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North Pittsburgh Systems, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2006 Earnings.


GIBSONIA, Pa. -- North Pittsburgh Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ
 in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on
:NPSI NPSI North Pittsburgh Systems (stock symbol)
NPSI NCP (Network Control Program) Packet Switching Interface
NPSI National Playground Safety Institute
NPSI American National Straight Intermediate Pipe Thread
) today announced net income of $4,595,000, or $.31 per share, on operating revenues operating revenue

Revenue from any regular source. Revenue from sales is adjusted for discounts and returns when calculating operating revenue. Compare other revenue.
 of $25,408,000 for the third quarter of 2006. This compares to net income of $5,035,000, or $.34 per share, on operating revenues of $27,081,000 for the comparable period last year. NPSI's President, Harry R. Brown, stated that the decrease in net income was attributable primarily to the decrease in revenues described in more detail below, partially offset by a decrease in depreciation expense, an increase in earnings recorded from the Company's investments in three wireless partnerships and an increase in income recorded from the Company's temporary investments.

Mr. Brown reported that operating revenues decreased $1,673,000, or 6.2%, during third quarter 2006 as compared to the third quarter 2005. He noted that the decrease in revenues was attributable to several sources, including a $307,000 decline in revenue generated from Primary Rate Interface circuits provisioned to Internet Service Providers Internet service provider (ISP)

Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password.
, a $1,016,000 decrease in access revenues, mostly due to a decrease in overall access minutes of use on the Company's network and unfavorable changes in the National Exchange Carrier Association average schedule formulas applicable to the Company's Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier ILEC, short for incumbent local exchange carrier, is a local telephone company in the United States that was in existence at the time of the break up of AT&T into the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) also known as the "Baby Bells".  (ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) A traditional local telephone company such as one of the Regional Bell companies (RBOCs). Contrast with CLEC. See ELEC and TELRIC. ), and a $437,000 decrease in toll revenues. These revenue decreases were partially offset by the Company's ability to continue to penetrate its Competitive Local Exchange Carrier's (CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) An organization offering local telephone service that is not one of the traditional telephone companies. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed competition to the incumbent telcos (ILECs), enabling new companies (CLECs) ) edge-out markets and to the further expansion of broadband service See broadband and broadband service provider.  offerings.

Operating expenses Operating expenses

The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted.
 for third quarter 2006 decreased $229,000, or 1.1%, from the comparable prior year period. Mr. Brown noted that depreciation expense decreased $1,610,000, mainly as a result of a decrease in depreciation expense associated with certain ILEC assets whose useful lives the Company in October 2005 reevaluated and extended. The decrease in depreciation expense was partially offset by increases in the direct costs associated with the growth in access lines in the Company's CLEC edge-out markets and fees paid to terminate the increased local, toll and Internet traffic Internet traffic is the flow of data around the Internet. It includes web traffic, which is the amount of that data that is related to the World Wide Web, along with the traffic from other major uses of the Internet, such as electronic mail and peer-to-peer networks.  generated by the Company's customer base. In addition, combined labor and benefit expenses increased approximately $365,000 over the prior year third quarter, and operational support system expenses increased by approximately $125,000 in conjunction with the Company migrating to a new billing system at one of its subsidiaries.

Other income (net) for the third quarter of 2006 improved $702,000 from the prior year period due principally to a $458,000 increase in equity income recorded from the Company's partnership investments (which consist primarily of limited partner interests in three wireless partnerships). The Company also benefited from a $247,000 increase in interest income earned from higher interest rates on higher average balances of invested cash and a $52,000 decrease in interest expense resulting from continued debt reduction.

For the first nine months of 2006, net income increased $10,396,000, or 64.2%, to $26,579,000 from $16,183,000 for the first nine months of 2005, and earnings per share amounted to $1.77 as compared to $1.08 for the first nine months of 2005. For the first nine months of 2006, operating revenues decreased $5,204,000, or 6.3%, while operating expenses decreased $674,000, or 1.1%, and Other income (net) increased $22,335,000, as compared to the first nine months of 2005. Many of the factors described above in the third quarter analysis, and also non-routine items described below, contributed to the change in net income for the first nine months of 2006.

Mr. Brown noted that significant items that were not routine in nature impacted the year-to-date results. During the second quarter of 2006, the Company's North Pittsburgh Telephone Company subsidiary received a payment of $19,622,000 from the Rural Telephone Bank (RTB RTB Return(ed) to Base
RTB Reasons to Believe (website)
RTB Reasons to Believe (Pasadena, CA)
RTB Right to Buy (UK home buying) 
) for the redemption of its RTB stock and recognized a gain on the full amount of the proceeds received, which, on an after tax basis, contributed $11,479,000, or $.76 per share, to the net income recorded during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006. In addition, during 2005, the Company conducted a comprehensive review of the useful life estimates of certain categories of its ILEC's telephone assets. Pursuant to that review, effective October 1, 2005, the Company increased its useful life estimates for certain of those assets in order to more closely align align (līn),
v to move the teeth into their proper positions to conform to the line of occlusion.
 the remaining depreciable depreciable

Of, relating to, or being a long-term tangible asset that is subject to depreciation.
 lives of these assets with their true economic lives. These changes in useful life estimates had the impact of decreasing the Company's depreciation expense for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006 by approximately $3,322,000 ($1,944,000 after tax, or $.13 per share) from the amount which would have been recorded if there had been no change in the estimated useful lives of these assets. With respect to the prior year period, the second quarter of 2005 was favorably fa·vor·a·ble  
adj.
1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds.

2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis.

3.
 impacted by a settlement agreement reached with a carrier. The $2,404,000 settlement, which covered the exchange of traffic between the Company's ILEC and the carrier over a multi-year period of time, resulted in a $1,604,000 increase in revenues and an $800,000 decrease in operating expenses; on an after tax basis, the settlement contributed $1,406,000, or $.09 per share, to the net income recorded during the nine-month period ended September 30, 2005.

Turning to operations, Mr. Brown reported that as of September 30, 2006, the Company had a total of 66,347 access lines in its ILEC territory, 63,723 CLEC access line equivalents (including 2,349 DSL DSL
 in full Digital Subscriber Line

Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary
 subscribers) and a total of 15,389 DSL subscribers across all subsidiaries. He stated that with the introduction during 2006 of telephony competition from the two main cable companies whose service areas overlap the majority of the Company's ILEC territory, ILEC access line losses have accelerated; the Company experienced a 6.6% decrease in access lines in its ILEC territory during the twelve-month period ended September 30, 2006. He noted that, in contrast, total CLEC access line equivalents and consolidated DSL subscribers had grown 4.8% and 12.4%, respectively, over that same twelve-month period.

Mr. Brown concluded his remarks by commenting that November 1, 2006 marked a very important date in the Company's history, the 100th year anniversary of North Pittsburgh Telephone Company's incorporation. He stated that although so much has changed during the past century, one core principle has not: our commitment to a simple goal of providing the best possible products and services to the customers and communities that the Company serves.

North Pittsburgh Systems, Inc. has total assets of $158 million and operates an integrated high-technology telecommunications Communicating information, including data, text, pictures, voice and video over long distance. See communications.  business in Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States.

Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area of about 2.4 million people, and is the cultural center for Western Pennsylvania.
 providing competitive and local exchange, long distance and Internet services through its subsidiaries, North Pittsburgh Telephone Company, Penn Telecom, Inc. and Pinnatech, Inc. (Nauticom).

In addition to historical information, this information may contain forward-looking statements forward-looking statement

A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections.
 regarding events, performance, financial trends and accounting policies that may affect the Company's future operating results, financial position or cash flows. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and estimates and involve risks and uncertainties. Various factors could affect future results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: a change in economic conditions; government and regulatory policies (at both the federal and state levels); unanticipated higher capital spending capital spending

Spending for long-term assets such as factories, equipment, machinery, and buildings that permits the production of more goods and services in future years.
 for, or delays in, the deployment of new technologies; the pricing and availability of equipment, materials and inventories; changes in the competitive environment; and the Company's ability to continue to penetrate its edge-out markets. This information should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the most recent of which is the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q

See 10-Q.
 for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2006.
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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Nov 9, 2006
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