Lakeland Sees Brazil Operating Loss, Impairment Charge; Stock Down 23% - InvestingChannel

Lakeland Sees Brazil Operating Loss, Impairment Charge; Stock Down 23%

Lakeland Industries Inc. (LAKE: Quote), a maker of industrial protective clothing, said Monday that it expects to report an operating loss in Brazil in the fourth quarter ended January 2013, owing to lower-than-expected sales in that region.

The company also said it has recorded an impairment charge at its Brazil subsidiary at year end, and warned of a potential default on bank line of credit with TD Bank.

Following the news, shares of the company plunged more than 23 percent in after-hours trade on the Nasdaq.

In view of the recent operating losses in Brazil, the company determined that the carrying amount of the goodwill related to its Brazil subsidiary exceeded its fair value. Accordingly, the company recorded an impairment charge at year end against the goodwill and intangible assets of $9.8 million.

Further, the company believes it is more likely that the net deferred tax assets related to taxes in Brazil will not be fully realizable, and as a result, has provided for a full valuation allowance of $1.5 million against its net deferred tax assets in Brazil at January 2013.

The aforesaid items will mean a combined charge of $11.5 million and the net effect on stockholder equity will be $9.7 million, net of the $1.8 million reclassification from ‘other comprehensive income’ to reflect the cumulative adjustments previously made resulting from exchange rate differences, the company said.

Such losses and impairment charge will potentially result in the company’s being in default with its TD Bank facility, the company said, adding that is in talks with with the bank to resolve the issue.

The company also stated that it is planning several steps to strengthen its sales effort in Brazil by reorganizing the current sales force to focus less on very large government contracts, and seeking new sales partners and distributors.

With the exception of Brazil, company-wide revenue continues to improve, with very strong revenue growth in most overseas markets, and a continued rebound in the United States from the loss of DuPont products in FY2012, the company said.

Lakeland Industries stock closed Monday at $4.957, down 0.26%. In after hours, the stock dropped $1.157 or 23.14%.

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by RTT Staff Writer

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