accordance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDC Act”) and FDA regulations, we and our third-party manufacturers must also comply with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMPs”).  The FDA inspects our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers periodically to determine that both we and our third-party manufacturers are complying with GMPs.

A number of our products are regulated by the CPSC under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (the “FHSA”), the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 (the “PPPA”) and the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the “CPSIA”).  Certain of our household products are considered to be hazardous substances under the FHSA and therefore require specific cautionary warnings to be included in their labeling for such products to be legally marketed.  In addition, a small number of our products are subject to regulation under the PPPA and can only be legally marketed if they are dispensed in child-resistant packaging

or labeled for use in households where there are no children.  The CPSIA requires us to make available to our customers certificates stating that we are in compliance with any applicable regulation administered by the CPSC.  

Our Care Pharma business is also regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia and Medsafe in New Zealand.

Other Regulations

We are also subject to a variety of other regulations in various foreign markets, including regulations pertaining to import/export regulations and antitrust issues.  To the extent we decide to commence or expand operations in additional countries, we may be required to obtain an approval, license or certification from the country’s ministry of health or comparable agency.  We must also comply with product labeling and packaging regulations that may vary from country to country.  Government regulations in both our domestic and international markets can delay or prevent the introduction, or require the reformulation or withdrawal, of some of our products.  Our failure to comply with these regulations can also result in a product being removed from sale in a particular market, either temporarily or permanently.  In addition, we are subject to FTC and state regulations, as well as foreign regulations, relating to our product claims and advertising.  If we fail to comply with these regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions and the imposition of penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Intellectual Property

Our trademarks and trade names are how we convey that the products we sell are “brand name” products.  Our ownership of these trademarks and trade names is very important to our business, as it allows us to compete based on the value and goodwill associated with these marks.  We may also license others to use these marks.  Additionally, we own or license patents on innovative and proprietary technology.  The patents evidence the unique nature of our products, provide us with exclusivity, and afford us protection from the encroachment of others.  None of the patents that we own or license, however, is material to us on a consolidated basis. Enforcing our rights, or the rights of any of our licensors, represented by these trademarks, trade names and patents is critical to our business but is expensive.  If we are not able to effectively enforce our rights, others may be able to dilute our trademarks, trade names and patents and diminish the value associated with our brands and technologies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

We do not own all of the intellectual property rights applicable to our products.  In those cases where our third-party manufacturers own patents that protect our products, we are dependent on them as a source of supply for our products.  Unless other non-infringing technologies are available, we must continue to purchase patented products from our suppliers who sell patented products to us.  In addition, we rely on our suppliers for their enforcement of their intellectual property rights against infringing products.

Seasonality

Employees

We employed approximately 155 full time individuals at March 31, 2014.  None of our employees is a party to a collective bargaining agreement.  Management believes that our relations with our employees are good.

Backlog Orders

We define backlog as orders with requested delivery dates prior to March 31, 2014 that were not shipped as of March 31, 2014. We had no backlog orders at March 31, 2014 or 2013.

Available Information

Our Internet address is www.prestigebrands.com.  We make available free of charge on or through our Internet website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, as well as the Proxy Statement for our annual stockholders’ meetings, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).  Information on our Internet website does not constitute a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated herein by reference, including any general statement incorporating by reference this Annual Report on Form 10-K into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

You may read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

We have adopted a Code of Conduct Policy, Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Employees, Policy and Procedures for Complaints Regarding Accounting, Internal Controls and Auditing Matters, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy, and Charters for our Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, as well as a Related Persons Transaction Policy and Stock Ownership Guidelines.  We will provide to any person without charge, upon request, a copy of the foregoing materials.  Any requests for the foregoing documents from us should be made in writing to:

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc.

660 White Plains Road

Tarrytown, New York 10591

Attention: Secretary

We intend to disclose future amendments to the provisions of the foregoing documents, policies and guidelines and waivers therefrom, if any, on our Internet website and/or through the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, to the extent required under the Exchange Act.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

                 

The high level of competition in our industry, much of which comes from competitors with greater resources, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results from operations.

The business of selling brand name consumer products in the OTC Healthcare and Household Cleaning categories is highly competitive.  These markets include numerous manufacturers, distributors, marketers and retailers that actively compete for consumers’ business both in the United States and abroad.  Many of these competitors are larger and have substantially greater resources than we do, and may therefore have the ability to spend more aggressively on research and development, advertising and marketing, and to respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions.  Or failure to compete effectively could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations.

We compete for customers’ attention based on a number of factors, including brand recognition, product quality, performance, price and product availability at the retail level.  Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on consumer buying decisions and, as a result, on our sales.  Our sales also are sensitive to the introduction of new products and line extensions.  New product innovations by our competitors or the failure to develop new products or the failure of a new product launch by the Company could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations. In addition, the introduction or expansion of store brand products that compete with our products has impacted and could in the future impact our sales and results from operations. Additionally, the return to the market of previously recalled competitive products could impact our sales. The structure and quality of our sales force, as well as sell-through of our products affect the continued offering of our products, in-store position, wall display space and inventory levels in retail stores.  If we are unable to maintain our current distribution network, product offerings in retail stores, inventory levels and in-store positioning of our products, our sales and operating results will be adversely affected.  

In addition, competitors may attempt to gain market share by offering products at prices at or below those typically offered by us.  Competitive pricing may require us to reduce prices, which may result in lost sales or a reduction of our profit margins.  Future price adjustments, product changes or new product introductions by our competitors or our inability to react with price adjustments, product changes or new product introductions of our own could result in a loss of market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

We depend on a limited number of customers with whom we have no long-term agreements for a large portion of our gross sales, and the loss of one or more of these customers could reduce our gross sales and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our business is based primarily upon individual sales orders.  We typically do not enter into long-term contracts with our customers.  Accordingly, our customers could cease buying products or reduce the number of items they buy from us at any time and for any reason.  The fact that we do not have long-term contracts with our customers means that we have no recourse in the event a customer no longer wants to purchase products from us or reduces the number of items purchased.  If a significant number of our smaller customers, or any of our significant customers, elect not to purchase products from us, our financial condition and results from operations could be adversely affected.

We depend on third-party manufacturers to produce the products we sell.  If we are unable to maintain these manufacturing relationships or fail to enter into additional relationships, as necessary, we may be unable to meet customer demand and our sales and profitability could suffer as a result.

All of our products are produced by third-party manufacturers.  Our ability to retain our current manufacturing relationships and engage in and successfully transition to new relationships is critical to our ability to deliver quality products to our customers in a timely manner.  Without adequate supplies of quality merchandise, sales would decrease materially and our business would suffer.  In the event that our primary third-party manufacturers are unable or unwilling to ship products to us in a timely manner, we would have to rely on secondary manufacturing relationships or identify and qualify new manufacturing relationships.  We might not be able to identify or qualify such manufacturers for existing or new products in a timely manner, and such manufacturers may not allocate sufficient capacity to allow us to meet our commitments to customers.  In addition, identifying alternative manufacturers without adequate lead times may involve additional manufacturing expense, delay in production or product disadvantage in the marketplace.   In general, the consequences of not securing adequate, high quality and timely supplies of merchandise would negatively impact inventory levels, and sales, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

The manufacturers we use may also increase the cost of the products we purchase which could adversely affect our margins in the event we are unable to pass along these increased costs to our customers.  Increased costs could also have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations.

The costs to manufacture and distribute our products are subject to fluctuation based on a variety of factors. Increases in commodity raw material (including resins), packaging component prices and labor, energy and fuel costs could have a significant impact on our financial condition and results from operations.  If we are unable to increase the price for our products or continue to achieve cost savings in a rising cost environment, such cost increases would reduce our gross margins and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations. If we increase the price for our products in order to maintain our current gross margins for our products, such increase may adversely affect demand for, and sales of, our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Disruption in our St. Louis distribution center may prevent us from meeting customer demand, and our sales and profitability may suffer as a result.

We manage our product distribution in the continental United States through one primary distribution center in St. Louis, Missouri.  A serious disruption, such as a flood or fire, to our primary distribution center could damage our inventory and could materially impair our ability to distribute our products to customers in a timely manner or at a reasonable cost.  We could incur significantly higher costs and experience longer lead times during the time required to reopen or replace our primary distribution center.  As a result, any serious disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Achievement of our strategic objectives requires the acquisition, or potentially the disposition, of certain brands or product lines, and these acquisitions and dispositions may not be successful.  

The majority of our growth has been driven by acquiring other brands and companies.  At any given time, we may be engaged in discussions with respect to possible acquisitions that are intended to enhance our product portfolio, enable us to realize cost savings and further diversify our category, customer and channel focus.  Our ability to successfully grow through acquisitions depends on our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate suitable acquisition candidates and to obtain any necessary financing.  These efforts could divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations.  If we complete acquisitions, we may also experience:

In addition, any acquisition could adversely affect our operating results as a result of higher interest costs from any acquisition-related debt and higher amortization expenses related to the acquired intangible assets.  

In the event that we decide to divest of a brand or product line, we may encounter difficulty finding, or be unable to find, a buyer on acceptable terms in a timely manner.  The pursuit of divestitures could also divert management's attention from our business operations and result in a delay in our efforts to achieve our strategic objectives.

Regulatory matters governing our industry could have a significant negative effect on our sales and operating costs.

In both the United States and in our foreign markets, our operations are affected by extensive laws, governmental regulations, administrative determinations, court decisions and similar constraints.  Such laws, regulations and other constraints exist at the federal, state and local levels in the United States and at analogous levels of government in foreign jurisdictions.

The formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, distribution, importation, marketing, sale and storage of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the FDA, the FTC, the CPSC, the EPA, and by various agencies of the states, localities and foreign countries in which our products are manufactured, distributed, stored and sold. The FDC Act and FDA regulations require that the manufacturing processes of our third-party manufacturers must also comply with the FDA’s GMPs.  The FDA inspects our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers periodically to determine if we and our third-party manufacturers are complying with GMPs.  A history of general compliance in the past is not a guarantee that future GMPs will not mandate other compliance steps and associated expense.

If we or our third-party manufacturers or distributors fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could become subject to enforcement actions, significant penalties or claims, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results from operations.  In addition, we could be required to:

The adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretations of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs or the cessation of product sales and may adversely affect the marketing of our products, of revenues which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

In addition, we could be required for a variety of reasons to initiate product recalls, which we have recently done on several occasions. Any product recalls could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

In addition, our failure to comply with FTC or any other federal and state regulations, or with similar regulations in foreign markets, that cover our product claims and advertising, including direct claims and advertising by us, may result in enforcement actions and imposition of penalties, litigation by private parties, or otherwise materially adversely affect the distribution and sale of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

Product liability claims and product recalls and related negative publicity could adversely affect our sales and operating results.

From time to time we are subjected to various product liability claims.  Claims could be based on allegations that, among other things, our products contain contaminants, include inadequate instructions or warnings regarding their use or include inadequate warnings concerning side effects and interactions with other substances.  Any product liability claims may result in negative publicity that may adversely affect our business, sales and operating results.  Additionally, we may be required to pay for losses or injuries purportedly caused by our products. Also, if one of our products is found to be defective, we may be required to recall it, which we have done on several recent occasions.  Recalls may result in substantial costs and negative publicity, as well as negatively impact inventory levels, which may adversely affect our business, sales and operating results.  

We are dependent on consumers’ perception of the safety and quality of our products. Negative consumer perception may arise from product liability claims and product recalls, regardless of whether such claims or recalls involve us or our products. The mere publication of information asserting concerns about the safety of our products or the ingredients used in our products could have a material adverse effect on our business and results from operations. For example, several of our products contain the active ingredient acetaminophen, which is a pain reliever and fever reducer. Products containing acetaminophen have been the subject of recent negative publicity. We believe our products are safe and effective when used in accordance with label directions. However, adverse publicity about acetaminophen or other ingredients used in our products may discourage consumers from buying our products containing those ingredients, which would have an adverse impact on our sales.

In addition, although we maintain, and require our suppliers and third-party manufacturers to maintain, product liability insurance coverage, potential product liability claims may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or may be excluded under the terms of the policy, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations.  In addition, in the future we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage or we may be required to pay higher premiums and accept higher deductibles in order to secure adequate insurance coverage.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our ability to compete effectively in the market for our products could be negatively impacted.

The market for our products depends to a significant extent upon the goodwill associated with our trademarks, trade names and patents.  Our trademarks and trade names convey that the products we sell are “brand name” products.  We believe consumers ascribe value to our brands, some of which are over 100 years old.  We own or license the material trademarks, trade names and patents used in connection with the packaging, marketing and sale of our products.  These rights prevent our competitors or new entrants to the market from using our valuable brand names and technologies.  Therefore, trademark, trade name and patent protection is critical to our business.  Although most of our material intellectual property is registered in the United States and in

applicable foreign countries, we may not be successful in asserting protection.  If we were to lose the exclusive right to use one or more of our intellectual property rights, the loss of such exclusive right could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.

In addition, other parties may infringe on our intellectual property rights and may thereby dilute the value of our brands in the marketplace.  Brand dilution could cause confusion in the marketplace and adversely affect the value that consumers associate with our brands, which could negatively impact our sales.  In addition, third parties may assert claims against our intellectual property rights, and we may not be able to successfully resolve those claims, which would cause us to lose the right to use the intellectual property subject to those claims.  Such loss could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations.  Furthermore, from time to time, we may be involved in litigation in which we are enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights, which could require us to incur substantial fees and expenses and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results from operations.

 

We license certain of our trademarks to third party licensees, who are bound by their respective license agreements to protect our trademarks from infringement and adhere to defined quality requirements.  If a licensee of our trademarks fails to adhere to the contractually defined quality requirements, our business and financial results could be negatively impacted if one of our brands suffers a substantial impairment to its reputation due to real or perceived quality issues.  Further, if a licensee fails to protect one of our licensed trademarks from infringement, we might be required to take action, which could require us to incur substantial fees and expenses.

Virtually all of our assets consist of goodwill and intangibles and are subject to impairment risk.

As our financial statements indicate, virtually all of our assets consist of goodwill and intangibles, principally the trademarks, trade names and patents that we have acquired.  We recorded charges in 2010 and 2009 for impairment of certain assets and in the event that the value of those assets become further impaired or our financial condition is materially adversely affected in any way, we would not have tangible assets that could be sold to repay our liabilities.  As a result, our creditors and investors may not be able to recoup the amount of the indebtedness that they have extended to us or the amount they have invested in us.

We depend on third parties for intellectual property relating to some of the products we sell, and our inability to maintain or enter into future license agreements may result in our failure to meet customer demand, which would adversely affect our operating results.

We have licenses or manufacturing agreements with third parties that own intellectual property (e.g., formulae, copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, patents and other technology) used in the manufacture and sale of certain of our products.  In the event that any such license or manufacturing agreement expires or is otherwise terminated, we will lose the right to use the intellectual property covered by such license or agreement and will have to develop or obtain rights to use other intellectual property.  Similarly, our rights could be reduced if the applicable licensor or third-party manufacturer fails to maintain or protect the licensed intellectual property because, in such event, our competitors could obtain the right to use the intellectual property without restriction.  If this were to occur, we might not be able to develop or obtain replacement intellectual property in a timely or cost effective manner.  Additionally, any modified products may not be well-received by customers.  The consequences of losing the right to use or having reduced rights to such intellectual property could negatively impact our sales due to our failure to meet consumer demand for the affected products or require us to incur costs for development of new or different intellectual property, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations.  In addition, development of replacement products may be time-consuming and ultimately may not be feasible.

We depend on our key personnel, and the loss of the services provided by any of our executive officers or other key employees could harm our business and results of operations.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our senior management, many of whom would be difficult to replace.  These employees may voluntarily terminate their employment with us at any time.  We may not be able to successfully retain existing personnel or identify, hire and integrate new personnel.  While we believe we have developed depth and experience among our key personnel, our business may be adversely affected if one or more of these key individuals were to leave.  We do not maintain any key-man or similar insurance policies covering any of our senior management or key personnel.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition, and the significant amount of cash we need to service our debt will not be available to reinvest in our business.

Our indebtedness could:

The terms of the indentures governing the 2012 Senior Notes and the 2013 Senior Notes, and the credit agreement governing the 2012 Term Loan and 2012 ABL Revolver, allow us to issue and incur additional debt only upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in those respective agreements.  If new debt is added to current debt levels, the related risks described above could increase.

Our operating flexibility is limited in significant respects by the restrictive covenants in our senior credit facility and the indentures governing our senior notes.

 

Our senior credit facility and the indentures governing our senior notes impose restrictions that could impede our ability to enter into certain corporate transactions, as well as increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, by limiting our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in our business and industry.  These restrictions limit our ability to, among other things:

Our ability to engage in these types of transactions is generally limited by the terms of the senior credit facility and the indentures governing the senior notes, even if we believe that a specific transaction would positively contribute to our future growth, operating results or profitability.  

In addition, our senior credit facility requires us to maintain certain leverage, interest coverage and fixed charge ratios.  Although we believe we can continue to meet and/or maintain the financial covenants contained in our credit agreement, our ability to do so may be affected by events outside our control.  Covenants in our senior credit facility also require us to use 100% of the proceeds

we receive from debt issuances to repay outstanding borrowings under our senior credit facility.  Any failure by us to comply with the terms and conditions of the credit agreement and the indentures governing the senior notes could result in an event of default, which may allow our creditors to accelerate our debt and therefore have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

The senior credit facility and the indentures governing the senior notes contain cross-default provisions that could result in the acceleration of all of our indebtedness.

Any failure to comply with the restrictions of the senior credit facility, the indentures governing the senior notes or any other subsequent financing agreements may result in an event of default.  Such default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt, as well as any other debt to which the cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions apply.  In addition, the lenders may be able to terminate any commitments they had made to supply us with additional funding.  As a result, any default by us under our credit agreement, indentures governing the senior notes or any other financing agreement could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is subject to the risk of, and from time to time in the ordinary course of business we are involved in, litigation by employees, customers, consumers, suppliers, stockholders or others through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions or other litigation.  The outcome of litigation, particularly class action lawsuits and regulatory actions, is difficult to assess or quantify.  Plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of the potential loss relating to such lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time.  The cost to defend current and future litigation may be significant.  There may also be adverse publicity associated with litigation that could decrease customer acceptance of our products, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable.  Conversely, we may be required to initiate litigation against others to protect the value of our intellectual property and the related goodwill or enforce an agreement or contract that has been breached.  These matters are extremely time consuming and expensive, but may be necessary to protect our assets and realize the benefits of the agreements and contracts that we have negotiated.  As a result, litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The trading price of our common stock may be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations in response to several factors, some of which are beyond our control, including (i) general stock market volatility, (ii) variations in our quarterly operating results, (iii) our leveraged financial position, (iv) potential sales of additional shares of our common stock, (v) perceptions associated with the identification of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, (vi) general trends in the consumer products industry, (vii) changes by securities analysts in their estimates or investment ratings, (viii) the relative illiquidity of our common stock, (ix) voluntary withdrawal or recall of products, (x) news regarding litigation in which we are or become involved, and (xi) general marketplace conditions brought on by economic recession.

We have no current intention of paying dividends to holders of our common stock.

We presently intend to retain our earnings, if any, for use in our operations, to facilitate strategic acquisitions, or to repay our outstanding indebtedness and have no current intention of paying dividends to holders of our common stock.  In addition, our debt instruments limit our ability to declare and pay cash dividends on our common stock.  As a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in our common stock will be if the market price of our common stock appreciates and you sell your shares at a profit.

Our annual and quarterly results from operations may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in the price of our securities.

Our annual and quarterly results from operations may fluctuate significantly because of numerous factors, including:

Our quarterly operating results and revenues may fluctuate as a result of any of these or other factors. Accordingly, results for any one quarter are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other quarter or for any year, and revenues for any particular future period may decrease.  In the future, operating results may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors.  In that event, the market price of our outstanding securities could be adversely impacted.

We can be adversely affected by the implementation of new, or changes in the interpretation of existing, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

Our financial reporting complies with GAAP, which is subject to change over time.  If new rules or interpretations of existing rules require us to change our financial reporting, our financial condition and results from operations could be adversely affected.

Identification of a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting may adversely affect our financial results.

We are subject to the ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the regulations promulgated thereunder.  Those provisions provide for the identification and reporting of material weaknesses in our system of internal controls over financial reporting.  If such a material weakness is identified, it could indicate a lack of controls adequate to generate accurate financial statements.  We routinely assess our internal controls over financial reporting, but we cannot assure you that we will be able to timely remediate any material weaknesses that may be identified in future periods, or maintain all of the controls necessary for continued compliance.  Likewise, we cannot assure you that we will be able to retain sufficient skilled finance and accounting personnel, especially in light of the increased demand for such personnel among publicly-traded companies.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may discourage potential acquirers of our company, which could adversely affect the value of our securities.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our Board of Directors is authorized to issue from time to time, without further stockholder approval, up to five million shares of preferred stock in one or more series of preferred stock issuances.  Our Board of Directors may establish the number of shares to be included in each series of preferred stock and determine, as applicable, the voting and other powers, designations, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions for such series of preferred stock.  The shares of preferred stock could have preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and liquidation rights.  We may issue additional preferred stock in ways which may delay, defer or prevent a change in control of the Company without further action by our stockholders.  The shares of preferred stock may be issued with voting rights that may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock by increasing the number of outstanding shares having voting rights, and by the creation of class or series voting rights.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, contains additional provisions that may have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire or attempt to acquire control of our company.  In addition, we are subject to certain provisions of Delaware law that limit, in some cases, our ability to engage in certain business combinations with significant stockholders.

These provisions, either alone, or in combination with each other, give our current directors and executive officers the ability to significantly influence the outcome of a proposed acquisition of the Company.  These provisions would apply even if an acquisition or other significant corporate transaction was considered beneficial by some of our stockholders.  If a change in control or change in management is delayed or prevented by these provisions, the market price of our outstanding securities could be adversely impacted.

Increased IT security threats and more sophisticated computer crime, including advanced persistent threats, pose a potential risk to the security of our IT systems, networks, and services, as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data.  If the IT systems, networks, or service providers we rely upon fail to function properly, or if we suffer a loss or disclosure of business or stakeholder information, due to any number of causes, ranging from catastrophic events to power outages to security breaches, and our business continuity plans do not effectively address these failures on a timely basis, we may suffer interruptions in our ability to manage operations and reputational, competitive and/or business harm, which may adversely impact our results of operations and/or financial condition.

Our information technology systems may be susceptible to disruptions.

We utilize information technology systems to improve the effectiveness of our operations and support our business including systems to support financial reporting and an enterprise resource planning system. During post-production and future enterprise resource planning phases, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies and other business disruptions that could lead to the loss of revenue or inaccuracies in our financial information. The occurrence of these or other challenges could disrupt our information technology systems and adversely affect our operations.

Changes in our provision for income taxes or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income tax returns could adversely affect our results.

Our provision for income taxes is subject to volatility and could be adversely affected by several factors, some of which are outside of our control, including:

Significant judgment is required to determine the recognition and measurement attribute prescribed in FASB ASC 740. As a multinational corporation, we conduct our business in many countries and are subject to taxation in many jurisdictions. The taxation of our business is subject to the application of multiple and sometimes conflicting tax laws and regulations as well as multinational tax conventions. Our effective tax rate is dependent upon the availability of tax credits and carryforwards. The application of tax laws and regulations is subject to legal and factual interpretation, judgment and uncertainty. Tax laws themselves are subject to change as a result of changes in fiscal policy, changes in legislation, and the evolution of regulations and court rulings. Consequently, taxing authorities may impose tax assessments or judgments against us that could materially impact our tax liability and/or our effective income tax rate.

In addition, we may be subject to examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. If tax authorities challenge the relative mix of our U.S. and international income, or successfully assert the jurisdiction to tax our earnings, our future effective income tax rates could be adversely affected.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

None.

 

                    

Our corporate headquarters is located in Tarrytown, New York, a suburb of New York City.  Primary functions performed at the Tarrytown facility include senior management, marketing, sales, operations, quality control and regulatory affairs, finance and legal.  We believe our Tarrytown facility is adequate for these functions, and the lease expires on March 31, 2018.  We also have an administrative center in Jackson, Wyoming, which we also believe is adequate for our needs there.  Primary functions performed at the Jackson facility include back office functions, such as invoicing, credit and collection, general ledger and customer service.  The lease on the Jackson facility expires on December 31, 2014; however, we have the option to renew the lease on an annual basis. All of our facilities serve the OTC Healthcare and Household Cleaning segments.

  

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are involved from time to time in routine legal matters and other claims incidental to our business.  We review outstanding claims and proceedings internally and with external counsel as necessary to assess probability and amount of potential loss.  These assessments are re-evaluated at each reporting period and as new information becomes available to determine whether a reserve should be established or if any existing reserve should be adjusted.  The actual cost of resolving a claim or proceeding ultimately may be substantially different than the amount of the recorded reserve.  In addition, because it is not permissible under GAAP to establish a litigation reserve until the loss is both probable and estimable, in some cases there may be insufficient time to establish a reserve prior to the actual incurrence of the loss (upon verdict and judgment at trial, for example, or in the case of a quickly negotiated settlement).  We believe the resolution of routine matters and other incidental claims, taking our reserves into account, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results from operations.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Part II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “PBH.”  The high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by the NYSE for the two most recently completed fiscal years on a quarterly basis and the current year through April 30, 2014 are as follows:

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

There were no equity securities sold by us during the years ended March 31, 2014, 2013, or 2012 that were not registered under the Securities Act.

There were no purchases of shares of our common stock made during the quarter ended March 31, 2014, by or on behalf of us or any “affiliated purchaser,” as defined by Rule 10b-18(a)(3) of the Exchange Act.

Holders

Dividend Policy

Common Stock

We have not in the past paid, and do not expect for the foreseeable future to pay, cash dividends on our common stock.  Instead, we anticipate that all of our earnings in the foreseeable future will be used in our operations, to facilitate strategic acquisitions, or to pay down our outstanding indebtedness.  Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on, among other factors, our results from operations, financial condition, capital requirements and contractual restrictions limiting our ability to declare and pay cash dividends, including restrictions under our 2012 Term Loan and the indentures governing our senior notes, and any other considerations our Board of Directors deems relevant.

Adjustments to Executive Compensation

Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following graph (“Performance Graph”) compares our cumulative total stockholder return since March 31, 2009, with the cumulative total stockholder return for the Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 Index, the Russell 2000 Index and our peer group index. The Company is included in each of the Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000 Index.  The Performance Graph assumes that the value of the investment in the Company’s common stock and each index was $100.00 on March 31, 2009.  The Performance Graph was also prepared based on the assumption that all dividends paid, if any, were reinvested.  The peer group index was established in 2013 by the Company in connection with research regarding improvements to our executive compensation program in light of the significant recent growth of the Company.  Based on the Company’s use of the peer group for executive compensation benchmarking purposes, we believe the peer group should be included in the Performance Graph.

The Performance Graph shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference this Annual Report on Form 10-K into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such Acts.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

                   

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the “Selected Financial Data” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  This discussion and analysis may contain forward-looking statements that involve certain risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or described by the forward-looking statements.  Future results could differ materially from the discussion that follows for many reasons, including the factors described in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as those described in future reports filed with the SEC.

General

We are engaged in the marketing, sales and distribution of brand name OTC healthcare and household cleaning products to mass merchandisers, drug stores, supermarkets and dollar and club stores primarily in the United States and Canada.  We use the strength of our brands, our established retail distribution network, a low-cost operating model, and our experienced management team as a competitive advantage to grow our presence in these categories and, as a result, grow our sales and profits.

We have grown our brand portfolio both organically and through acquisitions. We develop our existing brands by investing in new product lines, brand extensions and strong advertising support. Acquisitions of OTC brands have also been an important part of our growth strategy. We have acquired strong and well-recognized brands from consumer products and pharmaceutical companies. While many of these brands have long histories of brand development and investment, we believe that, at the time we acquired them, most were considered “non-core” by their previous owners. As a result, these acquired brands did not benefit from adequate management focus and marketing support during the period prior to their acquisition, which created significant opportunities for us to reinvigorate these brands and improve their performance post-acquisition. After adding a core brand to our portfolio, we seek to increase its sales, market share and distribution in both existing and new channels through our established retail distribution network.  We pursue this growth through increased spending on advertising and promotional support, new sales and marketing strategies, improved packaging and formulations, and innovative development of brand extensions.

Acquisitions

On July 1, 2013, we completed the acquisition of Care Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd. (“Care Pharma”), which was funded through a combination of our existing senior secured credit facility and cash on hand.

We prepared an analysis of the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the date of acquisition. The following table summarizes our preliminary allocation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the July 1, 2013 acquisition date.

The pro-forma effect of this acquisition on revenues and earnings was not material.

On December 20, 2011, we entered into two separate agreements with GSK to acquire a total of 17 North American OTC Healthcare brands for $660.0 million in cash (the "GSK Agreement").

Both the GSK Brands I and GSK Brands II are complementary to our existing OTC healthcare portfolio.

These acquisitions were also accounted for in accordance with the Business Combinations topic of the FASB ASC 805.

Concurrent with the closing of the GSK Brands I transaction, we entered into a Transitional Services Agreement with GSK (the “TSA”), whereby GSK provided us with various services including marketing, operations, finance and other services from the GSK Brands I acquisition date through June 30, 2012, with additional finance support through August 31, 2012. As part of the TSA, GSK, among other things, shipped products, invoiced customers, collected from customers and paid certain vendors on our behalf. Our initial costs under the TSA were approximately $2.5 million per month for the length of the agreement and were reduced during the service period as we removed certain services and transitioned those processes to us. We incurred $6.9 million in TSA costs for the year ended March 31, 2013. Pursuant to the TSA, we received on a monthly basis the amount owed to us for revenues and expenses, net of GSK's TSA fees and inventory that GSK purchased on our behalf.

Transaction and other costs of $13.8 million associated with the GSK Brands acquisition are included in general and administrative expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for 2012.

The operating results of the GSK Brands I have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements from February 1, 2012, while the operating results of the GSK Brands II are included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning April 1, 2012.

The following table presents the assets sold at October 31, 2012 related to the Phazyme brand:

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our significant accounting policies are described in the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  While all significant accounting policies are important to our Consolidated Financial Statements, certain of these policies may be viewed as being critical.  Such policies are those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results from operations and require our most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses or the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  These estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances.  Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. The most critical accounting policies are as follows:

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when the following revenue recognition criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) the selling price is fixed or determinable; (iii) the product has been shipped and the customer takes ownership and assumes the risk of loss; and (iv) collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured.  We have determined that these criteria are met and the transfer of risk of loss generally occurs when product is received by the customer, and, accordingly we recognize revenue at that time.  Provision is made for estimated discounts related to customer payment terms and estimated product returns at the time of sale based on our historical experience.

Allowances for Product Returns

Due to the nature of the consumer products industry, we are required to estimate future product returns.  Accordingly, we record an estimate of product returns concurrent with the recording of sales.  Such estimates are made after analyzing (i) historical return

rates, (ii) current economic trends, (iii) changes in customer demand, (iv) product acceptance, (v) seasonality of our product offerings, and (vi) the impact of changes in product formulation, packaging and advertising.

Lower of Cost or Market for Obsolete and Damaged Inventory

We value our inventory at the lower of cost or market value.  Accordingly, we reduce our inventories for the diminution of value resulting from product obsolescence, damage or other issues affecting marketability, equal to the difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated market value.  Factors utilized in the determination of estimated market value include (i) current sales data and historical return rates, (ii) estimates of future demand, (iii) competitive pricing pressures, (iv) new product introductions, (v) product expiration dates, and (vi) component and packaging obsolescence.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

In the ordinary course of business, we grant non-interest bearing trade credit to our customers on normal credit terms.  We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, which is based upon our historical collection experience and expected collectability of the accounts receivable.  In an effort to reduce our credit risk, we (i) establish credit limits for all of our customer relationships, (ii) perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition, (iii) monitor the payment history and aging of our customers’ receivables, and (iv) monitor open orders against an individual customer’s outstanding receivable balance.

While management believes that it is diligent in its evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts, an unexpected event, such as the bankruptcy filing of a major customer, could have an adverse effect on our financial results.  A hypothetical increase of 0.1% in our bad debt expense as a percentage of net sales in 2014 would have resulted in a decrease of less than $0.1 million in reported operating income and reported net income.