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Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

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FY2018 Annual Report · Comtech Telecommunications Corp.
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COMTECH

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.

ANNUAL
REPORT

Connections That Matter®

 20
18

Leadership 
in growing 
markets
Comtech is focused on 
markets that are highly 
dependent on secure, 
advanced communications 
technologies.

•  Satellite-Based Communications

•  Public Safety & Next Generation 911

•  Enterprise & Trusted Location Platforms

•  Command & Control (C4ISR) Solutions

•  RF Power & Switching Technologies

•  Troposcatter Technologies

Commercial Solutions Segment

Our  Commercial  Solutions  segment  serves  commercial  
customers and smaller government customers, such as state 
and  local  governments,  that  require  advanced  communication  
technologies to meet their needs.  This segment also serves  
certain  large  government  customers  (including  the  U.S. 
government)  that  have  requirements  for  off-the-shelf  
commercial equipment. Our satellite-based communication 
technologies,  products  and  services  are  used  in  a  wide  
variety of commercial and government applications including 
the backhaul of satellite-based cellular traffic, broadcasting 
(including HDTV and 4K), in-flight connectivity, IP trunking  
solutions  and  premium  enterprise  services.  Our  offerings  
also  include  public  safety  and  security  technologies,  
such  as  Next  Generation  (“NG”)  911,  wireless/Voice  over 
Internet  Protocol  (“VoIP”)  and  Text  to  911,  and  NG911 
Emergency  Services  IP  Networks  (“ESInet”)  services.  Our 
enterprise  technologies  include  location-based  technology 
such  as  Trusted  LocationTM,  Look4TM,  Indoor  Location  and 
text messaging platforms. We have developed a wide range 
of  commercial  solutions  to  help  address  mapping,  routing 
and  geolocation  to  help  reduce  cybercrime  and  fraud,  as 
well as enhance public safety.  Our text messaging platforms 
are  used  by  wireless  carriers  to  provide  Short-Messaging 
Service  (“SMS”)  to  their  end-customers  and  are  also  used 
to  communicate  with  911  public  safety  answering  points 
(“PSAPs”).

Government Solutions Segment 

support 

services 

Our Government Solutions segment serves large government 
end-users  (including  those  of  foreign  countries)  that 
require mission-critical technologies and systems. We are  
a  leading  provider  of  command  and  control  C4ISR  
technologies  and  applications  (such  as  the  design,  
installation  and  operation  of  data  networks  that  integrate 
computing  and  communications,  including  both  satellite  
and  terrestrial  links),  ongoing  network  operation  and  
management 
(including  project  
management  and  fielding  and  maintenance  solutions 
related  to  satellite  ground  terminals),  troposcatter  
communications (such as digital troposcatter multiplexers, 
digital over-the-horizon modems, troposcatter systems, and 
frequency converter systems) and RF power and switching 
technologies  (such  as  solid-state  high-power  broadband 
amplifiers,  enhanced  position  location  reporting  system 
(commonly  known  as  “EPLRS”)  amplifier  assemblies,  
identification  friend  or  foe  (“IFF”)  amplifiers,  and  
amplifiers used in the counteraction of improvised explosive 
devices). Other offerings include our cybersecurity training 
solutions to produce certified cyber professionals.

FISCAL 2018 REVENUE BY SEGMENT

39.5%

60.5%

Commercial Solutions
Government Solutions

FISCAL 2018 REVENUE BY CUSTOMER

35.5%

25.6%

38.9%

Domestic

International

U.S. Government

1

TO OUR FELLOW SHAREHOLDERS:

By several measures, fiscal 2018 was a very successful and 
important year for Comtech.  We delivered strong operating 
results, generating consolidated: 

  •  Net sales of $570.6 million;
  •  Operating income of $35.1 million;
  •  Net income of $29.8 million; 
  •  Cash flows from operating activities of $50.3 million; and 
  •  Adjusted  EBITDA  (a  Non-GAAP  financial  measure)  
    of $78.4 million.

In  almost  every  respect,  fiscal  2018  exceeded  our  
expectations and I could not be more pleased with our results 
and growth prospects.

I believe that fiscal 2019 will be even better. 

As we enter fiscal 2019, we have strong business momentum 
in both our Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions 
segments and business activity continues to be at the highest  
level  it  has  been  in  several  years.  New  orders,  or  what  we 
refer to as bookings, during fiscal 2018 were $755.1 million, 
which  translates  into  a  full  year  consolidated  book-to-bill 
ratio of 1.32. This level of bookings was truly impressive. We 
enter fiscal 2019 with a record high consolidated backlog of 
$630.7 million and I believe both our business segments are 
poised for profitable growth.  

Commercial Solutions 
Our largest product line in this segment consists of satellite 
communications  networks  and  products,  such  as  satellite 
modems,  up-and-down  frequency  converters  and  solid-state 
and  traveling  wave  tube  power  amplifiers.  We  believe  that 
we  continue  to  be  the  undisputed  leader  in  single  channel 
per  carrier,  or  SCPC,  satellite  earth  station  modems  due  to 
our ability to deliver the most bandwidth-efficient products. 
We do not take this leading position lightly. We continue to 
invest in research and development to expand and grow our 
addressable markets. For example, our HEIGHTSTM solutions 
which  experienced  a  meaningful  sales  increase  in  fiscal 
2018 is intended to not only meet the demands of tradition-
al stationary GEO satellite systems, but also provide distinct 
advantages  for  those  system  users  considering  migrating  to 
high throughput GEO satellites (“HTS”), and MEO and LEO 
satellite systems. Our pipeline of opportunities is growing as 
we continue to seed and invest in this market, which is much 
larger than our traditional SCPC market. 

The  U.S.  government  continues  to  be  a  key  customer  for 
our  satellite  ground  station  products.  In  fiscal  2018,  we 
were  awarded  a  multi-year  follow  on  contract  with  a  poten-
tial value of up to $19.1 million to provide the U.S. Navy’s 
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command with Advanced 
Time Division Multiple Access Interface Processor, or ATIP, 
production terminals. 

2

We  also  received  a  $59.0  million  multi-year  contract  
award from the U.S. Navy to purchase our SLM-5650B 
satellite  modems,  upgrade  kits  and  related  services.  
Although timing for U.S. government orders are generally  
difficult  to  predict,  we  are  optimistic  that  we  will 
receive  and  ship  additional  orders  for  this  equipment  
in  fiscal  2019,  as  there  are  over  eight-hundred  
older  generation  modems  currently  utilized  by  multiple 
Navy programs.

On the safety and security technologies side, our solutions  
include  911  Call  Routing  for  wireless,  Voice-Over-
Internet and Next Generation 911 (“NG911”) networks 
for  state  and  local  public  safety  operations.  For  more 
than 15 years, we have continuously provided solutions 
that  enable  the  successful  handling  of  over  millions  of 
911 calls and texts each month. In fiscal 2018, we were 
awarded a contract valued at $134.0 million to provide 
safety and security technology solutions to Verizon, one 
of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. As a result of 
this contract, we have become the leading provider to this 
wireless carrier for enhanced 911 (“E911”) services for 
its nationwide 3G, 4G and 5G networks. Additionally, we 
received an aggregate of $96.2 million of contracts from 
AT&T, which provide for a variety of safety and security 
technology and enterprise technology solutions including  
NG911  public  safety  Call  Handling  and  Emergency 
Services  IP  Network  (“ESInet”)  and  E911  solutions.  
I believe this market will grow for many years ahead. 

Our  enterprise  technologies  solutions  include  GPS-
enabled  software  which,  for  example,  support  products 
such as Verizon’s Navigator Services and text messaging 
solutions. We provide navigation services to make it easier  
for  users  to  find,  locate  and  get  directions  to  various 
points of interest. As part of our text messaging solutions, 
we  offer  carrier-grade  platforms  and  high-performance 
short  messaging  services,  or  SMS  routing,  for  cloud 
messaging  centers,  wireless  intelligent  gateways  and  
feature-rich,  operator-grade  messaging  platforms.  This  
product  line  has  showed  positive  momentum  with  our  
location  and  mapping  services  being  increasingly  
integrated  into  our  new  virtual  platform  offerings.  We 
believe  this  market  is  growing  and  are  attempting  to 
leverage our domestic success into the international area. 

Government Solutions
Our Government Solutions segment serves large govern-
ment  end-users,  including  various  agencies  of  the  U.S. 
Department of Defense and or international governments, 
which require mission critical technologies and systems. 
Our solutions primarily consist of command and control  
line-of-sight  and  
“C4ISR”  applications,  satellite, 
troposcatter  communications  ground  terminals,  ongoing 
network operation and management support services. 

Overall, we believe fiscal 2019 will show the benefits of this 
segment’s tactical shift in strategy to focus less on commodity- 
type  service  contracts  with  more  emphasis  on  pursuing  
contracts for our niche solutions with higher margins. 

Conclusion
All in all, fiscal 2018 was a very successful year for Comtech. 
I  remain  very  excited  about  the  positive  signs  and  broad  
opportunities  for  future  growth  and  believe  we  are  well- 
positioned for fiscal 2019 to be another successful year.

In support of this anticipated growth, at the beginning of fiscal 
2019,  I  made  some  important  decisions.  First,  I  promoted 
Michael  Porcelain  to  Chief  Operating  Officer.  For  more  than 
a  decade,  he  has  served  with  distinction  as  our  Senior  Vice 
President  and  CFO.  In  recent  years,  he  assumed  broader 
responsibility  for  day-to-day  operations  while  at  the  same 
time  working closely with me and the rest of the management 
team in developing and implementing our long-term business  
strategies which have resulted in significant shareholder value. 
With his deep knowledge of Comtech’s business and his strategic  
perspective on our industry, Mr. Porcelain is uniquely qualified 
to  serve  as  our  Chief  Operating  Officer  and  to  help  Comtech 
continue  to  capitalize  on  the  exciting  growth  opportunities 
that I see ahead.  Second, I promoted Michael Bondi to Chief 
Financial Officer. Mr. Bondi served as our controller for nearly  
15  years  and  has  always  demonstrated  strong  leadership  
qualities, outstanding management skills and deep technical  
accounting  knowledge.  He  is  abundantly  qualified,  has 
high  integrity  and  is  the  ideal  successor  as  he  provides 
continuity  in  this  critical  role.  Together,  these  promotions,  
speak  to  the  depth  and  quality  of  our  management  team  as 
Comtech grows and looks to the future. I congratulate both on 
these well-deserved promotions.

Finally,  I  want  to  personally  thank  all  of  our  employees,  our  
Business Unit leadership team and our Board of Directors for  
their  dedication  and  support  as  we  continue  executing  on  
our long-term business strategies. 

Respectfully yours,

Fred Kornberg
Chairman
CEO and President

During  fiscal  2018,  we  were  awarded  a  three-year 
$123.6  million  IDIQ  contract  from  the  U.S.  Army  to 
provide  follow-on  ongoing  sustainment  services  for  the  
AN/TSC-198A  SNAP  (Secret  Internet  Protocol  Router  
and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Access Point),  
Very  Small  Aperture  Terminals  (“VSAT”).  This  was  a  
competitive  solicitation  and  we  are  pleased  to  be  
selected to continue to perform this important work.

We  received  over  $65.0  million  of  orders  during  fiscal 
2018  related  to  our  $223.4  million  Global  Tactical 
Advanced  Communication  Systems  (“GTACS”)  contract 
with the U.S. Army’s PM Tactical Network, which has a 
remaining contract value of $123.5 million as of July 31, 
2018. These GTACS orders principally call for the supply 
of Manpack Satellite Terminals and networking equipment  
and other advanced VSAT products and solutions.

We  continue  to  make  progress  with  our  work  related  to 
the  U.S.  Army’s  next-generation  Blue  Force  Tracking  
programs. During fiscal 2018, we received $5.0 million 
of  funding  from  the  Consortium  Management  Group 
to  support  the  U.S.  Army’s  Project  Manager  Mission 
Command  and  the  Blue  Force  Tracking-2  (“BFT-2”)  
program with porting additional waveforms onto the current  
BFT-2  transceivers.  Separately,  we  continue  to  work 
with  the  U.S.  Army  to  deploy  several  thousand  of  our 
next  generation  MT-2025  mobile  satellite  transceivers,  
which are also known as the Blue Force Tracker-2 High 
Capacity  (“BFT-2-HC”)  satellite  transceivers.  These 
transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, provide best-in-class 
reliability  and  are  fully  backward  compatible  with  the 
BFT-1  system.  We  currently  provide  sustaining  support  
for  the  BFT-1  system  and  previously  shipped  over 
100,000  BFT-1  mobile  satellite  transceivers  to  the 
U.S. Army. We began shipments of our next generation 
transceivers  during  fiscal  2018,  expect  to  continue  
shipments  in  fiscal  2019  and  additional  orders  are  
ultimately expected, although timing is difficult to predict. 

Business  activity  in  our  over-the-horizon  troposcatter 
systems product line picked up during fiscal 2018. Our 
marketing  and  sales  efforts  and  investments  to  expand 
this  product  line  and  the  level  of  our  international 
business  into  new  countries  yielded  positive  results.  In 
fiscal  2018,  we  received  $8.5  million  in  contracts  to 
supply  our  Modular  Transportable  Transmission  System 
(“MTTS”) troposcatter terminals to two new international 
customers  and,  during  the  latter  part  of  fiscal  2018, 
we  were  awarded  an  order  valued  at  $31.0  million  for 
our  MTTS  troposcatter  terminals  to  be  utilized  as  part 
of  a  deployable  communications  network  for  an  Asia 
Pacific military service. We also recently announced, in 
September 2018, the receipt of a $9.1 million contract to 
supply another foreign military with our over-the-horizon  
microwave  systems.  We  believe  demand  for  our  over-
the-horizon microwave systems will continue to increase. 
Teaming  with  a  large  prime  contractor,  we  recently  
submitted  a  proposal  to  supply  a  significant  quantity 
of  our  over-the-horizon  microwave  systems  to  the  U.S. 
Army, and are hopeful that we can win this multi-million 
dollar award in fiscal 2019.

Commercial 
Solutions

Communication Technologies 

We believe we are the leading provider of satellite communications technologies. 
Our product offerings include ground-based equipment such as satellite earth 
station  modems,  traveling  wave  tube  amplifiers,  block  up  converters,  power 
amplifiers, frequency converters, transceivers, access devices, voice-gateways, 
internet  protocol  encapsulators,  and  media  routers.  We  manufacture  most  of 
the satellite-based communication equipment we sell to our customers.

Our  satellite-based  communication  products  participate  in  the  satellite  back-
haul  and  services  market.  Comtech  remains  the  undisputed  leader  of  SCPC 
(single  channel  per   carrier),  driven  by  our  proven  ability  to  deliver  the  most 
bandwidth-efficient modems and highest efficiency amplifiers to end-users. 

Our  HeightsTM  Dynamic  Network  Access  Technology  (“HeightsTM”)  or  (“HDNA”)  
solutions is the cornerstone of our current research and development efforts and 
is increasingly becoming a focus of satellite earth station equipment sales and 
marketing efforts. HeightsTM combines our most efficient waveforms, compression  
engines and the ability to provide dynamic bandwidth to meet the demands of 
traditional fixed satellite systems (“FSS”) while providing advantages for customers  
who plan to transition to high throughput satellite (“HTS”) systems in the future.  
HeightsTM  is  ideally  suited  for  cellular  backhaul,  universal  service  obligation  
networks and other applications that require high performance in a hub-spoke 
environment.  HeightsTM is designed to deliver the highest Internet Protocol bits 
per Hertz in its class.   One of the largest telecommunications operators and IT 
services companies in the world selected HeightsTM to support relief projects in 
two African countries. 

We  believe  we  are  a  leader  in  the  traveling  wave  tube  amplifiers  (“TWTA”) 
market and we differentiate our product offerings by our ability to develop the 
most efficient size, weight and power profile. Our TWTA products are vital to 
satellite  communication  applications  such  as  traditional  broadcast,  direct-to-
home  (“DTH”)  broadcast  and  satellite  newsgathering.  We  provide  solid-state 
amplifiers that are also used to amplify signals carrying voice, video or data for 
air-to-satellite-to-ground  communications.  Our  amplifiers,  when  incorporated 
into  an  aircraft  satellite  communication  system,  can  provide  passengers  with 
email, internet access and video conferencing. We believe we are a leader in 
providing amplifiers for the growing in-flight connectivity market. 

Safety and Security Technologies

We believe we are a leader in public safety communication technologies used 
for the delivery of 911 calls and believe we have significant market share in the 
routing of U.S. wireless 911 calls, VoIP 911 calls and Text to 911 deployments. 
When someone places an emergency call using one of these technologies, our 
software, can identify the call as an emergency call, access the user’s location 
information from the wireless network and route the call to the assigned public 
safety jurisdiction. 

4
4

 
We  continue  to  invest  in  and  upgrade  our  911  capabilities  as  we  believe 
this  market  will  grow  from  current  levels.  We  believe  our  existing  customer  
base  has  a  need  for  Next  Generation  Emergency  (“NG911”)  systems, 
including  911  text  messaging  services,  advanced  data,  real-time  photos,  
and  other  types  of  information  sharing  over  IP  networks.  Our  NG911 
solutions  have  been  deployed  since  2006  and  are  utilized  by  literally  
millions of people in more than 30 states within the U.S.

We  believe  the  Commerce  Department’s  FirstNet  system,  a  nationwide  LTE 
broadband network for over five million first responders, which encompasses 
police  departments,  fire  departments,  the  National  Guard,  and  other  emergency  
service providers using the 700MHz spectrum will facilitate sales of our NG911 
systems. Additionally, over time, we believe we can provide systems integration,  
satellite  and  location  infrastructure  terminals,  and  linkage  to  NG911 
Emergency Services IP Networks (“ESInet”).

Enterprise Technologies

We  are  a  leading  global  provider  of  location  and  messaging  platforms. 
Leveraging  our  decades  of  location-based  technology  expertise,  our  solutions  
support  the  generation  and  distribution  of  location  information  for  both  
indoor  and  outdoor  environments.  We  have  developed  robust  mapping,  
navigation and geolocation solutions incorporated by automotive manufacturers 
and  in  the  Connected  Car  environment.  Additionally,  we  provide  a  compact,  
high-capacity,  multiprotocol  Short  Messaging  Service  (“SMS”)  platform  for 
Person  to  Person  (“P2P”),  Application  to  Person  (“A2P”)  and  Machine  to 
Machine (“M2M”).

Provided to mobile network operators globally, our virtualized Location-Based 
Services (“LBS”) platform is a powerful multi-purpose, end-to-end solution that 
allows authorized users to locate and track specific mobile devices and monitor  
specific  areas  of  interest.  Operators  can  use  this  platform  to  support  a  wide 
variety  of  use  cases  including  Location  Accuracy  Testing,  Public  Safety, 
Location Intelligence, Network Optimization and Big Data Analytics. 

Location Studio® is a complete suite of highly accurate, yet low-power, location  
and  geo-services  Application  Program  Interfaces  (“APIs”)  designed  for 
developers  building  applications  for  mobile,  automotive  or  IoT  use  cases. 
It  provides  positioning,  search,  enhanced  local  content,  maps,  navigation,  
tracking  via  cross-platform  APIs  and  software  
geo-fencing  and 
development  kits  (“SDKs”)  supporting  all  leading  operating  systems.   
Two key components to Location Studio® are Trusted Open Street Maps and 
our IoT Location Platform.

Our Trusted Open Street Maps (“TOSM”) are feature rich and immersive maps 
available at less cost than most major competitors. 

Our  IoT  Location  Platform  (“ILP”)  provides  precise  and  seamless  indoor  to  
outdoor  positioning  and  assistance  data  services  globally  for  any  connected 
device. 

Our text messaging platforms are used by wireless carriers to provide SMS to 
their  end-customers  and  to  communicate  with  911  Public  Safety  Answering 
Points  (“PSAPs”)  through  major  network  operators.  For  our  installed  base  of 
systems, we provide ongoing operational support, including administration of 
system components, system optimization, and configuration management.

5

 
 
Government 
Solutions

Command & Control Technologies

(“C4ISR”)  solutions 

We  offer  a  variety  of  solutions  to  help  close  the  security  gap  in  an  era  of  
information-based,  network-centric  warfare.  Our  solutions  are  primarily  sold  
to  the  U.S.  Department  of  Defense  (“DoD”).  We  are  a  trusted  provider  of  
mission-critical Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence  
that  military,  
Surveillance  and  Reconnaissance 
government,  and  commercial  organizations  need  to  enable  seamless,  highly  
secure communications between fixed, remote, and mobile operations under  
conditions  that  demand  the  highest  level  of  reliability,  availability,  and  
security.  We  offer  integrated  satellite  equipment  and  design,  install  and 
operate  data  networks  that  integrate  computing  and  communications  
(including  both  satellite  and  terrestrial  links).  In  addition,  we  provide  
ongoing  network  operation  and  management  support  services  including   
project  management,  field  support  and  maintenance  solutions  related  to  
satellite ground terminals and related systems.

We are a key supplier to the U.S. Army.  Since fiscal 2010, we have provided  
sustainment support services for the U.S. Army’s BFT-1 system.  During fiscal  
2018,  we  received  contracts  to  support  the  U.S.  Army  Project  Manager  
Mission  Command  (“PM  MC”)  and  the  Blue  Force  Tracking-2  (“BFT-2”)  
program to port additional waveforms onto the current BFT-2 transceivers.  We 
continue to work with the U.S. Army to deploy several thousand of our next 
generation MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers, which are also known as the 
Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity (“BFT-2-HC”) satellite transceivers. The 
MT-2025 transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, provide best-in-class reliability 
and are fully backward compatible with the BFT-1 system.  We continue to 
provide support for our BFT-1 systems and have shipped over 100,000 BFT-1 
mobile transceivers.  We are optimistic that we will receive additional orders 
for our MT-2025 transceivers, and believe we can play a large role in meeting 
the U.S. Army’s operational needs for the next generation BFT-3 system.

We  are  recognized  as  an  industry  leader  and  global  supplier  of  high  
reliability  products  and  supply  chain  services  for  the  U.S.  military  and  
aerospace  market.  These  services  include  the  procurement  of  space 
components,  antenna  systems,  high 
reliability  Electrical,  Electronic  
and  Electromechanical  (“EEE”)  parts  in  support  of  critical  NASA  programs  
and  the  design,  development  and  installation  of  multiple  launch  vehicle  
tracking stations in the South Pacific for an international space agency.

We  also  provide  a  variety  of  in-class  and  on-line  training  services  to  our  
customers  to  help  them  protect  command  and  control  networks  (and  other  
sophisticated  networks)  from  cyber-attacks.  We  provide  the  DoD  personnel  
with  curriculum  development  and  training  services  to  support  cybersecurity  
workforce development. 

Our  CYBRScore™  Labs  powered  by  PerformanScore®  provide  a  quantitative  
measurement  of  performance,  using  practical,  hands-on  scenarios  to  
evaluate  student  competencies.  These  training  programs  provide  invaluable  
insight  into  student’s  strengths  and  weaknesses,  helping  to  further  
build strong competency, increasing student’s job market readiness.  

Troposcatter Technologies
6
6

  
We have designed, manufactured and sold over-the -horizon (“OTH”) microwave  
(also known as troposcatter) communication products and systems for approximately 
40 years and believe we are the leading supplier in this specialized product 
market. We believe we offer the only available troposcatter modem operating 
at 50 megabits per second (“Mbps”). OTH microwave systems readily transmit  
digitized  voice,  video,  and  data  over  unfriendly  or  inaccessible  terrain  by  
reflecting  transmitted  signals  off  the  troposphere  and  are  an  extremely  
reliable, secure and cost-effective alternative to satellite communication.

Traditional  end-users  of  our  troposcatter  equipment  have  included  the  U.S. 
and  foreign  governments  that  utilize  our  systems  to,  among  other  things, 
transmit radar tracking, run C4ISR applications, and connect remote border  
locations.  Additionally,  energy  companies  use  our  systems  to  enable  
communication links for offshore oil rigs and other remote locations, as well as 
for exploration activities.

Our Modular Tactical Transmission System (“MTTS”), the first truly modular, 
rapidly deployable transit case -based troposcatter system, has been purchased 
by the U.S. Army, and is incorporated into the Secret Internet Protocol Router 
and Non-classified Internet Router Access Point (“SNAP”) family of products 
used by the U.S. military and called the Tactical Transportable TROPO (“SNAP 
3T”)  or  AN/TRC  198(V3).  We  recently  started  (as  a  sole  source)  to  supply 
troposcatter systems and services to a foreign government in support of existing  
C4ISR Maritime Surveillance System.

We are currently developing next generation troposcatter modems that will pro-
vide significant reductions in size, power and weight as compared to currently  
available  models.  We  believe  these  next  generation  modems  will  facilitate  
further market expansion over the next several years.

RF Power Systems Technologies

Our  high-power  solid-state  amplifiers  and  related  technologies  are  utilized  
in  several  critical  applications  including  electronic  warfare,  satellite  
communications  systems,  cellular  instrumentation,  radar,  identification  
friend  or  foe  (“IFF”)  and  electromagnetic  compatibility  testing  and  medical 
testing systems.

In  the  electronic  warfare  marketplace,  we  support  legacy  systems  and  are  
participating  in  the  ongoing  migration  to  platforms  that  require  smaller  
and  lighter  amplifiers.  Our  solutions  increase  the  flexibility  of  systems  by  
providing wider bandwidth capabilities to address communication needs.

Our high power and highly reliable Gallium (“GaN”) amplifier technology is 
increasingly  being  used  both  to  update  existing  radar  systems  for  improved 
sensitivity  and  range  as  well  as  for  new  radar  installations.  In  addition  to 
technologies  that  enhance  performance  of  primary  radars,  we  also  supply  
solutions for IFF systems that provide positive identification of radar targets.  
Governing  bodies  are  requiring  the  implementation  of  spectrum  friendly  
systems  which,  in  turn,  is  driving  market  need  for  new  hardware  for  our  
advanced performance systems.

The medical industry is also making use of our technologies in oncology and  
hypothermic  cancer  treatment  systems.  These  systems  have  improved  
treatment  precision,  minimizing  damage  to  surrounding  healthy  tissue,  as  
well as reducing costs and allow for higher insurance reimbursement rates.

7

S E L E C T E D   F I N A N C I A L   D A T A

NET SALES
$ in thousands

$550,368

$570,589

$411,004

$347,150

$307,289

ADJUSTED EBITDA(1)
$ in thousands

$78,374

$70,705

$61,336

$51,761

$48,062

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

REVENUES BY SEGMENT ($ IN THOUSANDS)

COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS

GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS

$345,076

$330,867

$248,955

$228,745

$203,674

$225,513

$219,501

$162,049

$118,405 $103,615

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

8

(1) A reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA is included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 
 
 
 
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

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

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 

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

Commission File Number:    0-7928

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation /organization)

11-2139466
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

68 South Service Road, Suite 230,
Melville, NY
(Address of principal executive offices)

11747
(Zip Code)

(631) 962-7000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Common Stock, par value $.10 per share
Series A Junior Participating Cumulative

Name of each exchange on which registered
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes              

No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 of Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes              

No

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

Yes              

No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every 
Interactive Data file required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during 
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes              

No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not 
contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements 

incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   

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

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Emerging growth company

Non-accelerated filer

Smaller reporting company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for 

complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

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

Yes              

No

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the 
closing sales price as quoted on the NASDAQ Global Market on January 31, 2018 was approximately $500,523,000.

The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding on September 21, 2018 was 23,853,761.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

Certain portions of the document listed below have been incorporated by reference into the indicated Part of this Annual Report 
on Form 10-K:

Proxy Statement for 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders - Part III

ITEM 1.

BUSINESS

INDEX

PART I

Corporate Strategies
Competitive Strengths
Commercial Solutions Segment
Government Solutions Segment
Summary of Key Products, Systems and Services by Business Segment
Acquisitions
Sales, Marketing and Customer Support
Backlog
Manufacturing and Service
Research and Development
Intellectual Property
Competition
Employees
U.S. Government Contracts and Security Clearances
Regulatory Matters

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2.

PROPERTIES

ITEM 3.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND 

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

PART II

Stock Performance Graph and Cumulative Total Return
Dividends
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Approximate Number of Equity Security Holders

ITEM 6.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

i

1

2
2
5
7
9
10
10
11
12
12
12
13
14
14
15

18

40

40

42

42

43

43
44
44
44
44

45

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

OF OPERATIONS

Overview
Critical Accounting Policies
Results of Operations
         Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019
         Comparison of Fiscal 2018 and 2017
         Comparison of Fiscal 2017 and 2016
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

ITEM 9.

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND 
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND 

RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR 

INDEPENDENCE

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

SIGNATURES

47

47
48
52
53
56
63
68
71

74

74

75

75

75

76

76

76

76

76

77

80

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULE

F- 1

ii

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note:  As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms "Comtech," "we," "us," "our" and "our Company" mean Comtech 
Telecommunications Corp. and its subsidiaries.

Note About Forward-Looking Statements 
This  Form  10-K  contains  "forward-looking  statements,"  including  statements  concerning  the  future  of  our  industry,  product 
development, business strategy, continued acceptance of our products, market growth, and dependence on significant customers. 
These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," 
"expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," the negative of these terms, or other similar 
words  or  comparable  terminology. All  statements  in  this  report,  other  than  statements  of  historical  fact,  are  forward-looking 
information.  When  considering  forward-looking  statements,  you  should  keep  in  mind  the  risk  factors  and  other  cautionary 
statements included in this Form 10-K. However, the risks described in this Form 10-K are not the only risks that we face. Additional 
risks and uncertainties, not currently known to us or that do not currently appear to be material, may also materially adversely 
affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results in the future. We describe risks and uncertainties that could cause 
actual results and events to differ materially in "Risk Factors" (Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K), "Quantitative and Qualitative 
Disclosures about Market Risk" (Part II, Item 7A of this Form 10-K), and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial 
Condition and Results of Operations" (Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K). We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly 
any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

PART I
ITEM 1.  BUSINESS

We are a leading provider of advanced communications solutions for both commercial and government customers worldwide. 
Our solutions fulfill our customers’ needs for secure wireless communications in some of the most demanding environments, 
including those where traditional communications are unavailable or cost-prohibitive, and in mission-critical scenarios where 
performance is crucial. 

As more fully described throughout this Form 10-K, fiscal 2018 was a successful year for Comtech. It was the third consecutive 
year of net sales and second consecutive year of Adjusted EBITDA (a Non-GAAP financial measure) growth and we achieved 
consolidated net sales of $570.6 million, consolidated net income of $29.8 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $78.4 million. We 
generated significant cash flows from operations and significantly reduced our total indebtedness. Entering fiscal 2019 with a 
record high backlog and strong business momentum in each of our two operating segments, we are confident that fiscal 2019 will 
be another successful year.

Our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 is discussed further in Part II - "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial 
Condition and Results of Operations - Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019." For a definition and explanation of Adjusted EBITDA, 
see Part II - "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Comparison of 
Fiscal 2018 and 2017 - Adjusted EBITDA." 

Our Internet website is www.comtechtel.com and we make available on our website: our filings with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission  ("SEC"),  including  annual  reports,  quarterly  reports,  current  reports  and  any  amendments  to  those  filings.  The 
reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained therein into this Form 
10-K. We also use our website to disseminate other material information to our investors (on the Home Page and in the "Investor 
Relations" section). Among other things, we post on our website our press releases and information about our public conference 
calls (including the scheduled dates, times and the methods by which investors and others can listen to those calls), and we make 
available for replay webcasts of those calls and other presentations.

We also use social media channels to communicate with customers and the public about our Company, our products, services and 
other issues, and we use social media and the Internet to communicate with investors, including information about our stockholder 
meetings. Information and updates about our Annual Meetings will continue to be posted on our website at www.comtechtel.com
in the "Investor Relations" section.

Any materials filed with the SEC may be read and copied by the public at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., 
Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC 
at 1-800-SEC-0330.

We are incorporated in the state of Delaware and were founded in 1967.

1

Corporate Strategies 

We intend to manage our business with the following principal corporate strategies:

• 

• 

Seek leadership positions in markets where we can provide differentiated products and technology solutions;

Identify and participate in emerging technologies that enhance or expand our product portfolio;

•  Maximize responsiveness to our customers, including offering more integrated systems and solutions;

•  Expand and further penetrate our diversified and balanced customer base; and

• 

Pursue acquisitions of complementary businesses and technologies.

Competitive Strengths

The successful execution of our principal corporate strategies is based on our competitive strengths, including the following:

(1)  We Have Significant Exposure to Large, Growing End Markets 

We  believe  Comtech  is  well  positioned  to  capitalize  on  some  of  the  most  significant  emerging  technology  trends  occurring 
worldwide and that customers around the world will increasingly turn to us to fulfill their needs for secure wireless communications 
in some of the most demanding environments, including those where traditional communications are unavailable or cost-prohibitive, 
and in mission-critical scenarios where performance is crucial. These important emerging technology trends include growth in 
global wireless penetration and mobile data consumption, proliferation of mobile applications requiring trusted location data, the 
need  for  public  safety  agencies  to  seamlessly  connect  individuals  with  first  responders,  widespread  deployment  of  in-flight 
connectivity solutions by airlines worldwide, and the rapidly expanding breadth of High Definition ("HD") and 4K broadcasting 
content, all of which we believe will result in an increase in global voice, video and data usage that will, in turn, result in increased 
demand for the secure wireless and satellite communication solutions that we provide.

(2)  We Believe We Are a Market Leader in the End-Markets That We Serve 

Commercial Solutions Segment 
Communication Technologies - We believe we are the leading provider of Single Channel per Carrier ("SCPC") satellite earth 
station modems. Many of our key satellite earth station products incorporate Turbo Product Code ("TPC") forward error correction 
technology and our licensed DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier® bandwidth compression technology which enables our customers 
to optimize their satellite networks by either reducing their satellite transponder lease costs or increasing data throughput. We 
believe we are a leader in the traveling wave tube amplifiers ("TWTA") market and we differentiate our product offerings by our 
ability to develop the most efficient size, weight and power profile. Our TWTA products are vital to satellite communication 
applications such as traditional broadcast, direct-to-home ("DTH") broadcast and satellite newsgathering. We provide solid-state 
amplifiers that are also used to amplify signals carrying voice, video or data for air-to-satellite-to-ground communications. For 
example, our amplifiers, when incorporated into an aircraft satellite communication system, can provide passengers with email, 
Internet access and video conferencing. Certain of our high-powered amplifiers are AS-900 (an airborne quality standard) certified. 
We believe we are a leader in providing amplifiers for the growing in-flight connectivity market.

Safety and Security Technologies - We believe that we are a leader in public safety communication technologies used for delivery 
of 911 calls. We believe we have significant market share in the routing of U.S. wireless 911 calls, Voice over Internet Protocol 
("VoIP") 911 calls and Text to 911 deployments. We believe we are one of two companies fulfilling the Federal Communications 
Commission  ("FCC")  requirements  for  Enhanced  911  ("E911")  call-routing  to  public  safety  answering  points  ("PSAPs")  for 
wireless and VoIP network operators. E911 refers to 911 calls for both wireline and wireless telephones that are enhanced to provide 
location information of the caller. We are focusing our marketing and research and development efforts to meet system standards 
for next generation 911 ("NG911"), which refers to an Internet Protocol ("IP") based system that allows digital information (e.g., 
voice, photos, videos, text messages) to flow seamlessly from the public, through the 911 network and on to emergency responders.

2

Enterprise Technologies - Our Short-Messaging Service ("SMS") Center software has been used by wireless carrier subscribers 
to send and receive text or data messages to and from wireless devices for almost two decades. We provide ongoing operational 
support for our installed base of systems, including administration of system components, system optimization and configuration 
management. Our systems include our Location Trust Score technology, a unique process we developed to reliably identify a 
mobile location by generating a "Location Trust Score." Additionally, we offer Location Studio TM, a complete end-to-end location-
based services platform for mobile carriers, application developers and enterprises. The platform consists of multiple modular 
technology suites that provide a rich set of functionalities, including indoor and outdoor positioning, geolocation, mapping, search, 
routing, navigation, real-time message updates and analytics. This platform includes Look4TM geo-services which enable customers 
to build their own applications powered by our location-based technology and a cloud-based positioning engine. We believe the 
positioning of Location StudioTM is unique in the industry and is an appealing alternative to free consumer-based mapping services 
which are subject to change by the supplier and which may not meet an enterprise’s privacy and security requirements.

Government Solutions Segment
Command and Control Technologies - We are a key supplier to the U.S. Army for mission critical command and control technology 
solutions and field support services. We are a prime contractor under several indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity ("IDIQ") 
defense contract vehicles or task orders, including the: (i) Army’s Global Tactical Advanced Communications Systems ("GTACS") 
contract, (ii) Defense Information Systems Agency’s Custom SATCOM Solutions ("CS2") contract and (iii) Complex Commercial 
SATCOM Solutions ("CS3") contract from the General Services Administration. We also provide the U.S. Department of Defense 
("DoD")  personnel  with  curriculum  development  and  training  services  to  support  cybersecurity  workforce  development. We 
currently provide sustainment services to the U.S. Army’s AN/TSC-198 family of communication systems that are commonly 
referred to as "SNAP" (Secret Internet Protocol Router ("SIPR") and Non-secure Internet Protocol Router ("NIPR") Access Point) 
Very Small Aperture Terminals ("VSATs"). Additionally, we continue to work with the U.S. Army to deploy our next generation 
MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers, which are also known as the Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-HC") satellite 
transceivers. The MT-2025 transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, provide best-in-class reliability and are fully backward compatible 
with the Blue Force Tracking-1 ("BFT-1") system. Comtech previously shipped over 100,000 BFT-1 mobile satellite transceivers 
and currently provides sustaining support for the older BFT-1 system.

Troposcatter Technologies - We have designed, manufactured and sold over-the-horizon microwave products and systems for 
approximately forty years and believe we are the leading supplier in this specialized product market. We believe we offer the only 
available adaptive troposcatter modem operating at 50 Mbps. Our Modular Tactical Transmission System ("MTTS") provides a 
high capacity, beyond-line-of-sight modular communications system designed for easy and rapid deployment. Our MTTS also 
offers seamless compatibility and interoperability with legacy-fielded troposcatter systems currently used by the U.S. military, 
including all versions of the AN/TRC-170.

RF Power & Switching Technologies - We are one of the largest independent suppliers of broadband, high-power, high-performance 
RF microwave amplifiers, which reproduce signals with high power and are extremely complex and critical to the performance 
of the systems into which they are incorporated. Many of these amplifiers are produced in-house by large companies; however, 
our expertise has created a cost-effective and technologically superior alternative to in-house sourcing. Some of the companies 
who have outsourced amplifier production to us include Rockwell Collins, Inc., Thales Group, European Aeronautic Defense and 
Space  Company  ("EADS"),  Telephonics  Corporation,  Northrop  Grumman  Corporation,  BAE  Systems  PLC  and  Raytheon 
Company. Our amplifiers are also used in oncology treatment systems that allow physicians to give cancer patients higher doses 
of radiation that are more closely focused on cancerous tissue, thereby minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

(3)  We Believe We Provide Industry Leading Innovation, Capabilities and Solutions

We have established a leading position of technology innovation in our fields through internal and customer-funded research and 
development activities, which have yielded significant advances. Examples of our industry-leading innovation include:

Our HEIGHTSTM Networking Platform - Our HEIGHTSTM networking platform ("HEIGHTS") is the cornerstone of our current 
research and development efforts and is increasingly becoming a focus of satellite earth station equipment sales and marketing 
efforts. HEIGHTS is an advanced networking platform that combines our most efficient waveforms, compression engines and the 
ability to provide dynamic bandwidth and power management to meet the demands of customers operating on traditional fixed 
satellite service systems ("FSS") while providing advantages for customers who plan to transition to high throughput satellite 
("HTS") systems in the future. Our HEIGHTS networking platform, a successor to our advanced VSAT series of products, is 
ideally suited for cellular backhaul, universal service obligation networks and other applications that require high performance in 
a hub-spoke environment. Our HEIGHTS Dynamic Network Access Technology solutions are designed to deliver the highest 
Internet Protocol bits per Hertz in its class.

3

Our SLM-5650B Satellite Modems - During fiscal 2018, the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare System Command, in support of the 
Program  Executive  Office  for  Command,  Control,  Communications,  Computer  and  Intelligence,  awarded  us  a  strategically 
important multi-year $59.0 million contract to procure our SLM-5650B satellite modems, upgrade kits and related services. This 
IDIQ sole-source contract has five one-year ordering periods. There are over eight-hundred older generation modems currently 
utilized by multiple Navy programs. We believe that no other competitor responded to the NAVY’s initial Request for Proposal 
("RFP") and we believe our modems and related upgrade kits will meet critical Navy requirements.

Our Gallium Nitride Based Amplifiers - These amplifiers, which incorporate Gallium Nitride ("GaN") technology, offer customers 
smaller size, more power and higher efficiency. With continued technology evolution in the GaN semiconductor marketplace, we 
have successfully developed GaN based products with our GaN semiconductor partners that are achieving higher power levels 
than previously available in solid state amplifiers. We believe this will create opportunities to replace difficult to utilize amplifiers 
which use antiquated technology and are more expensive to operate. In recent years, we have developed a new series of high-
power GaN Solid State Power Amplifiers ("SSPA") which we believe are more compact and significantly more efficient than other 
SSPAs on the market, making them ideal for transportable and mobile applications where power draw matters. These new SSPAs 
include: our new XTLIN200K SSPA which covers 13.75 to 14.5 GHz Ku-band with a minimum of 200W of linear power; our 
new XTLIN-100K SSPA which also covers 13.75 to 14.5 GHz Ku-band but with a minimum of 100W of linear power and which 
allows easy conversion from X-band to Ku-band; and our new XTLIN-200X SSPA which can be used for tactical X-band and 
which offers a minimum of 200W of linear power. Our ground-based amplifiers are built with modular components for rapid 
deployment and easy scaling up in power. Products at different frequency bands share common physical designs, which saves 
manufacturing cost and allows easy conversion for tactical military customers to transmit up to 200W of linear power in either 
X-band or Ku-band depending on regional satellite availability. GaN technology is also incorporated into our airborne products 
and  we  have  introduced  products  in  both  Ku-band  and  Ka-band  to  address  the  growing  demand  for  satellite-based  inflight 
connectivity on commercial aircrafts. We believe these products will meet the needs of our customers for many years ahead. 

Our  Trusted Location  Technology Solutions -  In order  to determine a cellular phone user’s  location, many companies utilize 
technology that combines wireless network-derived location data with data from the phone’s on-board global positioning system 
receiver. In 2016, we were issued a U.S. patent for our Location Trust Score technology. This patent grants us important intellectual 
property protection and licensing opportunities for a unique process that identifies the reliability of a stated mobile location by 
generating a "Location Trust Score." We believe this technology is a major breakthrough in providing secure, accurate and reliable 
information  and  a  powerful  tool  for  identifying  fraud,  preventing  "false  positive"  denials  of  service  and  confirming  location 
compliance for regulated industries.

(4)  We Have a Diverse Global Customer Base

We have established long-standing relationships with hundreds of customers worldwide. Our customers include leading system 
and network suppliers in the global satellite, defense, broadcast and aerospace industries, as well as the U.S. federal government, 
U.S. state and local governments, and foreign governments.

Our satellite earth station products and our high-power amplifiers are used by hundreds of international customers including mobile 
cellular network providers and governments around the world. We also have ongoing relationships with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. 
Navy, U.S. Army and other government agencies. Our global commercial and government customers are increasingly seeking 
integrated solutions to meet their operational needs. We believe that our customers recognize our ability to develop improved 
technologies and to meet stringent program requirements.

We have long-standing relationships with U.S.-based  telecommunications companies, including Verizon Wireless and AT&T, 
through various divisions, directly and through channels.

We believe the TCS acquisition has further strengthened our relationship with the U.S. government given its prime position on 
key contracts. Prior to the acquisition, Comtech and TCS had worked together for a number of years to offer the U.S. military a 
troposcatter system in a transportable flyaway configuration (known as the AN/TCS-198(V3) or SNAP-3T) which is capable of 
providing seamless compatibility and interoperability with legacy-fielded over-the-horizon microwave systems. Over time, we 
hope to utilize these prime contracts to facilitate procurement by the U.S. government for our satellite earth station and over-the-
horizon microwave equipment and systems, given the ever-increasing amount of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, 
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (also known as "C4ISR") information that is being generated. 

4

Our Two Business Segments

We manage our business through two reportable operating segments: Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions. Our 
corporate senior management team supports the business segments by, among other things, actively seeking to exploit potential 
synergies that exist between the segments, including in areas such as manufacturing, technology, sales, marketing and customer 
support. 

In fiscal 2018, our Commercial Solutions segment contributed 60.5% of our consolidated net sales and our Government Solutions 
segment contributed 39.5% of our consolidated net sales. Additional financial information about our business segments, including 
net sales, operating income, Adjusted EBITDA (a Non-GAAP financial measure), total assets, and our operations outside the 
United States, is provided in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (13) Segment Information" included in "Part II 
- Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."

Commercial Solutions Segment

Overview

Our Commercial Solutions segment serves commercial customers and smaller government customers, such as state and local 
governments,  that  require  advanced  communication  technologies  to  meet  their  needs. This  segment  also  serves  certain  large 
government customers (including the U.S. government) that have requirements for off-the-shelf commercial equipment. We believe 
this segment is a leading provider of satellite communications (such as satellite earth station modems and TWTAs), public safety 
systems (such as NG911 technologies) and enterprise application technologies (such as messaging and trusted location-based 
technologies).

Key Markets and Technology Solutions 

Communication Technologies 

We offer communication technologies with particular expertise in the satellite communications industry, which is undergoing a 
period of significant growth and rapid technological change.  Our Commercial Solutions segment manufactures most of the satellite-
based communication equipment we sell to our customers including equipment sold by our Government Solutions segment.

We believe that the overall satellite ground station equipment industry will grow over the next few years.  This growth is expected 
to occur as a result of wide-sweeping deployment and upgrades of ground-based systems, including satellite earth stations, as well 
as integration of high-performance amplifiers used for high-performance systems necessary to meet emerging demand for high-
performance  applications  of  satellite  communications  technologies,  such  as  satellite-based  wireless  backhaul,  direct-to-home 
("DTH"), high definition ("HD") and 4K broadcasting and in-flight connectivity.

We believe that Comtech is well positioned to capitalize on this industry growth and change through sales of our market leading, 
high-performance communication technologies and products, including our SCPC satellite modems, solid-state amplifiers and 
our  HEIGHTS  networking  platform.  Examples  of  end-market  applications  that  are  driving  demand  for  our  satellite-based 
communication technologies include:

• 

Satellite-Based Cellular Backhaul. Demand for satellite-based cellular backhaul services is anticipated to grow 
rapidly as a result of the increased penetration of smart cellular phones and network upgrades to 3G and 4G in 
developing regions of the world. Ultimately, 5G services will be deployed and mobile data services will become 
more critical. As mobile data penetration expands and mobile data consumption increases, wireless carriers must 
invest in their mobile network infrastructure and businesses will require back-up communications. In developing 
regions of the world and in remote areas where terrestrial network infrastructure is lacking, wireless network operators 
often backhaul, or transport, their wireless data traffic using satellite-based networking technologies. Comtech is 
well positioned to serve the high-performance, high availability needs of satellite-based cellular backhaul through 
sales of our leading SCPC modems, our HEIGHTS networking platform and solid-state amplifiers. 

•  New High Throughput Satellites. There are more than 100 new High Throughput Satellite ("HTS") payloads expected 
to launch over the next decade which we believe is expected to lead to increasingly complex satellite networks.  As 
service providers work to offer connectivity to these high-speed, high-bandwidth satellites and expand their networks 
to handle the demand for new HTS applications, we believe our HEIGHTS networking platform will be incorporated 
into many new installations and necessary upgrades of equipment.  

5

•  High Definition and Ultra-High Definition Broadcasting.  Reports indicate that in recent years, consumers have 
purchased millions of High Definition televisions and Ultra-High Definition or "4K" televisions. We believe this 
will require a significant amount of satellite bandwidth, which will require satellite service providers to upgrade 
equipment and find new ways to manage the cost and transmission efficiency of their networks.  We believe that 
these requirements will drive increased demand for new SCPC-based modems, our Ka-frequency based 500 Watt 
TWTA, our HEIGHTS products and our SuperPowerTM TWTAs, which can double TWTA output power and provide 
direct replacement for bandwidth deficient KPAs.   

• 

In-Flight Connectivity.  Consumer demand for anytime, anywhere connectivity is rapidly rising.  As a result, airlines 
worldwide are deploying in-flight connectivity and entertainment systems. The deployment of in-flight connectivity 
and entertainment systems by airlines around the world is creating opportunities for us to serve as a key supplier of 
amplifier components used for in-flight Ku-band connectivity systems. As airlines move to offer higher speed satellite-
based connectivity, we believe this market will experience solid demand over the next few years.

Safety and Security Technologies 

We offer safety and security technology solutions that enable 911 call routing via cellular, over the Internet using VoIP, and across 
next generation technology.  When someone places an emergency call using one of these technologies, our software, which is 
utilized by certain telecommunication carriers, can identify the call as an emergency call, accesses the user’s location information 
from the wireless network and routes the call to the assigned public safety jurisdiction.

We intend to continue to invest in and upgrade our 911 capabilities as we believe this market will grow from current levels. We 
believe our existing customer base has a need for NG911 systems, including 911 text messaging services, advanced data, real-
time photos and other types of information sharing over IP networks. We believe the Commerce Department’s FirstNet system, a 
nationwide LTE broadband network for over five million first responders, which encompasses police departments, fire departments, 
the National Guard, and other emergency service providers will facilitate demand for new NG911 systems. Additionally, over 
time,  we  believe  we  can  provide  systems  integration,  satellite  and  location  infrastructure  terminals,  and  linkage  to  NG911 
Emergency Services IP Networks ("ESInet"). Although the sales cycle is lengthy and difficult to predict, we believe the market 
for NG911 products will grow from current levels. As the U.S. adopts NG911 solutions, we believe that other countries will do 
so as well. Our NG911 solutions have been deployed since 2006 and are utilized by literally millions of people in more than 30 
states. Key E911 capability upgrades include: Text-to-911, indoor location accuracy and multimedia messaging.

Enterprise & Trusted Location™ Technologies 

We offer enterprise application technologies including location-based technology such as Trusted LocationTM, Look4TM, Indoor 
Location and text messaging platforms. These technologies are included in some of our Safety and Security Technologies solutions 
as well.

Leveraging our leading location-based technology expertise, we have developed a wide range of commercial solutions to help 
address mapping, routing and geolocation to help reduce cybercrime and fraud, as well as enhance public safety. Our Trusted 
LocationTM product is a software-based scoring system that allows providers to accurately determine mobile location and identify 
fraudulent  behavior  (e.g.,  location  spoofing)  and  other  security  risks,  including  risks  arising  from  mobile-based  financial 
transactions.  Our Location StudioTM platform allows customers to build their own applications with end-customer functionality 
such as maps, search, geocoding, routing and navigation using their brand. We believe that enterprise customers are increasingly 
looking for an alternative to free mapping services that are subject to change by the provider and may not meet the enterprise’s 
privacy and security requirements. Our Indoor Location solution enables the determination of a cell phone user’s geospatial position 
in environments where traditional Global Positioning System ("GPS"), global navigation satellite systems and cellular technologies 
do not work well (such as office buildings).  The FCC has mandated that emergency services must incorporate this technology 
(and we believe other markets will follow) which utilizes more precise location information in mobile applications as well as in 
driverless cars and C4ISR systems. We provide services to support these applications, and our platform is used to provide "Connected 
Car" connectivity. Our SpecifixTM application is an advanced data rights platform that allows operators to manage and monetize 
their location data, while securing user privacy and complying with consumer privacy laws. Our text messaging platforms are 
used by wireless carriers to provide SMS to their end-customers and are also used to communicate with 911 PSAPs through major 
network operators. For our installed base of systems, we provide ongoing operational support, including administration of system 
components, system optimization and configuration management.  Maintenance services include tracking customer support issues, 
troubleshooting and developing and installing maintenance releases.

6

Government Solutions Segment

Overview

Our Government Solutions segment serves large government end-users (including those of foreign countries) that require mission-
critical technologies and systems. We believe this segment is a leading provider of command and control applications (such as the 
design, installation and operation of data networks that integrate computing and communications, including both satellite and 
terrestrial links), ongoing network operation and management support services (including project management and fielding and 
maintenance solutions related to satellite ground terminals), troposcatter communications (such as digital troposcatter multiplexers, 
digital over-the-horizon modems, troposcatter systems and frequency converter systems) and RF power and switching technologies 
(such as solid-state high-power broadband amplifiers, enhanced position location reporting system (commonly known as "EPLRS") 
amplifier assemblies, identification friend or foe ("IFF") amplifiers and amplifiers used in the counteraction of improvised explosive 
devices).

Key Markets and Technology Solutions 

Our Government Solutions segment offers integrated satellite equipment and designs, installs and operates data networks that 
integrate computing and communications (including both satellite and terrestrial links). In addition, our Government Solutions 
segment provides ongoing network operation and management support services including project management, field support and 
maintenance solutions related to satellite ground terminals and related systems. 

Command & Control (C4ISR) Technologies

With persistent threats from state and non-state actors, governments seek to mitigate these threats using information to increase 
decision-makers’ situational awareness.  This information is collected through various surveillance platforms, such as radars and 
unmanned aerial vehicles ("UAVs") and transferred and processed through secure communications networks.

We offer a variety of command and control solutions to help close the security gap in an era of information-based, network-centric 
warfare. These solutions include the supply and support of satellite networks (including the supply of hardware such as satellite 
transceivers, ruggedized routers and solid-state drives), sustainment services for the AN/TSC-198A SNAP (Secret Internet Protocol 
Router ("SIPR") and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router ("NIPR") Access Point), Very Small Aperture Terminals ("VSATs") 
and managed satellite services and integrated global support. We also provide a variety of in-class and on-line training services 
to our customers to help them protect command and control networks (and other sophisticated networks) from cyber-attacks.  
Command and control networks depend on global suppliers who can provide value-added support services and we are recognized 
as an industry leader and global supplier of high reliability products and supply chain services for the U.S. military and aerospace 
market. These services include the procurement of space components, antenna systems, high reliability Electrical, Electronic and 
Electromechanical ("EEE") parts in support of critical NASA programs and the design, development and installation of multiple 
launch vehicle tracking stations in the South Pacific for an international space agency.

Our mobile satellite transceivers have been installed on a variety of U.S. military vehicles (both logistics-centric and war-fighter-
centric) including: Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, helicopters such as the Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook and High 
Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. When equipped with this technology, soldiers operating these vehicles are able to be 
continually tracked and, at the same time, are able to maintain communications with a command center and fellow soldiers in the 
field. Our mobile satellite transceivers can also be used to facilitate communications in the event that natural disasters or other 
situations, such as a terrorist attack, disable or limit existing terrestrial communications. Since fiscal 2010, we have provided 
sustainment support services for the older BFT-1 system while a third party vendor selected by the U.S. Army developed and 
deployed the next generation BFT program known as BFT-2. We believe that the BFT-2 system can benefit from more reliable 
satellite transceivers and in fiscal 2018, we received a contract to support the U.S. Army Project Manager Mission Command 
("PM MC") and the BFT-2 program to port additional waveforms onto the current BFT-2 transceivers. Separately, we received an 
initial $11.7 million contract to deploy several thousands of our MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers, which are also known as 
the Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-HC") satellite transceivers. The MT-2025 transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, 
provide best-in-class reliability and are fully backward compatible with the BFT-1 system. We previously shipped over 100,000 
BFT-1 mobile satellite transceivers. These satellite transceivers are manufactured in our high-volume manufacturing center located 
in Tempe, Arizona which is operated by our Commercial Solutions segment. We began initial shipments of MT-2025 transceivers 
in fiscal 2018 and expect to continue shipments in fiscal 2019. Although the timing of awards is difficult to predict and subject to 
availability of U.S. government funding, we remain optimistic that we will receive additional orders for our MT-2025 transceivers. 
Ultimately, in light of technological advances and additional requirements, we believe the U.S. Army will procure a next generation 
BFT-3 system and we believe we can play a large role in meeting the U.S. Army’s operational needs.

7

Troposcatter Technologies 

Over-the-horizon microwave systems, sometimes referred to as troposcatter systems, are extremely reliable and secure. Over-the-
horizon microwave communication is a cost-effective, secure alternative to satellite communication as it does not require the 
leasing of expensive satellite transponder space with its attendant recurring costs. U.S. and foreign governments use our over-the-
horizon microwave systems to, among other things, transmit radar tracking, run C4ISR applications and to connect remote border 
locations. Additionally, energy companies use our systems to enable communication links for offshore oil rigs and other remote 
locations, as well as for exploration activities. Our over-the-horizon microwave systems, which include our patented forward error 
correction  technology,  can  transmit  video  and  other  broadband  applications  at  throughputs  of  up  to  50  megabits  per  second 
("Mbps").

We believe our over-the-horizon microwave technologies often provide affordable and effective solutions to meet the requirements 
for communications services and that long-term demand will increase. We recently submitted a proposal to supply a significant 
quantity of our over-the-horizon microwave systems to the U.S. Army. We teamed with a large prime contractor who is providing 
other required hardware and services and are hopeful that we can win this multi-million dollar award in fiscal 2019.

Our MTTS, the first truly modular, rapidly deployable transit case-based troposcatter system, which has recently been purchased 
by the U.S. Army, has been incorporated into the SNAP family of products used by the U.S. military and called the Tactical 
Transportable TROPO ("SNAP 3T") or AN/TRC 198(V3). Numerous SNAP 3T terminals have been deployed by the U.S. Army 
in recent years and we believe that the U.S. Army intends to deploy a significant number of units in the future.  We are currently 
developing next generation troposcatter modems that will provide significant reductions in size, weight and power as compared 
to currently available models. We believe these next generation modems will facilitate further market expansion over the next 
several years.

RF Power and Switching Technologies 

Our high-power solid-state amplifiers and related technologies are utilized in several critical applications including: electronic 
warfare, communications, radar, IFF and medical applications. We believe the demand for our RF power and switching technologies 
is growing. 

In the electronic warfare marketplace, we support legacy systems and are participating in the ongoing migration to platforms that 
require smaller and lighter amplifiers. We expect the U.S. DoD to fund initial proof of concept systems and fund production of 
small airborne platforms to meet the need for improved data link systems with manned and unmanned platforms. Our solutions 
increase the flexibility of systems by providing wider bandwidth capabilities to address communication needs.

We also believe that the desire for increased situational awareness of the airspace may create opportunities for our radar and IFF 
products, which are used by government customers around the world. Our high power and highly reliable GaN amplifier technology 
is increasingly being used both to update existing radar systems for improved sensitivity and range as well as for new radar 
installations. In addition to technologies that enhance performance of primary radars, we also supply solutions for IFF systems 
that provide positive identification of radar targets. Governing bodies are requiring the implementation of spectrum friendly systems 
which, in turn, is driving market need for new hardware for our advanced performance systems.

The medical industry is also making use of our technologies in oncology and hypothermic cancer treatment systems. These systems 
improve  treatment  precision,  reduce  marginal  costs  and  allow  for  higher  insurance  reimbursement  rates.  These  increased 
reimbursement levels are strong incentives to upgrade facilities with the latest available technologies.

8

Summary of Key Products, Systems and Services by Business Segment

The diagram below illustrates how our advanced technology solutions are organized by our two reportable operating segments:

Commercial Solutions Segment Technologies

Government Solutions Segment Technologies

Enterprise
Technologies

Command and
Control Technologies

Troposcatter
Technologies

Safety and
Security
Technologies

Safety and 
Security
•  Wireless/
VoIP 911 
service for 
network 
operators

•  NextGen 911 

solutions

•  ESInet 

(Emergency 
Services IP 
Network)

Application 
Solutions
•  Software and 
equipment for 
Iocation-based 
and 
messaging 
infrastructure

•  Managed 
"cIoud-
services"

•  Trusted 

LocationTM

•  Call Handling 

•  Indoor Location

applications for 
public safety 
answering 
points ("PSAPs")

Communication
Technologies

Satellite Earth 
Station 
Products
•  Ground-based 

equipment such 
as single 
channel per 
carrier modems 
and solid-state 
amplifiers that 
facilitate the 
transmission of 
voice, video 
and data over 
satellite links

Traveling 
Wave Tube 
Amplifiers
•  High power 

narrow-band 
amplifiers used 
to amplify 
signals from 
satellite earth 
stations

Over-the-
Horizon 
Microwave 
Systems
•  Equipment and 
systems that 
can transmit 
digitized voice, 
video and data 
over unfriendly 
or inaccessible 
terrain over 
distances from 
20 to 200 miles 
using the 
troposphere

C4ISR
•  Tactical 

communications, 
managed 
networks, 
logistics, end-to-
end integration

Cyber Intelligence 
Solutions
•  Cybersecurity 

training

•  Computer 
network 
operations

Mobile Data 
Communications
•  Secure, 

satellite-based 
mobile 
communications 
and tracking 
systems

RF Power and
Switching
Technologies

Solid State 
Power 
Amplifiers
•  Solid state high 

power 
broadband 
amplifiers 
designed for 
radar, electronic 
warfare, 
jamming, 
medical and 
aviation 
applications

Commercial Solutions Segment Representative Customers

Government Solutions Segment Representative Customers

Satellite systems integrators, wireless and other 
communication service providers and broadcasters.

Domestic and international defense customers, as well as 
U.S. and foreign governments, prime contractors and 
system suppliers such as Harris Corporation, General 
Dynamics Corporation, L-3 Communications, Raytheon 
Company and ViaSat Inc. 

Satellite broadcasters, such as The DIRECTV Group and 
EchoStar Corporation.

End-customers also include Verizon Communications Inc., 
AT&T Inc., BT Group plc., China Mobile Limited, Century 
Link, Comcast Corporation, Intelsat, Ltd., Speed Cast 
International Limited, Nokia Corporation, O3b Networks, 
Qualcomm Incorporated and Sprint Corporation.

U.S. Army logistics community, the U.S. Army war-fighter 
community, foreign governments, the U.S. Navy, prime 
contractors to the U.S. Armed Forces and NATO.

Domestic and international defense customers, prime 
contractors and system suppliers such as Raytheon 
Company, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin 
Corporation, Telephonics, Inc. and Thales Group. 

Medical equipment companies, such as Varian Medical 
Systems, Inc., and aviation industry system integrators such 
as Rockwell Collins, Inc.

U.S. government customers in the Middle East, Europe, 
North Africa and Latin America and related prime 
contractors and systems integrators.

Oil companies such as Shell Oil Company and Petronas.

9

 
Acquisitions

In the past, we have acquired businesses and enabling technologies.

Our most recent acquisition occurred on February 23, 2016, when we acquired TCS, a leading provider of commercial solutions 
(such as public safety systems and enterprise application technologies) and government solutions (such as command and control 
("C4ISR") applications). The TCS acquisition had an aggregate purchase price for accounting purposes of $340.4 million (also 
referred to as the transaction equity value) and an enterprise value of $423.6 million. 

The TCS acquisition was the largest acquisition in our history and resulted in Comtech entering complementary markets and 
expanding our domestic and international commercial offerings. TCS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtech. Our financial 
results for each of fiscal 2018 and 2017 include a full year of TCS operations and for fiscal 2016 include approximately five 
months of TCS operations. See "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" 
for further discussion. Because our historical results prior to February 23, 2016 do not include TCS, you should not rely on period-
to-period comparisons as an indicator of our future performance as these comparisons may not be meaningful.

In order to position ourselves to take advantage of additional growth opportunities and meet our strategic objectives, we have 
followed and will continue to follow a disciplined approach in identifying, executing and capitalizing on acquisitions.

Sales, Marketing and Customer Support

Sales and marketing strategies vary with particular markets served and include direct sales through sales, marketing and engineering 
personnel,  indirect  sales  through  independent  representatives,  value-added  resellers,  and  sales  through  a  combination  of  the 
foregoing. We devote resources to evaluating and responding to requests for proposals by governmental agencies around the world 
and, as needed, we employ the use of specialized consultants to develop our proposals and bids.

We  intend  to  continue  to  expand  international  marketing  efforts  by  engaging  additional  independent  sales  representatives, 
distributors  and  value-added  resellers  and  by  establishing  additional  foreign  sales  offices.  In  addition,  we  also  leverage  our 
relationships with larger companies (such as prime contractors to the U.S. government and large mobile wireless operators) to 
market our technology solutions.

We are pre-qualified as an approved vendor for certain government contracts, and some of our products and services are available 
to government customers via the General Services Administration’s Information Technology Schedule 70, GTACS, CS2, CS3 and 
the Space and Naval Warfare Foreign Military Sales contract vehicles. We collaborate in sales efforts under various arrangements 
with  integrators.  Our  marketing  efforts  also  include  advertising,  public  relations,  speaking  engagements  and  attending  and 
sponsoring industry conferences. 

Our management, technical and marketing personnel establish and maintain relationships with customers. Our sales strategies 
include a commitment to providing ongoing customer support for our systems and equipment. This support involves providing 
direct access to engineering staff or trained technical representatives to resolve technical or operational issues.

Our products and services in many of our product lines have long sales cycles. Once a product is designed into a system, customers 
may be reluctant to change the incumbent supplier due to the extensive qualification process and potential redesign required in 
using alternative sources. In addition, in recent years, we have found that overall sales cycles for each of our product lines have 
significantly increased.

Sales by geography and customer type, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, are as follows:

U.S. government
Domestic
Total U.S.

International
Total

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
2016
2017
2018
Government Solutions

2018

2016

2017
Commercial Solutions
18.1% 15.1% 25.0% 62.2% 59.2% 65.0% 35.5% 32.7% 40.8%
54.6% 54.4% 40.6% 14.9% 15.5% 11.6% 38.9% 38.9% 29.2%
72.7% 69.5% 65.6% 77.1% 74.7% 76.6% 74.4% 71.6% 70.0%

2017
Consolidated

2016

2018

27.3% 30.5% 34.4% 22.9% 25.3% 23.4% 25.6% 28.4% 30.0%
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

10

 
 
Sales to U.S. government customers include sales to the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD"), intelligence and civilian agencies, 
as well as sales directly to or through prime contractors. 

Domestic sales include sales to commercial customers, as well as to U.S. state and local governments. Included in domestic sales, 
are sales to Verizon Communications Inc. ("Verizon"), which represented 10.0% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018. Sales 
to Verizon were less than 10.0% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2017 and 2016.

International sales for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 (which include sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products that 
are  sold  to  international  customers)  were  $145.8  million,  $156.5  million  and  $123.5  million,  respectively.  When  we  sell 
internationally, we denominate virtually all of our contracts in U.S. dollars. Some of our sales to international customers are paid 
for by letters of credit or on an open account. From time to time, some of our international customers may require us to provide 
performance guarantees. 

Except for the U.S., no individual country (including sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products that are sold to 
a foreign country) represented more than 10% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016. 

Backlog

Our backlog as of July 31, 2018 was $630.7 million (of which $403.1 million was attributed to the Commercial Solutions segment 
and $227.6 million was attributed to the Government Solutions segment). We expect that a significant portion of the backlog as 
of July 31, 2018 will be recognized as sales during fiscal 2019.

At July 31, 2018, 25.4% of our backlog consisted of U.S. government contracts, subcontracts and government funded programs, 
21.9% consisted of orders for use by international customers (including sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products 
that will be sold to international customers) and 52.7% consisted of orders for use by U.S. commercial customers.

Our backlog consists of orders (sometimes referred to herein as bookings) that we believe to be firm; however, almost all of the 
contracts  in  our  backlog  (including  firm  orders  previously  received  from  the  U.S.  government)  are  subject  to  modification, 
cancellation at the convenience of the customer or for default in the event that we are unable to perform under the contract. Backlog 
that is derived from U.S. government orders relates to U.S. government contracts that have been awarded, signed and funded. 
Backlog for our U.S. government customers also includes amounts appropriated by Congress and allotted to the contract by the 
procuring government agency. Our backlog does not include the value of options that may be exercised in the future on multi-
year contracts, nor does it include the value of additional purchase orders that we may receive under indefinite delivery/indefinite 
quantity ("IDIQ") contracts or basic ordering agreements.

In some  cases, such as contracts received from large U.S. based  telecommunication companies, our backlog is computed by 
multiplying the most recent month’s contract or revenue by the months remaining under the existing long-term agreements, which 
we consider to be the best available information for anticipating revenue under those agreements.

A significant portion of the backlog from our U.S. commercial customers relates to large, multi-year contracts to provide state 
and local governments (and their agencies) with safety and security solutions. Although the contracts themselves represent legal, 
binding obligations of these governments, funding is often subject to the approval of budgets (for example, on an annual or bi-
annual basis). Although funding for these multi-year contracts are dependent on future budgets being approved, we include the 
full estimated value of these large, multi-year contracts in our backlog given the critical nature of the services being provided and 
the positive historical experience of our state and local government customers passing their respective budgets.

There can be no assurance that our backlog will result in actual revenue in any particular period, or at all, or that any contract 
included in backlog will be profitable. There is a higher degree of risk in this regard with respect to unfunded backlog. The actual 
receipt and timing of any revenue is subject to various contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. The actual recognition 
of revenue on contracts included in backlog may never occur or may change because a program schedule could change, the program 
could be canceled, a contract could be reduced, modified or terminated early, funding may not be included in future budgets, or 
an option that we had assumed would be exercised is not exercised.

11

Variations in backlog from time to time are attributable, in part, to changes in sales mix, the timing of contract proposals, and the 
timing of contract awards and delivery schedules on specific contracts. A large majority of the solutions in our communication 
technologies product line operate under short lead times. Our Government Solutions segment backlog is highly influenced by the 
nature  and  timing  of  orders  received  from  the  U.S.  government,  which  is  subject  to  unpredictable  funding,  deployment  and 
technology decisions. As a result, we believe our backlog and orders, at any point in time, are not necessarily indicative of the 
total sales anticipated for any particular future period.  

Manufacturing and Service

Our manufacturing operations consist principally of the assembly and testing of electronic products that we design and build from 
purchased fabricated parts, printed circuits and electronic components. We consider our facilities to be well maintained and adequate 
for current and planned production requirements. All of our manufacturing facilities, including those that serve the military market, 
must comply with stringent customer specifications. We employ formal quality management programs and other training programs, 
including the International Standard Organization’s quality procedure registration programs.

We operate a high-volume technology manufacturing center located in Tempe, Arizona. This manufacturing center is operated by 
our Commercial Solutions segment and can be utilized, in part, by our Government Solutions segment and by third-party commercial 
customers, including prime contractors to the U.S. government, who can outsource a portion of their product manufacturing to 
us. Increased usage of our high-volume technology manufacturing center allows us to secure volume discounts on key components, 
better control the quality of our manufacturing process and maximize the utilization of our manufacturing capacity.

Our ability to deliver products to customers on a timely basis is dependent, in part, upon the availability and timely delivery by 
subcontractors  and  suppliers  (including,  at  times,  the  U.S.  government)  of  the  components  and  subsystems  that  we  use  in 
manufacturing our products. Electronic components and raw materials used in our products are generally obtained from independent 
suppliers. Some components are standard items and are available from a number of suppliers. Others are manufactured to our 
specifications by subcontractors. Although we obtain certain components and subsystems from a single source or a limited number 
of sources, we believe that most components and equipment are available from multiple sources. Certain U.S. government contracts 
may require us to incorporate government furnished parts into our products. Delays in receipt of such parts can adversely impact 
the timing of our performance on the related contracts.

Research and Development

We have established a leading technology position in our fields through internal and customer-funded research and development 
activities.

Internal research and development expenses are reported as research and development expenses for financial reporting purposes 
and were $53.9 million, $54.3 million and $42.2 million in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, representing 9.4%, 9.9% and 
10.3% of total consolidated net sales, respectively, for these periods. Customer-funded research and development activities relate 
to the adaptation of our basic technology to specialized customer requirements which is recoverable under contracts and is reflected 
in net sales with the related costs included in cost of sales. Certain of our government customers contract with us from time to 
time to conduct research on telecommunications software, equipment and systems. During fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, we were 
reimbursed by customers for such activities in the amounts of $16.9 million, $27.1 million and $17.4 million, respectively.

Intellectual Property

We rely upon trade secrets, technical know-how, continuing technological innovation and, with respect to certain technologies, 
patents  to  develop  and  maintain  our  competitive  position.  The  products  we  sell  require  significant  engineering  design  and 
manufacturing expertise. For these technological capabilities that are not protected by patents or licenses, we generally rely on 
the expertise of our employees and our learned experiences in both the design and manufacture of our products and the delivery 
of our services.

Some of our key Commercial Solutions segment technology is protected by patents that are significant to protecting our proprietary 
technology. We have been issued several U.S. patents relating to forward error correction technology that is utilized in our TPC-
enabled satellite modems. Due to our market leadership position, we do not expect that upon expiration of these patents, our future 
results will be negatively impacted. Our DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier® bandwidth compression technology is licensed by us 
from a third party.

12

We  have  a  portfolio  of  several  hundred  patents  worldwide  relating  to  wireless  location-based  services,  text  messaging,  GPS 
ephemeris data, emergency public safety data routing, electronic commerce and other areas. To-date, our strategy has been to 
avoid offensive and defensive patent litigation and focus on building meaningful partnerships with other companies through direct 
licensing, cross licensing, and other forms of agreements. We do not believe that any single patent or group of patents, patent 
application or patent license agreement is material to the Company’s operations.

We have filed additional patent applications for certain apparatus and processes we believe we have invented covering key features 
of the location services, wireless text alerts, SMS Center, mobile-originated data and E911 network software. There is no assurance 
that our patent applications will result in a patent being issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or other patent offices, 
nor is there any guarantee that any issued patent will be valid and enforceable. Additionally, foreign patent rights may or may not 
be available or pursued in any technology area for which U.S. patent applications have been filed. 

Almost all of the products and services we sell to the U.S. government include technology and other technical know-how that we 
have internally developed. In past instances where we have provided government-purpose rights, to our knowledge, the U.S. 
government has not exercised any of these rights. To the extent that we have provided or will provide government-purpose rights 
in the future, we believe that given the rapidly changing nature of our technology, our future success will depend primarily on the 
technical competence and creative skill of our personnel, rather than any contractual protection.

Competition

Our  businesses  are  highly  competitive  and  are  characterized  by  rapid  technological  change.  Some  of  our  competitors  are 
substantially  larger,  have  significantly  greater  financial,  marketing,  research  and  development,  technological  and  operating 
resources and broader product lines than we have. Other companies are developing new technologies and the shift towards open 
standards such as IP-based satellite networks will likely result in increased competition. A significant technological breakthrough 
by others, including new companies, our existing competitors and our customers, could have a material adverse effect on our 
business. Our growth and financial condition depends on, among other things, our ability to keep pace with such changes and 
developments and to respond to the increasing variety of electronic equipment users and transmission technologies.

Some large defense-based companies, such as Northrop Grumman Corporation, have subsidiaries or divisions that compete against 
us in one or more business segments. In addition, new and potential competitors are always emerging. Certain of our customers, 
such as prime contractors who currently outsource their engineering and manufacturing requirements to us, have technological 
capabilities in our product areas and could choose to replace our products with products they develop. In some cases, we partner 
or team with companies (both large and mid-tier) to compete against other teams for large defense programs. In some cases, these 
same companies may be among our competitors.

Listed below, in alphabetical order, are some of our competitors in each of our two business segments: 

Commercial Solutions - Advantech Wireless Inc., CalAmp Corp., CPI International, Inc., Datum Systems, Inc., 8x8 Inc., 
Ericsson  LM  Telephone  Co.,  Gilat  Satellite  Networks  Ltd.,  Google  Inc.,  Harris  Corporation,  Here  Technologies, 
Honeywell  Aerospace,  iDirect,  Inc.,  Infinite  Convergence  Solutions,  Inc.,  Intermap  Technologies  Corp.,  Iridium 
Communications Inc., KVH Industries Inc., Motorola Solutions, Inc., Newtec, Nokia Networks, NovelSat, Orbcomm, 
Inc., Paradise Datacom LLC (a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, Inc.), Solacom Technologies Inc., Telenav, Inc., 
Tom Tom NV, ViaSat, Inc. and West Corporation.

Government Solutions - Aethercomm, Inc., CACI International Inc., CalAmp Corp., DB Control Corp. (a subsidiary of 
HEICO Corp.), DXC Technology, Empower RF Systems, Inc., General Dynamics Corporation, Harris Corporation, L3 
Technologies, Inc., Mercury Systems, Inc., NeuStar, Inc., Northrop Grumman Corporation, Orbital ATK, Inc., Raytheon 
Company, Teledyne Technologies, Inc., The KEYW Holding Corporation, Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC and ViaSat, 
Inc.

We believe that competition in all of our markets is based primarily on technology innovation, product performance, reputation, 
delivery times, customer support and price. Due to our proprietary know-how, we believe we have the ability to develop, produce 
and deliver products and services on a cost-effective basis faster than many of our competitors.

13

Employees

At July 31, 2018, we had 1,852 employees (including temporary employees and contractors), 1,109 of whom were engaged in 
production and production support, 391 in research and development and other engineering support, and 352 in marketing and 
administrative functions. None of our U.S. based employees are represented by a labor union. We believe that our employee 
relations are good.

U.S. Government Contracts and Security Clearances

The U.S. government operates on an October-to-September fiscal year. Generally, in February of each year, the President of the 
United States presents to the U.S. Congress ("Congress") the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and from February 
through  September  of  each  year,  the  appropriations  and  authorization  committees  of  Congress  review  the  President’s  budget 
proposals and establish the funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year. Once these levels are enacted into law, the Executive Office 
of the President administers the funds to the agencies. Thereafter, we can receive orders pursuant to sole-source or competitively 
awarded contracts, which we describe below.

The U.S. government may be unable to complete its budget process before the end of any given government fiscal year and when 
the fiscal budget is not approved in a timely manner, the U.S. government is required either to shut down or be funded pursuant 
to a so-called "continuing resolution" that authorizes agencies of the U.S. government to continue operations but does not authorize 
new spending initiatives, either of which could result in reduced or delayed orders or payments for products and services we 
provide.

Sole-source contracts are generally awarded to a single contractor without a formal competition when a single contractor is deemed 
to have an expertise or technology superior to that of competing contractors or when there is an urgent need by the U.S. government 
that cannot wait for a full competitive process. Potential suppliers compete informally through research and development and 
marketing efforts. Competitively-bid contracts are awarded based on a formal proposal evaluation established by the procuring 
agency and interested contractors prepare bids. Competitively-bid contracts are awarded after a formal bid and proposal competition 
among suppliers.

The  U.S.  government  has  a  stated  policy  direction  to  reduce  the  number  of  sole-source  contract  awards  across  all  procuring 
agencies. In addition, the U.S. government is increasing the use of multiple-award IDIQ contracts to increase its procurement 
options. IDIQ contracts allow the U.S. government to select a group of eligible contractors for the same program. When the 
government awards IDIQ contracts to multiple bidders under the same program, a company that has already competed to be 
selected as a participant in the program must subsequently compete for individual delivery orders. As a result of this U.S. government 
shift toward multiple award IDIQ contracts, we expect to face greater competition for future U.S. government contracts and, at 
the same time, greater opportunities for us to participate in program areas that we do not currently participate in.

As a U.S. government contractor and subcontractor, we are subject to a variety of rules and regulations, such as the Federal 
Acquisition Regulations ("FAR"). Individual agencies can also have acquisition regulations. For example, the Department of 
Defense implements the FAR through the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation supplement (commonly known as "DFARs"). 
For all Federal government entities, the FAR regulates the phases of any product or service acquisition, including: acquisition 
planning,  competition  requirements,  contractor  qualifications,  protection  of  source  selection  and  vendor  information,  and 
acquisition procedures. In addition, the FAR addresses the allowability of supplier costs, while Cost Accounting Standards address 
how those costs can be allocated to contracts. The FAR also subjects suppliers to audits and other government reviews. These 
reviews cover issues such as cost, performance and accounting practices relating to our contracts. The government may challenge 
a supplier's costs and fees. Suppliers are also required to comply with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual 
which  relates  to  requirements  regarding  classified  materials  and  programs.  Suppliers  who  do  not  comply  with  these  various 
regulations may lose and/or become ineligible for facility security clearances and/or participation in classified programs.

Under firm fixed-price contracts, we perform for an agreed-upon price and we can derive benefits from cost savings, but bear the 
risk of cost overruns. Our cost-reimbursable type contracts typically provide for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred plus 
a negotiated fee. Cost-plus-incentive-fee orders typically provide for sharing with the U.S. government savings accrued from 
orders performed for less than the target costs and costs incurred in excess of targets up to a negotiated ceiling price (which is 
higher than the target cost), and for the supplier to carry the entire burden of costs exceeding the negotiated ceiling price. 

14

In fiscal 2018, $202.7 million or 35.5% of our consolidated net sales were to the U.S. government (including sales to prime 
contractors to the U.S. government). Of this amount, firm fixed-price and cost-reimbursable type contracts (including fixed-fee, 
incentive-fee and time and material type contracts) accounted for approximately $152.5 million and $50.2 million, respectively. 

15

Regulatory Matters

In addition to the rules and regulations that pertain to us as a U.S. government contractor and subcontractor, we are also subject 
to a variety of local, state and federal governmental regulations.

Our products that are incorporated into wireless communications systems must comply with various government regulations, 
including  those  of  the  FCC.  Our  manufacturing  facilities,  which  may  store,  handle,  emit,  generate  and  dispose  of  hazardous 
substances that are used in the manufacture of our products, are subject to a variety of local, state and federal regulations, including 
those issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. Our products are also subject to European Union directives related to the 
recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. 

Our international sales are subject to U.S. and foreign regulations such as the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA"), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"), the Export Administration Regulations 
("EAR") and the trade sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign 
Assets Control ("OFAC") as well as other applicable laws relating to trade, export controls and foreign corrupt practices, the 
violation of which could adversely affect our operations. We cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain necessary export 
licenses,  and  such  failure  would  materially  adversely  affect  our  operations.  If  we  are  unable  to  receive  appropriate  export 
authorizations in the future, we may be prohibited from selling our products and services internationally, which may limit our 
sales and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We must comply with all 
applicable export control laws and regulations of the U.S. and other countries. Certain of our products and systems may require 
licenses from U.S. government agencies for export from the U.S., and some of our products are not permitted to be exported. In 
addition, in certain cases, U.S. export controls also severely limit unlicensed technical discussions, such as discussions with any 
persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. As a result, in cases where we may need an export license, our ability 
to compete against a non-U.S. domiciled foreign company that may not be subject to the same U.S. laws may be materially 
adversely affected. In addition, we are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and other local laws that generally 
bar bribes or unreasonable gifts to foreign governments or officials. Violations of these laws or regulations could result in significant 
sanctions, including disgorgement of profits, fines, and criminal sanctions against us, our officers, our directors, or our employees, 
more onerous compliance requirements, more extensive debarments from export privileges or loss of authorizations needed to 
conduct aspects of our international business. A violation of any of the regulations enumerated above could materially adversely 
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, changes in regulatory requirements which could 
further restrict our ability to deliver services to our international customers, including the addition of a country to the list of 
sanctioned countries under the IEEPA or similar legislation could negatively impact our business.

In the past, we have self-reported violations of ITAR to the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls 
("DDTC") and had an ITAR compliance audit performed by an independent auditor at the request of the DDTC. Although the 
audit found no violations of ITAR, we committed to the DDTC that we would enhance and maintain certain policies and procedures 
and we have established a company-wide Office of Trade Compliance.

In October 2014, we disclosed to OFAC that we learned during a self-assessment of our export transactions that a shipment of 
modems sent to a Canadian customer by Comtech EF Data Corp. was incorporated into a communication system, the ultimate 
end user of which was the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority. The sales value of this equipment was approximately $288,000. At the 
time of shipment, OFAC regulations prohibited U.S. persons from doing business directly or indirectly with Sudan. In late 2015, 
OFAC issued an administrative subpoena seeking further information about the disclosed transaction. We have responded to the 
subpoena, including alerting OFAC to Comtech’s repair of three modems for a customer in Lebanon who may have rerouted the 
modems from Lebanon to Sudan without the required U.S. licensing authorization. Subsequently, in October 2017, U.S. sanctions 
with respect to Sudan were revoked. Consistent with the revocation of the Sudan Sanction Regulations ("SSR"), shipments to the 
Sudan Civil Aviation Authority by U.S. persons are now permissible. We are not able to predict when OFAC will complete its 
review, nor whether it will take any enforcement action against us in light of the recent revocation of the SSR. If OFAC determines 
that we have violated U.S. trade sanctions, civil and criminal penalties could apply, and we may suffer reputational harm. Even 
though we take precautions to avoid engaging in transactions that may violate U.S. trade sanctions, those measures may not be 
effective in every instance. 

16

In May 2018, we were informed by the Office of Export Enforcement ("OEE") of the Department of Commerce ("DoC") that it 
was  forwarding  to  the  DoC's  Office  of  Chief  Counsel,  the  results  of  its  audit  of  international  shipments  by  Comtech  Xicom 
Technology, Inc. for further review and possible determination of an administrative penalty. We fully cooperated with the OEE in 
their audit and, based on our self-assessment of the approximately 7,800 individual transactions audited, have determined that six 
(6) transactions may not have been fully in compliance with the EAR. These six (6) items, for which export licenses were not 
obtained, were either spares or repaired power amplifier subassembly components valued at less than $100,000 (in aggregate) and 
were shipped to Brazil, Italy, Russia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The EAR provides an exception to the requirement 
to obtain an export license for the replacement of a defective or damaged component. During our self-assessment, we determined 
that we inadvertently did not obtain export licenses for the spares, or had evidence of the return or destruction of the defective or 
damaged components necessary to authorize our use of the export license exception for the replacements. Since discovering this 
issue, we have implemented additional controls and procedures and have increased awareness of these specific export requirements 
throughout the Company to help avoid similar occurrences in the future. Administrative penalties under the EAR can range from 
a warning letter to a denial of export privileges. Given the lapsed legal status of the Export Administration Act ("EAA") itself, 
administrative penalties under the EAR are currently determined pursuant to the IEEPA, which can reach the greater of twice the 
amount of the transaction that is the basis of the violation or approximately $300,000 per violation. We have not recorded an 
accrual related to a possible administrative penalty and continue to work cooperatively with the OEE.

Our  financial  reporting,  corporate  governance,  public  disclosure  and  compliance  practices  are  governed  by  laws  such  as  the 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, and rules and regulations issued by the SEC. The SEC has adopted rules 
which require, among other things, public companies to conduct certain inquiries to determine whether or not Conflict Minerals 
(as that term is defined in the SEC rules) that are necessary to the functionality of their manufactured products or their product's 
production processes originated in a Covered Country (as that term is defined in the SEC rules) and ultimately file a report with 
the SEC. Conflict Minerals are widely used in many industries, including the telecommunications industry and almost all of our 
products include component parts purchased from third party suppliers and we must rely heavily on information received from 
suppliers to determine the origin of those materials. We have implemented a due diligence program consistent with the Organization 
for  Economic  Co-operation  and  Development  guidelines  to  collect  information  concerning  the  country  of  origin  of  Conflict 
Minerals and in that regard, have adopted a policy that requires our suppliers (both public and private) to commit to a code of 
conduct relating to the responsible sourcing of minerals and to establish a policy to reasonably assure that the products they 
manufacture do not contain Conflict Minerals that originated in a Covered Country. Efforts to comply with this SEC rule have 
resulted in additional costs to us and, we believe, to our suppliers. As such, the availability of raw materials used in our operations 
could be negatively impacted and/or raw material prices could increase. Further, if we are unable to certify that our products are 
conflict free, we may face challenges with our customers, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage and could harm our 
reputation.

Recently, there has been a number of laws and regulations enacted that affect companies conducting business on the Internet, 
including the European General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"). The GDPR imposes certain privacy related requirements 
on companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Union that are currently different than those in 
the United States and include significant penalties for non-compliance. Similarly, there are a number of legislative proposals in 
the United States, at both the federal and state level, that could impose new obligations in areas affecting our business, such as 
liability  for  copyright  infringement  by  third  parties.  In  addition,  some  countries  are  considering  or  have  passed  legislation 
implementing data protection requirements or requiring local storage and processing of data or similar requirements that could 
increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services. Our costs to comply with the GDPR as well any other similar laws 
and regulations that emerge may negatively impact our business.

17

Forward-Looking Statements

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS

The following describes major risks to our business and should be considered carefully. Any of these factors could significantly 
and negatively affect our business, prospects, financial condition, or operating results, which could cause the trading prices of 
our equity securities to decline. The risks described below are not the only risks we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties 
not presently known to us, or risks that we currently consider immaterial, could also negatively affect us.

Risks Related to our Business

Our fiscal 2019 business outlook is difficult to forecast and operating results are subject to significant fluctuations and are 
likely to be volatile.

Customer orders (sometimes referred to herein as bookings), net sales and operating results may vary significantly from period 
to period due to a number of factors including: sales mix; fluctuating market demand; price competition; new product introductions 
by  our  competitors;  changing  customer  partnering  procurement  strategies;  fluctuations  in  foreign  currency  exchange  rates; 
unexpected  changes  in  the  timing  of  delivery  of  components  or  subsystems;  the  financial  performance  of  acquisitions;  new 
accounting  standards  such  as  those  relating  to  acquisitions,  revenue  recognition  and  leasing;  political  instability;  regulatory 
developments; changes in income tax rates or tax credits; the price and expected volatility of our stock (which will impact, among 
other items, the amount of stock-based compensation expense we may record); and general global economic conditions.

We have experienced, and will experience in the future, significant fluctuations in bookings, net sales and operating results from 
period to period. For example, a sudden change in global economic conditions could have an immediate impact on a large portion 
of our Commercial Solutions segment net sales, a large amount of which are derived from products such as satellite earth station 
equipment and certain traveling wave tube amplifier products that generally have short lead times. Similarly, sales of certain of 
our enterprise technology solutions and safety and security technology solutions are subject to sudden changes in wireless carrier 
procurement strategies, including decisions to sole-source such solutions. As a result of any such conditions or changes, bookings 
and backlog related to these solutions are extremely sensitive to short-term fluctuations in customer demand.

A large portion of our Government Solutions segment net sales are derived in part from large U.S. Government programs or large 
foreign government opportunities that are subject to lengthy sales cycles (including funding requirements) and are therefore difficult 
to predict. In addition, we continue to execute on our Government Solutions segment's shift away from bidding on large commodity 
service contracts and toward pursuing contracts for our niche products with higher margins.  Although we believe this tactical 
shift will ultimately yield higher operating income, in dollars, as well as higher operating income as a percentage of net sales, this 
shift could result in fluctuations in our business, results of operations and financial condition that we may not be able to accurately 
forecast.

Although the integration of the fiscal 2016 TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. ("TCS") acquisition into our business is 
largely complete, ongoing activity may continue to divert our resources and management's attention.

In February 2016, in connection with the acquisition of TCS, we reorganized our business into two reportable operating segments: 
Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions and integrated TCS businesses into each segment. Although this integration is 
largely complete, we may further change our business and organizational structure and streamline and further consolidate certain 
business processes to achieve greater operating efficiencies. 

The acquisition of TCS has significantly expanded the types of products and services that we sell, expanded the businesses in 
which we engage, and increased the number of facilities we operate, thereby presenting us with significant challenges in managing 
the substantial increase in scale of our business. These challenges include the integration of a large number of systems, both 
operational and administrative. We have also made a number of management changes in certain TCS product lines. We may not 
be able to successfully manage these organizational changes and the unanticipated disruption to our business that might result 
from these changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, 
the diversion of our management’s attention to these matters and away from other business concerns could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The ongoing success of the TCS acquisition will depend on maintaining the efficiencies and cost savings we have achieved to-
date, and no assurances can be given that we will be able to continue to do so.

18

If global economic business and political conditions deteriorate as compared to the current environment, it could have a 
material adverse impact on our business outlook and our business, operating results and financial condition.

For the past several years, many of the end-markets for our products and services have been significantly impacted by adverse 
global  economic  conditions.  For  example,  many  of  our  international  end-customers  are  located  in  emerging  and  developing 
countries that continue to undergo sweeping economic and political changes. Many governments around the world have also cut 
their spending budgets and are under pressure to further reduce them. In recent years, global oil and natural gas prices plunged, 
significantly impairing the ability of our customers in the oil and gas producing regions of the world to invest in telecommunications 
products and infrastructure. Additionally, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar against many international currencies, as compared 
to several years ago, has negatively impacted the purchasing power for many of our international end-customers because virtually 
all of our sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. We generate significant sales from Brazil, Russia, India and China as well as other 
emerging and developing countries. 

The business environment in the past several years resulted in the suppression of end-market demand for many of our satellite 
earth station products. Although economic conditions have improved, we continue to believe that nearly all of our customers are 
challenged by capital and operating budget constraints and a difficult credit environment. The impact, severity and duration of 
these conditions are impossible to predict with precision. Many of our international customers (including our Middle Eastern and 
African customers) rely on European bank financing to procure funding for large systems, many of which include our equipment. 
We believe that European financing has been and continues to be difficult to obtain. Volatility of interest rates may cause our 
customers to be reluctant to spend funds required to purchase our equipment or projects could be postponed or canceled.

In 2016, the U.K. held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the European Union, commonly referred to as "Brexit." 
As a result of the referendum, it is expected that the British government will negotiate the terms of the U.K.’s future relationships 
with European Union member states. Adverse consequences concerning Brexit or the European Union could include deterioration 
in global economic conditions, instability in global financial markets, political uncertainty, volatility in currency exchange rates, 
or adverse changes in the cross-border agreements currently in place, any of which could have an adverse impact on our financial 
results in the future.

In the past, our overall business has not been immune from adverse economic conditions. Although business conditions improved 
in fiscal 2018 as compared to prior years and were relatively strong, if U.S. or global economic conditions deteriorate, or political 
conditions become unstable, or additional economic sanctions are imposed on some of our end-customers, it could adversely 
impact our business in a number of ways, including:

•  Difficulty in forecasting our results of operations - It is difficult to accurately forecast our results of operations during 
periods of adverse conditions as we cannot predict the severity or the duration of such conditions or the impact it could 
have on our current and prospective customers. If our current or prospective customers materially postpone, reduce or 
even forgo purchases of our products and services to a greater extent than we anticipate, our business outlook will prove 
to be inaccurate.

•  Additional reductions in telecommunications equipment and systems spending may occur - In the past, our businesses 
have been negatively affected by uncertain economic environments in the overall market and, more specifically, in the 
telecommunications sector. Our customers have reduced their budgets for spending on telecommunications equipment 
and systems and in some cases postponed or reduced the purchase of our products and systems. In the future, our customers 
may again reduce their spending on telecommunications equipment and systems which would negatively impact both of 
our operating segments. If this occurs, it would adversely affect our business outlook, net sales, profitability and the 
recoverability of our assets, including intangible assets such as goodwill.

•  Our customers may not be able to obtain financing - Although many of our products are relatively inexpensive when 
compared to the total systems or networks that they are incorporated into, our sales are affected by our customers' ability 
to obtain the financing they may require to build out their total systems or networks and fund ongoing operations. Many 
of our emerging market customers obtain financing for network build-outs from European commercial banks and/or 
governments. Our customers' inability to obtain sufficient financing would adversely affect our net sales. In addition, if 
the economic environment and lack of financing results in insolvencies for our customers, it would adversely impact the 
recoverability of our accounts receivable which would, in turn, adversely impact our results of operations.

19

We have incurred indebtedness under a Secured Credit Facility, and may not be able to service that debt in the future and 
we must maintain compliance with various covenants that impose restrictions on our business.

We have a Secured Credit Facility, as amended June 6, 2017, which provides for borrowing availability of up to $400.0 million 
and is secured by substantially all of our assets. As of July 31, 2018, we had $168.7 million of borrowings under the Secured 
Credit Facility, as amended, of which $120.1 million is from an original $250.0 million Term Loan A and $48.6 million of drawings 
under a $150.0 million revolving credit line. 

The Secured Credit Facility, as amended, requires quarterly payments and repayment in full by February 23, 2021. If we do not 
have sufficient funds to repay our debt when due, it may be necessary to refinance our debt through additional debt or equity 
financings.  If,  at  the  time  of  any  refinancing,  prevailing  interest  rates  or  other  factors  result  in  higher  interest  rates  on  such 
refinancing, increases in interest expense could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition. 

Our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, contains various affirmative and negative covenants that may restrict our ability to, 
among other things, permit liens on our property, change the nature of our business, transact business with affiliates and/or merge 
or consolidate with any other person or sell or convey certain of our assets to any one person. 

As of July 31, 2018, our Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Secured Credit Facility, as amended) was 2.19x trailing twelve month 
("TTM") Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Secured Credit Facility, as amended) compared to the maximum allowable 
Leverage Ratio of 3.00x TTM Consolidated EBITDA. 

Our Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Secured Credit Facility, as amended) as of July 31, 2018 was 2.33x compared 
to the minimum required Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.25x. 

Given our expected future business performance, we anticipate maintaining compliance with the terms and financial covenants 
in our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, for the foreseeable future. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to 
meet such covenants. Our ability to comply with these provisions may be affected by events beyond our control. Failure to comply 
with these covenants could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could accelerate our repayment obligations. 
Our substantial debt obligations could impede, restrict or delay the implementation of our business strategy or prevent us from 
entering into transactions that would otherwise benefit our business. For example:

•  we may be required to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our indebtedness, 
thereby reducing the availability of our cash flows for other purposes, including business development efforts, capital 
expenditures, dividends or strategic acquisitions;

• 

if we are not able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our substantial debt service obligations or to fund our other 
liquidity needs, we may have to take actions such as selling assets or raising additional equity or reducing or delaying 
capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions, investments and joint ventures, or restructuring our debt;

•  we may not be able to fund future working capital, capital investments and other business activities;

•  we may not be able to pay dividends or make certain other distributions;

•  we may become more vulnerable in the event of a downturn in our business or a worsening of general economic or 

industry-specific conditions; and

• 

our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry may be limited, thereby placing us at 
a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness.

20

Future acquisitions of companies and investments could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder 
value or adversely affect operating results or the market price of our common stock.

We expect to continue to consider future acquisitions and investments as part of our growth plans. Future acquisitions or investments 
may result in the use of significant amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, incurrence of large amounts 
of debt, increases to amortization expense and future write-offs of intangibles acquired. Acquisitions and investments involve risks 
that include failing to:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

properly evaluate the technology;

accurately forecast the financial impact of the transaction, including accounting charges and transaction expenses;

integrate the technologies, products and services, research and development, sales and marketing, support and other 
operations;

integrate and retain key management personnel and other key employees;

retain and cross-sell to acquired customers; and

combine potentially different corporate cultures.

Acquisitions and investments could also:

• 

• 

divert management’s attention away from the operation of our businesses;

result  in  significant  goodwill  and  intangibles  write-offs  in  the  event  an  acquisition  or  investment  does  not  meet 
expectations; and

• 

increase expenses, including expenses of managing the growth of such acquired businesses.

There can be no assurance that any future acquisition or investment will be successful within the anticipated time frame, or at all, 
will be as valuable as the amount we eventually pay to acquire it, and will not adversely affect our business, results of operations 
or financial condition. In addition, if we consummate future acquisitions using our equity securities or securities convertible into 
our equity securities, existing stockholders may be diluted, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our 
common stock.

Our business is highly dependent on the budgetary decisions of our government customers, including the U.S. government 
(including prime contractors to the U.S. government), and changes in the U.S. government’s fiscal policies or budgetary 
priorities may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

During our fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, sales to the U.S. government (including sales to prime contractors 
to the U.S. government) were $202.7 million, $180.0 million and $167.5 million or 35.5%, 32.7% and 40.8% of our consolidated 
net sales, respectively. In addition, a large portion of our existing backlog consists of orders related to U.S. government contracts 
and our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 and beyond depends, in part, on new orders from the U.S. government, which is currently 
under extreme budgetary pressures.

We rely on particular levels of U.S. government spending on our communication solutions, and our receipt of future orders depends 
in large part on continued funding by the U.S. government for the programs in which we participate. These spending levels are 
not generally correlated with any specific economic cycle, but rather follow the cycle of general public policy and political support 
for this type of spending. Government contracts are conditioned upon the continuing availability of congressional appropriations 
and Congress’s failure to appropriate funds, or Congress’s actions to reduce or delay spending on, or reprioritize its spending away 
from, U.S. government programs which we participate in, could negatively affect our results of operations. Because many of the 
items we sell to the U.S. government are included in large programs realized over a period of several years, it is difficult, if not 
impossible, to determine specific amounts that are or will be appropriated for our products and services. As such, our assessments 
relating to the impact of changes in U.S. government spending may prove to be incorrect.

21

The federal debt limit continues to be actively debated as plans for long-term national fiscal policy are discussed. The outcome 
of these debates could have a significant impact on defense spending broadly and programs we support in particular. The failure 
of Congress to approve future budgets and/or increase the debt ceiling of the U.S. on a timely basis could delay or result in the 
loss of contracts for the procurement of our products and services and we may be asked or required to continue to perform for 
some period of time on certain of our U.S. government contracts, even if the U.S. government is unable to make timely payments. 
A decrease in Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security expenditures, the elimination or curtailment of a 
material  program  in  which  we  are  involved,  or  changes  in  payment  patterns  of  our  customers  as  a  result  of  changes  in  U.S. 
government  spending  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial  condition. 
Considerable uncertainty exists regarding how budget reductions will be applied and what challenges the reductions will present.

Ultimately the U.S. government may be unable to timely complete its budget process or fully agree upon spending priorities. If 
the U.S. government budget process results in a prolonged shutdown or prolonged operation under a continuing resolution, we 
may experience delayed orders, delayed payments and declines in net sales, profitability and cash flows. We may experience 
related  supply  chain  delays,  disruptions  or  other  problems  associated  with  financial  constraints  faced  by  our  suppliers  and 
subcontractors. All of the aforementioned conditions and factors could, in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our 
business,  results  of  operations  and  financial  condition. Additionally,  cost  cutting,  efficiency  initiatives,  reprioritization,  other 
affordability analyses, and changes in budgetary priorities by our governmental customers, including the U.S. government, could 
adversely impact both of our operating segments. We are unable to predict the impact these or similar events could have on our 
business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our contracts with the U.S. government are subject to unique business, commercial and government audit risks.

We depend on the U.S. government for a significant portion of our revenues.  Our contracts with the U.S. government are subject 
to unique business and commercial risks, including:

• 

• 

• 

• 

unexpected contract or project terminations or suspensions;

unpredictable order placements, reductions, delays or cancellations;

higher than expected final costs, particularly relating to software and hardware development, for work performed under 
contracts where we commit to specified deliveries for a fixed-price; and

unpredictable cash collections of unbilled receivables that may be subject to acceptance of contract deliverables by the 
customer and contract close out procedures, including government audit and approval of final indirect rates.

Although we take steps to mitigate our risk with respect to contracts with the U.S. government, we may not be able to do so in 
every instance for any of the following reasons, among others:

•  Our U.S. government contracts can easily be terminated by the U.S. government - Our U.S. government contracts can 
be terminated by the U.S. government for its convenience or upon an event of default by us. Termination for convenience 
provisions provide us with little to no recourse related to: our potential recovery of costs incurred or costs committed, 
potential settlement expenses and hypothetical profit on work completed prior to termination. 

•  Our U.S. government contracts are subject to funding by the U.S. Congress - U.S. government contracts are conditioned 
upon the continuing approval by Congress of the necessary funding. Congress usually appropriates funds for a given 
program on a fiscal year basis even though contract performance may take more than one year. Consequently, at the 
beginning of a major program, the contract may not be fully funded, and additional monies are normally committed to 
the contract only if, and when, appropriations are made by Congress for future fiscal years.  Delays or changes in funding 
can impact the timing of awards or lead to changes in program content. We obtain certain of our U.S. government contracts 
through a competitive bidding process. There can be no assurance that we will win additional contracts or that actual 
contracts that are awarded will ultimately be profitable.

•  We can be disqualified as a supplier to the U.S. government - As a supplier to the U.S. government, we must comply 
with numerous regulations, including those governing security, contracting practices and classified information. Failure 
to comply with these regulations and practices could result in fines being imposed against us or our suspension for a 
period of time from eligibility for bidding on, or for award of, new government contracts.  If we are disqualified as a 
supplier to government agencies, we would lose most, if not all, of our U.S. government customers and revenues from 
sales of our products would decline significantly.

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In addition, all of our U.S. government contracts can be audited by the Defense Contract Audit Agency ("DCAA") and other U.S. 
government agencies and we can be subject to penalties arising from post-award contract audits (sometimes referred to as a Truth 
in Negotiations Act or "TINA" audit) or cost audits in which the value of our contracts may be reduced. If costs are found to be 
improperly allocated to a specific contract, those costs will not be reimbursed, and any such costs already reimbursed would be 
required to be refunded. Although we record contract revenues based upon costs we expect to realize upon final audit, we cannot 
predict the outcome of any such future audits and adjustments and we may be required to materially reduce our revenues or profits 
upon completion and final negotiation of audits. Negative audit findings could also result in termination of a contract, forfeiture 
of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracting or subcontracting for a 
period of time.

Our dependence on sales to international customers exposes us to unique business, commercial and export compliance 
audit risks.

Sales for use by international customers (including sales to U.S. companies for inclusion in products that will be sold to international 
customers) represented approximately 25.6%, 28.4% and 30.0% of our consolidated net sales for the fiscal years ended July 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and we expect that international sales will continue to be a significant portion of our consolidated 
net sales for the foreseeable future. These sales expose us to certain risks, including barriers to trade, fluctuations in foreign currency 
exchange rates (which may make our products less price-competitive), political and economic instability, exposure to public health 
epidemics, availability of suitable export financing, tariff regulations, and other U.S. and foreign regulations that may apply to 
the export of our products. Although we take steps to mitigate our risk with respect to international sales, we may not be able to 
do so in every instance for any of the following reasons, among others:

•  We may not be able to continue to structure our international contracts to reduce risk - We attempt to reduce the risk of 
doing business in foreign countries by seeking subcontracts with large systems suppliers, contracts denominated in U.S. 
dollars, advance or milestone payments and irrevocable letters of credit in our favor. However, we may not be able to 
reduce  the  economic  risk  of  doing  business  in  foreign  countries  in  all  instances.  In  such  cases,  billed  and  unbilled 
receivables relating to international sales are subject to increased collectability risk and may result in significant write-
offs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, 
foreign defense contracts generally contain provisions relating to termination at the convenience of the government.

•  We rely on a limited number of international sales agents - In some countries, we rely upon one or a small number of 
sales agents, exposing us to risks relating to our contracts with, and related performance of, those agents. We attempt to 
reduce our risk with respect to sales agents by establishing additional foreign sales offices where it is practical and by 
engaging, where practicable, more than one independent sales representative in a territory. It is our policy to require all 
sales agents to operate in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Violations of any of these laws, rules 
or regulations, and other business practices that are regarded as unethical, could interrupt the sales of our products and 
services, result in the cancellation of orders or the termination of customer relationships, and could damage our reputation, 
any of which developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

•  We currently price virtually all of our products in U.S. dollars - Today, virtually all of our sales are denominated in U.S. 
dollars. Over the last few years, the U.S. dollar has strengthened significantly against many international currencies. As 
such, many of our international customers experienced a drop in their purchasing power as it relates to their ability to 
purchase our products. To-date, we have not materially changed our selling prices and have experienced lower sales 
volumes. Although monetary conditions in fiscal 2018 improved as compared to recent years, it is possible, that the U.S. 
dollar will strengthen from current levels against many international currencies. If this occurs, our customers may reduce 
their spending or postpone purchases of our products and services to a greater extent than we currently anticipate which 
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

•  We must comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations of the U.S. and other countries - Certain of our 
products and systems may require licenses from U.S. government agencies for export from the U.S., and some of our 
products are not permitted to be exported.  In addition, in certain cases, U.S. export controls also severely limit unlicensed 
technical discussions, such as discussions with any persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. As a result, 
in cases where we may need a license, our ability to compete against a non-U.S. domiciled foreign company that may 
not be subject to the same U.S. laws may be materially adversely affected. U.S. laws and regulations applicable to us 
include the Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA"), the ITAR, the EAR 
and the trade sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset 
Control ("OFAC").

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•  We must comply with the FCPA and similar laws elsewhere - We are subject to the FCPA and other foreign laws prohibiting 
corrupt payments to government officials, which generally bar bribes or unreasonable gifts to foreign governments or 
officials. Violations of these laws or regulations could result in significant sanctions, including disgorgement of profits, 
fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, our directors, or our employees, more onerous compliance requirements, 
more extensive debarments from export privileges or loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international 
business. A violation of any of the regulations enumerated above could materially adversely affect our business, financial 
condition and results of operations.  Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance 
with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, agents, or subsidiaries will 
not violate our policies. Additionally, changes in regulatory requirements which could restrict our ability to deliver services 
to our international customers, including the addition of a country to the list of sanctioned countries under the IEEPA or 
similar legislation could negatively impact our business. For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, we 
have conducted virtually no business with states designated as sponsors of terrorism. 

•  We must maintain a company-wide Office of Trade Compliance - In the past, we have self-reported violations of ITAR 
to the DDTC and had an ITAR compliance audit performed by an independent auditor at the request of the DDTC. 
Although the audit found no violations of ITAR, we committed to the DDTC that we would enhance and maintain certain 
policies and procedures and we have established a company-wide Office of Trade Compliance. 

In October 2014, we disclosed to OFAC that we learned during a self-assessment of our export transactions that a shipment 
of modems sent to a Canadian customer by Comtech EF Data Corp. was incorporated into a communication system, the 
ultimate end user of which was the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority. The sales value of this equipment was approximately 
$288,000. At the time of shipment, OFAC regulations prohibited U.S. persons from doing business directly or indirectly 
with  Sudan.  In  late  2015,  OFAC  issued  an  administrative  subpoena  seeking  further  information  about  the  disclosed 
transaction. We have responded to the subpoena, including alerting OFAC to Comtech’s repair of three modems for a 
customer in Lebanon who may have rerouted the modems from Lebanon to Sudan without the required U.S. licensing 
authorization. Subsequently, in October 2017, U.S. sanctions with respect to Sudan were revoked. Consistent with the 
revocation of the Sudan Sanction Regulations ("SSR"), shipments to the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority by U.S. persons 
are  now  permissible. We  are  not  able  to  predict  when  OFAC  will  complete  its  review,  nor  whether  it  will  take  any 
enforcement action against us in light of the recent revocation of the SSR. If OFAC determines that we have violated 
U.S. trade sanctions, civil and criminal penalties could apply, and we may suffer reputational harm. Even though we take 
precautions to avoid engaging in transactions that may violate U.S. trade sanctions, those measures may not be effective 
in every instance.

In May 2018, we were informed by the Office of Export Enforcement ("OEE") of the Department of Commerce ("DoC") 
that it was forwarding to the DoC's Office of Chief Counsel, the results of its audit of international shipments by Comtech 
Xicom Technology, Inc. for further review and possible determination of an administrative penalty. We fully cooperated 
with the OEE in their audit and, based on our self-assessment of the approximately 7,800 individual transactions audited, 
have determined that six (6) transactions may not have been fully in compliance with the EAR. These six (6) items, for 
which export licenses were not obtained, were either spares or repaired power amplifier subassembly components valued 
at less than $100,000 (in aggregate) and were shipped to Brazil, Italy, Russia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. 
The EAR provides an exception to the requirement to obtain an export license for the replacement of a defective or 
damaged component. During our self-assessment, we determined that we inadvertently did not obtain export licenses for 
the spares, or had evidence of the return or destruction of the defective or damaged components necessary to authorize 
our use of the export license exception for the replacements. Since discovering this issue, we have implemented additional 
controls and procedures and have increased awareness of these specific export requirements throughout the Company to 
help avoid similar occurrences in the future. Administrative penalties under the EAR can range from a warning letter to 
a denial of export privileges. Given the lapsed legal status of the Export Administration Act ("EAA") itself, administrative 
penalties under the EAR are currently determined pursuant to the IEEPA, which can reach the greater of twice the amount 
of the transaction that is the basis of the violation or approximately $300,000 per violation. We have not recorded an 
accrual related to a possible administrative penalty and continue to work cooperatively with the OEE.

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•  We may be subject to future export compliance audits - We continue to implement policies and procedures to ensure that 
we comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations. We may be subjected to compliance audits in the 
future that may uncover improper or illegal activities that would subject us to material remediation costs, civil and criminal 
fines  and/or  penalties  and/or  an  injunction.  In  addition,  we  could  suffer  serious  reputational  harm  if  allegations  of 
impropriety were made against us. Each of these outcomes could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The absence of comparable restrictions on competitors 
in other countries may adversely affect our competitive position. In addition, in order to ship our products into and 
implement our services in some countries, the products must satisfy the technical requirements of that particular country. 
If we were unable to comply with such requirements with respect to a significant quantity of our products, our sales in 
those countries could be restricted, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and 
financial condition.

Our investments in recorded goodwill and other intangible assets could be impaired as a result of future business conditions, 
a deterioration of the global economy or if we change our reporting unit structure.

As of July 31, 2018, goodwill recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet aggregated $290.6 million. Additionally, as of July 
31, 2018, net intangibles recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet aggregated $240.8 million.

For purposes of reviewing impairment and the recoverability of goodwill and other intangible assets, our Government Solutions 
and Commercial Solutions segment each constitute a reporting unit and we must make various assumptions in determining their 
estimated fair values. Reporting units are defined by how our President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") manages the business, 
which includes resource allocation decisions. We may, in the future, change our management approach which in turn may change 
the way we define our reporting units, as such term is defined by Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting 
Standards Codification ("ASC") 350 "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other." A change to our management approach may require us 
to perform an interim goodwill impairment test and possibly record impairment charges in a future period.

In accordance with FASB ASC 350, we perform a goodwill impairment analysis at least annually (in the first fiscal quarter of each 
fiscal year), unless indicators of impairment exist in interim periods. If we fail the quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment 
("quantitative assessment"), pursuant to our adoption of FASB ASU No. 2017-04 in fiscal 2017, we would be required to recognize 
an impairment loss equal to the amount that a reporting unit's carrying value exceeded its fair value; however, any loss recognized 
should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. 

On August 1, 2018 (the first day of our fiscal 2019), we performed our annual quantitative assessment and estimated the fair value 
of each of our reporting units using a combination of the income and market approaches. Based on our quantitative evaluation, 
we determined that our Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions reporting units had estimated fair values in excess of 
their carrying values of at least 42.5% and 105.5%, respectively, and concluded that our goodwill was not impaired and that neither 
of our two reporting units was at risk of failing the quantitative assessment. It is possible that, during fiscal 2019 or beyond, 
business  conditions (both  in  the U.S.  and  internationally) could  deteriorate from the  current state,  our current  or  prospective 
customers could materially postpone, reduce or even forgo purchases of our products and services to a greater extent than we 
currently anticipate, or our common stock price could decline. A significant decline in our customers' spending that is greater than 
we anticipate or a shift in funding priorities may also have a negative effect on future orders, sales, income and cash flows and 
we might be required to perform a quantitative assessment during fiscal 2019 or beyond. If assumed net sales and cash flow 
projections are not achieved in future periods or our common stock price significantly declines from current levels, our Commercial 
Solutions  or  Government  Solutions  reporting  units  could  be  at  risk  of  failing  the  quantitative  assessment  and  goodwill  and 
intangibles assigned to the respective reporting units could be impaired. 

In any event, we are required to perform the next annual goodwill impairment analysis on August 1, 2019 (the start of our fiscal 
2020). If our assumptions and related estimates change in the future, or if we change our reporting unit structure or other events 
and circumstances change (e.g., a sustained decrease in the price of our common stock (considered on both absolute terms and 
relative to peers)), we may be required to record impairment charges when we perform these tests, or in other future periods. In 
addition to our impairment analysis of goodwill, we also review net intangibles with finite lives when an event occurs indicating 
the potential for impairment. We believe that the carrying values of our net intangibles were recoverable as of July 31, 2018. Any 
impairment charges that we may record in the future could be material to our results of operations and financial condition.

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We could be negatively impacted by a systems failure or security breach through cyber-attack, cyber intrusion or otherwise, 
by other significant disruption of our IT networks or those we operate for certain customers, or third party data center 
facilities, servers and related systems.

Similar to all companies in our industry, we are under constant cyber-attack and are subject to an ongoing risk of security breaches 
and disruptions of our IT networks and related systems, including third party data center facilities, whether through actual breaches, 
cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions via the Internet, malware, computer viruses, attachments to e-mails, persons inside our organization 
or persons with access to systems inside our organization. Actual security breaches or disruption, particularly through cyber-attack 
or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments and cyber terrorists, have increased in recent years and 
have become more complex. Our IT network and systems, as well as third party data center facilities, have been and, we believe, 
continue to be under constant attack. We face an added risk of a security breach or other significant disruption to certain of our 
equipment  used  on  some  of  our  customer’s  IT  networks  and  related  systems  which  may  involve  managing  and  protecting 
information relating to national security and other sensitive government functions. We may incur significant costs to prevent and 
respond to actual breaches, cyber-attacks and other systems disruptions.

As a communications company, and particularly as a government contractor and a provider of 911 systems, we face a heightened 
risk of a security breach or disruption from actual breaches, cyber-attacks and other threats to gain unauthorized access to our and 
our customers' proprietary or classified information on our IT networks, third party data center facilities and related systems and 
to certain of our equipment used on some of our customer’s IT networks and related systems. These types of information and IT 
networks  and  related  systems  are  critical  to  the  operation  of  our  business  and  essential  to  our  ability  to  perform  day-to-day 
operations, and, in some cases, are critical to the operations of certain of our customers. Although we make significant efforts to 
maintain the security and integrity of these types of information and IT networks and related systems, and we have implemented 
various measures to manage the risk of a security breach or disruption, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and 
measures will be effective or that actual security breaches or disruptions will not be successful or damaging. Even the most well 
protected information, networks, data centers, systems and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because security breaches, 
particularly cyber-attacks and intrusions, and disruptions have occurred and will occur again in the future. Techniques used in 
such breaches and cyber-attacks are constantly evolving and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in 
some cases are designed not to be detected and, in fact, may not be detected.  In some cases, the resources of foreign governments 
may be behind such attacks. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security 
barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is virtually impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk.

A security breach or other significant disruption involving these types of information and IT networks and related systems could:

•  Disrupt the proper functioning of these networks, data center facilities and systems and therefore our operations and/or 

those of certain of our customers; 

•  Result in the unauthorized access to, and destruction, loss, theft, misappropriation or release of, proprietary, confidential, 
sensitive or otherwise valuable information of ours or our customers, including trade secrets, which others could use to 
compete against us or for disruptive, destructive or otherwise harmful purposes and outcomes; 

•  Compromise national security and other sensitive government functions; 

•  Require significant management attention and resources to remedy the damage that results; and

•  Damage our reputation with our customers (particularly agencies of the U.S. government) and the public generally.

In addition, the cost of continually defending against cyber-attacks and actual breaches has increased in recent years and future 
costs and any or all of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

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The measures we have implemented to secure information we collect and store or enable access to may be breached, which 
could cause us to breach agreements with our partners and expose us to potential investigation and penalties by authorities 
and potential claims for contract breach, product liability damages, credits, penalties or termination by persons whose 
information was disclosed.

We take reasonable steps to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of the information we collect and store and to prevent 
unauthorized access to third party data to which we enable access through our products, but there is no guarantee that inadvertent 
or  unauthorized  disclosure  will  not  occur  or  that  third  parties  will  not  gain  unauthorized  access  despite  our  efforts.  If  such 
unauthorized disclosure or access does occur, we may be required to notify persons whose information was disclosed or accessed 
under existing and proposed laws. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or 
sabotage systems change frequently and are often not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate 
these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We also may be subject to claims of breach of contract for such 
disclosure, investigation and penalties by regulatory authorities and potential claims by persons whose information was disclosed. 
If there is a security breach or if there is an inappropriate disclosure of any of these types of information, we could be exposed to 
investigations, litigation, fines and penalties. Remediation of and liability for loss or misappropriation of end user or employee 
personal information could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even if 
we were not held liable for such event, a security breach or inappropriate disclosure of personal, private or confidential information 
could harm our reputation and our relationships with current and potential customers and end users. Even the perception of a 
security risk could inhibit market acceptance of our products and services. We may be required to invest additional resources to 
protect against damage caused by any actual or perceived disruptions of our services. We may also be required to provide information 
about the location of an end user’s mobile device to government authorities, which could result in public perception that we are 
providing  the  government  with  intelligence  information  and  deter  some  end  users  from  using  our  services.  Any  of  these 
developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our U.S. federal, state and foreign tax returns are subject to audit and a resulting tax assessment or settlement could have 
a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Significant judgment is required 
in determining the provision for income taxes.

The  final  determination  of  tax  examinations  and  any  related  litigation  could  be  materially  different  than  what  is  reflected  in 
historical income tax provisions and accruals. Since November 2017, our federal income tax return for fiscal 2016 has been under 
audit by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). The audit is ongoing and we are unaware of any proposed adjustments by the IRS. 
Our federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and 2017 are also subject to potential future IRS audit. None of our state income 
tax returns prior to fiscal 2014 are subject to audit. TCS' federal income tax returns for tax years 2014 and 2015 and the tax period 
from January 1, 2016 to February 23, 2016 are subject to potential future IRS audit. None of TCS' state income tax returns prior 
to calendar year 2013 are subject to audit. In addition to income tax audits, TCS is subject to ongoing state and local excise tax 
audits by the Washington State Department of Revenue. Although adjustments relating to past audits of our federal income tax 
returns (including the recent audit of fiscal 2014) were immaterial, a resulting tax assessment or settlement for other periods or 
other jurisdictions that may be selected for future audit could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated results 
of operations and financial condition. 

We have significant operations in Arizona, Florida, California, Washington State, New York and other locations which 
could be materially and adversely impacted in the event of a terrorist attack and government responses thereto or significant 
disruptions (including natural disasters) to our business.

Terrorist attacks, the U.S. and other governments' responses thereto, and threats of war could materially adversely impact our 
business, results of operations and financial condition.  For example, our 911 hosted location-based services and satellite teleport 
services operations depend on our ability to maintain our computer and equipment and systems in effective working order, and to 
protect our systems against damage from fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, sabotage, unauthorized 
access to our system or similar events.  

Although all of our mission-critical systems and equipment are designed with built-in redundancy and security, any unanticipated 
interruption  or  delay  in  our  operations  or  breach  of  security  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  results  of 
operations and financial condition. Our property and business interruption insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for 
any losses that may occur in the event of a terrorist attack, threat, system failure or a breach of security. Insurance may not be 
available to us at all or, if available, may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms.

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We operate a high-volume technology manufacturing center located in Tempe, Arizona. We expect intercompany manufacturing 
to increase from current levels in future periods and we intend to maximize the use of our high-volume technology manufacturing 
center by continuing to seek contracts with third parties to outsource a portion of their manufacturing to us. A terrorist attack or 
similar future event may disrupt our operations or those of our customers or suppliers and may affect the availability of materials 
needed to manufacture our products or the means to transport those materials to manufacturing facilities and finished products to 
customers. If a natural disaster or other business interruption occurred with respect to our high-volume technology manufacturing 
center, we do not have immediate access to other manufacturing facilities and, as a result, our business, results of operations and 
financial condition would be materially adversely affected.

We design and manufacture our over-the-horizon microwave equipment and systems in Florida, where major hurricanes have 
occurred in the past, and traveling wave tube amplifiers in Santa Clara, California, an area close to major earthquake fault lines, 
and also manufacture amplifiers in Melville, New York, an area subject to hurricanes. Additionally, certain of our Commercial 
Solutions segment activities are conducted in Washington State which is also near a fault line.  Our operations in these and other 
locations (such as in our high-volume technology manufacturing center located in Tempe, Arizona), could be subject to natural 
disasters or other significant disruptions, including hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, fires, water 
shortages,  other  extreme  weather  conditions,  medical  epidemics,  acts  of  terrorism,  power  shortages  and  blackouts, 
telecommunications failures, and other natural and man-made disasters or disruptions.

We cannot be sure that our systems will operate appropriately if we experience hardware or software failure, intentional disruptions 
of service by third parties, an act of God or an act of war. A failure in our systems could cause delays in transmitting data, and as 
a result we may lose customers or face litigation that could involve material costs and distract management from operating our 
business.

In the event of any such disaster or other disruption, we could experience disruptions or interruptions to our operations or the 
operations of our suppliers, distributors, resellers or customers; destruction of facilities; and/or loss of life, all of which could 
materially increase our costs and expenses and materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be subject to environmental liabilities.

We engage in manufacturing and are subject to a variety of local, state and federal laws and regulations relating to the storage, 
discharge, handling, emission, generation, manufacture and disposal of toxic or other hazardous substances used to manufacture 
our products. We are also subject to the Restriction of Hazardous Substance ("RoHS") directive which restricts the use of lead, 
mercury and other substances in electrical and electronic products. The failure to comply with current or future environmental 
requirements could result in the imposition of substantial fines, suspension of production, alteration of our manufacturing processes 
or cessation of operations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. 
In addition, the handling, treatment or disposal of hazardous substances by us or our predecessors may have resulted, or could in 
the future result, in contamination requiring investigation or remediation, or lead to other liabilities, any of which could have a 
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The success of our business is dependent on compliance with FCC rules and regulations and similar foreign laws and 
regulations.

Many of our products are incorporated into wireless communications systems that must comply with various U.S. government 
regulations, including those of the FCC, as well as similar international laws and regulations. As a result, our business faces 
increased risks including the following:

•  We must obtain various licenses from the FCC - We operate FCC licensed teleports that are subject to the Communications 
Act of 1934, as amended, or the FCC Act, and the rules and regulations of the FCC.  We cannot guarantee that the FCC 
will grant renewals when our existing licenses expire, nor are we assured that the FCC will not adopt new or modified 
technical requirements that will require us to incur expenditures to modify or upgrade our equipment as a condition of 
retaining our licenses. We may, in the future, be required to seek FCC or other government approval if foreign ownership 
of our stock exceeds certain specified criteria. Failure to comply with these policies could result in an order to divest the 
offending foreign ownership, fines, denial of license renewal and/or license revocation proceedings against the licensee 
by the FCC, or denial of certain contracts from other U.S. government agencies.

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•  We are dependent on the allocation and availability of frequency spectrum - Adverse regulatory changes related to the 
allocation and availability of frequency spectrum and in the military standards and specifications that define the current 
satellite networking environment, could materially harm our business by: (i) restricting development efforts by us and 
our customers, (ii) making our current products less attractive or obsolete, or (iii) increasing the opportunity for additional 
competition. The increasing demand for wireless communications has exerted pressure on regulatory bodies worldwide 
to  adopt  new  standards  and  reassign  bandwidth  for  these  products  and  services.  The  reduced  number  of  available 
frequencies for other products and services and the time delays inherent in the government approval process of new 
products and services have caused, and may continue to cause, our customers to cancel, postpone or reschedule their 
installation of communications systems including their satellite, over-the-horizon microwave, or terrestrial line-of-sight 
microwave communication systems. This, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our sales of products to our 
customers. Changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations could materially adversely harm 
our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

•  Our future growth is dependent, in part, on developing NG911 compliant products - The FCC requires that certain location 
information be provided to network operators for public safety answering points when a subscriber makes a 911 call. 
Technical failures, greater regulation by federal, state or foreign governments or regulatory authorities, time delays or 
the significant costs associated with developing or installing improved location technology could slow down or stop the 
deployment of our mobile location products. If deployment of improved location technology is delayed, stopped or never 
occurs, market acceptance of our products and services may be materially adversely affected. Because we rely on some 
third-party location technology instead of developing all of the technology ourselves, we have little or no influence over 
its improvement. The technology employed with NG911 services generally anticipates a migration to internet-protocol 
("IP") based communication. Since many companies are proficient in IP-based communication protocols, the barriers to 
entry to providing NG911 products and services are lower than exist for the traditional switch-based protocols. If we are 
unable to develop unique and proprietary solutions that are superior to and more cost effective than other market offers, 
our 911 business could get replaced by new market entrants, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, results 
of operations and financial condition.

•  Under the FCC’s mandate, our 911 business is dependent on state and local governments - Under the FCC’s mandate, 
wireless carriers are required to provide 911 services only if state and local governments request the service. As part of 
a state or local government’s decision to request 911, they have the authority to develop cost recovery mechanisms. 
However, cost recovery is no longer a condition to wireless carriers’ obligation to deploy the service. If state and local 
governments do not widely request that 911 services be provided or we become subject to significant pressures from 
wireless carriers with respect to pricing of 911 services, our 911 business would be harmed and future growth of our 
business would be reduced.

Regulation of the mobile industry and VoIP is evolving, and unfavorable changes or our failure to comply with existing 
and potential new legislation or regulations could harm our business and operating results.

As the mobile industry continues to evolve, we believe greater regulation by federal, state or foreign governments or regulatory 
authorities is likely and we face certain risks including:

•  We must adhere to existing and potentially new privacy rules - We believe increased regulation is likely in the area of 
data privacy, and laws and regulations applying to the solicitation, collection, processing or use of personal or consumer 
information  could  affect  our  customers’  ability  to  use  and  share  data,  potentially  reducing  our  ability  to  utilize  this 
information in the resale of certain of our products. In order for mobile location products and services to function properly, 
wireless carriers must locate their subscribers and store information on each subscriber’s location. Although data regarding 
the location of the wireless user resides only on the wireless carrier’s systems, users may not feel comfortable with the 
idea that the wireless carrier knows and can track their location. Carriers will need to obtain subscribers’ permission to 
gather and use the subscribers’ personal information, or they may not be able to provide customized mobile location 
services which those subscribers might otherwise desire. If subscribers view mobile location services as an annoyance 
or a threat to their privacy, that could reduce demand for our products and services and have a material adverse effect on 
our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Recently, there has been a number of laws and regulations enacted that affect companies conducting business on the 
Internet, including the European General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"). The GDPR imposes certain privacy 
related requirements on companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Union that are 
currently different than those in the United States and include significant penalties for non-compliance. Similarly, there 
are a number of legislative proposals in the United States, at both the federal and state level, that could impose new 
obligations in areas affecting our business, such as liability for copyright infringement by third parties. In addition, some 
countries are considering or have passed legislation implementing data protection requirements or requiring local storage 
and processing of data or similar requirements that could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services. 
Our costs to comply with the GDPR as well any other similar laws and regulations that emerge may negatively impact 
our business.

•  We may face increased compliance costs in connection with health and safety requirements for mobile devices - If wireless 
handsets pose health and safety risks, we may be subject to new regulations and demand for our products and services 
may decrease. Media reports have suggested that certain radio frequency emissions from wireless handsets may be linked 
to various health concerns, including cancer, and may interfere with various electronic medical devices, including hearing 
aids and pacemakers. Concerns over radio frequency emissions may have the effect of discouraging the use of wireless 
handsets, which would decrease demand for our services. In recent years, the FCC and foreign regulatory agencies have 
updated the guidelines and methods they use for evaluating radio frequency emissions from radio equipment, including 
wireless handsets. In addition, interest groups have requested that the FCC investigate claims that wireless technologies 
pose health concerns and cause interference with airbags, hearing aids and other medical devices. There also are some 
safety risks associated with the use of wireless handsets while driving. Concerns over these safety risks and the effect of 
any legislation that may be adopted in response to these risks could limit our ability to market and sell our products and 
services.

•  The regulatory environment for VoIP services is developing - The FCC has determined that VoIP services are not subject 
to the same regulatory scheme as traditional wireline and wireless telephone services. If the regulatory environment for 
VoIP services evolves in a manner other than the way we anticipate, our 911 business would be significantly harmed and 
future growth of our business would be significantly reduced. For example, the regulatory scheme for wireless and wireline 
service providers requires those carriers to allow service providers such as us to have access to certain databases that 
make the delivery of a 911 call possible. No such requirements exist for VoIP service providers, so carriers could prevent 
us from continuing to provide VoIP 911 service by denying us access to the required databases.

All of our business activities are subject to rapid technological change, new entrants, the introduction of other distribution 
models and long development and testing periods each of which may harm our competitive position, render our product 
or service offerings obsolete and require us to continuously develop technology and/or obtain licensed technology in order 
to compete successfully.

We are engaged in business activities characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, frequent new 
product announcements and enhancements, and changing customer demands. The introduction of products and services on future 
industry standards embodying new technologies such as multi-frequency time-division multiple access ("MF-TDMA") based 
technologies could render any of our products and services obsolete or non-competitive.  The successful execution of our business 
strategy is contingent upon wireless network operators launching and maintaining mobile location services, our ability to maintain 
a technically skilled development and engineering team, our ability to create new network software products and adapt our existing 
products to rapidly changing technologies, industry standards and customer needs. As a result of the complexities inherent in our 
product offerings, new technologies may require long development and testing periods. Additionally, new products may not achieve 
market acceptance or our competitors could develop alternative technologies that gain broader market acceptance than our products. 
If we are unable to develop and introduce technologically advanced products that respond to evolving industry standards and 
customer needs, or if we are unable to complete the development and introduction of these products on a timely and cost effective 
basis, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or could result in our 
technology becoming obsolete.

New entrants seeking to gain market share by introducing new technology and new products may make it more difficult for us to 
sell our products and services and could create increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing 
expenses, or the loss of market share or expected market share, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, 
results of operations and financial condition.  For example, many companies are developing new technologies and the shift towards 
open standards such as IP-based satellite networks will likely result in increased competition and some of our products may become 
commoditized. Our DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier® bandwidth compression technology is licensed by us from a third party that 
maintains patents associated with the technology. Other competitors have developed similar technologies and some may have also 
licensed parts or all of this compression technology.

30

Our  Commercial  Solutions  segment  provides  various  technologies  that  are  utilized  on  mobile  phones.  Applications  from 
competitors for location-based or text-based messaging platforms may be preloaded on mobile devices by original equipment 
manufacturers, or OEMs, or offered by OEMs directly. Increased competition from providers of location-based services which 
do not rely on a wireless carrier may result in fewer wireless carrier subscribers electing to purchase their wireless carrier’s branded 
location-based services, which could harm our business and revenue. In addition, these location-based or text-based services may 
be offered for free or on a onetime fee basis, which could force us to reduce monthly subscription fees or migrate to a onetime fee 
model to remain competitive. We may also lose end users or face erosion in our average revenue per user if these competitors 
deliver their products without charge to the consumer by generating revenue from advertising or as part of other applications or 
services.

Our expected growth and our financial position depends on, among other things, our ability to keep pace with such changes and 
developments and to respond to the increasing variety of electronic equipment users and transmission technologies. We may not 
have the financial or technological resources to keep pace with such changes and developments or be successful in our research 
and development and we may not be able to identify and respond to technological improvements made by our competitors in a 
timely or cost-effective fashion. Any delays could result in increased costs of development or redirect resources from other projects. 
In addition, we cannot provide assurances that the markets for our products, systems, services or technologies will develop as we 
currently anticipate. The failure of our products, systems, services or technologies to gain market acceptance could significantly 
reduce our net sales and harm our business.

Our business is highly competitive, we are reliant upon the success of our partners, and some of our competitors have 
significantly greater resources than we do, which could result in a loss of customers, market share and/or market acceptance.

Our  business  is  highly  competitive. We  will  continue to  invest  in  research  and  development  for  the  introduction  of  new  and 
enhanced products and services designed to improve capacity, data processing rates and features. We must also continue to develop 
new features and to improve functionality of our software. Research and development in our industry is complex, expensive and 
uncertain. We believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to research and development efforts to 
maintain our competitive position. If we continue to expend a significant amount of resources on research and development, but 
our efforts do not lead to the successful introduction of product and service enhancements that are competitive in the marketplace, 
our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Several  of  our  potential  competitors  are  substantially  larger  than  we  are  and  have  greater  financial,  technical  and  marketing 
resources than we do. In particular, larger competitors have certain advantages over us which could cause us to lose customers 
and impede our ability to attract new customers, including: larger bases of financial, technical, marketing, personnel and other 
resources; more established relationships with wireless carriers and government customers; more funds to deploy products and 
services; and the ability to lower prices (or not charge any price) of competitive products and services because they are selling 
larger volumes. Furthermore, we cannot be sure that our competitors will not develop competing products, systems, services or 
technologies that gain market acceptance in advance of our products, systems, services or technologies, or that our competitors 
will not develop new products, systems, services or technologies that cause our existing products, systems, services or technologies 
to become non-competitive or obsolete, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our Commercial Solutions segment provides Safety and Security Technologies to various state and local municipalities and to a 
large extent, we are reliant on the success of our wireless partners and distributors to meet our growth objectives. In some cases, 
our wireless partners may have different objectives or our distributors may not be successful. For example, in February 2016, 
AT&T, one of our largest partners publicly announced a new nationwide service that is focused on the adoption of NG911 services 
and that such new service will be deployed in collaboration with a competitor.  In fiscal 2018, we were informed by two of our 
large distributors that they did not win two large programs which included our NG911 solutions and that AT&T was awarded both 
programs. Going forward, we intend to continue to work with our partners and expand our direct and indirect sales and distribution 
channel in this area. If we are not successful in doing so, we may not be able to achieve our long-term business goals.

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Contract cost growth on our fixed price contracts, including most of our government contracts, cost reimbursable type 
contracts and other contracts that cannot be justified as an increase in contract value due from customers exposes us to 
reduced profitability and the potential loss of future business and other risks.

A substantial portion of our products and services are sold under fixed-price contracts. Fixed-price contracts inherently have more 
risk than flexibly priced contracts. This means that we bear the risk of unanticipated technological, manufacturing, supply or other 
problems, price increases or other increases in the cost of performance. Future events could result in either upward or downward 
adjustments to those estimates which could negatively impact our profitability. Operating margin is materially adversely affected 
when contract costs that cannot be billed to the customer are incurred. This cost growth can occur if initial estimates used for 
calculating the contract price were incorrect, or if estimates to complete increase. To a lesser extent, we provide products and 
services under cost reimbursable type contracts which carry the entire burden of costs exceeding a negotiated contract ceiling 
price.

The cost estimation process requires significant judgment and expertise. Reasons for cost growth may include unavailability and 
productivity of labor, the nature and complexity of the work to be performed, the effect of change orders, the availability of 
materials, the effect of any delays in performance, availability and timing of funding from the customer, natural disasters, and the 
inability to recover any claims included in the estimates to complete. A significant change in an estimate on one or more programs 
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Ongoing compliance with the provisions of securities laws, related regulations and financial reporting standards could 
unexpectedly materially increase our costs and compliance related expenses.

Because we are a publicly traded company, we are required to comply with provisions of securities laws, related regulations and 
financial  reporting  standards.  Because  securities  laws,  related  regulations  and  financial  reporting  standards  pertaining  to  our 
business are relatively complex, our business faces increased risks including the following:

• 

• 

If we identify a material weakness in the future, our costs may unexpectedly increase - Pursuant to Section 404 of the 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related SEC rules, we are required to furnish a report of management’s assessment of 
the effectiveness of our internal controls as part of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our independent registered public 
accountants are required to attest to and provide a separate opinion. To issue our report, we document our internal control 
design and the testing processes that support our evaluation and conclusion, and then we test and evaluate the results. 
There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to remediate material weaknesses, if any, that may be identified 
in future periods, or maintain all of the controls necessary for continued compliance. There likewise can be no assurance 
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. 

Stock-based compensation accounting standards could negatively impact our stock - Since our inception, we have used 
stock-based awards as a fundamental component of our employee compensation packages. We believe that stock-based 
awards directly motivate our employees to maximize long-term stockholder value and, through the use of long-term 
vesting,  encourage  employees  to  remain  with  us.  We  apply  the  provisions  of  ASC  718,  "Compensation  -  Stock 
Compensation," which requires us to record compensation expense in our statement of operations for employee and 
director stock-based awards using a fair value method. In the first quarter of fiscal 2018, we adopted FASB ASU No. 
2016-09 which modified certain aspects of ASC 718, including the requirement to recognize excess tax benefits and 
shortfalls in the income statement. The ongoing application of this standard will have a significant effect on our reported 
earnings, and could adversely impact our ability to provide accurate guidance on our future reported financial results due 
to the variability of the factors used to estimate the value of stock-based awards (including long-term performance shares 
which are subject to the achievement of three-year goals which are based on several performance metrics). The ongoing 
application of this standard could impact the future value of our common stock and may result in greater stock price 
volatility. To the extent that this accounting standard makes it less attractive to grant stock-based awards to employees, 
we may incur increased compensation costs, change our equity compensation strategy or find it difficult to attract, retain 
and motivate employees, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and 
financial condition.

32

•  We must maintain compliance with new complex revenue recognition rules - The accounting rules and regulations that 
we must comply with are complex. Accounting rules and regulations are continually changing in ways that could materially 
impact our financial statements. As further discussed in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (1)(c) - 
Summary  of  Significant Accounting  and  Reporting  Policies  -  Revenue  Recognition"  included  in  "Part  II  -  Item  8.  - 
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," on August 1, 2018 (our first quarter of fiscal 2019), we adopted FASB 
Accounting  Standards  Update  ("ASU")  No.  2014-09  "Revenue  from  Contracts  with  Customers  (Topic  606),"  which 
replaces numerous requirements in U.S. GAAP, including industry specific requirements, and provides a single revenue 
recognition model for contracts with customers. The ASU applies to all open contracts existing as of August 1, 2018. We 
adopted this ASU using the modified retrospective method and there was no material impact on our business, results of 
operations and financial condition. In fiscal 2019, we expect to recognize a significant portion of our contracts over time, 
as there is a continuous transfer of control to the customer over the contractual period of performance. The remainder of 
our contracts will be recognized at a point in time. Both of these methods are similar to what we did prior to August 1, 
2018. We must comply with these new revenue recognition rules on a go-forward basis. Because of the uncertainties of 
the estimates, judgments and assumptions associated with these new accounting policies, as well as with any future 
guidance or interpretations related to the new standard, we may incur additional costs and cannot provide any assurances 
that we will be able to comply with such complex revenue recognition rules.

Our  costs  to  comply  with  the  aforementioned  and  other  regulations  continue  to  increase  and  we  may  have  to  add  additional 
accounting staff, engage consultants or change our internal practices, standards and policies which could significantly increase 
our costs to comply with ongoing or future requirements. In addition, the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC ("NASDAQ") routinely 
changes its requirements for companies, such as us, that are listed on NASDAQ. These changes (and potential future changes) 
have increased and may increase our legal and financial compliance costs, including making it more difficult and more expensive 
for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance or maintain our current liability coverage. We believe that these new and 
proposed laws and regulations could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors, 
particularly to serve on our Audit Committee, and qualified executive officers.

Our backlog is subject to customer cancellation or modification and such cancellation could result in a decline in sales and 
increased provisions for excess and obsolete inventory.

We currently have a backlog of orders, mostly under contracts that our customers may modify or terminate. Almost all of the 
contracts in our backlog (including firm orders previously received from the U.S. government) are subject to cancellation at the 
convenience of the customer or for default in the event that we are unable to perform under the contract. A portion of our backlog 
is determined based on contracts received from our customers (such as the U.S. government and large wireless carriers) and in 
certain cases, is computed by multiplying the most recent month’s contract or revenue by the months remaining under the existing 
long-term agreements, which we consider to be the best available information for anticipating revenue under those agreements.  
There can be no assurance that our backlog will result in actual revenue in any particular period, or at all, or that any contract 
included in backlog will be profitable. As such, there is a higher degree of risk in this regard with respect to backlog. The actual 
receipt and timing of any revenue is subject to various contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. The actual receipt 
of revenue on contracts included in backlog may never occur or may change because a program schedule could change, the program 
could be canceled, a contract could be reduced, modified or terminated early, or an option that we had assumed would be exercised 
is not exercised.

A significant portion of the backlog from our U.S. commercial customers relates to large, multi-year contracts to provide state 
and local governments (and their agencies) with safety and security solutions.  Although the contracts themselves represent legal, 
binding obligations of these governments, funding is often subject to the approval of budgets (for example, on an annual or bi-
annual basis). Although funding for these multi-year contracts are dependent on future budgets being approved, we include the 
full estimated value of these large, multi-year contracts in our backlog given the critical nature of the services being provided and 
the positive historical experience of our state and local government customers passing their respective budgets.

We record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical and future usage trends and other factors, including 
the consideration of the amount of backlog we have on hand at any particular point in time. If orders in our backlog are canceled 
or modified, our estimates of future product demand may prove to be inaccurate, in which case we may have understated the 
provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. In the future, if we determine that our inventory is overvalued, we will be 
required to recognize such costs in our financial statements at the time of such determination. Any such charges could be materially 
adverse to our results of operations and financial condition.

33

We face a number of risks relating to the expected growth of our business. Our business and operating results may be 
negatively impacted if we are unable to manage this growth.

These risks include:

•  The loss of key technical or management personnel could adversely affect our business - Our future success depends on 
the continued contributions of key technical management personnel. Many of our key technical management personnel 
would be difficult to replace, and are not subject to employment or non-competition agreements. We currently have 
research and development employees in areas that are located a great distance away from our U.S. headquarters. Managing 
remote product development operations is difficult and we may not be able to manage the employees in these remote 
centers successfully. Our expected growth and future success will depend, in large part, upon our ability to attract and 
retain highly qualified engineering, sales and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel from other companies, 
academic institutions, government entities and other organizations is intense. Although we believe that we have been 
successful to-date in recruiting and retaining key personnel, we may not be successful in attracting and retaining the 
personnel we will need to grow and operate profitably. Also, the management skills that have been appropriate for us in 
the past may not continue to be appropriate if we grow and diversify.

•  We may not be able to improve our processes and systems to keep pace with anticipated growth - The future growth of 
our business may place significant demands on our managerial, operational and financial resources. In order to manage 
that growth, we must be prepared to improve and expand our management, operational and financial systems and controls. 
We also need to continue to recruit and retain personnel and train and manage our employee base. We must carefully 
manage research and development capabilities and production and inventory levels to meet product demand, new product 
introductions and product and technology transitions. If we are not able to timely and effectively manage our growth and 
maintain the quality standards required by our existing and potential customers, it could have a material adverse effect 
on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

•  Our markets are highly competitive and there can be no assurance that we can continue to compete effectively - The 
markets for our products are highly competitive. There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to compete 
successfully on price or other terms, or that our competitors will not develop new technologies and products that are more 
effective than our own. We expect the Department of Defense’s increased use of commercial off-the-shelf products and 
components in military equipment will encourage new competitors to enter the market. Also, although the implementation 
of advanced telecommunications services is in its early stages in many developing countries, we believe competition will 
continue to intensify as businesses and foreign governments realize the market potential of telecommunications services. 
Many of our competitors have financial, technical, marketing, sales and distribution resources greater than ours. Recently, 
we have seen increased requests for proposals from large wireless carriers for sole-source solutions and have responded 
to  several  such  requests  including  those  from AT&T  and Verizon.  In  order  to  induce  retention  of  existing  customer 
contracts and obtain business on a sole-source basis, we may ultimately agree to adjust pricing on a retroactive basis. If 
our sole-source proposals are rejected in favor of a competitor’s proposal, it could result in the termination of existing 
contracts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

•  We may not be able to obtain sufficient components to meet expected demand - Our dependence on component availability, 
government furnished equipment, subcontractors and key suppliers, including the core manufacturing expertise of our 
high-volume technology manufacturing center located in Tempe, Arizona, exposes us to risk. Although we obtain certain 
components and subsystems from a single source or a limited number of sources, we believe that most components and 
subsystems are available from alternative suppliers and subcontractors. During fiscal 2018, and as a result of overall 
increased industry-wide demand, lead times for many components have increased. In addition, threats of or actual tariffs 
could limit our ability to obtain certain parts on a cost-effective basis, or at all. A significant interruption in the delivery 
of such items could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In 
addition, if our high-volume technology manufacturing center located in Tempe, Arizona is unable to produce sufficient 
product or maintain quality, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

•  Our ability to maintain affordable credit insurance may become more difficult - In the normal course of our business, we 
purchase credit insurance to mitigate some of our domestic and international credit risk. Although credit insurance remains 
generally available, upon renewal, it may become more expensive to obtain or may not be available for existing or new 
customers in certain international markets and it might require higher deductibles than in the past. If we acquire a company 
with a different customer base, we may not be able to obtain credit insurance for those sales. As such, there can be no 
assurance that, in the future, we will be able to obtain credit insurance on a basis consistent with our past practices.

34

We rely upon various third party companies and their technology to provide services to our customers and if we are unable 
to obtain such services at reasonable prices, or at all, our gross margins and our ability to provide the services of our 
wireless applications business could be materially adversely affected.

Risks from our reliance with these third parties include:

•  The loss of mapping and third party content - The wireless data services provided to our customers are dependent on 
real-time, continuous  feeds  from  map  data,  points  of  interest  data, traffic  information, gas  prices, theater,  event  and 
weather information from vendors and others. Any disruption of this third-party content from our satellite feeds or backup 
landline feeds or other disruption could result in delays in our subscribers’ ability to receive information.  We obtain this 
data that we sell to our customers from companies owned by current and potential competitors, who may act in a manner 
that is not in our best interest.  If our suppliers of this data or content were to enter into exclusive relationships with other 
providers of location-based services or were to discontinue providing such information and we were unable to replace 
them cost effectively, or at all, our ability to provide the services of our wireless applications business would be materially 
adversely affected. Our gross margins may also be materially adversely affected if the cost of third party data and content 
increases substantially.

•  Third party data centers or third party networks may fail - Many products and services of our advanced communication 
solutions, in particular our public safety and enterprise technology solutions, are provided through a combination of our 
servers, which we house at third party data centers, and the networks of our wireless carrier partners. Certain of our data 
centers are currently hosted in cloud based applications operated by third parties such as Amazon Web Services and 
Microsoft or third party facilities located in Irvine, California, San Francisco, California, Dallas, Texas and Raleigh, 
North Carolina, and we may use others as required. We also use third party data center facilities in the Phoenix, Arizona 
area to provide for disaster recovery. As such, our business relies to a significant degree on the efficient and uninterrupted 
operation of the third party data centers we use. Network failures, disruptions or capacity constraints in our third-party 
data center facilities or in our servers maintained at their location could affect the performance of the products and services 
of our wireless applications and 911 business and harm our reputation and our revenue. The ability of our subscribers to 
receive critical location and business information requires timely and uninterrupted connections with our wireless network 
carriers. Any disruption from our satellite feeds or backup landline feeds could also result in delays in our subscribers’ 
ability to receive information.

•  We must integrate our technologies and routinely upgrade them - We may not be able to upgrade our location-based 
services platform to support certain advanced features and functionality without obtaining technology licenses from third 
parties. Obtaining these licenses may be costly and may delay the introduction of such features and functionality, and 
these licenses may not be available on commercially favorable terms, or at all. Problems and delays in development or 
delivery  as  a  result  of  issues  with  respect  to  design,  technology,  licensing  and  patent  rights,  labor,  learning  curve 
assumptions, or materials and components could prevent us from achieving contractual obligations. In addition, our 
products cannot be tested and proven in all situations and are otherwise subject to unforeseen problems. The inability to 
offer advanced features or functionality, or a delay in our ability to upgrade our location-based services platform, may 
materially adversely affect demand for our products and services and, consequently, have a material adverse effect on 
our business, results of operations and financial condition.

•  We rely upon "open-source" software - We have incorporated some types of open-source software into our products, 
allowing us to enhance certain solutions without incurring substantial additional research and development costs. Thus 
far, we have encountered no unanticipated material problems arising from our use of open-source software. However, as 
the use of open-source software becomes more widespread, certain open-source technology could become competitive 
with our proprietary technology, which could cause sales of our products to decline or force us to reduce the fees we 
charge for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

Indemnification provisions in our contracts could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, 
financial position, or cash flows.

In the ordinary course of business, we include indemnification provisions in certain of our customer contracts. Pursuant to these 
agreements, we have agreed to indemnify, hold harmless and reimburse the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by 
the indemnified party, including but not limited to losses related to third-party intellectual property claims.  Some customers seek 
indemnification under their contractual arrangements with the Company for claims and other costs associated with defending 
lawsuits alleging infringement of patents through their use of our products and services, and the use of our products and services 
in combination with products and services of other vendors. 

35

In some cases, we have agreed to assume the defense of the case. In others, the Company will negotiate with these customers in 
good faith because the Company believes its technology does not infringe the cited patents and due to specific clauses within the 
customer contractual arrangements that may or may not give rise to an indemnification obligation. It is not possible to determine 
the maximum potential amount the Company may spend under these agreements due to the unique facts and circumstances involved 
in each particular agreement.

For example, we have accrued certain costs related to Vehicle IP, LLC ("Vehicle IP") which filed a patent infringement lawsuit in 
the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (the "District Court"). For additional information, see "Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements - Note (14)(b) - Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings and Other Matters" included in "Part 
II - Item 8.- Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company's assessments related to indemnification provisions are based on estimates and assumptions that have been deemed 
reasonable by management, but that may prove to be incomplete or inaccurate, and unanticipated events and circumstances may 
occur that might cause the Company to change those estimates and assumptions. Therefore, it is possible that an unfavorable 
resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements 
in a future fiscal period.

We are, from time to time, and could become a party to additional litigation or subject to claims, including product liability 
claims, relating to our software, government investigations and other proceedings that could cause us to incur unanticipated 
expenses and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are, from time to time, involved in commercial disputes and civil litigation relating to our businesses. Our agreements with 
customers may require us to indemnify such customers. Direct claims against us or claims against our customers may relate to 
defects in or non-conformance of our products, or our own acts of negligence and non-performance. Occasionally, we are called 
upon also to provide information in connection with litigation involving other parties or government investigations. Product liability 
and other forms of insurance are expensive and may not be available in the future. We cannot be sure that we will be able to 
maintain or obtain insurance coverage at acceptable costs or in sufficient amounts or that our insurer will not disclaim coverage 
as to a future claim. In many cases, we are unable to obtain insurance and are self-insured. Any such claim could have a material 
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. 

Because our software may contain defects or errors, and our hardware products may incorporate defective components, 
our sales could decrease if these defects or errors adversely affect our reputation or delay shipments of our products.  

Products as complex as ours are likely to contain undetected errors or defects, especially when first introduced or when new 
versions are released. Our products may not be error or defect free after delivery to customers, which could damage our reputation, 
cause revenue losses, result in the rejection of our products or services, divert development resources and increase service and 
warranty costs, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. 
Software products, such as our 911 call handling software solution, must meet stringent customer technical requirements and we 
must satisfy our warranty obligations to our customers. Our 911 call handling software solution is a small product line developed 
by TCS more than ten years ago. Such solution was licensed to customers prior to our acquisition of TCS and older versions of 
this software solution remain deployed by certain end-customers. In fiscal 2016, AT&T, a distributor of this small TCS product 
line, informed us that they did not believe we met certain contractual specifications related to performance and usability of the 
software solution. During fiscal 2018, we entered into a full and final warranty settlement with AT&T, pursuant to which we issued 
thirty-six credits to AT&T of $0.2 million, which AT&T can apply on a monthly basis to purchases of solutions from us, beginning 
October 2017 through September 2020.  For additional information related to this warranty settlement, see "Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements - Note (6) - Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities"  included in "Part II - Item 8.- Financial 
Statements and Supplementary Data," included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our current accrued warranty obligations 
at July 31, 2018 include $4.7 million of warranty obligations for the TCS 911 call handling software solution. Our warranty liability 
associated with this issue was determined based on a review of contractual obligations, estimates of costs to enhance the software 
and include the terms of settlement with AT&T. We believe our customer support plan, which includes an intention to continue to 
support end-customers in exchange for an annual customer support fee, has mitigated the negative reputational impact of this 
issue.  In  fiscal  2018  and  2017,  911  call  handling  software  solution  sales  were  $7.0  million  and  $5.5  million,  respectively. A 
significant portion of such sales were derived from our relationship with AT&T. Sales in fiscal 2019 for this product line are 
currently expected to be similar to the amounts achieved in fiscal 2018 and 2017.

Our hardware products are also subject to warranty obligations and integrate a wide variety of components from different vendors. 

36

Protection of our intellectual property is limited and pursuing infringers of our patents and other intellectual property 
rights can be costly.

Our businesses rely, in large part, upon our proprietary scientific and engineering know-how and production techniques. We rely 
on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, service mark, trade secret and unfair competition laws, restrictions in licensing 
agreements, confidentiality provisions and various other contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and related 
proprietary rights, but these legal means provide only limited protection. Although a number of patents have been issued to us and 
we have obtained a number of other patents as a result of our acquisitions, we cannot assure you that our issued patents will be 
upheld if challenged by another party. Additionally, with respect to any patent applications which we have filed, we cannot assure 
you that any patents will be issued as a result of these applications.

The  departure  of  any  of  our  key  management and  technical personnel,  the breach  of  their  confidentiality and  non-disclosure 
obligations to us or the failure to achieve our intellectual property objectives could have a material adverse effect on our business, 
results of operations and financial condition. Our ability to compete successfully and achieve future revenue growth will depend, 
in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technology and operate without infringing upon the rights of others. We may fail 
to do so. In addition, the laws of certain countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect our products or 
intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S.

Our ability to protect our intellectual property rights is also subject to the terms of future government contracts. We cannot assure 
you that the federal government will not demand greater intellectual property rights or restrict our ability to disseminate intellectual 
property. We are also a member of standards-setting organizations and have agreed to license some of our intellectual property to 
other members on fair and reasonable terms to the extent that the license is required to develop non-infringing products.

Pursuing infringers of our proprietary rights could result in significant litigation costs, and any failure to pursue infringers could 
result in our competitors utilizing our technology and offering similar products, potentially resulting in loss of a competitive 
advantage and decreased revenues. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, existing patent, copyright, trademark and 
trade secret laws afford only limited protection. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary 
rights to the same extent as do the laws of the U.S. Protecting our know-how is difficult especially after our employees or those 
of our third-party contract service providers end their employment or engagement. Attempts may be made to copy or reverse-
engineer aspects of our products or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Accordingly, we may not be able 
to prevent the misappropriation of our technology or prevent others from developing similar technology. Furthermore, policing 
the unauthorized use of our products is difficult and expensive. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual 
property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. The costs and diversion of resources could 
significantly harm our business. If we fail to protect our intellectual property, we may not receive any return on the resources 
expended to create the intellectual property or generate any competitive advantage based on it.

Third parties may claim we are infringing their intellectual property rights and we could be prevented from selling our 
products, or suffer significant litigation expense, even if these claims have no merit.

Our competitive position is driven in part by our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. Third parties, however, may 
claim that we, our products, operations or any products or technology we obtain from other parties are infringing their intellectual 
property rights, and we may be unaware of intellectual property rights of others that may cover some of our assets, technology 
and products. From time to time we receive letters from third parties who allege we are infringing their intellectual property and 
ask us to license such intellectual property. We review the merits of each such letter and respond as we deem appropriate.

From time to time our customers are parties to allegations of intellectual property infringement claims based on our customers’ 
incorporation and use of our products and services, which may lead to demands from our customers for us to indemnify them for 
costs in defending those allegations. Any litigation regarding patents, trademarks, copyrights or intellectual property rights, even 
those without merit, and the related indemnification demands of our customers, can be costly and time consuming, and divert our 
management and key personnel from operating our business. The complexity of the technology involved and inherent uncertainty 
and cost of intellectual property litigation increases our risks. If any third party has a meritorious or successful claim that we are 
infringing its intellectual property rights, we may be forced to change our products or enter into licensing arrangements with third 
parties, which may be costly or impractical. This also may require us to stop selling our products as currently engineered, which 
could  harm  our  competitive  position. We  also  may  be  subject  to  significant  damages  or  injunctions  that  prevent  the  further 
development and sale of certain of our products or services and may result in a material loss of revenue.

37

From time to time, there have been claims challenging the ownership of open source software against companies that incorporate 
open source software into their products. As a result, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe 
to be open source software. Some open source licenses contain requirements that we make available source code for modifications 
or derivative works under the terms of a particular open source license or other license granting third parties certain rights of 
further use. If we combine our proprietary software products with open source software in a certain manner, we could under certain 
of the open source licenses, be required to release our proprietary source code. Open source license terms may be ambiguous and 
many  of  the  risks  associated  with  usage  of  open  source  software  cannot  be  eliminated,  and  could  if  not  properly  addressed, 
negatively affect our business. If we were found to have inappropriately used open source software, we may be required to release 
our proprietary source code, re-engineer our products and client applications, discontinue the sale of our products or services in 
the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or take other remedial action that may divert resources away 
from our development efforts, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial 
condition.

A change in our relationship with our large wireless carrier customers could have a material adverse effect.

Although  we  have  a  long  history  of  providing  services  to  many  of  our  wireless  carrier  partners,  a  change  in  purchasing  or 
procurement strategies by a wireless carrier partner could result in the loss of business from that partner.  Additionally, from time 
to time, we routinely perform services without a multi-period contract while we negotiate new and extended contract terms and 
pricing. These negotiations are complex and may take long periods of time. Even when we successfully negotiate a multi-period 
contract, our wireless carrier contracts, such as the ones with Verizon and AT&T, provide for terminations with notice and provide 
a mechanism for the wireless carrier to renegotiate lower fees and/or change services. Fee pressure from these carriers are constant 
and ongoing. Thus, even when we obtain a multi-period contract term, our revenues could be suddenly and materially reduced.

Competitors offer technology that has functionality similar to ours for free, under different business models. Competition from 
these free offerings may reduce our revenue and harm our business. If our wireless carrier partners can offer these location-based 
services to their subscribers for free, they may elect to cease their relationships with us, alter or reduce the manner or extent to 
which they market or offer our services or require us to substantially reduce our subscription fees or pursue other business strategies 
that may not prove successful for us and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

Potential future business combinations among wireless network operators could result in a loss of revenue for our business.

The telecommunications industry generally is currently undergoing a consolidation phase. For example, T-Mobile US, Inc. ("T-
Mobile") and Sprint Corporation have announced a merger. We currently generate revenue from both of these companies and we 
are uncertain of the impact that this merger may have on us in the future. Many of our customers, specifically wireless carrier 
customers of our Commercial Solutions segment, have or may become the target of acquisitions. If the number of our customers 
is significantly reduced as a result of this consolidation trend, or if the resulting companies do not utilize our product offerings, 
our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

If our wireless carrier partners change the pricing and other terms by which they offer our products to their end-customers 
or do not continue to provide our services at all or renegotiate lower fees with us, our business, results of operations, and 
financial condition could be suddenly and materially adversely affected. 

We generate a significant portion of our revenue from customers that are wireless carriers, such as Verizon and AT&T. In addition, 
a portion of our revenue is derived from subscription fees that we receive from our wireless carrier partners for end-users who 
subscribe to our service on a standalone basis or in a bundle with other services. To-date, a relatively small number of end-users 
have subscribed for our services in connection with their wireless plans compared to the total number of mobile phone users. Our 
future growth depends, in part, on achieving significantly increased subscriber adoption of the wireless communication solutions 
we sell either through standalone subscriptions to our solutions or as part of bundles from our existing wireless carrier partners. 
Our success also depends on achieving widespread deployment of our solutions by attracting and retaining wireless carrier partners. 
Future revenue will depend on the pricing and quality of those services and subscriber demand for those services, which may vary 
by market, and the level of subscriber turnover experienced by our wireless carrier partners. If subscriber turnover increases more 
than we anticipate, our financial results could be materially adversely affected.

Poor performance in or disruptions of the services included in our advanced communication solutions could harm our reputation, 
delay market acceptance of our services and subject us to liabilities (including breach of contract claims brought by our customers 
and third-party damages claims brought by end-users). Our wireless carrier agreements and certain customers require us to meet 
specific requirements including operational uptime requirements or be subject to penalties.

38

 
If we are unable to meet contractual requirements with our wireless carrier partners, such as Verizon and AT&T, they could terminate 
our agreements or we may be required to refund a portion of monthly subscriptions fees they have paid us.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

Our stock price is volatile.

The stock market in general and the stock prices of technology-based companies, in particular, experience extreme volatility that 
often  is  unrelated  to  the  operating  performance  of  any  specific  public  company. The  market  price  of  our  common  stock  has 
fluctuated significantly in the past and is likely to fluctuate significantly in the future as well. Factors that could have a significant 
impact on the market price of our stock include, among others:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

our ability to successfully integrate TCS and manage our combined company;
strategic transactions, such as acquisitions and divestures;
issuance of potentially dilutive equity or equity-type securities;
issuance of debt;
future announcements concerning us or our competitors;
receipt or non-receipt of substantial orders for products and services;
quality deficiencies in services or products;
results of technological innovations;
new commercial products;
changes in recommendations of securities analysts;
government regulations;
changes in the status or outcome of government audits;
proprietary rights or product or patent litigation;
changes in U.S. government policies;
changes in economic conditions generally, particularly in the telecommunications sector;
changes in securities market conditions, generally;
changes in the status of litigation and legal matters (including changes in the status of export matters);
cyber-attacks;
energy blackouts;
acts of terrorism or war;
inflation or deflation; and
rumors or allegations regarding our financial disclosures or practices.

Shortfalls in our sales or earnings in any given period relative to the levels expected by securities analysts could immediately, 
significantly and adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

Future issuances of our shares of common stock could dilute a stockholder's ownership interest in Comtech and reduce 
the market price of our shares of common stock.

In the future, we may issue additional securities to raise capital. We may also acquire interests in other companies by using a 
combination of cash and our common stock or just our common stock. We may also issue securities convertible into our common 
stock. Any of these events may dilute a stockholder's ownership interest in Comtech and have an adverse impact on the price of 
our common stock.

Provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law could delay or prevent a change in control of Comtech.

We have taken a number of actions that could have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing a merger or acquisition 
involving Comtech that our stockholders may consider favorable.

For example, we have a classified board and the employment contract with our President and CEO, and agreements with other of 
our executive officers, provide for substantial payments in certain circumstances or in the event of a change of control of Comtech. 
In the future, we may adopt a stockholder rights plan which could cause substantial dilution to a stockholder, and substantially 
increase the cost paid by a stockholder who attempts to acquire us on terms not approved by our Board of Directors.

39

In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law. In general, this 
statute provides that, except in certain limited circumstances, a corporation shall not engage in any "business combination" with an "interested 
stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business 
combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

A "business combination" includes mergers, asset sales and other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject 
to certain exceptions, for purposes of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an "interested stockholder" is a person who, together 
with affiliates, owns, or within three years did own, 15% or more of the corporation's voting stock. This provision could have the effect of 
delaying or preventing a change in control of Comtech.

A disruption in our dividend program could negatively impact our stock price.

We have paid quarterly dividends every quarter since September 2010. 

Our ability to continue to pay quarterly dividends will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations in the future and 
maintain compliance with our Secured Credit Facility, as amended. This ability may be subject to certain economic, financial, competitive and 
other factors that are beyond our control. Future dividends remain subject to compliance with financial covenants under the Company's Secured 
Credit Facility, as amended, as well as Board approval. Our Board of Directors may, at its discretion, decrease the targeted annual dividend 
amount or entirely discontinue the payment of dividends at any time.

Additionally, our ability to declare and pay dividends and make other distributions with respect to our capital stock may also be restricted by 
the terms of our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, and may be restricted by the terms of financing arrangements that we enter into in the 
future.

None.

ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES
Historically, we have not owned any material properties or facilities and have relied upon a strategy of leasing. The following table lists our 
primary leased facilities at July 31, 2018: 

Location

Commercial Solutions Segment
Tempe, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Seattle, Washington

Santa Clara, California
Various facilities
Lake Forest, California
Greenwood Village, Colorado
Moscow, Idaho
Annapolis, Maryland
Fremont, California
Germantown, Maryland

Government Solutions Segment
Orlando, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Melville, New York
Cypress, California
Germantown, Maryland
Various facilities
Richardson, Texas
Annapolis, Maryland

Corporate
Annapolis, Maryland
Melville, New York

Total Square Footage

Property Type

Square Footage

Lease Expiration

(A)
(B)
(C)

(D)
(E)
(F)
(F)
(G)
(F)
(G)
(H)

(I)
(F)
(J)
(F)
(H)
(K)
(F)
(F)

(F)
(L)

Manufacturing and Engineering
General office (currently vacated)
Network Operations, R&D,
Engineering and Sales
Manufacturing and Engineering
Engineering and General Office
R&D and Engineering
Network Operations
Support, Engineering and Sales
Support, Engineering and Sales
Support, Engineering and Sales
Engineering and General Office

Manufacturing and Engineering
Manufacturing
Manufacturing and Engineering
Support, Engineering and Sales
Engineering and General Office
Support, Engineering and Sales
R&D and Engineering
Support, Engineering and Sales

General Office and common areas
Corporate headquarters and general
office

February 2021
October 2018
December 2022

April 2026
Various
July 2023
July 2020
February 2020
July 2026
April 2020
May 2025

April 2026
April 2022
December 2021
July 2025
May 2025
Various
July 2020
July 2026

July 2026
August 2027

152,000
75,000
57,000  

47,000
34,000
18,000  
17,000  
13,000
13,000  
10,000
6,000
442,000

99,000
46,000  
45,000
28,000  
26,000
14,000
13,000  
9,000  

280,000

5,000  
9,600

14,600
736,600    

(A)   Although primarily used for our satellite earth station product lines, which are part of the Commercial Solutions segment, both of our business 
segments utilize, from time to time, our high-volume technology manufacturing facilities located in Tempe, Arizona. These manufacturing 
facilities utilize state-of-the-art design and production techniques, including analog, digital and RF microwave production, hardware assembly 
and full service engineering. Our leases for these facilities expire from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2021. We have the option to extend the 
lease terms for up to an additional five-year period. 

(B)  As a result of the August 1, 2008 Radyne acquisition, we also assumed a lease of building space in Phoenix, Arizona that was previously 
used for manufacturing. In connection with our fiscal 2009 Radyne acquisition restructuring plan, we vacated and subleased this space 
through October 2015. We expect to surrender the property upon expiration of the lease.

(C)   Our office in Seattle, Washington is used primarily for servicing and hosting our wireless and VoIP E911 public safety support services. 

40

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(D)  Our Commercial Solutions segment manufactures our traveling wave tube amplifiers in a leased manufacturing facility located 
in Santa Clara, California. Our Commercial Solutions segment also operates a small office in the United Kingdom with a lease 
that expires in October 2021.

(E)  Our Commercial Solutions segment also leases an additional twelve facilities, three of which are located in the U.S. The U.S. 
facilities aggregate 6,000 square feet and are primarily utilized for engineering and general office use. Our Commercial Solutions 
segment also operates nine small offices in Brazil, Canada, China, India, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom, all of 
which aggregate 28,000 square feet and are primarily utilized for customer support, engineering and sales.

(F)  We have leases for facilities in Annapolis, Maryland, Lake Forest, California and Greenwood Village, Colorado used primarily 
for the design and development of our software based systems and applications and network operations. Major manufacturing 
and engineering facilities for our Government Solutions segment include Tampa, Florida, Cypress, California and Richardson, 
Texas. As part of our cost reduction initiatives in our Government Solutions segment, we are in the process of migrating our 
manufacturing and engineering activities from our Tampa, Florida facility to our Orlando, Florida facility. Although we expect 
to use the building for storage of certain goods or seek a sublease, the migration of operations is expected to be complete in 
fiscal 2019.  As the lease on the Tampa, Florida facility expires in fiscal 2022, we are seeking opportunities to sublease the 
space for the duration of the lease. 

(G)  Our offices in Moscow, Idaho and Fremont, California are primarily used for research and development, engineering and sales 

of our satellite earth station products.

(H)  Our Government Solutions segment leases a 32,000 square foot facility located in Germantown, Maryland, which is primarily 
used to support the U.S. Army's Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-HC") satellite transceiver order and related 
activities,  BFT-1  sustainment  activities,  engineering  and  general  office  use.  Our  Government  Solutions  segment  occupies 
26,000 feet of the facility with the remainder utilized by our Commercial Solutions segment. 

(I)  Our Government Solutions segment engineers and manufactures our over-the-horizon microwave systems in a leased facility 

in Orlando, Florida. This business also leases a small office in North Africa.

(J)   Our Government Solutions segment manufactures our solid-state, high-power, broadband amplifiers in a 45,000 square foot 
engineering and manufacturing facility on more than two acres of land in Melville, New York and an 8,000 square foot facility 
in Topsfield, Massachusetts. We lease the New York facility from a partnership controlled by our President and CEO. The lease 
provides for our use of the premises as they exist through December 2021 with an option to renew for an additional ten-year 
period. We have a right of first refusal in the event of a sale of the facility. Our Massachusetts lease is currently on a month-
to-month basis.

(K)  Our Government Solutions segment also leases an additional four facilities located in the U.S. that are primarily used for 
engineering, sales and software development. Of these facilities, we are currently subleasing 6,000 square foot of the Suwanee, 
GA facility through August 2020. Our leases for these facilities expire from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2021. 

(L)  Our corporate headquarters are located in an office building complex in Melville, New York. The lease provides for our use 

of the premises through August 2027.

The terms for all of our leased facilities are generally for multi-year periods and we believe that we will be able to renew these 
leases or find comparable facilities elsewhere.

41

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Information regarding legal proceedings is incorporated herein by reference to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 
– Note (14)(b) - Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings and Other Matters" included in "Part II - Item 8.- Financial 
Statements and Supplementary Data," included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

42

PART II

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

Stock Performance Graph and Cumulative Total Return

The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return on the 
S&P’s 500 Index and the NASDAQ Telecommunications Index for each of the last five fiscal years ended July 31, assuming an 
investment of $100 at the beginning of such period and the reinvestment of any dividends. The comparisons in the graphs below 
are based upon historical data and are not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC ("NASDAQ") under the symbol "CMTL."

43

The following table shows the quarterly range of the high and low sale prices for our common stock as reported by the NASDAQ. 
Such prices do not include retail markups, markdowns or commissions.

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2017
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2018
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter

Dividends

Common Stock

High

Low

$

$

13.84
12.81
15.25
19.80

22.90
23.90
32.94
35.38

9.84
9.52
10.53
13.75

17.11
19.30
20.62
29.36

Since September 2010, we have paid quarterly dividends. On September 27, 2017, December 6, 2017, March 7, 2018 and June 6, 
2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10 per common share, which were paid on November 17, 2017, February 16, 
2018, May 18, 2018 and August 17, 2018, respectively. On September 26, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of 
$0.10 per common share, payable on November 16, 2018 to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 17, 2018. 

The Board of Directors is currently targeting fiscal 2019 quarterly dividend payments of $0.10 per common share. Future dividends 
remain subject to compliance with financial covenants under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, as well as Board approval.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018. 

As of July 31, 2018 and September 25, 2018, we were authorized to repurchase up to an additional $8.7 million of our common 
stock, pursuant to a $100.0 million stock repurchase program that was authorized by our Board of Directors. The $100.0 million
stock repurchase program has no time restrictions and repurchases may be made in open-market or privately negotiated transactions 
and may be made pursuant to SEC Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. 

Approximate Number of Equity Security Holders

As of September 21, 2018, there were approximately 759 holders of our common stock. Such number of record owners was 
determined from our stockholder records and does not include beneficial owners whose shares of our common stock are held in 
the name of various security holders, dealers and clearing agencies.

44

 
 
 
 
 
 
ITEM 6.  SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following table shows selected historical consolidated financial data for our Company.

Detailed historical financial information is included in the audited consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 
2016.

Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Expenses:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
(In thousands, except per share amounts)

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

570,589

346,648

223,941

550,368

332,183

218,185

411,004

239,767

171,237

307,289

168,405

138,884

347,150

195,712

151,438

Selling, general and administrative

Research and development

Amortization of intangibles

Settlement of intellectual property litigation

Acquisition plan expenses

113,922

53,869

21,075

—

—

116,080

54,260

22,823
(12,020)
—

188,866

181,143

94,932

42,190

13,415

—

21,276

171,813

62,680

35,916

6,211

—

—

67,147

34,108

6,285

—

—

104,807

107,540

Operating income (loss)

35,075

37,042

(576)

34,077

43,898

Other expenses (income):

Interest expense

Interest (income) and other

10,195

254

11,629
(68)

7,750
(134)

479
(405)

6,304
(913)

Income (loss) before (benefit from) provision for
income taxes

24,626

25,481

(8,192)

34,003

38,507

(Benefit from) provision for income taxes

(5,143)

9,654

(454)

10,758

13,356

Net income (loss)

$

29,769

15,827

(7,738)

23,245

25,151

Net income (loss) per share:

Basic

Diluted

$

$

1.25

1.24

0.68

0.67

(0.46)
(0.46)

1.43

1.42

1.58

1.37

Weighted average number of common shares

outstanding – basic

23,825

23,433

16,972

16,203

15,943

Weighted average number of common and

common equivalent shares outstanding – diluted

24,040

23,489

16,972

16,418

20,906

Dividends declared per issued and outstanding
common share as of the applicable dividend
record date

$

0.40

0.60

1.20

1.20

1.175

45

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
(In thousands)

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Other Consolidated Operating Data:
Backlog at period-end
New orders
Research  and  development  expenditures  -  internal 

and customer funded

Adjusted EBITDA

$

630,695
755,054

70,793

78,374

446,230
512,593

81,310

70,705

484,005
451,278

59,622

48,062

117,744
291,621

45,144

51,761

133,412
290,820

47,211

61,336

As of July 31,
(In thousands)

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets
Working capital
Debt, including capital leases and other obligations
Other long-term obligations
Stockholders’ equity

$

845,157
114,477
167,899
4,117
505,684

832,063
96,833
195,802
2,655
480,150

921,196
119,493
258,649
4,105
470,401

473,877
236,419
—
3,633
401,409

473,852
224,656
—
4,364
396,925

Non-GAAP Financial Data

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains a Non-GAAP financial metric for the Company titled Adjusted EBITDA, which 
represents earnings (loss) before income taxes, interest (income) and other expense, interest expense, amortization of stock-based 
compensation, amortization of intangibles, depreciation expense, settlement of intellectual property litigation, acquisition plan 
expenses, restructuring (benefits) charges related to the wind-down of the microsatellite product line and strategic alternatives 
analysis expenses and other. In future periods, we expect to incur expenses similar to the aforementioned items and investors 
should not infer from our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA that these costs are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring. These items, 
while periodically affecting our results, may vary significantly from period to period and may have a disproportionate effect in a 
given period, thereby affecting the comparability of results. 

Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP financial measure used by management in assessing Comtech’s operating results. Although 
closely aligned, Comtech's definition of Adjusted EBITDA is different than the Consolidated EBITDA (as such term is defined 
in our Secured Credit Facility, as amended) utilized for financial covenant calculations and also may differ from the definition of 
EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA used by other companies and therefore, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used 
by other companies. Our Adjusted EBITDA is also a measure frequently requested by Comtech’s investors and analysts. We believe 
that investors and analysts may use Adjusted EBITDA, along with other information contained in our SEC filings, in assessing 
our performance and comparability of our results with other companies. 

Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool as they exclude the financial impact of transactions necessary 
to conduct our business, such as the granting of equity compensation awards, and are not intended to be an alternative to financial 
measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a 
substitute for or superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Investors are advised to carefully review 
the GAAP financial results that are disclosed in our SEC filings.    

46

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following is a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP measure, to Adjusted EBITDA:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
(In thousands)

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Adjusted EBITDA:

Net income (loss)

Income taxes

Interest (income) and other expense

Interest expense

Amortization of stock-based compensation

Amortization of intangibles

Depreciation

Settlement of intellectual property litigation

Acquisition plan expenses

Strategic alternatives analysis and other

Restructuring (benefits) charges related to the
wind-down of microsatellite product line

$

29,769
(5,143)
254

10,195

8,569

21,075

13,655

—

—

—

—

15,827

9,654
(68)
11,629

8,506

22,823

14,354
(12,020)
—

—

—

(7,738)
(454)
(134)
7,750

4,117

13,415

9,830

—

21,276

—

—

23,245

10,758
(405)
479

4,363

6,211

6,525

—

—

585

—

Adjusted EBITDA

$

78,374

70,705

48,062

51,761

25,151

13,356
(913)
6,304

4,263

6,285

6,721

—

—

225

(56)
61,336

Our historical results prior to February 23, 2016 do not include TCS; as such, you should not rely on period-to-period comparisons 
as an indicator of future performance as these comparisons may not be meaningful.  

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

Overview

We are a leading provider of advanced communications solutions for both commercial and government customers worldwide. 
Our solutions fulfill our customers' needs for secure wireless communications in some of the most demanding environments, 
including those where traditional communications are unavailable or cost-prohibitive, and in mission-critical and other scenarios 
where performance is crucial.

We manage our business through two reportable operating segments:

•  Commercial Solutions - serves commercial customers and smaller governments, such as state and local governments, 
that require advanced communication technologies to meet their needs. This segment also serves certain large government 
customers (including the U.S. government) that have requirements for off-the-shelf commercial equipment. We believe 
this segment is a leading provider of satellite communications (such as satellite earth station modems and traveling wave 
tube amplifiers ("TWTA")), public safety systems (such as next generation 911 ("NG911") technologies) and enterprise 
application technologies (such as a messaging and trusted location-based technologies).

•  Government Solutions - serves large government end-users (including those of foreign countries) that require mission 
critical technologies and systems. We believe this segment is a leading provider of command and control applications 
(such as the design, installation and operation of data networks that integrate computing and communications (including 
both  satellite  and  terrestrial  links)),  ongoing  network  operation  and  management  support  services  including  project 
management and fielding and maintenance solutions related to satellite ground terminals), troposcatter communications 
(such as digital troposcatter multiplexers, digital over-the-horizon modems, troposcatter systems, and frequency converter 
systems) and RF power and switching technologies (such as solid state high-power broadband amplifiers, enhanced 
position location reporting system (or commonly known as "EPLRS") amplifier assemblies, identification friend or foe 
amplifiers, and amplifiers used in the counteraction of improvised explosive devices).

47

Our Quarterly Financial Information
Quarterly and period-to-period sales and operating results may be significantly affected by either short-term or long-term contracts 
with our customers. In addition, our gross profit is affected by a variety of factors, including the mix of products, systems and 
services sold, production efficiencies, estimates of warranty expense, price competition and general economic conditions. Our 
gross profit may also be affected by the impact of any cumulative adjustments to contracts that are accounted for over time.

Our contracts with the U.S. government can be terminated for convenience by it at any time and orders are subject to unpredictable 
funding, deployment and technology decisions by the U.S. government. Some of these contracts are indefinite delivery/indefinite 
quantity ("IDIQ") contracts and, as such, the U.S. government is not obligated to purchase any equipment or services under these 
contracts. We have, in the past, experienced and we continue to expect significant fluctuations in sales and operating results from 
quarter-to-quarter and period-to-period. As such, comparisons between periods and our current results may not be indicative of a 
trend or future performance.

Our historical results prior to February 23, 2016 do not include TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. ("TCS").  Given the integration 
of TCS into our business and the joint marketing of our products, historical sales patterns and mix trends are not relevant. As a 
result, period-to-period comparisons of sales, margins, operating income and Adjusted EBITDA contributions between TCS and 
Comtech legacy products will not be meaningful and you should not rely on period-to-period comparisons as an indicator of future 
performance.

Critical Accounting Policies

We consider certain accounting policies to be critical due to the estimation process involved in each.

Revenue Recognition.  We earn revenue from the sale of advanced communication solutions to customers around the world. Sales 
of  advanced  communication  solutions  can  consist  of  any  one  or  a  combination  of  items  required  by  our  customer  including 
hardware, technology platforms and related support. A large portion of our revenue from advanced communication solutions is 
derived  from  contracts  relating  to  the  design,  development  or  manufacture  of  complex  electronic  equipment  to  a  buyer’s 
specification or to provide services relating to the performance of such contracts and is recognized in accordance with Financial 
Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 605-35. For these contracts, we primarily 
apply the percentage-of-completion accounting method and generally recognize revenue based on the relationship of total costs 
incurred to total projected costs, or, alternatively, based on output measures, such as units delivered or produced. Profits expected 
to be realized on such contracts are based on total estimated sales for the contract compared to total estimated costs, including 
warranty costs, at completion of the contract.

Direct costs which include materials, labor and overhead are charged to work-in-progress (including our contracts-in-progress) 
inventory or cost of sales. Indirect costs relating to long-term contracts, which include expenses such as general and administrative, 
are charged to expense as incurred and are not included in our work-in-process (including our contracts-in-progress) inventory or 
cost of sales. Total estimates are reviewed and revised periodically throughout the lives of the contracts, and adjustments to profits 
resulting from such revisions are made cumulative to the date of the change. Estimated losses on long-term contracts are recorded 
in the period in which the losses become evident. Long-term U.S. government cost-reimbursable type contracts are also specifically 
covered by FASB ASC 605-35.

We have been engaged in the production and delivery of goods and services on a continual basis under contractual arrangements 
for many years. Historically, we have demonstrated an ability to accurately estimate total revenues and total expenses relating to 
our long-term contracts. However, there exist inherent risks and uncertainties in estimating revenues, expenses and progress toward 
completion, particularly on larger or longer-term contracts. If we do not accurately estimate the total sales, related costs and 
progress towards completion on such contracts, the estimated gross margins may be significantly impacted or losses may need to 
be recognized in future periods. Any such resulting changes in margins or contract losses could be material to our results of 
operations and financial condition.

In addition, most government contracts have termination for convenience clauses that provide the customer with the right to 
terminate the contract at any time. Such terminations could impact the assumptions regarding total contract revenues and expenses 
utilized in recognizing profit under the percentage-of-completion method of accounting. Changes to these assumptions could 
materially impact our results of operations and financial condition. Historically, we have not experienced material terminations 
of our long-term contracts. We also address customer acceptance provisions in assessing our ability to perform our contractual 
obligations under long-term contracts. Our inability to perform on our long-term contracts could materially impact our results of 
operations and financial condition. Historically, we have been able to perform on our long-term contracts.

48

We also derive a portion of our revenues for advanced communication solutions from contracts and purchase orders where revenue 
is recorded on delivery of products or performance of services. Such revenues are recognized in accordance with the authoritative 
guidance contained in FASB ASC 605-25 "Revenue Recognition - Multiple Deliverable Revenue Arrangements" ("FASB ASC 
605-25") and, as applicable, FASB ASC 605-20 "Revenue Recognition - Services" ("FASB ASC 605-20") and Accounting Standards 
Update ("ASU") No. 2009-14 (FASB ASC Topic 985) "Certain Revenue Arrangements That Include Software Elements." Revenue 
recognition for multiple-element arrangements requires judgment to determine if multiple elements exist, whether elements can 
be accounted for as separate units of accounting, and if so, the fair value for each of the elements. In summary, we recognize 
revenue for each separate unit of accounting when the applicable revenue recognition criteria for each element have been met. We 
allocate revenue to each separate unit of accounting in a multi-element arrangement based on the relative fair value of each element, 
using vendor-specific objective evidence ("VSOE") of their fair values, if available. VSOE is generally determined based on the 
price charged when an element is sold separately. In the absence of VSOE of fair value, the fee is allocated among each element 
based on third-party evidence ("TPE") of fair value, which is determined based on competitor pricing for similar deliverables 
when sold separately. When we are unable to establish fair value using VSOE or TPE, we use estimated selling price ("ESP") to 
allocate value to each element. The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which we would transact a sale if the product or 
service were sold separately. We determine ESP for deliverables by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, 
prices we charge for similar offerings, market conditions, competitive landscape, and pricing practices. For multiple element 
arrangements that contain only software and software-related elements, we allocate the fees to each element based on the VSOE 
of fair value of each element. Due to the nature of some of the agreements it may be difficult to establish VSOE of separate elements 
of an agreement; in these circumstances the appropriate recognition of revenue may require the use of judgment based on the 
particular facts and circumstances.

As  further  discussed  in  "Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  -  Note  (1)(c)  -  Summary  of  Significant Accounting  and 
Reporting Policies - Revenue Recognition" included in "Part II - Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," on 
August 1, 2018 (the start of our first quarter of fiscal 2019), we adopted FASB ASU No. 2014-09 "Revenue from Contracts with 
Customers (Topic 606)," which replaces numerous requirements in U.S. GAAP, including industry specific requirements, and 
provides a single revenue recognition model for contracts with customers. The ASU applies to all open contracts existing as of 
August 1, 2018. As provided by the ASU, we adopted the new revenue recognition model using the modified retrospective method 
and there was no material impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In fiscal 2019, we expect to 
recognize a significant portion of our contracts over time, as there is a continuous transfer of control to the customer over the 
contractual period of performance. The remainder of our contracts will be recognized at a point in time. Both of these methods 
are similar to what we did prior to August 1, 2018.

Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. As of July 31, 2018, total goodwill recorded on our Consolidated Balance 
Sheet aggregated $290.6 million (of which $231.4 million relates to our Commercial Solutions segment and $59.2 million relates 
to our Government Solutions segment). Additionally, as of July 31, 2018, net intangibles recorded on our Consolidated Balance 
Sheet aggregated $240.8 million (of which $199.0 million relates to our Commercial Solutions segment and $41.8 million relates 
to our Government Solutions segment). Each of our two operating segments constitutes a reporting unit and we must make various 
assumptions in determining their estimated fair values. 

In accordance with FASB ASC 350 "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other," we perform a goodwill impairment analysis at least 
annually (in the first quarter of each fiscal year), unless indicators of impairment exist in interim periods. If we fail the quantitative 
assessment of goodwill impairment ("quantitative assessment"), pursuant to our adoption of FASB ASU No. 2017-04 in fiscal 
2017, we would be required to recognize an impairment loss equal to the amount that a reporting unit's carrying value exceeded 
its fair value; however, any loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. 

On August 1, 2018 (the first day of our fiscal 2019), we performed our annual quantitative assessment using market participant 
assumptions to determine if the fair value of each of our reporting units with goodwill exceeded its carrying value. In making this 
assessment, we considered, among other things, expectations of projected net sales and cash flows, assumptions impacting the 
weighted average cost of capital, trends in trading multiples of comparable companies, changes in our stock price and changes in 
the carrying values of our reporting units with goodwill. We also considered overall business conditions. 

49

In performing the quantitative assessment, we estimated the fair value of each of our reporting units using a combination of the 
income and market approaches. The income approach, also known as the discounted cash flow ("DCF") method, utilizes the present 
value of cash flows to estimate fair value. The future cash flows for our reporting units were projected based on our estimates, at 
that time, of future revenues, operating income and other factors (such as working capital and capital expenditures). For purposes 
of conducting our impairment analysis, we assumed revenue growth rates and cash flow projections that are below our actual 
long-term expectations. The discount rates used in our DCF method were based on a weighted-average cost of capital ("WACC") 
determined from relevant market comparisons, adjusted upward for specific reporting unit risks (primarily the uncertainty of 
achieving projected operating cash flows). A terminal value growth rate was applied to the final year of the projected period and 
reflected our estimate of stable, perpetual growth. We then calculated a present value of the respective cash flows for each reporting 
unit to arrive at an estimate of fair value under the income approach. Under the market approach, we estimated a fair value based 
on comparable companies' market multiples of revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and 
factored  in  a  control  premium.  Finally,  we  compared  our  estimates  of  fair  values  to  our August  1,  2018  total  public  market 
capitalization and assessed implied control premiums based on our common stock price of $33.70 as of August 1, 2018. 

Based on our quantitative evaluation, we determined that our Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions reporting units 
had estimated fair values in excess of their carrying values of at least 42.5% and 105.5%, respectively, and concluded that our 
goodwill was not impaired and that neither of our two reporting units was at risk of failing the quantitative assessment. It is possible 
that, during fiscal 2019 or beyond, business conditions (both in the U.S. and internationally) could deteriorate from the current 
state, our current or prospective customers could materially postpone, reduce or even forgo purchases of our products and services 
to a greater extent than we currently anticipate, or our common stock price could decline. A significant decline in our customers' 
spending that is greater than we anticipate or a shift in funding priorities may also have a negative effect on future orders, sales, 
income and cash flows and we might be required to perform a quantitative assessment during fiscal 2019 or beyond. If assumed 
net sales and cash flow projections are not achieved in future periods or our common stock price significantly declines from current 
levels, our Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions reporting units could be at risk of failing the quantitative assessment 
and goodwill and intangibles assigned to the respective reporting units could be impaired.

In any event, we are required to perform the next annual goodwill impairment analysis on August 1, 2019 (the start of our fiscal 
2020). If our assumptions and related estimates change in the future, or if we change our reporting unit structure or other events 
and circumstances change (e.g., a sustained decrease in the price of our common stock (considered on both absolute terms and 
relative to peers)), we may be required to record impairment charges when we perform these tests, or in other future periods. In 
addition to our impairment analysis of goodwill, we also review net intangible assets with finite lives when an event occurs 
indicating the potential for impairment. We believe that the carrying values of our net intangible assets were recoverable as of 
July 31, 2018. Any impairment charges that we may record in the future could be material to our results of operations and financial 
condition.

Provision for Warranty Obligations.  We provide warranty coverage for most of our products, including products under long-
term contracts, for a period of at least one year from the date of shipment. We record a liability for estimated warranty expense 
based on historical claims, product failure rates and other factors. Costs associated with some of our warranties that are provided 
under long-term contracts are incorporated into our estimates of total contract costs. There exist inherent risks and uncertainties 
in estimating warranty expenses, particularly on larger or longer-term contracts. If we do not accurately estimate our warranty 
costs, any changes to our original estimates could be material to our results of operations and financial condition. 

Accounting for Income Taxes.  Our deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between 
financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and applying enacted tax rates expected to be in effect for the year in 
which we expect the differences to reverse. Our provision for income taxes is based on domestic (including federal and state) and 
international statutory income tax rates in the tax jurisdictions where we operate, permanent differences between financial reporting 
and tax reporting and available credits and incentives. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in 
income tax expense. The U.S. federal government is our most significant income tax jurisdiction.

50

Significant judgment is required in determining income tax provisions and tax positions. We may be challenged upon review by 
the applicable taxing authority and positions taken by us may not be sustained. We recognize all or a portion of the benefit of 
income tax positions only when we have made a determination that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained 
upon examination, based upon the technical merits of the position and other factors. For tax positions that are determined as more 
likely than not to be sustained upon examination, the tax benefit recognized is the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 
50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The development of valuation allowances for deferred tax assets and reserves 
for income tax positions requires consideration of timing and judgments about future taxable income, tax issues and potential 
outcomes, and are subjective critical estimates. A portion of our deferred tax assets consist of federal net operating losses and 
federal research and experimentation tax credit carryforwards, most of which was acquired in connection with our acquisition of 
TCS.  No valuation allowance has been established on these deferred tax assets based on our evaluation that our ability to realize 
such assets has met the criteria of "more likely than not." We continuously evaluate additional facts representing positive and 
negative evidence in determining our ability to realize these deferred tax assets. In certain circumstances, the ultimate outcome 
of exposures and risks involves significant uncertainties. If actual outcomes differ materially from these estimates, they could 
have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition. 

On December 22, 2017, H.R.1, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Reform") was enacted in the U.S. Tax Reform 
significantly revised the U.S. tax code and lowered the amount of our current and future income tax expense primarily due to the 
reduction in the U.S. statutory income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%. This provision went into effect on January 1, 2018 and 
required us to remeasure our deferred tax assets and liabilities. In fiscal 2019 and beyond, Tax Reform will result in the loss of 
our ability to take the domestic production activities deduction, which has been repealed, and is likely to result in lower tax 
deductions for certain executive compensation expenses. 

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, we recorded an estimated net discrete tax benefit of $11.8 million which, as a result 
of Tax Reform, primarily related to the remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities associated with non-deductible amortization 
related to intangible assets. The remeasurement was recorded pursuant to ASC 740 "Income Taxes" and SEC Staff Accounting 
Bulletin ("SAB") 118. All amounts recorded were based on available guidance on interpretation of Tax Reform and what we 
believe to be reasonable approaches to estimating its impact; however, such amounts are provisional estimates at this time and are 
subject to adjustment as future guidance becomes available, additional facts become known or estimation approaches are refined. 
See "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (10) - Income Taxes" included in "Part II - Item 8.- Financial Statements 
and Supplementary Data," included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information on the provisions of Tax Reform 
and its currently expected impact on our business. The overall actual impact of Tax Reform is currently uncertain, and could have 
a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

Since November 2017, our federal income tax return for fiscal 2016 has been under audit by the IRS. The audit is ongoing and 
we are unaware of any proposed adjustments by the IRS. Our federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and 2017 are also subject 
to potential future IRS audit. None of our state income tax returns prior to fiscal 2014 are subject to audit. TCS' federal income 
tax returns for tax years 2014 and 2015 and tax period from January 1, 2016 to February 23, 2016 are subject to potential future 
IRS audit. None of TCS' state income tax returns prior to calendar year 2013 are subject to audit. The results of the IRS tax audit 
for fiscal 2016, future tax assessments or settlements could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations 
and financial condition.

Research and Development Costs. We generally expense all research and development costs. Research and development expenses 
include payroll, employee benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and other personnel-related expenses associated with 
product development. Research and development expenses also include third-party development and programming costs. Costs 
incurred internally in researching and developing software to be sold are charged to expense until technological feasibility has 
been established for the software. Judgment is required in determining when technological feasibility of a product is established. 
Technological feasibility for our advanced communication software solutions is generally reached after all high-risk development 
issues have been resolved through coding and testing. Generally, this occurs shortly before the products are released to customers 
and when we are able to validate the marketability of such product. Once technological feasibility is established, all software costs 
are capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. To-date, we have not capitalized any of our internally 
developed software costs.

Provisions for Excess and Obsolete Inventory.  We record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical and 
future usage trends. Other factors may also influence our provision, including decisions to exit a product line, technological change 
and new product development. These factors could result in a change in the amount of excess and obsolete inventory on hand. 
Additionally, our estimates of future product demand may prove to be inaccurate, in which case we may have understated or 
overstated the provision required for excess and obsolete inventory. In the future, if we determine that our inventory was overvalued, 
we would be required to recognize such costs in our financial statements at the time of such determination. Any such charge could 
be material to our results of operations and financial condition.

51

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts.  We perform credit evaluations of our customers and adjust credit limits based upon customer 
payment history and current creditworthiness, as determined by our review of our customers’ current credit information. Generally, 
we will require cash in advance or payment secured by irrevocable letters of credit before an order is accepted from an international 
customer that we do not do business with regularly. In addition, we seek to obtain insurance for certain domestic and international 
customers.

We monitor collections and payments from our customers and maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon our historical 
experience and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified. In light of ongoing tight credit market conditions, 
we continue to see requests from our customers for higher credit limits and longer payment terms. Because of our strong cash 
position and the nominal amount of interest we are earning on our cash and cash equivalents, we have, on a limited basis, approved 
certain customer requests.

We  continue  to  monitor  our  accounts  receivable  credit  portfolio.  Our  overall  credit  losses  have  historically  been  within  our 
expectations of the allowances established; however, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to experience the same credit loss 
rates that we have in the past. Measurement of credit losses requires consideration of historical loss experience, including the need 
to adjust for changing business conditions, and judgments about the probable effects of relevant observable data, including present 
economic conditions such as delinquency rates and the financial health of specific customers. Changes to the estimated allowance 
for doubtful accounts could be material to our results of operations and financial condition.

Results of Operations

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

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
2017

2018

2016

Gross margin
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Research and development expenses
Settlement of intellectual property litigation
Acquisition plan expenses
Amortization of intangibles
Operating income (loss)
Interest expense (income) and other, net
Income (loss) before (benefit from) provision for income taxes
Net income (loss)
Adjusted EBITDA (a Non-GAAP measure)

39.2%
20.0%
9.4%
—%
—%
3.7%
6.2%
1.8%
4.3%
5.2%
13.7%

39.6 %
21.1 %
9.9 %
(2.2)%
— %
4.1 %
6.7 %
2.1 %
4.6 %
2.9 %
12.8 %

41.7 %
23.1 %
10.3 %
— %
5.2 %
3.3 %
(0.1)%
1.9 %
(2.0)%
(1.9)%
11.7 %

For a definition and explanation of Adjusted EBITDA, see "Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial Data - Non-GAAP Financial 
Data" and "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Comparison of 
Fiscal 2018 and 2017 - Adjusted EBITDA."

52

 
 
Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019

In almost every respect, fiscal 2018 exceeded our expectations and we generated consolidated:

•  Net sales of $570.6 million;

•  Operating income of $35.1 million; 

•  Net income of $29.8 million;

•  Cash flows from operating activities of $50.3 million; and

•  Adjusted EBITDA (a Non-GAAP financial measure discussed below) of $78.4 million.

Our fiscal 2018 results reflect the impact of strong demand for almost all of our products. 

Our pipeline of opportunities remains strong and overall business activity is at the highest level it has been in several years. During 
fiscal 2018, we achieved a consolidated book-to-bill ratio (a measure defined as bookings divided by net sales) of 1.32 and finished 
fiscal 2018 with a record high consolidated backlog of $630.7 million. Our backlog, as more fully defined in "Part I - Item 1. 
Business" included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, generally consists of funded and firm contract orders and does not include 
the unfunded portions of multi-year U.S. government contracts. As such, the total value of multi-year contracts that we have 
received is substantially higher than our reported backlog.

As of July 31, 2018, our cash and cash equivalents were $43.5 million and our total debt outstanding was $171.3 million (excluding 
unamortized deferred financing costs). Given our strong fiscal 2018 operating cash flows, we have successfully reduced the level 
of our total indebtedness since the beginning of our fiscal year by $29.2 million.

Looking forward, we believe that fiscal 2019 will be even better and have established the following consolidated financial targets:

•  Net sales goal with a range of approximately $600.0 million to $625.0 million.

•  Achievement of a consolidated fiscal 2019 book-to-bill ratio in excess of 1.0.

•  Total annual amortization of intangibles to approximate $17.2 million.

•  Total depreciation expense is expected to range from $13.0 million to $14.0 million.

•  Total amortization of stock-based compensation is expected to range from approximately $10.0 million to $12.0 million, 

which represents an increase from the $8.6 million amortized in fiscal 2018.

•  GAAP operating income, as a percentage of net sales, to be higher than the 6.2% we achieved in fiscal 2018.

•  Our interest expense rate (including amortization of deferred financing costs) is expected to range from 6.0% to 6.4% 

and our current cash borrowing rate is approximately 4.5%. 

•  Our effective income tax rate (excluding discrete tax items in fiscal 2019) is expected to approximate 23.25% and reflects 
the full year benefit of the reduced U.S. statutory income tax rate resulting from Tax Reform. If the Internal Revenue 
Service issues clarifying or interpretive guidance, and/or new information becomes available, our estimated effective tax 
rate may change.

•  Adjusted EBITDA goal in a range of approximately $80.0 million to $86.0 million. 

Given our strong growth prospects and the opportunities we see, we expect to continue making investments in sales, marketing 
and research and development efforts. In particular, we continue to invest in our HEIGHTS technology as well as our NG911 
solutions. The markets for these technologies are expected to grow for many years ahead. In addition, we believe that fiscal 2019 
will show the financial benefits of our tactical shift in strategy in our Government Solutions segment away from bidding on large 
commodity-type service contracts and toward pursuing contracts for our niche solutions with higher margins. In this regard, net 
sales in our Government Solutions segment are expected to increase both in dollars and as a percentage of our consolidated net 
sales. 

53

Comparable to Comtech's business cycle for the past several years, financial performance in the second half of fiscal 2019 is 
expected to be higher than the first half of fiscal 2019. In addition, given the straight-line amortization expense associated with 
intangible assets with finite lives, we expect to report GAAP operating income slightly above break-even in the first quarter of 
fiscal 2019, with each of the remaining fiscal 2019 quarters achieving GAAP operating income. Our GAAP operating income and 
Adjusted EBITDA in our first quarter of fiscal 2019 are expected to be a bit better than the amounts we achieved in the first quarter 
of fiscal 2018. After considering the impact of expected fiscal 2019 interest expense and income taxes, like in fiscal 2018, we 
expect to report a slight GAAP net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and GAAP net income for the remainder of the year. 

In addition, based on the anticipated timing of shipments and performance related to orders currently in our backlog and the timing 
of expected new orders, consolidated net sales and Adjusted EBITDA for each of our first three quarters of fiscal 2019 are expected 
to be a bit better when compared to the respective quarters of fiscal 2018. Our fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 is expected to be the 
peak quarter, by far, for consolidated net sales, operating income and Adjusted EBITDA.

Our revenue goal reflects our adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board's Accounting Standards Codification Topic 
606 - "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," the impact of which was not material. In fiscal 2019, we expect to recognize a 
significant portion of our contracts over time, as there is a continuous transfer of control to the customer over the contractual 
period of performance. The remainder of our contracts will be recognized at a point in time. Both of these methods are similar to 
what we did prior to August 1, 2018. Although the amount and timing of orders are difficult to predict, we expect to receive at 
least one additional order for our Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-HC") mobile satellite transceivers in fiscal 2019. 
If we receive and can ship multiple or very large orders for our BFT-2-HC mobile satellite transceivers, actual fiscal 2019 net 
sales, operating income and Adjusted EBITDA could ultimately be higher.

If order flow remains strong and we are able to achieve all of our fiscal 2019 business goals, it is possible that financial results 
could be higher than our targeted amounts. 

Our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 and related targets reflect the following: 

•  Our Commercial Solutions segment is expected to benefit from increased sales of satellite earth station products (which 
include satellite modems and solid-state power amplifiers ("SSPAs")). In fiscal 2018, we experienced significant growth 
in our sales to U.S. government customers and we expect demand to remain strong. During fiscal 2018, we received a 
multi-year follow-on contract with a potential value of up to $19.1 million to provide the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval 
Warfare Systems Command with Advanced Time Division Multiple Access ("TDMA") Interface Processor ("ATIP") 
production terminals. We also recently received a strategic $59.0 million multi-year contract award from the U.S. Navy 
to purchase our SLM-5650B satellite modems, upgrade kits and related services. During fiscal 2019, we expect to receive 
additional funding against this IDIQ contract and make additional shipments during the second half of fiscal 2019.

• 

In addition to increased demand from our U.S. government customers, we believe we will benefit from increased sales 
of our HEIGHTS solutions which continue to gain traction. During fiscal 2018, Orange Business Services, one of the 
largest telecommunications operators and IT services companies in the world, selected HEIGHTS to support relief projects 
in two African countries. This award is a testament to our HEIGHTS products and bodes well for future orders from this 
and other similar customers. Although the sales cycle for this product is longer than our historical satellite earth station 
product line, during fiscal 2018, we continued to seed and invest in the market. During fiscal 2019, HEIGHTS will 
continue to be a focus of our marketing and sales efforts. We also expect incremental fiscal 2019 revenue contributions 
from our new high-frequency amplifier products which support high-speed satellite networks. We believe we have a 
market leading technology and recently received an award of over $20.0 million from a systems integrator for these 
products.  This is the first large scale deployment of this technology and we expect such products to be delivered over 
the next two fiscal years. All-in-all, after several years of sequentially lower sales, we believe that fiscal 2019 will be our 
second consecutive year of revenue growth for our satellite earth station product line.

54

 
•  Our Commercial Solutions segment sales contributions from enterprise technology solutions (such as our location and 
messaging  platforms)  and  safety  and  security  technology  solutions  (such  as  our  wireless  and  next  generation  911 
("NG911") platforms) in fiscal 2019 are expected to be similar to what we achieved in fiscal 2018. These technologies 
have been deployed around the U.S., are used by wireless carriers to provide Short-Message-Service ("SMS") texts to 
end-customers and are also used to communicate with 911 public safety answering points ("PSAPs"). During fiscal 2018, 
we were awarded several large multi-year strategic contracts. We were awarded a contract valued at $134.0 million to 
provide safety and security technology solutions to one of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. As a result of this 
contract, we will become the leading provider to this wireless carrier for enhanced 911 ("E911") services for its nationwide 
3G, 4G and 5G networks. We were also awarded a $10.1 million multi-year contract to provide this same wireless carrier 
with a hosted, advanced location services platform which leverages our Position Determining Engine ("PDE"). Under 
this competitively awarded contract, the U.S. wireless carrier is expected to migrate existing location services from a 
competing solution to our more advanced, secure and reliable technologies. Additionally, we received an aggregate of 
$96.2 million of contracts from AT&T, which provide for a variety of safety and security technology and enterprise 
technology solutions including NG911 public safety Call Handling and Emergency Services IP Network ("ESInet") and 
E911 solutions. We were also awarded multi-year contract renewals worth $19.5 million for various SMS related services 
and applications, of which $14.2 million was received during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. In our view, all of these 
contract awards validate that our enterprise technology solutions and safety and security technology solutions are more 
advanced, secure and reliable than any existing competitive technology. We believe that market conditions for safety and 
security technology solutions and enterprise technology solutions remain favorable, but they have long sales cycles and 
are subject to difficult-to-predict changes in the overall procurement strategies of wireless carrier customers.  

•  Our Government Solutions segment is anticipated to show significant revenue growth and improvement in operating 
income margins as a result of our tactical shift in strategy toward pursuing contracts for our niche solutions with higher 
margins, rather than large commodity-type service contracts. During fiscal 2018, we achieved a book-to-bill ratio of 1.31 
in this segment and booked a number of important orders, including a three-year $123.6 million IDIQ contract from the 
U.S. Army  to  provide  ongoing  sustainment  services  for  the AN/TSC-198A  SNAP  (Secret  Internet  Protocol  Router 
("SIPR") and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router ("NIPR") Access Point), Very Small Aperture Terminals ("VSATs").  
In fiscal 2018, we received $33.5 million of funded orders related to such contract. We also received over $65.0 million 
of orders during fiscal 2018 to supply Manpack Satellite Terminals and networking equipment and other advanced VSAT 
products pursuant to our Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems ("GTACS") contract with the U.S. Army's 
PM Tactical Network, which has a remaining contract value of $123.5 million as of July 31, 2018. Additionally, bookings 
in fiscal 2018 reflect an increase in orders from a major U.S. space contractor to source and test space level Electrical, 
Electronic and Electromechanical ("EEE") parts in support of critical NASA programs. Fiscal 2019 is expected to reflect 
sales and operating income contributions from these orders. We are also named as a final awardee on a ten-year, $2.5 
billion IDIQ contract commonly referred to as "Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions" (or "CS3") from the General 
Services Administration, which allows U.S. federal agencies to purchase end-to-end, turnkey solutions which incorporate 
commercial satellite solutions. Over time, we would expect to secure new orders from the CS3 contract.

• 

In our Government Solutions segment, our field-proven technologies and support services are ideally suited to meet the 
U.S. DoD’s C4ISR needs and we are actively pursuing many opportunities. During fiscal 2018, in addition to those orders 
discussed above, we received $5.0 million of funding from the Consortium Management Group ("CMG") to support the 
U.S. Army Project Manager Mission Command ("PM MC") and the Blue Force Tracking-2 ("BFT-2") program to port 
additional waveforms onto the current BFT-2 transceivers. Separately, we continue to work with the U.S. Army to deploy 
several thousand of our next generation MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers, which are also known as the Blue Force 
Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-HC") satellite transceivers. The MT-2025 transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, provide 
best-in-class reliability and are fully backward compatible with the BFT-1 system. Comtech currently provides sustaining 
support for the BFT-1 system and previously shipped over 100,000 BFT-1 mobile satellite transceivers. Shipments of 
our MT-2025 transceivers against our initial $11.7 million order began during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 and are 
expected to continue in fiscal 2019. Additional orders for our MT-2025 transceivers are ultimately expected. Although 
the amount and timing of orders are difficult to predict, we believe we will receive at least one additional order for our 
MT-2025 transceivers in fiscal 2019.

55

 
•  Our Government Solutions segment is expected to benefit from continued strong demand from customers for our over-
the-horizon microwave systems and products. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, we were awarded an order valued 
at $31.0 million for our Modular Transportable Transmission System ("MTTS") troposcatter terminals to be utilized as 
part  of  a  deployable  communications  network  for  an Asia  Pacific  military  service.  In  September  2018,  we  also  just 
announced the receipt of a $9.1 million contract to supply another foreign military customer with our over-the-horizon 
microwave systems. We are also awaiting feedback from the U.S. government in response to a large multi-year RFP for 
the supply of new troposcatter communications equipment to replace hundreds of the U.S. DoD’s AN/TRC-170 terminals. 
Although an award of this program is not expected to generate significant revenue or operating income in fiscal 2019, if 
the award is received, we would expect it to make significant contributions to revenue and operating income in subsequent 
years.

Our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 depends, in large part, on timely deliveries and the receipt of and performance on orders 
from our customers and could be adversely impacted if orders and/or deliveries are delayed, business conditions deteriorate or 
our current or prospective customers materially postpone, reduce or even forgo purchases of our products and services. Additionally, 
we continue to evaluate cost reduction initiatives in our business. Such actions primarily relate to reducing the size and cost of 
our facilities. Our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 does not consider the financial impact of any actions we may take. 

On September 26, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10 per common share, payable on November 16, 2018
to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 17, 2018. Future dividends remain subject to compliance with financial 
covenants under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, as well as Board approval.

Additional information related to our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 and a definition and explanation of Adjusted EBITDA
is included in the below section "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 
- Comparison of Fiscal 2018 and 2017." 

Comparison of Fiscal 2018 and 2017 

Net Sales. Consolidated net sales were $570.6 million and $550.4 million for fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively, representing an 
increase of $20.2 million, or 3.7%. The period-over-period increase in net sales was due to higher net sales in both our Commercial 
Solutions and Government Solutions segments. Net sales by operating segment are discussed below.

Commercial Solutions
Net sales in our Commercial Solutions segment were $345.1 million for fiscal 2018, as compared to $330.9 million for fiscal 
2017, an increase of $14.2 million, or 4.3%. Our Commercial Solutions segment represented 60.5% of consolidated net sales for 
fiscal 2018 as compared to 60.1% for fiscal 2017.  

Bookings in fiscal 2018 were strong and reflect strength in almost all of our Commercial Solutions product lines. Our book-to-
bill ratio (a measure defined as bookings divided by net sales) in this segment for fiscal 2018 was 1.33 and, as further discussed 
below, we have a growing pipeline of opportunities. 

Net sales of our satellite earth station products (which include SSPAs) in fiscal 2018 were higher than fiscal 2017, as we experienced 
significant growth in our sales to government customers. During fiscal 2018, we received a strategic $59.0 million multi-year 
contract award from the U.S. Navy to purchase our SLM-5650B satellite modems, upgrade kits and related services. Given the 
U.S. Navy's pressing operational needs, we shipped most of the SLM-5650B satellite modems during fiscal 2018, which positively 
impacted our operating income. Although timing for U.S. government orders are generally difficult to predict, we are optimistic 
that we will receive and ship additional orders for this equipment in fiscal 2019, as there are over eight-hundred older generation 
modems currently utilized by multiple Navy programs. We also received a multi-year follow-on contract with a potential value 
of up to $19.1 million to provide the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command with Advanced Time Division 
Multiple Access ("TDMA") Interface Processor ("ATIP") production terminals. While international markets have become more 
volatile of late (including the unknown impact of ongoing international trade discussions) and we experienced lower sales to 
international customers in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017, we do expect an increase in international sales in fiscal 2019. 
Our HeightsTM Dynamic Network Access Technology ("HEIGHTS" or "HDNA") solutions experienced year-over-year revenue 
growth in fiscal 2018. Although the sales cycle for this product is longer than our historical satellite earth station product line, we 
believe this growth trend will continue into fiscal 2019.

56

 
Net sales in fiscal 2018 of both enterprise technology solutions (such as our location and messaging platforms) and safety and 
security technology solutions (such as our wireless and next generation 911 ("NG911") platforms) were higher as compared to 
the net sales we achieved in fiscal 2017. During fiscal 2018, we were awarded several large multi-year strategic contracts which 
are expected to contribute to fiscal 2019 sales. For instance, we were awarded a contract valued at $134.0 million to provide safety 
and security technology solutions to one of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S. As a result of this contract, we will become the 
leading provider to this wireless carrier for enhanced 911 ("E911") services for its nationwide 3G, 4G and 5G networks. We were 
also awarded a $10.1 million multi-year contract to provide this same wireless carrier with a hosted, advanced location services 
platform which leverages our Position Determining Engine ("PDE"). Under this competitively awarded contract, the U.S. wireless 
carrier is expected to migrate existing location services from a competing solution to our more advanced, secure and reliable 
technologies. Additionally, we received an aggregate of $96.2 million of contracts from AT&T, which provide for a variety of 
safety and security technology and enterprise technology solutions including NG911 public safety Call Handling and Emergency 
Services IP Network ("ESInet") and E911 solutions. We were also awarded multi-year contract renewals worth $19.5 million for 
various SMS related services and applications, of which $14.2 million was received during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. In 
our view, all of these contract awards validate that our enterprise technology solutions and safety and security technology solutions 
are more advanced, secure and reliable than any existing competitive technology. We believe that market conditions for safety 
and security technology solutions and enterprise technology solutions remain favorable and expect related net sales in fiscal 2019 
to increase as compared to the level achieved in fiscal 2018. However, they have long sales cycles and are subject to difficult-to-
predict changes in the overall procurement strategies of wireless carrier customers. 

Bookings, sales and profitability in our Commercial Solutions segment can fluctuate from period-to-period due to many factors, 
including changes in the general business environment. As such, period-to-period comparisons of our results may not be indicative 
of a trend or future performance.

Government Solutions
Net sales in our Government Solutions segment were $225.5 million for fiscal 2018 as compared to $219.5 million for fiscal 2017, 
an increase of $6.0 million or 2.7%. Our Government Solutions segment represented 39.5% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 
2018, as compared to 39.9% for fiscal 2017. 

The increase in net sales primarily reflects significantly higher net sales of our command and control solutions offset, in part, by 
significantly lower net sales of over-the-horizon microwave systems products and the absence of $6.7 million of BFT-1 intellectual 
property license fees in fiscal 2018.

Bookings in fiscal 2018 were strong and reflect strength in almost all of our Government Solutions product lines. Our book-to-
bill ratio (a measure defined as bookings divided by net sales) in this segment for fiscal 2018 was 1.31 and, as further discussed 
below, we have a growing pipeline of opportunities.

We believe we are seeing benefits of our tactical shift in strategy in our Government Solutions segment away from bidding on 
large commodity-type service contracts and toward pursuing contracts for our niche solutions with higher margins. We believe 
our field-proven technologies and support services are ideally suited to meet the U.S. DoD’s C4ISR needs and we are actively 
pursuing many opportunities in this area. During fiscal 2018, we booked a number of important orders. For instance, we received 
$33.5 million of orders to provide ongoing sustainment services for the AN/TSC-198A SNAP (Secret Internet Protocol Router 
("SIPR") and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router ("NIPR") Access Point), Very Small Aperture Terminals ("VSATs"). These 
orders were issued pursuant to a three-year $123.6 million IDIQ contract that we received in fiscal 2018 from the U.S. Army. 
SNAP terminals provide quick and mobile satellite communications capability to personnel in the field and Comtech is the sole 
provider to the U.S. Army of these sustainment services. We also received over $65.0 million of orders during fiscal 2018 related 
to our $223.4 million Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems ("GTACS") contract with the U.S. Army's PM Tactical 
Network, which has a remaining contract value of $123.5 million as of July 31, 2018. These GTACS orders principally call for 
the supply of Manpack Satellite Terminals and networking equipment and other advanced VSAT products. Additionally, bookings 
and net sales in fiscal 2018 reflect an increase in orders from a major U.S. space contractor to source and test space level Electrical, 
Electronic and Electromechanical ("EEE") parts in support of critical NASA programs, as well as our performance on a contract 
with an international space agency for the design, development and installation of multiple launch vehicle tracking stations in the 
South Pacific.

57

Our Government Solutions segment received $5.0 million of funding in fiscal 2018 from the Consortium Management Group 
("CMG") to support the U.S. Army Project Manager Mission Command ("PM MC") and the Blue Force Tracking-2 ("BFT-2") 
program to port additional waveforms onto the current BFT-2 transceivers. The BFT-2 system, which is part of the U.S. Army's 
JBC-P  program,  provides  global  real-time  situational  awareness  and  networking  capabilities  for  U.S.  warfighters  and  is  the 
successor  to  the  BFT-1  system.  Separately,  we  continue  to  work  with  the  U.S. Army  to  deploy  several  thousand  of  our  next 
generation MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers, which are also known as the Blue Force Tracker-2 High Capacity ("BFT-2-
HC") satellite transceivers. The MT-2025 transceivers meet BFT-2 protocols, provide best-in-class reliability and are fully backward 
compatible with the BFT-1 system. Comtech currently provides sustaining support for the BFT-1 system and previously shipped 
over 100,000 BFT-1 mobile satellite transceivers. Shipments of our MT-2025 transceivers against our initial $11.7 million order 
began during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 and are expected to continue in fiscal 2019. Although the amount and timing of 
orders are difficult to predict, we expect to receive at least one additional order for our MT-2025 transceivers in fiscal 2019.

Although net sales of our over-the-horizon microwave systems products for fiscal 2018 were significantly lower than fiscal 2017, 
business activity in this product line picked up. Our marketing and sales efforts and investments to expand this product line and 
the level of our international business into new countries are yielding positive results. Earlier in fiscal 2018, we received $8.5 
million  in  contracts  to  supply  our  Modular Transportable Transmission  System  ("MTTS")  troposcatter  terminals  to  two  new 
international customers. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, we were awarded an order valued at $31.0 million for our MTTS 
troposcatter terminals to be utilized as part of a deployable communications network for an Asia Pacific military service. Also, 
we announced in September 2018 the receipt of a $9.1 million contract to supply another foreign military with our over-the-horizon 
microwave systems. We believe demand for our over-the-horizon microwave systems will continue to increase. Teaming with a 
large prime contractor, we recently submitted a proposal to supply a significant quantity of our over-the-horizon microwave systems 
to the U.S. Army, and are hopeful that we can win this multi-million dollar award in fiscal 2019.

Backlog for this segment is at the highest level since our acquisition of TCS in February 2016. We see a growing pipeline of 
potential orders from large government end-users (including those of foreign countries) who have a growing need to mitigate 
threats using command and control technology solutions to increase decision-maker’s situational awareness. Based on the mix 
and anticipated timing of performance on orders in backlog and expected new orders, we anticipate that fiscal 2019 net sales for 
our Government Solutions segment will be significantly higher than fiscal 2018.

Bookings, sales and profitability in our Government Solutions segment can fluctuate dramatically from period-to-period due to 
many factors, including unpredictable funding, deployment and technology decisions by our U.S. and international government 
customers. As such, period-to-period comparisons of our results may not be indicative of a trend or future performance.

Geography and Customer Type
Sales by geography and customer type, as a percentage of related sales, for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 and 2017 are as 
follows:

U.S. government
Domestic
Total U.S.

International
Total

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2017
2018
Commercial Solutions

2018
2017
Government Solutions

18.1%
54.6%
72.7%

27.3%
100.0%

15.1%
54.4%
69.5%

30.5%
100.0%

62.2%
14.9%
77.1%

22.9%
100.0%

59.2%
15.5%
74.7%

25.3%
100.0%

2018

2017

Consolidated
35.5%
38.9%
74.4%

25.6%
100.0%

32.7%
38.9%
71.6%

28.4%
100.0%

Sales to U.S. government customers include sales to the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD"), intelligence and civilian agencies, 
as well as sales directly to or through prime contractors. 

Domestic sales include sales to commercial customers, as well as to U.S. state and local governments. Included in domestic sales, 
are sales to Verizon Communications Inc. ("Verizon"), which represented 10.0% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018. There 
were no customers that represented more than 10% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2017.

58

 
 
 
International sales for fiscal 2018 and 2017 (which include sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products that are 
sold to international customers) were $145.8 million and $156.5 million, respectively. Except for the U.S., no individual country 
(including sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products that are sold to a foreign country) represented more than 
10% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018 and 2017. 

Gross Profit. Gross profit was $223.9 million and $218.2 million for fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively. The increase of $5.7
million in gross profit dollars was largely driven by higher net sales and increased gross margins in our Commercial Solutions 
segment, partially offset by lower gross profit contributions from the Government Solutions segment. Gross profit in fiscal 2018 
also benefited from a $0.7 million favorable warranty settlement and a $1.0 million favorable sales and use tax settlement, both 
of which are reflected in our unallocated segment. Gross profit, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, for fiscal 2018 was 
39.2% (or 38.9% when excluding the aforementioned favorable settlements), which was slightly lower than the 39.6% achieved 
in fiscal 2017. This decrease was primarily driven by lower gross margins in our Government Solutions segment that was partially 
offset by an improvement in gross margins in our Commercial Solutions segment and the aforementioned favorable settlements. 
Gross profit, as a percentage of related segment net sales, is further discussed below.

Our Commercial Solutions segment's gross profit, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2018 was higher than 
fiscal 2017. The increase was primarily due to higher net sales and overall favorable product mix changes. Our Business Outlook 
for Fiscal 2019 assumes we continue to seed and invest in the market for our HEIGHTS solutions and that related sales will grow 
significantly from the level we achieved in fiscal 2018. Today, HEIGHTS solutions have lower gross margins than our traditional 
Single  Channel  per  Carrier  ("SCPC")  satellite  earth  station  modems  and  given  expected  sales  growth,  our  gross  profit,  as  a 
percentage of satellite earth station product sales in fiscal 2019, will be lower as compared to fiscal 2018. Overtime, we believe 
that margins will improve as HEIGHTS volume increases. Overall, looking forward, based on the mix and anticipated timing of 
shipments and performance related to orders currently in our backlog and the mix and timing of expected new orders, gross profit 
for this segment, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2019 is expected to be lower than the level achieved in 
fiscal 2018.

Our Government Solutions segment's gross profit, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2018 was lower than 
fiscal 2017. The decrease was primarily driven by significantly lower net sales of over-the-horizon microwave systems products 
and the absence of $6.7 million of BFT-1 intellectual property license fees. Based on the mix and anticipated timing of shipments 
and performance related to orders currently in our backlog and the mix and timing of expected new orders, gross profit for this 
segment, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2019 is expected to be comparable to the level achieved in fiscal 
2018.

Included in consolidated cost of sales for fiscal 2018 and 2017 are provisions for excess and obsolete inventory of $5.6 million
and $2.9 million, respectively. As discussed in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results 
of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies - Provisions for Excess and Obsolete Inventory," we regularly review our inventory 
and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical and projected usage assumptions. 

Because our consolidated gross profit, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, depends on the volume of sales, sales mix and 
related gross profit for each individual segment, it is inherently difficult to forecast. Nevertheless, based on expected bookings, 
expected timing of our performance on orders, the absence of favorable settlements recorded in fiscal 2018 and the increase of 
Government Solutions segment sales as a percentage of consolidated net sales, we currently expect our consolidated gross profit, 
as a percentage of consolidated net sales, for fiscal 2019 to be similar to the percentage we achieved in fiscal 2018.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.  Selling, general and administrative expenses were $113.9 million and $116.1
million for fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively, representing a decrease of $2.2 million. As a percentage of consolidated net sales, 
selling, general and administrative expenses were 20.0% and 21.1% (or 22.1% in fiscal 2017 when excluding $5.5 million of 
favorable adjustments related to a recovery of legal expenses from a third party and adjustments related to reserves associated 
with the TCS acquisition that were no longer required). There were no comparable adjustments in fiscal 2018.

The decrease in fiscal 2018 spending, both in dollars and as a percentage of consolidated net sales, is primarily attributable to the 
benefit of cost reduction actions previously initiated and, to a lesser extent, higher consolidated net sales during fiscal 2018, as 
discussed above. We continue to evaluate and implement cost reduction initiatives to reduce unnecessary spending, reduce the 
size and cost of our facilities and improve our productivity. Our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 does not consider the financial 
impact of any actions we may take.

Amortization of stock-based compensation expense recorded as selling, general and administrative expenses was $6.9 million in 
fiscal 2018 as compared to $7.1 million in fiscal 2017. Amortization in fiscal 2018 includes the benefit of a $0.4 million reversal 
of stock-based compensation expense related to certain performance shares previously expected to be earned.

59

Based on our current spending plans, we expect fiscal 2019 selling, general and administrative expenses, in dollars, to be higher 
and, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, to be similar to the percentage recorded in fiscal 2018. 

Research and Development Expenses.  Research and development expenses were $53.9 million and $54.3 million for fiscal 2018
and 2017, respectively, representing a decrease of $0.4 million, or 0.7%. As a percentage of consolidated net sales, research and 
development expenses were 9.4% and 9.9% for fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively.

For fiscal 2018 and 2017, research and development expenses of $46.0 million and $44.7 million, respectively, related to our 
Commercial Solutions segment, and $7.0 million and $8.9 million, respectively, related to our Government Solutions segment. 
The remaining research and development expenses of $0.9 million and $0.7 million in fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively, related 
to the amortization of stock-based compensation expense.

Whenever  possible,  we  seek  customer  funding  for  research  and  development  to  adapt  our  products  to  specialized  customer 
requirements. During fiscal 2018 and 2017, customers reimbursed us $16.9 million and $27.1 million, respectively, which is not 
reflected in the reported research and development expenses, but is included in net sales with the related costs included in cost of 
sales.

We continue to invest in enhancements to existing products as well as in new products across almost all of our product lines. Based 
on our current spending plans, we expect fiscal 2019 research and development expenses, in dollars, to be higher and, as a percentage 
of consolidated net sales, to be comparable to fiscal 2018.

Amortization of Intangibles.  Amortization relating to intangible assets with finite lives was $21.1 million (of which $17.7 million 
was for the Commercial Solutions segment and $3.4 million was for the Government Solutions segment) for fiscal 2018 and $22.8
million (of which $17.7 million was for the Commercial Solutions segment and $5.1 million was for the Government Solutions 
segment) for fiscal 2017. The decrease in fiscal 2018 amortization was the result of certain intangibles in our Government Solutions 
segment that became fully amortized in fiscal 2017. Looking forward to fiscal 2019, we currently anticipate amortization of 
intangibles to further decline from $21.1 million to approximately $17.2 million (with all of the decline occurring the Commercial 
Solutions segment).

Settlement of Intellectual Property Litigation. In fiscal 2017, we recorded favorable adjustments to operating income of $12.0 
million, net of estimated legal fees, to reflect lower losses than originally estimated for TCS intellectual property matters which 
were settled during that period. There was no comparable adjustments in fiscal 2018.

Operating Income. Operating income for fiscal 2018 was $35.1 million as compared $37.0 million for fiscal 2017. Operating 
income by reportable segment is shown in the table below:

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

($ in millions)

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

Operating income (loss)

$ 40.8

$ 33.2

$ 11.0

$

9.4

$

Percentage of related net sales

11.8%

10.0%

4.9%

4.3%

Unallocated
(16.7) $
NA

Consolidated

(5.6) $ 35.1
NA

6.2%

$ 37.0

6.7%

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

The increase in our Commercial Solutions segment’s operating income, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment net sales, 
was primarily due to higher net sales, overall favorable product mix changes and the benefit of cost reduction actions previously 
initiated, as discussed above. Looking forward, we expect fiscal 2019 operating income, in dollars to be higher and, as a percentage 
of related segment net sales, to be similar to fiscal 2018.

The increase in our Government Solutions segment’s operating income, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment net sales, 
was primarily due to lower operating expenses (including lower amortization of intangibles) that was partially offset by lower 
gross profit contributions, as discussed above. Looking forward, we expect fiscal 2019 operating income, in dollars and as a 
percentage of related segment net sales, to be significantly higher as compared to fiscal 2018.

60

   
  
Unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2018 were $16.7 million and were offset by a $0.7 million favorable warranty settlement 
and a $1.0 million favorable sales and use tax settlement, as discussed above. Excluding these adjustments, unallocated operating 
expenses for fiscal 2018 would have been $18.4 million. Unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2017 were $5.6 million and 
were offset by a number of items that aggregated $18.8 million and included: (i) a $12.0 million favorable adjustment related to 
the settlement of certain TCS intellectual property matters; (ii) $5.5 million of favorable adjustments which related to a recovery 
of legal expenses from a third party and reserves associated with the TCS acquisition that were no longer required; and (iii) a $1.3 
million benefit (as compared to fiscal 2016) associated with our decision to pay certain fiscal 2017 incentive compensation awards 
in the form of share units. Excluding these adjustments, unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2017 would have been $24.4 
million. The decrease to $18.4 million in fiscal 2018 from the $24.4 million in fiscal 2017 primarily relates to lower spending. 
Unallocated expenses for fiscal 2018 and 2017 include amortization of stock-based compensation of $8.6 million and $8.5 million, 
respectively.

Looking forward, unallocated operating expenses are expected to be higher in fiscal 2019 as compared to the $18.4 million discussed 
above.  This  expected  increase  is  primarily  due  to  anticipated  changes  in  compensation  costs  and  other  increased  spending. 
Amortization of stock-based compensation expense (which is not allocated to our two reportable operating segments) is expected 
to increase to a range of $10.0 million to $12.0 million in fiscal 2019 as compared to the $8.6 million amortized in fiscal 2018. 
This increase is largely due to an increase in the number and value of annual non-equity incentive awards expected to be granted 
in  fiscal  2019  as  a  result  of  anticipated  increased  operating  income  contributions  from  each  of  our  two  reportable  operating 
segments. Like we did in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, our Business Outlook for Fiscal 2019 assumes we continue to pay certain 
annual non-equity incentive awards in the form of fully vested share units. If we do not achieve our fiscal 2019 business goals, 
amortization of stock-based compensation expense would be lower than our current expected fiscal 2019 range.

Excluding the aforementioned $1.7 million and $18.8 million of favorable adjustments in fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively, 
consolidated operating income for fiscal 2018 and 2017 would have been $33.4 million, or 5.9% of consolidated net sales, and 
$18.2 million, or 3.3% of consolidated net sales, respectively. This improvement from 3.3% to 5.9% is largely due to the benefit 
of cost reductions made and changes in gross profit mix and operating expenses, as discussed above. Based on expected sales 
growth, mix and anticipated timing of shipments and performance related to orders currently in our backlog and the mix and timing 
of expected new orders, our consolidated operating income (in dollars) in fiscal 2019 is anticipated to be higher than the $35.1 
million we achieved in fiscal 2018 and we are targeting to achieve operating income, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, to 
be higher than the 6.2% we achieved in fiscal 2018.

Interest Expense and Other.  Interest expense was $10.2 million and $11.6 million for fiscal 2018 and 2017, respectively. The 
decline in interest expense primarily reflects lower total indebtedness (excluding unamortized deferred financing costs), which 
declined from $200.6 million as of July 31, 2017 to $171.3 million as of July 31, 2018. Interest expense for both periods primarily 
reflects interest on our Secured Credit Facility, as amended. Our effective interest rate (including amortization of deferred financing 
costs) in fiscal 2018 was approximately 5.4%. Based on the type, terms, amount of outstanding debt (including capital leases and 
other obligations) and current interest rates, our effective interest rate (including amortization of deferred financing costs) in fiscal 
2019 is anticipated to range from 6.0% to 6.4%. Our current cash borrowing rate (which excludes the amortization of deferred 
financing costs) is approximately 4.5%.

Interest (Income) and Other.  Interest (income) and other for both fiscal 2018 and 2017 was nominal. All of our available cash 
and cash equivalents are currently invested in bank deposits and money market deposit accounts which, at this time, are currently 
yielding a blended annual interest rate of approximately 0.6%. 

(Benefit from) Provision for Income Taxes. The benefit from income taxes was $5.1 million for fiscal 2018 as compared to a tax 
provision of $9.7 million for fiscal 2017.

During fiscal 2018, we recorded a net discrete tax benefit of $11.8 million which, as a result of Tax Reform, primarily related to 
the remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities associated with non-deductible amortization related to intangible assets and discrete 
tax benefits associated with stock-based awards that were settled in fiscal 2018. These benefits were offset, in part, by the finalization 
of certain tax deductions in connection with the filing of our federal and state income tax returns for fiscal 2017. Excluding discrete 
tax items for fiscal 2018, our effective tax rate was 27.0%.

During fiscal 2017, we recorded a net discrete tax expense of $0.5 million, primarily related to the finalization of certain tax 
deductions in connection with the filing of our federal and state income tax returns for fiscal 2016, offset, in part, by the reversal 
of tax contingencies no longer required due to the settlement of the fiscal 2014 federal income tax audit and the expiration of 
applicable statutes of limitation. Our effective tax rate excluding discrete tax items for fiscal 2017 was 35.75%. 

61

 
The decrease from 35.75% to 27.0% is principally attributable to the passage of Tax Reform which reduced the statutory income 
tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%, or a blended income tax rate of approximately 27.0%. Looking forward, our effective tax rate in 
fiscal 2019, excluding discrete items, is expected to approximate 23.25%. If the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issues clarifying 
or interpretive guidance, and/or new information becomes available, our estimated effective tax rate may change.

Since November 2017, our federal income tax return for fiscal 2016 has been under audit by the IRS. The audit is ongoing and 
we are unaware of any proposed adjustments by the IRS. Our federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and 2017 are also subject 
to potential future IRS audit. None of our state income tax returns prior to fiscal 2014 are subject to audit. TCS' federal income 
tax returns for tax years 2014 and 2015 and the tax period from January 1, 2016 to February 23, 2016 are subject to potential future 
IRS audit. None of TCS' state income tax returns prior to calendar year 2013 are subject to audit. The results of the IRS tax audit 
for fiscal 2016, future tax assessments or settlements could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations 
and financial condition.

Net Income. During fiscal 2018, consolidated net income was $29.8 million as compared to $15.8 million during fiscal 2017. 

Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA (both in dollars and as a percentage of related net sales) for both fiscal 2018 and 2017 are 
shown in the table below (numbers in the table may not foot due to rounding):

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

$ 40.3

32.9

10.8

Unallocated
(21.4)

(26.5) $ 29.8

Consolidated

($ in millions)

Net income (loss)

Provision for (benefit from)

income taxes

Interest (income) and other

Interest expense

Amortization of stock-based

compensation

Amortization of intangibles

Depreciation

Settlement of intellectual

property litigation

9.4

—

—

—

—

5.1

2.9

—

0.1

—

—

3.4

3.1

0.3

0.2

0.1

—

17.7

9.5

—

0.3

(0.1)

0.2

—

17.7

9.9

—

60.9

(5.4)
—

10.1

8.6

—

1.1

—
(7.1)
NA

9.4

0.1

11.4

8.5

—

1.5

(5.1)
0.3

10.2

8.6

21.1

13.7

15.8

9.7
(0.1)
11.6

8.5

22.8

14.4

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 68.0

Percentage of related net sales

19.7%

18.4%

7.7%

8.0%

—

17.4

—

17.5

(12.0)
—
(7.6) $ 78.4
NA

13.7%

(12.0)
70.7

12.8%

The increase in consolidated Adjusted EBITDA during fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017 is primarily attributable to higher 
net sales and overall favorable product mix changes in our Commercial Solutions segment (which historically achieves higher 
gross margins than our Government Solutions segment), the benefit of cost reduction actions previously taken and the $1.7 million 
of benefits in fiscal 2018 that resulted from the favorable warranty and sales and use tax settlements, as discussed above.

The increase in our Commercial Solutions segment's Adjusted EBITDA, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment net 
sales, was primarily attributable to higher net sales, overall favorable product mix changes and the benefit of cost reduction actions 
previously initiated, as discussed above.

The decrease in our Government Solutions segment's Adjusted EBITDA, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment net 
sales, was primarily driven by significantly lower net sales of over-the-horizon microwave systems products and the absence of 
$6.7 million of BFT-1 intellectual property license fees, as discussed above.

Looking forward, based on the mix and anticipated timing of shipments and performance related to orders currently in our backlog 
and the mix and timing of expected new orders, we are targeting consolidated Adjusted EBITDA to be higher than fiscal 2018 
and in a range from to $80.0 million to $86.0 million. As a percentage of consolidated net sales, Adjusted EBITDA in fiscal 2019 
is expected to be similar to the amount we achieved in fiscal 2018.

If order flow remains strong and we are able to achieve all of our fiscal 2019 business goals, it is possible that our fiscal 2019 
Adjusted EBITDA could be higher than our targeted amount.

62

 
Our Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP measure that represents earnings (loss) before income taxes, interest (income) and other 
expense, interest expense, amortization of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangibles, depreciation expense, settlement 
of intellectual property litigation, acquisition plan expenses or strategic alternatives analysis expenses and other. Our definition 
of Adjusted EBITDA may differ from the definition of EBITDA used by other companies and therefore may not be comparable 
to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is also a measure frequently requested by our investors 
and analysts. We believe that investors and analysts may use Adjusted EBITDA, along with other information contained in our 
SEC filings, in assessing our performance and comparability of our results with other companies. These Non-GAAP financial 
measures have limitations as an analytical tool as they exclude the financial impact of transactions necessary to conduct our 
business, such as the granting of equity compensation awards, and are not intended to be an alternative to financial measures 
prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures are adjusted as described in the reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP in 
the above table, but these adjustments should not be construed as an inference that all of these adjustments or costs are unusual, 
infrequent or non-recurring. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or 
superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Investors are advised to carefully review the GAAP financial 
results that are disclosed in our SEC filings. We have not quantitatively reconciled our fiscal 2019 Adjusted EBITDA target to the 
most  directly  comparable  GAAP  measure  because  items  such  as  stock-based  compensation,  adjustments  to  the  provision  for 
income taxes, amortization of intangibles and interest expense, which are specific items that impact these measures, have not yet 
occurred, are out of our control, or cannot be predicted. For example, quantification of stock-based compensation expense requires 
inputs such as the number of shares granted and market price that are not currently ascertainable. Accordingly, reconciliations to 
the Non-GAAP forward looking metrics are not available without unreasonable effort and such unavailable reconciling items 
could significantly impact our financial results.

Comparison of Fiscal 2017 and 2016

Net Sales. Consolidated net sales were $550.4 million and $411.0 million for fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively, representing an 
increase of $139.4 million, or 33.9%. As TCS was acquired on February 23, 2016, fiscal 2017 includes a full year of TCS operations 
as compared to fiscal 2016 which only included approximately five months. The year-over-year increase in net sales was driven 
by incremental sales of $147.1 million from TCS products lines. Net sales by operating segment are discussed below.

Commercial Solutions
Net sales in our Commercial Solutions segment were $330.9 million for fiscal 2017, as compared to $249.0 million for fiscal 
2016, an increase of $81.9 million, or 32.9%. The year-over-year increase in net sales reflects incremental sales of $82.3 million 
from TCS product lines (which include enterprise technology solutions such as our location and messaging platforms and safety 
and security technology solutions such as our wireless and next generation 911 ("NG911") platforms). Our Commercial Solutions 
segment represented 60.1% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2017 as compared to 60.6% for fiscal 2016.  

Our book-to-bill ratio (a measure defined as bookings divided by net sales) in this segment for fiscal 2017 was 0.89. 

Net sales of our satellite earth station products in fiscal 2017 were lower than fiscal 2016. Although market conditions in fiscal 
2017 for our international satellite earth station customers improved and related sales to these customers increased, sales and 
bookings from our U.S. government customers in fiscal 2017 were significantly lower as compared to fiscal 2016. We attribute 
this decline to delays in awarding and/or funding certain programs and a lull in ordering that resulted from political and budget 
uncertainty. During the second half of fiscal 2017, we saw a noticeable improvement in sales to U.S. government customers.

Net sales in fiscal 2017 of both enterprise technology solutions and safety and security technology solutions were higher than 
fiscal 2016, primarily due to the contribution of twelve months of TCS operations as compared to only five months in fiscal 2016. 

Bookings, sales and profitability in our Commercial Solutions segment can fluctuate from period-to-period due to many factors, 
including changes in the general business environment. As such, period-to-period comparisons of our results may not be indicative 
of a trend or future performance.

Government Solutions
Net sales in our Government Solutions segment were $219.5 million for fiscal 2017 as compared to $162.0 million for fiscal 2016, 
an increase of $57.5 million or 35.5%. The year-over-year increase in net sales primarily reflects incremental sales of $64.8 million 
from TCS product lines (which include our advanced communication solutions such as field support, space components and cyber-
training). Our Government Solutions segment represented 39.9% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2017, as compared to 39.4% 
for fiscal 2016. 

63

 
Our book-to-bill ratio (a measure defined as bookings divided by net sales) in this segment for fiscal 2017 was approximately 
1.00.

Net  sales  of  legacy  Comtech  products  (which  include  over-the-horizon  microwave  system  products,  high-power  broadband 
amplifiers and BFT-1 sustainment support services) were, in the aggregate, lower in fiscal 2017 than in fiscal 2016, primarily as 
a result of lower BFT-1 related sales. Net sales for fiscal 2017 and 2016 include $6.7 million and $10.0 million, respectively, of 
sales related to a BFT-1 intellectual property license contract which expired on March 31, 2017.

Bookings, sales and profitability in our Government Solutions segment can fluctuate dramatically from period-to-period due to 
many factors, including unpredictable funding, deployment and technology decisions by our U.S. and international government 
customers. As such, period-to-period comparisons of our results may not be indicative of a trend or future performance.

Geography and Customer Type
Sales by geography and customer type, as a percentage of related sales, for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2017 and 2016 are as 
follows:

U.S. government
Domestic
Total U.S.

International
Total

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2016
2017
Commercial Solutions

2017
2016
Government Solutions

15.1%
54.4%
69.5%

30.5%
100.0%

25.0%
40.6%
65.6%

34.4%
100.0%

59.2%
15.5%
74.7%

25.3%
100.0%

65.0%
11.6%
76.6%

23.4%
100.0%

2017

2016

Consolidated
32.7%
38.9%
71.6%

28.4%
100.0%

40.8%
29.2%
70.0%

30.0%
100.0%

Sales to U.S. government customers include sales to the U.S. DoD, intelligence and civilian agencies, as well as sales directly to 
or through prime contractors. Domestic sales include sales to U.S. state and local governments. International sales include sales 
to U.S. companies for inclusion in products that are sold to international customers. 

Gross Profit. Gross profit was $218.2 million and $171.2 million for fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively, representing an increase 
of $47.0 million. This increase in gross profit dollars was driven by higher consolidated net sales as discussed above. Gross profit, 
as a percentage of consolidated net sales decreased from 41.7% for fiscal 2016 to 39.6% for fiscal 2017. This decrease is attributable 
to overall product mix changes resulting primarily from the TCS acquisition, in particular, the inclusion of net sales related to TCS 
government  solutions,  which  have  historically  had  lower  gross  margins  than  Comtech’s  legacy  products.  Gross  profit,  as  a 
percentage of related segment net sales is further discussed below.

Our Commercial Solutions segment's gross profit, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2017 was higher than in 
fiscal 2016. This increase was primarily driven by the inclusion of net sales related to TCS commercial solutions during fiscal 
2017, which had higher gross margins than Comtech's legacy products. Gross margin, as a percentage of related net sales for 
Comtech’s legacy products, also increased primarily due to overall mix changes.

Our Government Solutions segment's gross profit, as a percentage of related segment net sales, for fiscal 2017 was significantly 
lower than in fiscal 2016. This decrease was primarily driven by the inclusion of net sales related to TCS government solutions 
during fiscal 2017, which have significantly lower gross margins than Comtech's legacy products. Gross profit in this segment, 
for fiscal 2017 and 2016 includes $6.7 million and $10.0 million, respectively, related to a prior BFT-1 intellectual property license 
contract which expired on March 31, 2017.

Included in consolidated cost of sales for fiscal 2017 and 2016 are provisions for excess and obsolete inventory of $2.9 million 
and $2.8 million, respectively. As discussed in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results 
of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies - Provisions for Excess and Obsolete Inventory," we regularly review our inventory 
and record a provision for excess and obsolete inventory based on historical and projected usage assumptions. 

64

 
 
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.  Selling, general and administrative expenses were $116.1 million and $94.9 
million for fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively, representing an increase of $21.2 million. The increase in spending is primarily 
attributable to incremental expenses associated with the increased size of our business as a result of the TCS acquisition which 
was  partially  offset  by  $5.5  million  of  favorable  adjustments  related  to  a  recovery  of  legal  expenses  from  a  third  party  and 
adjustments related to reserves associated with the TCS acquisition that were no longer required. As a percentage of consolidated 
net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 21.1% and 23.1% for fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively. This decrease 
in percentage is primarily due to higher consolidated net sales during fiscal 2017, the aforementioned $5.5 million of favorable 
adjustments, and the benefit of cost reduction actions previously initiated.

Amortization of stock-based compensation expense recorded as selling, general and administrative expenses was $7.1 million in 
fiscal 2017 as compared to $3.4 million in fiscal 2016. This increase is primarily related to the type and timing of stock-based 
awards. In fiscal 2017, we paid certain annual incentive compensation awards in the form of share units whereas in fiscal 2016, 
such annual incentives were paid in cash. The benefit of this change resulted in lower overall company-wide compensation expense 
of approximately $1.3 million in fiscal 2017.

Research and Development Expenses.  Research and development expenses were $54.3 million and $42.2 million for fiscal 2017 
and 2016, respectively, representing an increase of $12.1 million, or 28.7%. The increase in spending is primarily attributable to 
incremental expenses associated with the TCS product lines. As a percentage of consolidated net sales, research and development 
expenses were 9.9% and 10.3% for fiscal 2017 and 2016.

For fiscal 2017 and 2016, research and development expenses of $44.7 million and $33.8 million, respectively, related to our 
Commercial Solutions segment, and $8.9 million and $8.0 million, respectively, related to our Government Solutions segment. 
The remaining research and development expenses of $0.7 million and $0.4 million in fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively, related 
to the amortization of stock-based compensation expense.

Whenever  possible,  we  seek  customer  funding  for  research  and  development  to  adapt  our  products  to  specialized  customer 
requirements. During fiscal 2017 and 2016, customers reimbursed us $27.1 million and $17.4 million, respectively, which is not 
reflected in the reported research and development expenses, but is included in net sales with the related costs included in cost of 
sales.

Amortization of Intangibles.  Amortization relating to intangible assets with finite lives was $22.8 million (of which $17.7 million 
was for the Commercial Solutions segment and $5.1 million was for the Government Solutions segment) for fiscal 2017 and $13.4 
million (of which $10.6 million was for the Commercial Solutions segment and $2.8 million was for the Government Solutions 
segment) for fiscal 2016. The significant increase in amortization of intangibles is a result of our acquisition of TCS on February 
23, 2016. 

Settlement of Intellectual Property Litigation. During fiscal 2017, we recorded favorable adjustments to operating income of 
$12.0 million, net of estimated legal fees, to reflect lower losses than originally estimated for TCS intellectual property matters 
which were settled during fiscal 2017. There were no comparable adjustments in fiscal 2016.

Acquisition Plan Expenses. Acquisition plan expenses during fiscal 2016 were $21.3 million and primarily consist of transaction 
costs related to our acquisition of TCS on February 23, 2016. There were no comparable expenses during fiscal 2017.

Operating Income (Loss). Operating income for fiscal 2017 was $37.0 million as compared to a loss of $0.6 million for fiscal 
2016. Operating income by reportable segment is shown in the table below:

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

($ in millions)
Operating income (loss)

Commercial
Solutions

$ 33.2

$ 23.3

$

Government
Solutions
9.4

$ 23.0

$

Percentage of related net sales

10.0%

9.3%

4.3%

14.2%

Unallocated
(5.6) $
NA

Consolidated

(46.8) $ 37.0

NA

6.7%

$

(0.6)
NA

The increase in our Commercial Solutions segment’s operating income, in dollars, is primarily due to an increase in this segment's 
net sales during fiscal 2017, substantially offset by incremental amortization of intangibles associated with the TCS acquisition. 
The increase in operating income, as a percentage of related segment net sales, is primarily due to increased operating income 
contribution from Comtech's legacy products. 

65

The decrease in our Government Solutions segment’s operating income, in dollars, was primarily driven by lower operating income 
contribution from TCS' government solutions' net sales (which includes the impact of incremental amortization of intangibles 
associated with the TCS acquisition) and lower operating income contribution from Comtech’s legacy products. The decrease in 
operating income, as a percentage of related segment net sales, is primarily due to the inclusion of TCS government solutions' net 
sales and operating results, including the impact of incremental amortization of intangibles associated with the TCS acquisition. 

Unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2017 were $5.6 million. During fiscal 2017, unallocated operating expenses were offset 
by a number of items throughout the fiscal year, which aggregated $18.8 million. Such items include: (i) a $12.0 million favorable 
adjustment related to the settlement of certain TCS intellectual property matters, as discussed above; (ii) $5.5 million of favorable 
adjustments which related to a recovery of legal expenses from a third party and reserves associated with the TCS acquisition that 
were no longer required; and (iii) a $1.3 million benefit associated with our decision (which is further described below) to pay 
certain fiscal 2017 incentive compensation awards in the form of share units. Unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2016 were 
$46.8 million and included $21.3 million of acquisition plan expenses, as discussed above. Excluding the $18.8 million and $21.3 
million amounts, unallocated operating expenses for fiscal 2017 and 2016 would have been $24.4 million and $25.5 million, 
respectively. 

Unallocated expenses for fiscal 2017 and 2016 include amortization of stock-based compensation of $8.5 million and $4.1 million, 
respectively. The increase in fiscal 2017 related to our decision to pay certain fiscal 2017 non-equity incentive awards in the form 
of fully vested share units, whereas in fiscal 2016 our non-equity incentive awards were settled in cash. Although this change 
resulted in higher amortization of stock-based compensation in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016, the overall impact of this 
decision resulted in lower company-wide compensation expense of approximately $1.3 million for fiscal 2017. 

Excluding the $18.8 million of favorable adjustments described above, consolidated operating income for fiscal 2017 would have 
been $18.2 million, or 3.3% of consolidated net sales. 

Interest Expense and Other.  Interest expense was $11.6 million and $7.8 million for fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively. Interest 
expense for both periods primarily reflects interest on our Secured Credit Facility, as amended. The increase in interest expense 
and other was primarily due to a full-year of outstanding borrowings in fiscal 2017 related to the TCS as compared to five months 
of outstanding borrowings in fiscal 2016. 

Interest Income and Other.  Interest income and other for both fiscal 2017 and 2016 was nominal. All of our available cash and 
cash equivalents are currently invested in bank deposits and money market deposit accounts which, at this time, are currently 
yielding a blended annual interest rate of approximately 0.56%. 

Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes was $9.7 million for fiscal 2017 as compared to a tax benefit of $0.5 
million during fiscal 2016. Our effective tax rate was 37.9% for fiscal 2017, as compared to 5.5% for fiscal 2016.

During fiscal 2017, we recorded a net discrete tax expense of $0.5 million, primarily related to the finalization of certain tax 
deductions in connection with the filing of our federal and state income tax returns for fiscal 2016, offset, in part, by the reversal 
of tax contingencies no longer required due to the settlement of the fiscal 2014 federal income tax audit and the expiration of 
applicable statutes of limitation. Our effective tax rate excluding discrete tax items for fiscal 2017 was 35.75%. 

During fiscal 2016, we recorded a net discrete tax expense of approximately $1.0 million, primarily related to the establishment 
of tax contingencies for uncertain tax positions relating to the payment of certain expenses associated with the TCS acquisition, 
offset, in part, by the reversal of tax contingencies no longer required due to the expiration of applicable statutes of limitation; and 
the passage of legislation that included the permanent retroactive extension of the federal research and experimentation credit 
from December 31, 2014. Our effective tax rate excluding discrete tax items for fiscal 2016 was 18.0%.

The increase from 18.0% to 35.75% is principally attributable to the non-deductibility of certain transaction costs relating to the 
acquisition of TCS, which were incurred during fiscal 2016. 

Since November 2017, our federal income tax return for fiscal 2016 has been under audit by the IRS. The audit is ongoing and 
we are unaware of any proposed adjustments by the IRS. Our federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and 2017 are also subject 
to potential future IRS audit. None of our state income tax returns prior to fiscal 2014 are subject to audit. TCS' federal income 
tax returns for tax years 2014 and 2015 and the tax period from January 1, 2016 to February 23, 2016 are subject to potential future 
IRS audit. None of TCS' state income tax returns prior to calendar year 2013 are subject to audit. The results of the IRS tax audit 
for fiscal 2016, future tax assessments or settlements could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations 
and financial condition.

66

 
Net Loss (Income). During fiscal 2017, consolidated net income was $15.8 million as compared to a consolidated net loss of $7.7 
million during fiscal 2016. 

Adjusted EBITDA. Our Adjusted EBITDA, a Non-GAAP financial measure, represents earnings before income taxes, interest 
(income) and other expense, interest expense, amortization of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangibles, depreciation 
expense, settlement of intellectual property litigation and acquisition plan expenses. These items, while periodically affecting our 
results, may vary significantly from period-to-period and may have a disproportionate effect in a given period, thereby affecting 
the comparability of our results. Our Adjusted EBITDA is also used by our management in assessing the Company's operating 
results. Although closely aligned, the Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA is different than the Consolidated EBITDA (as 
such term is defined in our Secured Credit Facility, as amended) utilized for financial covenant calculations and also may differ 
from the definition of EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA used by other companies and, therefore, may not be comparable to similarly 
titled measures used by other companies. Our Adjusted EBITDA is also a measure frequently requested by the Company's investors 
and analysts. We believe that investors and analysts may use our Adjusted EBITDA, along with other information contained in 
our SEC filings, in assessing our performance and comparability of our results with other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA (both in dollars and as a percentage of related net sales) for both fiscal 2017 and 2016 are shown in the table 
below (numbers in the table may not foot due to rounding):

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

2017

2016

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

($ in millions)

Net income (loss)

Income taxes

Interest (income) and other

expense

Interest expense

Amortization of stock-based

compensation

Amortization of intangibles

Depreciation

Settlement of intellectual

property litigation

Acquisition plan expenses

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

$ 32.9

0.3

(0.1)

0.2

—

17.7

9.9

—

—

22.8

0.1

0.1

0.3

—

10.6

7.1

—

—

40.9

9.4

—

—

—

—

5.1

2.9

—

—

23.0

—

—

—

—

2.8

2.0

—

—

17.5

27.8

Unallocated
(26.5)
9.4

(53.5) $ 15.8
(0.5)
9.7

Consolidated

0.1

11.4

8.5

—

1.5

(12.0)
—
(7.6)
NA

(0.2)
7.5

4.1

—

0.8

(0.1)
11.6

8.5

22.8

14.4

—

(12.0)
—
21.3
(20.7) $ 70.7

(7.7)
(0.5)

(0.1)
7.8

4.1

13.4

9.8

—

21.3

48.1

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 60.9

Percentage of related net sales

18.4%

16.4%

8.0%

17.2%

NA

12.8%

11.7%

The increase in consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, in dollars and as a percentage of consolidated net sales, during fiscal 2017 as 
compared to fiscal 2016 is primarily attributable to earnings contributions associated with the TCS acquisition, period-to-period 
changes in sales mix and gross margin contributions and lower unallocated expenses during fiscal 2017, all of which are discussed 
above. The increase in our Commercial Solutions segment's Adjusted EBITDA, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment 
net sales, was primarily attributable to an increase in this segment's net sales and higher gross margins, as discussed above. The 
decrease in our Government Solutions segment's Adjusted EBITDA, in dollars and as a percentage of related segment net sales, 
was primarily driven by the inclusion of net sales related to TCS government solutions, which have historically had significantly 
lower gross margins than Comtech’s legacy products, as discussed above.

67

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our cash and cash equivalents increased to $43.5 million at July 31, 2018 from $41.8 million at July 31, 2017, an increase of $1.6 
million. The increase in cash and cash equivalents during fiscal 2018 was driven by the following:

•  Net cash provided by operating activities was $50.3 million for fiscal 2018 as compared to $66.9 million for fiscal 2017. 
The period-over-period decrease in cash flow from operating activities is attributable to overall changes in net working 
capital requirements, principally the timing of shipments, billings and payments.

•  Net cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2018 was $8.6 million as compared to $8.2 million for fiscal 2017. Both 

of these amounts primarily represent expenditures relating to ongoing equipment upgrades and enhancements.

•  Net cash used in financing activities was $40.1 million for fiscal 2018 as compared to $83.7 million for fiscal 2017. 
During fiscal 2018, we made $8.8 million of net payments under our Revolving Loan Facility and $21.8 million of 
principal repayments related to our Term Loan Facility and capital lease and other obligations. During fiscal 2017, we 
made $26.5 million of net payments under our Revolving Loan Facility and $37.2 million of principal repayments related 
to our Term Loan Facility and capital lease and other obligations. During fiscal 2018 and 2017, we paid $9.5 million and 
$18.9 million, respectively, in cash dividends to our stockholders. We also made $1.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively, 
of payments to remit employees' statutory tax withholding requirements related to the net settlement of stock-based 
awards during fiscal 2018 and 2017. 

Our investment policy relating to our cash and cash equivalents is intended to minimize principal loss while at the same time 
maximize the income we receive without significantly increasing risk. To minimize risk, we generally invest our cash and cash 
equivalents in money market mutual funds (both government and commercial), certificates of deposit, bank deposits, and U.S. 
Treasury securities. Many of our money market mutual funds invest in direct obligations of the U.S. government, bank securities 
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, certificates of deposit and commercial paper and other securities issued 
by other companies. While we cannot predict future market conditions or market liquidity, we believe our investment policies are 
appropriate  in  the  current  environment.  Ultimately,  the  availability  of  our  cash  and  cash  equivalents  is  dependent  on  a  well-
functioning liquid market.

The Secured Credit Facility, as amended, is discussed below and in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (8) - 
Secured Credit Facility" included in "Part II - Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."

As of July 31, 2018, our material short-term cash requirements primarily consist of: (i) fiscal 2019 mandatory principal repayments 
of $17.2 million associated with our Term Loan Facility and related interest payments of approximately $5.2 million; (ii) estimated 
interest payments for fiscal 2019 under our Revolving Loan Facility; (iii) payments related to our capital lease and other obligations; 
(iv) operating lease commitments; (v) our ongoing working capital needs, including income tax payments; and (vi) payment of 
accrued quarterly dividends.

In June 2016, we sold 7.1 million shares of our common stock in a public offering at a price of $14.00 per share, resulting in 
proceeds to us of $95.0 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions. As of July 31, 2018 and September 26, 2018, an 
aggregate registered amount of $75.0 million under our existing shelf registration statement filed with the SEC remains available 
for sale of various types of securities, including debt. 

As of July 31, 2018 and September 26, 2018, we were authorized to repurchase up to an additional $8.7 million of our common 
stock, pursuant to our current $100.0 million stock repurchase program. Our stock repurchase program has no time restrictions 
and repurchases may be made in open-market or privately negotiated transactions and may be made pursuant to SEC Rule 10b5-1 
trading plans.  There were no repurchases of our common stock during fiscal 2018 and 2017. 

On September 27, 2017, December 6, 2017, March 7, 2018 and June 6, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10
per common share, which were paid on November 17, 2017, February 16, 2018, May 18, 2018 and August 17, 2018, respectively. 
On September 26, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10 per common share, payable on November 16, 2018
to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 17, 2018. Future dividends remain subject to compliance with financial 
covenants under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, as well as Board approval.

Our material long-term cash requirements primarily consist of: (i) mandatory interest payments and principal repayments pursuant 
to our Secured Credit Facility, as amended; (ii) payments relating to our capital lease and other obligations and (iii) operating lease 
commitments.

68

We continue to receive (and approve on a limited basis) requests from our customers for higher credit limits and longer payment 
terms. We also continue to monitor our accounts receivable credit portfolio and have not had material negative customer credit 
experiences historically.

We have historically met both our short-term and long-term cash requirements with funds provided by a combination of cash and 
cash equivalent balances, cash generated from operating activities and cash generated from financing transactions. Based on our 
anticipated level of future sales and operating income, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalent balances, our cash 
generated from operating activities and amounts potentially available under the Revolving Loan Facility under our Secured Credit 
Facility, as amended, will be sufficient to meet both our currently anticipated short-term and long-term operating cash requirements. 

Although it is difficult in the current economic and credit environment to predict the terms and conditions of financing that may 
be available in the future, should our short-term or long-term cash requirements increase beyond our current expectations, we 
believe that we would have sufficient access to credit from financial institutions and/or financing from public and private debt 
and equity markets.

Secured Credit Facility
On February 23, 2016, in connection with our acquisition of TCS, we entered into a $400.0 million secured credit facility (the 
"Secured Credit Facility") with a syndicate of lenders. The Secured Credit Facility, as amended June 6, 2017 (the "June 2017 
Amendment"), comprises a senior secured term loan A facility of $250.0 million (the "Term Loan Facility") and a secured revolving 
loan facility of up to $150.0 million, including a $25.0 million letter of credit sublimit (the "Revolving Loan Facility"), and, 
together with the Term Loan Facility, matures on February 23, 2021. The proceeds of these borrowings were primarily used to 
finance our acquisition of TCS, including the repayment of certain existing indebtedness of TCS. The Term Loan Facility requires 
quarterly repayments. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 and 2017, we repaid $19.0 million and $33.6 million, respectively, 
principal amount of borrowings under the Term Loan Facility. The repayments in the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017 include a 
payment of $22.5 million made in connection with the June 2017 amendment to reduce the balloon or final payment of the Term 
Loan Facility, which is discussed further below. Under the Revolving Loan Facility, we had outstanding balances ranging from 
$34.9 million to $66.8 million during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018.  

The Revolving Loan Facility is primarily used for working capital and other general corporate purposes of the Company and its 
subsidiaries, including the issuance of letters of credit. Borrowings under the Secured Credit Facility, pursuant to terms defined 
in the Secured Credit Facility, shall be either (i) Alternate Base Rate ("ABR") borrowings, which bear interest from the applicable 
borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to (x) the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the Federal Funds 
Effective Rate in effect on such day plus 0.50% per annum and (c) the Adjusted LIBO Rate on such day (or, if such day is not a 
business day, the immediately preceding business day) plus 1.00% per annum (provided that if the LIBO Rate is less than 1.00%, 
then the LIBO Rate shall be deemed to be 1.00%), plus (y) the Applicable Rate, or (ii) Eurodollar borrowings, which bear interest 
from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to (x) the Adjusted LIBO Rate for such interest period (provided 
that if the LIBO Rate is less than 1.00%, then the LIBO Rate shall be deemed to be 1.00%) plus (y) the Applicable Rate. The 
Applicable Rate is determined based on a pricing grid that is dependent upon our leverage ratio as of the end of each fiscal quarter. 
The Secured Credit Facility contains customary representations, warranties and affirmative covenants and customary negative 
covenants, subject to negotiated exceptions, on (i) liens, (ii) investments, (iii) indebtedness, (iv) significant corporate changes, 
including mergers and acquisitions, (v) dispositions, (vi) restricted payments, including stockholder dividends, and (vii) certain 
other restrictive agreements. The Secured Credit Facility also contains certain financial covenants and customary events of default 
(subject to grace periods, as appropriate), such as payment defaults, cross-defaults to other material indebtedness, bankruptcy and 
insolvency, the occurrence of a defined change in control and the failure to observe the negative covenants and other covenants 
related to the operation of our business. 

We believe the June 2017 Amendment provides increased operating and acquisition flexibility and simplifies the calculations of 
our financial covenants. In particular, the June 2017 Amendment provides, among other things, that the:

(i)  Consolidated  EBITDA  definition  more  closely  aligns  with  our Adjusted  EBITDA  metric  by  eliminating  favorable 

adjustments to operating income related to settlements of TCS intellectual property matters;

(ii)  Leverage Ratio is calculated on a "gross" basis using the quotient of Total Indebtedness (excluding unamortized deferred 
financing costs) divided by our trailing twelve month ("TTM") Consolidated EBITDA. The prior Leverage Ratio was 
calculated on a "net" basis but did not include a reduction for any cash or cash equivalents above $50.0 million; 

(iii) Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio includes a deduction for all cash dividends, regardless of the amount of our cash and cash 
equivalents and the related allowable Quarterly Dividend Amount, as defined, now aligns with our current quarterly 
dividend target of $0.10 per common share; 

69

 
(iv)  Balloon or final payment of the Term Loan Facility, which is not due until February 23, 2021, was reduced by $22.5 
million through increased borrowings from the Revolving Loan Facility, which does not expire until February 23, 2021; 
and 

(v)  Leverage Ratios will be adjusted, in certain conditions, to provide for additional flexibility for us to make acquisitions.

In connection with the June 2017 Amendment, there were no changes to: (i) the committed borrowing capacity; (ii) the maturity 
date; or (iii) interest rates payable (except that the interest rate pricing grid is now based on the new Leverage Ratio). Also, the 
June 2017 Amendment did not result in an extinguishment for accounting purposes (as such term is defined in ASC 470 "Debt"); 
instead, the June 2017 Amendment was accounted for as a debt modification. As a result, deferred financing costs (including 
incremental fees for the June 2017 Amendment) will continue to be amortized over the remaining maturity term of the Secured 
Credit Facility. 

As of July 31, 2018, our Leverage Ratio was 2.19x TTM Consolidated EBITDA compared to the maximum allowable Leverage 
Ratio of 3.00x TTM Consolidated EBITDA. Our Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of July 31, 2018 was 2.33x compared to the 
minimum  required  Fixed  Charge  Coverage  Ratio  of  1.25x.  Given  our  expected  future  business  performance,  we  anticipate 
maintaining compliance with the terms and financial covenants in our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, for the foreseeable 
future. 

The  obligations  under  the  Secured  Credit  Facility,  as  amended,  are  guaranteed  by  certain  of  our  domestic  subsidiaries  (the 
"Subsidiary Guarantors"). As collateral security for amounts outstanding under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, and the 
guarantees thereof, we and our Subsidiary Guarantors have granted to an administrative agent, for the benefit of the lenders, a lien 
on, and first priority security interest in, substantially all of our tangible and intangible assets.

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings set forth for such terms in the Secured Credit Facility, dated as 
of February 23, 2016, and the First Amendment of the Secured Credit Facility, dated as of June 6, 2017, both of which have been 
documented and filed with the SEC.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of July 31, 2018, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.

Commitments
In the normal course of business, other than as discussed below, we routinely enter into binding and non-binding purchase obligations 
primarily covering anticipated purchases of inventory and equipment. We do not expect that these commitments, as of July 31, 
2018, will materially adversely affect our liquidity.

At July 31, 2018, cash payments due under long-term obligations (including estimated interest expense on our Secured Credit 
Facility), excluding purchase orders that we entered into in our normal course of business, are as follows:

Secured Credit Facility - principal payments
Secured Credit Facility - interest payments
Operating lease commitments
Capital lease and other obligations
Net contractual cash obligations

Obligations Due by Fiscal Years or Maturity Date (in thousands)

Total
168,725
16,919
51,283
2,752
239,679

$

$

2019

17,211
7,211
11,246
1,972
37,640

2020
and
2021
151,514
9,708
17,750
780
179,752

2022
and
2023

—
—
11,527
—
11,527

After
2023

—
—
10,760
—
10,760

As discussed further in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (8) - Secured Credit Facility" included in "Part II — 
Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," on June 6, 2017, we entered into the June 2017 Amendment to our 
Secured Credit Facility. In connection with this amendment, the balloon or final payment of the Term Loan Facility, which is not 
due until February 23, 2021, was reduced by $22.5 million through increased borrowings from the Revolving Loan Facility which 
is not required to be repaid in full until February 23, 2021.

70

 
 
 
 
As discussed further in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (17) - Stockholders’ Equity" included in "Part II - 
Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," on September 26, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of 
$0.10 per common share, payable on November 16, 2018 to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 17, 2018. 
Future dividends remain subject to compliance with financial covenants under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, as well 
as Board approval.

At July 31, 2018, we have approximately $3.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding under our Secured Credit Facility, 
as amended, related to our guarantees of future performance on certain customer contracts. Such amounts are not included in the 
above table.

During fiscal 2018, we entered into a full and final warranty settlement with AT&T, the largest customer/distributor of a small 
product line that we refer to as the TCS 911 call handling software solution. AT&T had previously informed us that they did not 
believe  we  met  certain  contractual  specifications  related  to  performance  and  usability  and  had  requested  a  refund  of  certain 
payments made by them. As discussed in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (6) - Accrued Expenses and Other 
Current Liabilities," included in "Part II - Item 8.- Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," included in this Annual Report 
on Form 10-K, in addition to this settlement, we agreed to issue thirty-six credits to AT&T of $0.2 million which AT&T can apply 
on a monthly basis to purchases of solutions from us, beginning October 2017 through September 2020. As of July 31, 2018, the 
total present value of these monthly credits is $3.6 million, of which $1.6 million is included in accrued expenses and other current 
liabilities and $2.0 million is reflected in other liabilities (non-current) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. These amounts are not 
shown in the above commitment table.

In the ordinary course of business, we include indemnification provisions in certain of our customer contracts. Pursuant to these 
agreements, we have agreed to indemnify, hold harmless and reimburse the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by 
the indemnified party, including but not limited to losses related to third-party intellectual property claims. It is not possible to 
determine the maximum potential amount under these agreements due to a history of nominal claims in the Comtech legacy 
business  and  the  unique  facts  and  circumstances  involved  in  each  particular  agreement. As  discussed  further  in  "Notes  to
Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (14) - Commitments and Contingencies," TCS is a party to a number of indemnification 
matters and we are incurring ongoing legal expenses in connection with these matters. Our insurance policies may not cover the 
cost of defending indemnification claims or providing indemnification. As a result, pending or future claims asserted against us 
by a party that we have agreed to indemnify could result in legal costs and damages that could have a material adverse effect on 
our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

We have change in control agreements, severance agreements and indemnification agreements with certain of our executive officers 
and certain key employees. All of these agreements may require payments by us, in certain circumstances, including, but not 
limited to, a change in control of our Company or an involuntary termination of employment without cause. 

Our consolidated balance sheet at July 31, 2018 includes total liabilities of $9.3 million for uncertain tax positions, including 
interest, any or all of which may result in a cash payment. The future payments related to uncertain tax positions have not been 
presented in the table above due to the uncertainty of the amounts and timing of any potential cash settlement with the taxing 
authorities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

We are required to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board 
("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") which is the source for all authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting 
principles, which is commonly referred to as "GAAP." The FASB ASC is subject to updates by the FASB, which are known as 
Accounting Standards Updates ("ASUs").  

As further discussed in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Note (1)(n) - Adoption of Accounting Standards and Updates" 
included in "Part II - Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," during fiscal 2018, we adopted:

•  FASB ASU No. 2016-09, which amends several aspects of the accounting for and reporting of share-based payment 
transactions. Our adoption of this ASU, on August 1, 2017, did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial 
statements. See "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Note (11) - Stock-Based Compensation" included in 
"Part II - Item 8. - Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for further information regarding our adoption. 

71

•  FASB ASU No. 2016-15, which amends the guidance on the following cash flow related issues: debt prepayment or 
debt  extinguishment  costs;  settlement  of  zero-coupon  and  similar  type  debt  instruments;  contingent  consideration 
payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims (including those related 
to  certain  life  insurance  policies);  distributions  received  from  equity  method  investees;  beneficial  interests  in 
securitization transactions; and cash receipts or payments with more than one class of cash flows. Our adoption of this 
ASU on February 1, 2018 did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

•  FASB ASU No. 2017-09, which provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based 
payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in ASC Topic 718. An entity would not be required 
to account for changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification if there were no 
changes to the award’s fair value, vesting conditions and classification. Our adoption of this ASU on February 1, 2018 
did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

•  FASB ASU Nos. 2016-01 and 2018-03, which address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and 
disclosure of financial instruments, such as: amending the initial and subsequent measurement requirements for certain 
equity investments; eliminating the disclosure requirements related to the methods and significant assumptions used 
to estimate the fair value of financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet; requiring the use 
of the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes; and requiring 
separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset 
or liability on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements. Adoption of these ASUs did 
not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In addition, the following FASB ASUs have been issued and incorporated into the FASB ASC and have not yet been adopted by 
us as of July 31, 2018:

• 

FASB ASU No. 2014-09 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)," issued in May 2014, which replaces 
numerous requirements in U.S. GAAP, including industry specific requirements, and provides a single revenue recognition 
model for contracts with customers. The core principle of the new standard is that a company should record revenue to 
depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the 
company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, FASB ASU No. 2015-14 "Revenue 
from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date" was issued to defer the effective date of 
FASB ASU No. 2014-09 by one year. Additionally, FASB ASU 2016-08 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 
606): Principal Versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross Versus Net)," 2016-10 "Revenue from Contracts 
with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing," 2016-12 "Revenue from Contracts 
with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients" and 2017-05 "Other Income - Gains 
and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition 
Guidance  and  Accounting  for  Partial  Sales  of  Nonfinancial  Assets"  were  issued,  respectively,  to  clarify  certain 
implementation matters related to the new revenue standard. Such clarifications were effective upon our adoption of ASU 
No. 2014-09 which, as further discussed in "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Note (1)(c) - Summary of 
Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies - Revenue Recognition" included in "Part II - Item 8. - Financial Statements 
and Supplementary Data," was on August 1, 2018 (our first quarter of fiscal 2019) using the modified retrospective 
method.  There was no material impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition upon such adoption. 
In fiscal 2019, we expect to recognize a significant portion of our contracts over time, as there is a continuous transfer 
of control to the customer over the contractual period of performance. The remainder of our contracts will be recognized 
at a point in time. Both of these methods are similar to what we did prior to August 1, 2018.

72

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

FASB ASU No. 2016-02, issued in February 2016, which requires lessees to recognize the following for all leases (with 
the exception of short-term leases): (i) a lease liability, which is a lessee's obligation to make lease payments arising from 
a lease, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments; and (ii) a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that 
represents the lessee's right to use a specified asset for the lease term. Under the new guidance, lessor accounting is largely 
unchanged. In January 2018, FASB ASU No. 2018-01 was issued to permit an entity to elect an optional transition practical 
expedient to not evaluate under Topic 842 land easements that exist or expired before the entity’s adoption of Topic 842. 
In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU Nos. 2018-10 and 2018-11, which provide further codification improvements and 
relieves  the  requirement  to  present  prior  comparative  year  results  when  adopting  the  new  lease  standard.  Instead, 
companies can choose to recognize the cumulative-effect of applying the new standard to leased assets and liabilities as 
an adjustment to opening retained earnings. These ASUs are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 
(our fiscal year beginning on August 1, 2019), including interim periods within those fiscal years and should be applied 
with a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the impact of these ASUs on our 
consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2016-13, issued in June 2016, which requires the measurement of expected credit losses for financial 
assets held at the reporting date to be based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable 
forecasts. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (our fiscal year beginning on August 
1, 2020), including interim periods within those fiscal years. All entities may adopt the amendments in this ASU earlier 
as of the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Except for 
a prospective transition approach required for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been 
recognized  before  the  effective  date,  an  entity  will  apply  the  amendments  in  this ASU  through  a  cumulative-effect 
adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (that 
is,  on  a  modified-retrospective  approach).  We  are  evaluating  the  impact  of  this ASU  on  our  consolidated  financial 
statements and disclosures.

FASB ASU  No.  2016-16  issued  in  October  2016,  which  eliminates  a  prior  exception  and  now  requires  an  entity  to 
recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory (for example, intellectual 
property and property, plant and equipment) when the transfer occurs. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning 
after December 15, 2017 (our fiscal year beginning on August 1, 2018), and interim periods within those fiscal years and 
shall be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings 
as of the beginning of the period of adoption. We adopted this ASU on August 1, 2018. There was no material impact to 
our consolidated financial statements (including any cumulative-effect adjustment) and disclosures upon such adoption.

FASB ASU No. 2017-11, issued in July 2017, which provides guidance on the accounting for certain financial instruments 
with embedded features that result in the strike price of the instrument or embedded conversion option being reduced on 
the basis of the pricing of future equity offerings (commonly referred to as "down round" features). This ASU is effective 
for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018 (our fiscal year beginning 
on August 1, 2019) and early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. This ASU should be applied 
retrospectively in accordance with the provisions of the ASU. We are evaluating the impact of this ASU on our consolidated 
financial statements and disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2017-12, issued in August 2017, which expands and refines hedge accounting for both nonfinancial and 
financial risk components and simplifies and aligns the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument 
and the hedged item in the financial statements. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 
(our fiscal year beginning on August 1, 2019) and for interim periods therein, with early adoption permitted. We are 
evaluating the impact of this ASU on the consolidated financial statements and disclosures; however, we do not expect 
the adoption to have any effect given that we historically have not engaged in hedge transactions.

FASB ASU No. 2018-07, issued in June 2018, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include certain share-based 
payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning 
after December 15, 2018 (our fiscal year beginning on August 1, 2019), including interim periods within that fiscal year. 
Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than an entity’s adoption date of Topic 606. An entity should only remeasure 
liability-classified awards that have not been settled by the date of adoption and equity-classified awards for which a 
measurement date has not been established through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning 
of the fiscal year of adoption. We are evaluating the impact of this ASU on our consolidated financial statements and 
disclosures; however, we do not expect the adoption to have any effect given that we historically have not engaged in 
such types of transactions with nonemployees.

73

• 

• 

FASB ASU No. 2018-13, issued in August 2018, which modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements 
in Topic 820. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 
15, 2019 (our fiscal year beginning on August 1, 2020). Upon their effective date, certain provisions are to be applied 
prospectively, while others are to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. An entity is permitted to early adopt 
any removed or modified disclosures upon issuance of this ASU and delay adoption of the additional disclosures until 
their effective date.  We are evaluating the impact of this ASU on our consolidated financial statement disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2018-15, issued in August 2018, which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs 
incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs 
incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license). 
The accounting for the service element of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract is not affected by the amendments 
in this ASU. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (our fiscal year beginning on 
August 1, 2020), and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any 
interim period. This ASU should be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred 
after  the  date  of  adoption.  We  are  evaluating  the  impact  of  this ASU  on  our  consolidated  financial  statements  and 
disclosures.

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Our earnings and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in interest rates primarily from borrowings under our 
Secured Credit Facility, as amended. Based on the amount of outstanding debt under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, a 
hypothetical change in interest rates by 10% would change interest expense by $0.8 million over a one-year period. Although we 
do not currently use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to interest rate changes, we may choose to do so in 
the future in connection with our Secured Credit Facility, as amended.

Our earnings and cash flows are also subject to fluctuations due to changes in interest rates on our investment of available cash 
balances. As of July 31, 2018, we had cash and cash equivalents of $43.5 million, which consisted of cash and highly-liquid money 
market deposit accounts. Many of these investments are subject to fluctuations in interest rates, which could impact our results. 
Based on our investment portfolio balance as of July 31, 2018, a hypothetical change in interest rates of 10% would have a nominal 
impact on interest income over a one-year period. Ultimately, the availability of our cash and cash equivalents is dependent on a 
well-functioning liquid market. 

74

ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Consolidated Financial Statements, Notes to Consolidated Financial 
Statements and Related Financial Schedule are listed in the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule annexed 
hereto.

ITEM 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

ITEM 9A.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

As of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and 
operation of our disclosure controls and procedures was carried out by us under the supervision and with the participation of our 
management, including our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. Based on that evaluation, 
our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and 
procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by the report to provide reasonable assurance that the information 
required to be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, 
summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated 
to management, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. A system of controls, no matter how well 
designed and operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the system of controls are met, and no evaluation 
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been 
detected.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 
13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process 
designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements 
for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. All internal control systems, no matter how 
well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable 
assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to 
future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of 
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  our  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  July 31,  2018.  In  making  this 
assessment, we used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO") 
in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessment, we determined that, as of July 31, 2018, our internal 
control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.

Deloitte and Touche LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, has performed an audit of our internal control over 
financial reporting as of July 31, 2018 based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by 
the COSO. This audit is required to be performed in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (United States). Our independent auditors were given unrestricted access to all financial records and related data. Deloitte’s 
audit reports appear on pages F-2 and F-3 of this annual report.

Changes In Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the 
Exchange Act that occurred during our fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2018, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely 
to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

75

PART III

ITEM 10.  DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Certain information concerning directors and officers is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting 
of Stockholders (the "Proxy Statement") which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no more than 120 days 
after the close of our fiscal year.

ITEM 11.  EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Information regarding executive compensation is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission no more than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year.

ITEM 12.  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Information  regarding  securities  authorized  for  issuance  under  equity  compensation  plans  and  certain  information  regarding 
security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement, which will 
be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no more than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year.

ITEM 13.  CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS,
AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Information regarding certain relationships and related transactions is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement, which 
will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no more than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year.

ITEM 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Information regarding principal accountant fees and services is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement, which will be 
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no more than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year.

76

PART IV

ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a)

(1) The Registrant’s financial statements together with a separate index are annexed hereto.

(2) The Financial Statement Schedule listed in a separate index is annexed hereto.

(3) Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are listed below.

Exhibit
Number
3(a)(i)

Description of Exhibit
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant

Incorporated By
Reference to Exhibit
Exhibit 3(a)(i) to the Registrant’s 2006 
Form 10-K 

3(a)(ii)

Third Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant, as of 
September 26, 2017 

Exhibit 3(a)(ii) to the Registrant’s 2017 
Form 10-K 

10(a)(1)*

Sixth Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated 
November 18, 2016, between the Registrant and Fred Kornberg

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q, 
filed December 7, 2016

10(a)(2)* Amendment to Sixth Amended and Restated Employment 

Agreement, dated June 6, 2017, between the Registrant and Fred 
Kornberg

Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

10(a)(3)*

Lease agreement, dated September 23, 2011, on the Melville, 
New York Facility

Exhibit 10(s) to the Registrant's 2011 Form 
10-K

10(b)*

2001 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Appendix B to the Registrant’s Proxy 
Statement, filed November 3, 2000

10(c)*

2000 Stock Incentive Plan, Amended and Restated, Effective 
March 6, 2018

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q, 
filed June 6, 2018

10(d)(1)*

Form of Stock Option Agreement pursuant to the 2000 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(f)(7) to the Registrant’s 2005 
Form 10-K

10(d)(2)*

Form of Stock Option Agreement for Non-employee Directors 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(f)(8) to the Registrant’s 2006
Form 10-K

10(e)(1)*

Form of Performance Share Agreement pursuant to the 2000 
Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(s) to the Registrant’s 2012 Form
10-K

10(e)(2)*

Form of Performance Share Agreement (eligible for dividend 
equivalents) (Auto Deferral) pursuant to the 2000 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(z) to the Registrant's 2013 Form
10-K

10(f)(1)*

Form of Long-Term Performance Share Award Agreement 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2014

Exhibit 10(ab) to the Registrant's 2014 
Form 10-K

10(f)(2)*

Form of Long-Term Performance Share Award Agreement 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2017

Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant's Form 8-K,
filed June 7, 2017

10(f)(3)*

Form of Long-Term Performance Share Award Agreement 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan (long-term 
employees) - 2018

10(f)(4)*

Form of Long-Term Performance Share Award Agreement 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2018

77

 
Exhibit
Number
10(g)(1)*

Description of Exhibit
Form of Restricted Stock Agreement for Employees pursuant to 
the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Incorporated By
Reference to Exhibit
Exhibit 10(y) to the Registrant’s 2016 Form 
10-K

10(g)(2)*

Form of Restricted Stock Agreement for Non-employee Directors 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(ab) to the Registrant’s 2016 
Form 10-K

10(h)(1)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Employees 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2017

Exhibit 10(h)(1) to the Registrant’s 2017 
Form 10-K

10(h)(2)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Employees 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2016

Exhibit 10(z) to the Registrant’s 2016 Form 
10-K

10(h)(3)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Employees 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2013

Exhibit 10(w) to the Registrant's 2013
Form 10-K

10(h)(4)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Non-employee 
Directors pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Form 10-Q,
filed June 7, 2012

10(h)(5)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (eligible for dividend 
equivalents) for Non-employee Directors pursuant to the 2000 
Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(aa) to the Registrant’s 2016 
Form 10-K

10(h)(6)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (eligible for dividend 
equivalents) for Non-employee Directors pursuant to the 2000 
Stock Incentive Plan - 2013

Exhibit 10(x) to the Registrant's 2013 Form
10-K

10(i)(1)*

Form of Stock Unit Agreement for Non-employee Directors 
pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Form 10-Q,
filed June 7, 2012

10(i)(2)*

Form of Stock Unit Agreement (eligible for dividend equivalents) 
for Non-employee Directors pursuant to the 2000 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10(v) to the Registrant's 2013 Form
10-K

10(j)(1)*

Form of Share Unit Agreement (eligible for dividend equivalents) 
for Employees pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Form 10-Q, 
filed December 9, 2013

10(j)(2)*

Form of Share Unit Agreement (eligible for dividend equivalents) 
for Employees pursuant to the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan - 2018

10(k)*

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and 
the Named Executive Officers and Certain Other Executive 
Officers

Exhibit 10.1 to Registrant’s Form 8-K, filed 
on March 8, 2007

10(l)(1)*

Form of Change-in-Control Agreement (Tier 2) between the 
Registrant and Named Executive Officers (other than the CEO) 
and Certain Other Executive Officers 

Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

10(l)(2)*

Form of Change-in-Control Agreement (Tier 2) between the 
Registrant and Named Executive Officers (other than the CEO) 
and Certain Other Executive Officers (California Employees)

Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

10(l)(3)*

Form of Change-in-Control Agreement (Tier 2) between the 
Registrant and Named Executive Officers (other than the CEO) 
and Certain Other Executive Officers (Divisional/Subsidiary 
Presidents)

Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

78

 
Exhibit
Number
10(l)(4)*

Description of Exhibit
Form of Change-in-Control Agreement (Tier 2) between the 
Registrant and Named Executive Officers (other than the CEO) 
and Certain Other Executive Officers (California Divisional/
Subsidiary Presidents)

Incorporated By
Reference to Exhibit
Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

10(l)(5)*

Form of Change-in-Control Agreement (Tier 3) between the 
Registrant and Certain Non-Executive Officers

Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed June 7, 2017

10(m)*

Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 22, 2015, 
among Comtech Telecommunications Corp., Typhoon 
Acquisition Corp. and TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.

Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K,
filed November 23, 2015

10(n)(1)*

Credit Agreement, dated as of February 23, 2016, among 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp., the lenders party thereto 
and Citibank N.A., as administrative agent and issuing bank

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K, 
filed February 29, 2016

10(n)(2)*

First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of June 6, 2017, 
among Comtech Telecommunications Corp., the lenders party 
thereto and Citibank N.A., as administrative agent and issuing 
bank

Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K,
filed June 7, 2017

21

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

31.1

31.2

32.1

32.2

Certification of President, CEO and Chairman pursuant to 
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Certification of President, CEO and Chairman pursuant to 
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101.INS

XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document

101.PRE

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

101.DEF

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

* Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

79

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused 
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SIGNATURES

September 26, 2018
(Date)

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.

By:  /s/Fred Kornberg
Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board
Chief Executive Officer and President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons 
on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

Title

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Fred Kornberg
Fred Kornberg

Chairman of the Board
Chief Executive Officer and President
(Principal Executive Officer)

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Michael D. Porcelain
Michael D. Porcelain

Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Edwin Kantor
Edwin Kantor

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Ira S. Kaplan
Ira S. Kaplan

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Robert G. Paul
Robert G. Paul

Director

Director

Director

September 27, 2017
(Date)

/s/Dr. Yacov A. Shamash
Dr. Yacov A. Shamash

Director

September 26, 2018
(Date)

/s/Lawrence J. Waldman
Lawrence J. Waldman

Director

80

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms

Consolidated Financial Statements:

Balance Sheets as of July 31, 2018 and 2017

Statements of Operations for each of the years in the three-year period ended July 31, 
2018

Statements of Stockholders' Equity for each of the years in the three-year period ended 
July 31, 2018

Statements of Cash Flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended July 31, 
2018

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Additional Financial Information Pursuant to the Requirements of Form 10-K:

Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves

Schedules not listed above have been omitted because they are either not applicable or the required
information has been provided elsewhere in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

Page
F- 2

F- 4

F- 5

F- 6

F- 7

F- 9

S- 1

F- 1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the stockholders and Board of Directors of 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.
Melville, New York

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  Comtech  Telecommunications  Corp.  and  subsidiaries  (the 
"Company") as of July 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, 
for each of the three years in the period ended July 31, 2018, and the related notes and the schedule listed in the Index at Item 15 
(collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, 
the financial position of the Company as of July 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of 
the three years in the period ended July 31, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States 
of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), 
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated 
Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  and  our  report  dated 
September 26, 2018, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 
Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required 
to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and 
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error 
or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether 
due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, 
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting 
principles  used  and  significant  estimates  made  by  management,  as  well  as  evaluating  the  overall  presentation  of  the  financial 
statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Jericho, New York
September 26, 2018 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2015.

F- 2

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the stockholders and Board of Directors of
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.
Melville, New York

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. and subsidiaries (the "Company") 
as of July 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, 
effective internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated 
Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), 
the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule as of and for the year ended July 31, 2018, of the Company 
and our report dated September 26, 2018, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and financial statement 
schedule.

Basis for Opinion

The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment 
of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal 
Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial 
reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with 
respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities 
and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit 
to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. 
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness 
exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing 
such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for 
our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability 
of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of  financial  statements  for  external  purposes  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted 
accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain 
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect  the transactions and dispositions of the assets 
of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial 
statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being 
made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance 
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a 
material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections 
of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes 
in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Jericho, New York
September 26, 2018 

F- 3

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
As of July 31, 2018 and 2017

Assets

2018

2017

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents
Accounts receivable, net
Inventories, net
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Total current assets

Property, plant and equipment, net
Goodwill
Intangibles with finite lives, net
Deferred financing costs, net
Other assets, net

Total assets

Current liabilities:

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

Accounts payable
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Dividends payable
Customer advances and deposits
Current portion of long-term debt
Current portion of capital lease and other obligations
Interest payable

Total current liabilities

Non-current portion of long-term debt, net
Non-current portion of capital lease and other obligations
Income taxes payable
Deferred tax liability, net
Customer advances and deposits, non-current
Other liabilities

Total liabilities
Commitments and contingencies (See Note 14)
Stockholders’ equity:

Preferred stock, par value $.10 per share; shares authorized and unissued 2,000,000
Common  stock,  par  value  $.10  per  share;  authorized  100,000,000  shares;  issued 
38,860,571 shares and 38,619,467 shares at July 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively

Additional paid-in capital
Retained earnings

Less:

Treasury stock, at cost (15,033,317 shares at July 31, 2018 and 2017)

Total stockholders’ equity
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

43,484,000
147,439,000
75,076,000
13,794,000
279,793,000

28,987,000
290,633,000
240,796,000
2,205,000
2,743,000
$ 845,157,000

$

43,928,000
65,034,000
2,356,000
34,452,000
17,211,000
1,836,000
499,000
165,316,000

148,087,000
765,000
2,572,000
10,927,000
7,689,000
4,117,000
339,473,000

41,844,000
124,962,000
60,603,000
13,635,000
241,044,000

32,847,000
290,633,000
261,871,000
3,065,000
2,603,000
832,063,000

29,402,000
68,610,000
2,343,000
25,771,000
15,494,000
2,309,000
282,000
144,211,000

176,228,000
1,771,000
2,515,000
17,306,000
7,227,000
2,655,000
351,913,000

—

—

3,886,000
538,453,000
405,194,000
947,533,000

3,862,000
533,001,000
385,136,000
921,999,000

(441,849,000)
505,684,000
$ 845,157,000

(441,849,000)
480,150,000
832,063,000

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F- 4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Fiscal Years Ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 

2018

2017

2016

$ 570,589,000

550,368,000

411,004,000

346,648,000

332,183,000

239,767,000

223,941,000

218,185,000

171,237,000

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Expenses:

Selling, general and administrative

113,922,000

116,080,000

Research and development

Amortization of intangibles

Settlement of intellectual property litigation

Acquisition plan expenses

53,869,000

21,075,000

—

—

54,260,000

22,823,000
(12,020,000)
—

94,932,000

42,190,000

13,415,000

—

21,276,000

188,866,000

181,143,000

171,813,000

Operating income (loss)

35,075,000

37,042,000

(576,000)

Other expenses (income):

Interest expense

Interest (income) and other

10,195,000

254,000

11,629,000
(68,000)

7,750,000
(134,000)

Income (loss) before (benefit from) provision for income taxes

(Benefit from) provision for income taxes

24,626,000
(5,143,000)

25,481,000

9,654,000

(8,192,000)
(454,000)

Net income (loss)

Net income (loss) per share:

Basic

Diluted

$

$

$

29,769,000

15,827,000

(7,738,000)

1.25

1.24

0.68

0.67

(0.46)
(0.46)

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic

23,825,000

23,433,000

16,972,000

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent

shares outstanding – diluted

24,040,000

23,489,000

16,972,000

Dividends declared per issued and outstanding common share as

of the applicable dividend record date

$

0.40

0.60

1.20

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F- 5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.

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-
F

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Fiscal Years Ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income (loss)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating 

activities:

Depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment

Amortization of intangible assets with finite lives

Amortization of stock-based compensation

Amortization of deferred financing costs

Loss (gain) on disposal of property, plant and equipment

Provision for allowance for doubtful accounts

Provision for excess and obsolete inventory

Deferred income tax (benefit) expense

Settlement of intellectual property litigation

Change in fair value of contingent liability

Excess income tax benefit from stock-based award exercises

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of business acquisition:

Accounts receivable

Inventories

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

Other assets

Accounts payable

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

Customer advances and deposits

Other liabilities, non-current

Interest payable

Income taxes payable

Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

Payments for business acquisition, net of cash acquired

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

2018

2017

2016

$

29,769,000

15,827,000

(7,738,000)

13,655,000

21,075,000

8,569,000

2,196,000

79,000

573,000

5,628,000

(6,379,000)

—

—

—

14,354,000

22,823,000

8,506,000

1,977,000

(126,000)

497,000

2,900,000

9,056,000

(12,020,000)

—

(82,000)

(24,578,000)

25,508,000

(20,065,000)

7,812,000

787,000

(140,000)

(956,000)

666,000

9,830,000

13,415,000

4,117,000

795,000

(21,000)

907,000

2,780,000

(3,241,000)

—

(359,000)

(28,000)

5,806,000

8,280,000

2,112,000

(86,000)

13,728,000

(4,472,000)

(1,255,000)

(3,374,000)

(21,796,000)

(13,360,000)

9,143,000

(682,000)

234,000

126,000

(2,431,000)

(6,397,000)

(1,442,000)

(1,039,000)

1,355,000

(882,000)

1,292,000

(892,000)

50,344,000

66,917,000

15,075,000

(8,642,000)

(8,150,000)

(5,667,000)

—

— (280,535,000)

(8,642,000)

(8,150,000)

(286,202,000)

Repayment of long-term debt under Term Loan Facility

(18,960,000)

(33,567,000)

(77,353,000)

Cash dividends paid

Net (payments) borrowings under Revolving Loan Facility

Repayment of principal amounts under capital lease and other obligations

Remittance of employees' statutory tax withholdings for stock awards

Proceeds from issuance of employee stock purchase plan shares

Proceeds from exercises of stock options

Payment of deferred financing costs

Payment of issuance costs related to equity offering

Excess income tax benefit from stock-based award exercises

Borrowings of long-term debt under Term Loan Facility

Proceeds received from equity offering

Required payments for debt assumed for business acquisition

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

F- 7

(9,538,000)

(18,872,000)

(19,406,000)

(8,800,000)

(26,500,000)

83,904,000

(2,802,000)

(1,143,000)

855,000

326,000

—

—

—

—

—

(3,592,000)

(1,753,000)

(262,000)

694,000

—

(105,000)

676,000

—

(1,085,000)

(9,464,000)

(626,000)

(476,000)

82,000

28,000

—

—

250,000,000

95,029,000

—
(40,062,000)

— (134,101,000)
186,979,000

(83,728,000)

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (continued)
Fiscal Years Ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

$

1,640,000

(24,961,000)

(84,148,000)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

41,844,000

66,805,000

150,953,000

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

$

43,484,000

41,844,000

66,805,000

2018

2017

2016

(Continued)

Supplemental cash flow disclosure

Cash paid (received) during the year for:

Interest

Income taxes, net

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

Accrued remittance of employees' statutory tax withholdings for fully-vested
share units

Cash dividends declared but unpaid (including accrual of dividend
equivalents)

Capital lease and other obligations incurred (excluding the effect of business
acquisition)

Accrued fixed asset additions

(Forfeiture) issuance of restricted stock

Accrued issuance costs related to equity offering

Accrued deferred financing costs

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

7,291,000

1,112,000

10,424,000

(758,000)

5,307,000

3,678,000

2,963,000

—

—

2,656,000

2,616,000

7,462,000

1,306,000

68,000

373,000

719,000

1,221,000

346,000

(1,000)

14,000

—

—

—

—

—

636,000

155,000

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F- 8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(1) Summary of Significant Accounting and Reporting Policies

(a)  Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. and 
its subsidiaries ("Comtech," "we," "us," or "our"), all of which are wholly-owned. All significant intercompany balances 
and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

(b)  Nature of Business

We  design,  develop,  produce  and  market  innovative  products,  systems  and  services  for  advanced  communications 
solutions.  We conduct our business through two reportable operating segments: Commercial Solutions and Government 
Solutions.

Our business is highly competitive and characterized by rapid technological change. Our growth and financial position 
depends on our ability to keep pace with such changes and developments and to respond to the sophisticated requirements 
of an increasing variety of electronic equipment users, among other things. Many of our competitors are substantially 
larger, and have significantly greater financial, marketing and operating resources and broader product lines than us. A 
significant technological or sales breakthrough by others, including smaller competitors or new companies, could have 
a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, certain of our customers have technological capabilities in our 
product areas and could choose to replace our products with their own.

International sales expose us to certain risks, including barriers to trade, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates 
(which may make our products less price competitive), political and economic instability, availability of suitable export 
financing, export license requirements, tariff regulations, and other United States ("U.S.") and foreign regulations that 
may apply to the export of our products, as well as the generally greater difficulties of doing business abroad. We attempt 
to reduce the risk of doing business in foreign countries by seeking contracts denominated in U.S. dollars, advance or 
milestone payments, credit insurance and irrevocable letters of credit in our favor.

(c)  Revenue Recognition

Through July 31, 2018 (prior to our adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board’s ("FASB") Accounting Standards 
Codification  ("ASC")  No.  2014-09  "Revenue  from  Contracts  with  Customers  (Topic  606)"),  revenue  is  generally 
recognized when the earnings process is complete, upon shipment or customer acceptance. Revenue from contracts relating 
to the design, development or manufacture of complex electronic equipment to a buyer’s specification or to provide 
services relating to the performance of such contracts is generally recognized in accordance with the FASB ASC 605-35 
"Revenue Recognition - Construction-Type and Production-Type Contracts" ("FASB ASC 605-35"). We primarily apply 
the percentage-of-completion method and generally recognize revenue based on the relationship of total costs incurred 
to total projected costs, or, alternatively, based on output measures, such as units delivered or produced. Profits expected 
to be realized on such contracts are based on total estimated sales for the contract compared to total estimated costs, 
including warranty costs, at completion of the contract. These estimates are reviewed and revised periodically throughout 
the lives of the contracts, and adjustments to profits resulting from such revisions are made cumulative to the date of the 
change. Provision for anticipated losses on uncompleted contracts is made in the period in which such losses become 
evident.  Long-term,  U.S.  government,  cost-reimbursable  type  contracts  are  also  specifically  covered  by  FASB ASC 
605-35.

We have historically demonstrated an ability to estimate contract revenues and expenses in applying the percentage-of-
completion method of accounting. However, there exist inherent risks and uncertainties in estimating future revenues and 
expenses, particularly on larger or longer-term contracts. Changes to such estimates could have a material effect on our 
consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

F- 9

 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Revenues recognized in excess of amounts billable under long-term contracts accounted for under the percentage-of-
completion  method  are  recorded  as  unbilled  receivables  in  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets.  Unbilled 
receivables are billable upon various events, including the attainment of performance milestones, delivery of hardware, 
submission of progress bills based on time and materials, finalization of indirect rates or completion of the contract. We 
do not recognize revenue, or record unbilled receivables, until we receive fully funded orders.

In fiscal 2018, 75.2% and 24.8% of our consolidated U.S. government net sales were derived from firm fixed-price and 
cost-reimbursable type contracts, respectively. Under firm fixed-price contracts, we perform for an agreed-upon price 
and we can derive benefits from cost savings, but bear the risk of cost overruns. Our cost-reimbursable type contracts 
typically provide for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred plus a negotiated fee. Cost-plus-incentive-fee orders 
typically provide for sharing with the U.S. government savings accrued from orders performed for less than the target 
costs and costs incurred in excess of targets up to a negotiated ceiling price (which is higher than the target cost), and for 
the supplier to carry the entire burden of costs exceeding the negotiated ceiling price.

Most government contracts have termination for convenience clauses that provide the customer with the right to terminate 
the contract at any time. Historically, we have not experienced material contract terminations or write-offs of unbilled 
receivables. We address customer acceptance provisions in assessing our ability to perform our contractual obligations 
under long-term contracts. Historically, we have been able to perform on our long-term contracts. 

Through July 31, 2018 (prior to our adoption of FASB ASU No. 2014-09 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 
606)"),  revenues  from  contracts  that  contain  multiple  elements  that  are  not  accounted  for  under  the  percentage-of-
completion method are accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC 605-25 "Revenue Recognition - Multiple Element 
Arrangements" as amended by FASB ASU No. 2009-13 "Revenue Recognition (Topic 605): Multiple-Deliverable Revenue 
Arrangements - a Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force," which, among other things, requires revenue to 
be allocated to each element based on the relative selling price method.

Adoption of New Revenue Standard

Effective on August 1, 2018 (the start of our first quarter of fiscal 2019), we adopted FASB ASU No. 2014-09 "Revenue 
from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)," which replaces numerous requirements in U.S. GAAP, including industry 
specific requirements, and provides a single revenue recognition model for contracts with customers. The core principle 
of the new standard is that a company should record revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to 
customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those 
goods or services. In March 2016, April 2016, May 2016 and February 2017, FASB ASU Nos. 2016-08 "Revenue from 
Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal Versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross Versus Net)," 
2016-10 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing," 
2016-12 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients" 
and  2017-05  "Other  Income  -  Gains  and  Losses  from  the  Derecognition  of  Nonfinancial  Assets  (Subtopic  610-20): 
Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets" were 
issued, respectively, to clarify certain implementation matters related to the new revenue standard. The effective dates 
for  these ASUs  coincide  with  our August  1,  2018  adoption. As  provided  by  the ASU,  we  adopted  the  new  revenue 
recognition model using the modified retrospective method and there was no material impact on our business, results of 
operations and financial condition. In fiscal 2019, we expect to recognize a significant portion of our contracts over time, 
as there is a continuous transfer of control to the customer over the contractual period of performance. The remainder of 
our contracts will be recognized at a point in time. Both of these methods are similar to what we did prior to August 1, 
2018.

(d)  Cash and Cash Equivalents

Our cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash 
and have insignificant risk of change in value as a result of changes in interest rates. Our cash and cash equivalents, as 
of July 31, 2018 and 2017, amounted to $43,484,000 and $41,844,000, respectively, and primarily consist of bank deposits 
and money market deposit accounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Cash equivalents are carried 
at cost, which approximates fair value.

(e)  Inventories

Our inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value, the latter of which is defined as the estimated 
selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. 
Our inventories are reduced to their estimated net realizable value by a charge to cost of sales in the period such excess 
costs are determined. Our inventories are principally recorded using either average or standard costing methods. 

F- 10

 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Work-in-process (including our contracts-in-progress) and finished goods inventory reflect all accumulated production 
costs, which are comprised of direct production costs and overhead, and is reduced by amounts recorded in cost of sales 
as the related revenue is recognized. Indirect costs relating to long-term contracts, which include expenses such as general 
and  administrative,  are  charged  to  expense  as  incurred  and  are  not  included  in  our  cost  of  sales  or  work-in-process 
(including our contracts-in-progress) and finished goods inventory.

(f) Long-Lived Assets

Our machinery and equipment, which are recorded at cost, are depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives
(three to eight years) under the straight-line method. Capitalized values of properties and leasehold improvements under
leases are amortized over the life of the lease or the estimated life of the asset, whichever is less.

Goodwill represents the excess cost of a business acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired. In accordance
with FASB ASC 350 "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other" goodwill is not amortized. We periodically, at least on an annual
basis in the first quarter of each fiscal year, review goodwill, considering factors such as projected cash flows and revenue
and earnings multiples, to determine whether the carrying value of the goodwill is impaired. If we fail the quantitative
assessment of goodwill impairment ("quantitative assessment"), pursuant to our adoption of FASB ASU No. 2017-04 in
fiscal 2017, we would be required to recognize an impairment loss equal to the amount that a reporting unit's carrying
value exceeded its fair value; however, any loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to
that reporting unit. We define our reporting units to be the same as our operating segments.

We performed our annual goodwill impairment assessment for fiscal 2019 on August 1, 2018 (the first day of our fiscal
2019).  See Note (15) - "Goodwill" for more information. Unless there are future indicators that the fair value of a reporting
unit  is  more likely  than not  less  than  its carrying  value,  such  as a  significant adverse  change  in our  future  financial
performance, our next impairment assessment for goodwill will be performed and completed in the first quarter of fiscal
2020. Any impairment charges that we may record in the future could be material to our results of operations and financial
condition.

We assess the recoverability of the carrying value of our other long-lived assets, including identifiable intangible assets
with finite useful lives, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may
not be recoverable. We evaluate the recoverability of such assets based upon the expectations of undiscounted cash flows
from such assets. If the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows were less than the carrying amount of the
asset, a loss would be recognized for the difference between the fair value and the carrying amount.

(g) Research and Development Costs

We  charge  research  and  development  costs  to  operations  as  incurred,  except  in  those  cases  in  which  such  costs  are
reimbursable under customer funded contracts. In fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, we were reimbursed by customers for such
activities in the amount of $16,924,000, $27,050,000 and $17,432,000, respectively. These amounts are not reflected in
the reported research and development expenses in each of the respective periods, but are included in net sales with the
related costs included in cost of sales in each of the respective periods.

(h) Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for
the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets
and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and
liabilities are  measured  using  the  enacted tax  rates  expected to  apply  to  taxable  income in  the  years  in  which  those
temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change
in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

F- 11

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

We determine the uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns in accordance with the 
provisions of FASB ASC 740-10-25 "Income Taxes" which prescribes a two-step evaluation process for tax positions. 
The first step is recognition based on a determination of whether it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be 
sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical 
merits of the position. The second step is to measure a tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not threshold. The 
tax position is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate 
settlement. If a tax position does not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the benefit of that position is 
not recognized in the financial statements. Our policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions 
in income tax expense.

(i)  Earnings Per Share

Our basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares (including 
vested but unissued stock units, share units, performance shares and restricted stock units ("RSUs")), outstanding during 
each respective period. Our diluted EPS reflects the dilution from potential common stock issuable pursuant to the exercise 
of equity-classified stock-based awards, if dilutive, outstanding during each respective period. Pursuant to FASB ASC 
260  "Earnings  Per  Share,"  equity-classified  stock-based  awards  that  are  subject  to  performance  conditions  are  not 
considered  in  our  diluted  EPS  calculations  until  the  respective  performance  conditions  have  been  satisfied.  When 
calculating our diluted earnings per share, we consider the amount an employee must pay upon assumed exercise of 
stock-based awards and the amount of stock-based compensation cost attributed to future services and not yet recognized. 
On August 1, 2017, we adopted ASU No. 2016-09, which amends several aspects of the accounting for and reporting of 
share-based payment transactions. As a result of our adoption of ASU No. 2016-09, the amount of excess tax benefits 
assuming exercise of in-the-money stock-based awards is no longer included in the calculation of diluted earnings per 
share on a prospective basis and the denominator for our diluted calculation could increase in the future as compared to 
prior calculations. See Note (11) - "Stock-Based Compensation" for more information on the impact of adopting ASU 
No. 2016-09.

Our basic and diluted EPS calculations for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 include the impact of common shares issued from 
a public offering in June 2016.  There were no purchases of our common stock during the fiscal years ended July 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016. See Note (17) - "Stockholders’ Equity" for more information.

Weighted average stock options, RSUs and restricted stock outstanding of 1,739,000, 1,986,000 and 2,350,000 shares 
for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, were not included in our diluted EPS calculation because their effect would 
have been anti-dilutive.

Our EPS calculations exclude 258,000, 228,000 and 147,000 weighted average performance shares outstanding for fiscal 
2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, as the performance conditions have not yet been satisfied. However, the compensation 
expense related to these awards is included in net income (loss) (the numerator) for EPS calculations for each respective 
period.

The following table reconciles the numerators and denominators used in the basic and diluted EPS calculations:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2018

2017

2016

Numerator:

Net income (loss) for basic calculation

Numerator for diluted calculation

$ 29,769,000

$ 29,769,000

15,827,000

15,827,000

(7,738,000)
(7,738,000)

Denominator:

Denominator for basic calculation

23,825,000

23,433,000

16,972,000

Effect of dilutive securities:

Stock-based awards

215,000

56,000

—

Denominator for diluted calculation

24,040,000

23,489,000

16,972,000

F- 12

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(j) Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments

Using the fair value hierarchy described in FASB ASC 820 "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures," we valued our
cash and cash equivalents using Level 1 inputs that were based on quoted market prices.

We believe that the carrying amounts of our other current financial assets (such as accounts receivable) and other current
liabilities (including accounts payable, accrued expenses and the current portions of our Secured Credit Facility and
favorable AT&T warranty settlement) approximate their fair values due to their short-term maturities.

The fair value of the non-current portion of our Secured Credit Facility as of July 31, 2018 approximates its carrying
amount due to its variable interest rate and pricing grid that is dependent upon our leverage ratio as of the end of each
fiscal quarter. We believe the fair value of our non-current portion of capital lease and other obligations, which currently
has a blended interest rate of 6.10%, would not be materially different than its carrying value as of July 31, 2018.

The fair value of the non-current portion of our favorable AT&T warranty settlement would not be materially different
than  its  carrying  value  as  of  July 31,  2018,  given  our  belief  that  the  present  value  of  such  liability  reflects  market
participants' assumptions for a similar junior, unsecured debt instrument. See Note (6) - "Accrued Expenses and Other
Current Liabilities" for further discussion of the favorable AT&T warranty settlement.

As of July 31, 2018 and 2017, other than the financial instruments discussed above, we had no other significant assets
or liabilities included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets recorded at fair value, as such term is defined by FASB ASC
820.

(k) Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of
assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the consolidated financial statements
and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reported period. We make significant estimates in many
areas  of  our  accounting,  including  but  not  limited  to  the  following:  long-term  contracts,  stock-based  compensation,
intangible  assets  including  goodwill,  provision  for  excess  and  obsolete  inventory,  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts,
warranty obligations and income taxes. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

(l) Comprehensive Income

In accordance with FASB ASC 220 "Comprehensive Income," we report all changes in equity during a period, except
those  resulting  from  investment  by  owners  and  distribution  to  owners,  for  the  period  in  which  they  are  recognized.
Comprehensive income is the total of net income and all other non-owner changes in equity (or other comprehensive
income)  such  as  unrealized  gains/losses  on  securities  classified  as  available-for-sale,  foreign  currency  translation
adjustments and minimum pension liability adjustments. Comprehensive income (loss) was the same as our net income
(loss) in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016.

(m) Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to previously reported consolidated financial statements to conform to the fiscal
2018 presentation.

F- 13

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(n)   Adoption of Accounting Standards and Updates

We are required to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with the FASB ASC which is the source 
for all authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which are commonly referred to as "GAAP." The 
FASB ASC is subject to updates by the FASB, which are known as Accounting Standard Updates ("ASUs").  During 
fiscal 2018, we adopted:

• 

• 

• 

• 

FASB ASU No. 2016-09, which amends several aspects of the accounting for and reporting of share-based payment 
transactions. Our adoption of this ASU, on August 1, 2017, did not have a material impact on our consolidated 
financial statements. See Note (11) - "Stock-Based Compensation" for further information regarding our adoption 
of this ASU. 

FASB ASU No. 2016-15, which amends the guidance on the following cash flow related issues: debt prepayment 
or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon and similar type debt instruments; contingent consideration 
payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims (including those 
related to certain life insurance policies); distributions received from equity method investees; beneficial interests 
in securitization transactions; and cash receipts or payments with more than one class of cash flows. Our adoption 
of this ASU on February 1, 2018 did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

FASB ASU No. 2017-09, which provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based 
payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in ASC Topic 718. An entity would not be required 
to account for changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification if there were no 
changes to the award’s fair value, vesting conditions and classification. Our adoption of this ASU on February 1, 
2018 did not have any impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

FASB ASU Nos. 2016-01 and 2018-03, which address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation 
and disclosure of financial instruments, such as: amending the initial and subsequent measurement requirements for 
certain equity investments; eliminating the disclosure requirements related to the methods and significant assumptions 
used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet; requiring 
the use of the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes; and 
requiring separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of 
financial asset or liability on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements. Adoption of 
these ASUs did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

(2) Acquisition

On  February 23,  2016,  we  completed  the  acquisition  of TeleCommunication  Systems,  Inc.  ("TCS"),  pursuant  to  the 
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of November 22, 2015 (the "Merger Agreement"), among Comtech, TCS and 
Typhoon Acquisition Corp., a Maryland corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Comtech ("Merger Sub"). 
TCS is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comtech.   

The acquisition has an aggregate purchase price for accounting purposes of  $340,432,000 (also referred to as the transaction 
equity value) and an enterprise value of $423,629,000. The fair value of consideration transferred in connection with the 
TCS acquisition was $280,535,000 in cash, which is net of $59,897,000 of cash acquired. We funded the acquisition 
(including transaction and merger related expenditures) and repaid $134,101,000 of debt assumed in connection with the 
acquisition by redeploying a significant amount of our combined cash and cash equivalents, with the remaining funds 
coming from a $400,000,000 Secured Credit Facility (the "Secured Credit Facility"), which is discussed further in Note 
(8) - "Secured Credit Facility."

The purchase price includes the final estimated fair value of contingent liabilities associated with TCS' intellectual property 
matters and the warranty obligations for TCS' 911 call handling software, which are discussed in more detail in Note (6)
"Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities" and Note (14)(b) "Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings 
and Other Matters."  These estimated fair values reflect market participant assumptions, as required by FASB ASC 805 
"Business Combinations" and do not reflect our settlement position or amounts we actually have paid or may pay in the 
future.

F- 14

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

We have incurred transaction and merger related expenditures which include significant amounts primarily for: (i) change-
in-control payments, (ii) severance, (iii) costs associated with establishing our Secured Credit Facility, and (iv) professional 
fees for financial and legal advisors for both Comtech and TCS. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, acquisition plan 
expenses were $21,276,000 and primarily related to the TCS acquisition. There were no such transaction and merger 
related expenses during fiscal 2018 or 2017. As discussed in prior SEC filings, we had embarked on a focused acquisition 
plan which culminated with the closing of the acquisition of TCS on February 23, 2016.

The unaudited pro forma financial information in the table below for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 is presented as 
if  Comtech's  acquisition  of  TCS  had  occurred  on August  1,  2014,  and  combines  Comtech’s  historical  statement  of 
operations for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 (which includes TCS' results of operations since the acquisition date 
of February 23, 2016) with TCS' historical statement of operations for the trailing five months ended December 31, 2015 
and TCS' historical statement of operations for the stub period beginning January 1, 2016 and ended February 23, 2016. 
TCS' historical statement of operations for the trailing five months ended December 31, 2015 was derived by taking TCS' 
historical results of operations for the calendar year ended December 31, 2015 and deducting TCS' historical results of 
operations for the seven months ended July 31, 2015.

Net sales

Net loss

Basic net loss per share

Diluted net loss per share

(Unaudited)

For the Fiscal
Year Ended

July 31, 2016

$ 611,241,000
(30,750,000)
(1.81)
(1.81)

The pro forma financial information is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the 
acquisition and cash paid had taken place as of August 1, 2014. The pro forma financial information includes adjustments 
for:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

The elimination of historical sales between Comtech and TCS of $8,601,000.

The reduction to capitalized software amortization of $2,566,000, related to the difference between the historical
value and the estimated fair value of TCS' capitalized software.

The elimination of acquisition plan expenses of $36,212,000, due to the assumption that all of the acquisition plan
expenses were incurred on August 1, 2014.

The incremental amortization expense of $7,113,000, associated with the increase in acquired other intangible assets.

The increase in interest expense of $2,339,000, due to the assumed August 1, 2014 repayment of TCS' legacy debt
and  related  new  borrowings  under  our  Secured  Credit  Facility  which  was  utilized  to  partially  fund  the  TCS
acquisition.

The reduction to interest income of $577,000, due to the assumed cash payments relating to the TCS acquisition.

The related adjustment to the provision for income taxes, based on Comtech’s effective tax rate for the period.

F- 15

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(3) Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consist of the following at July 31, 2018 and 2017:

Billed receivables from commercial and international customers

$

83,411,000

Unbilled receivables from commercial and international customers

Billed receivables from the U.S. government and its agencies

Unbilled receivables from the U.S government and its agencies

19,731,000

26,251,000

19,807,000

2018

2017

71,404,000

24,668,000

18,497,000

11,693,000

Total accounts receivable

Less allowance for doubtful accounts

Accounts receivable, net

149,200,000

126,262,000

1,761,000

1,300,000

$ 147,439,000

124,962,000

Unbilled receivables relate to contracts-in-progress for which revenue has been recognized but we have not yet billed 
the customer for work performed.  We had $134,000 and $118,000 of retainage included in unbilled receivables at July 31, 
2018 and 2017, respectively, and management estimates that substantially all of the unbilled receivables at July 31, 2018 
will be billed and collected within one year. Of the unbilled receivables from commercial and international customers at 
July 31,  2018  and  2017,  approximately  $1,558,000  and  $2,995,000,  respectively,  relates  to  a  large  over-the-horizon 
microwave system contract with our large U.S. prime contractor customer (all of which related to our North African 
country end-customer). 

As of July 31, 2018, the U.S. government (and its agencies) and Verizon Communications Inc. (through various divisions 
and, collectively, "Verizon") represented 30.9% and 10.1%, respectively, of total accounts receivable. As of July 31, 2017, 
except for the U.S. government (and its agencies), which represented 23.9% of total accounts receivable, there were no
other customers which accounted for greater than 10.0% of total accounts receivable.

(4) Inventories

Inventories consist of the following at July 31, 2018 and 2017:

Raw materials and components

Work-in-process and finished goods

Total inventories

Less reserve for excess and obsolete inventories

Inventories, net

2018

$

53,649,000

38,854,000

92,503,000

17,427,000

$

75,076,000

2017

50,569,000

26,053,000

76,622,000

16,019,000

60,603,000

At  July 31,  2018  and  2017,  the  amount  of  inventory  directly  related  to  long-term  contracts  (including  contracts-in-
progress) was $1,249,000 and $2,148,000, respectively.

At July 31, 2018 and 2017, $1,310,000 and $1,718,000, respectively, of the inventory balance above related to contracts 
from third party commercial customers who outsource their manufacturing to us.

F- 16

 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(5) Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consist of the following at July 31, 2018 and 2017:

Machinery and equipment

Leasehold improvements

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

2018

2017

$ 154,556,000

146,459,000

13,807,000

13,624,000

168,363,000

160,083,000

139,376,000

127,236,000

Property, plant and equipment, net

$

28,987,000

32,847,000

Depreciation and amortization expense on property, plant and equipment amounted to $13,655,000, $14,354,000 and 
$9,830,000 for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

(6) Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following at July 31, 2018 and 2017:

Accrued wages and benefits

Accrued legal costs

Accrued warranty obligations

Accrued contract costs

Accrued commissions and royalties

Other

2018

$

23,936,000

6,179,000

11,738,000

10,016,000

4,654,000

8,511,000

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

$

65,034,000

2017

19,622,000

8,402,000

17,617,000

8,644,000

3,600,000

10,725,000

68,610,000

Accrued wages and benefits as of July 31, 2018 include $2,963,000 of accrued remittance of employees' statutory tax 
withholdings related to the net settlement of fully-vested share units, as discussed in more detail in Note (11) - "Stock-
Based Compensation." There was no comparable amount as of July 31, 2017.

Accrued legal costs as of July 31, 2018 and 2017 include $3,372,000 and $4,120,000, respectively, related to estimated 
costs associated with certain TCS intellectual property matters. The accrued potential settlement costs do not reflect the 
final amounts we may actually pay. Ongoing legal costs associated with defending legacy TCS intellectual property 
matters and the ultimate resolution could vary and have a material adverse effect on our future consolidated results of 
operations, financial position or cash flows. TCS intellectual property matters are discussed in more detail in Note (14)
(b) - "Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings and Other Matters."

Accrued contract costs represent direct and indirect costs on contracts as well as estimates of amounts owed for invoices 
not yet received from vendors or reflected in accounts payable.

Accrued warranty obligations relate to estimated liabilities for warranty coverage that we provide to our customers. We 
generally provide warranty coverage for some of our products for a period of at least one year from the date of delivery. 
We record a liability for estimated warranty expense based on historical claims, product failure rates, a consideration of 
contractual obligations, future costs to resolve software issues and other factors. Some of our product warranties are 
provided under long-term contracts, the costs of which are incorporated into our estimates of total contract costs. 

F- 17

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Changes in our accrued warranty obligations during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 and 2017 were as follows:

Balance at beginning of year

Provision for warranty obligations

Adjustment to TCS pre-acquisition contingent liability

Charges incurred

Warranty settlement and reclass (see below)

Balance at end of year

2018

$

17,617,000

5,055,000

—
(8,244,000)
(2,690,000)
11,738,000

$

2017

15,362,000

5,394,000

4,200,000
(7,339,000)
—

17,617,000

Our current accrued warranty obligations at July 31, 2018 and 2017 include $4,650,000 and $9,909,000, respectively, of 
warranty obligations for a small product line that we refer to as the TCS 911 call handling software solution. This solution 
was licensed to customers prior to our acquisition of TCS. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, we entered into a 
full and final warranty settlement with AT&T, the largest customer/distributor of this product line, pursuant to which we 
issued thirty-six credits to AT&T of $153,000 which AT&T can apply on a monthly basis to purchases of solutions from 
us, beginning October 2017 through September 2020. As of July 31, 2018, the total present value of these monthly credits 
is $3,616,000, of which $1,586,000 is included in our current accrued warranty obligations and $2,030,000 is reflected 
in other liabilities (non-current) on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. In connection with this favorable settlement, during 
the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, we recorded a benefit to cost of sales of $660,000.

(7) Radyne Acquisition-Related Restructuring Plan

In connection with our August 1, 2008 acquisition of Radyne, we adopted a restructuring plan for which we recorded 
$2,713,000 of estimated restructuring costs. Of this amount, $613,000 related to severance for Radyne employees which 
was paid in fiscal 2009. The remaining estimated amounts relate to facility exit costs and were determined as follows:

Total non-cancelable lease obligations
Less: Estimated sublease income
Total net estimated facility exit costs
Less: Interest expense to be accreted
Present value of estimated facility exit costs

At August 1, 2008
12,741,000
$
8,600,000
4,141,000
2,041,000
2,100,000

$

Our total non-cancelable lease obligations were based on the actual lease term which runs from November 1, 2008 through 
October 31, 2018. We estimated sublease income based on the terms of a fully executed sublease agreement that expired 
on October 31, 2015. In accordance with grandfathered accounting standards that were not incorporated into the FASB’s 
ASC, we recorded these costs, at fair value, as assumed liabilities as of August 1, 2008, with a corresponding increase to 
goodwill.

As of July 31, 2018, the amount of the acquisition-related restructuring reserve is as follows:

Present value of estimated facility exit costs at August 1, 2008

Cash payments made

Cash payments received

Accreted interest recorded

Liability recorded as of period end as accrued expenses and other current

liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet

Cumulative
Activity Through
July 31, 2018

$

$

2,100,000
(12,211,000)
8,600,000

1,917,000

406,000

F- 18

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

As of July 31, 2017, the present value of the estimated facility exit costs was $1,941,000. During the fiscal year ended 
July 31, 2018, we made cash payments of $1,623,000. Interest accreted for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017
and 2016 was $88,000, $189,000 and $278,000, respectively, and is included in interest expense for each respective fiscal 
period.

TCS 
In connection with our February 23, 2016 acquisition of TCS, we continue to implement a tactical shift in strategy in our 
Government Solutions segment and have initiated certain cost reduction actions. To-date, we have incurred an immaterial 
amount of severance and retention costs related to our shift in strategy.

(8) Secured Credit Facility

On February 23, 2016, in connection with our acquisition of TCS, we entered into a $400,000,000 secured credit facility 
(the "Secured Credit Facility") with a syndicate of lenders. The Secured Credit Facility, as amended June 6, 2017 (the 
"June 2017 Amendment"), comprises a senior secured term loan A facility of $250,000,000 (the "Term Loan Facility") 
and  a  secured  revolving  loan  facility  of  up  to  $150,000,000,  including  a  $25,000,000  letter  of  credit  sublimit  (the 
"Revolving Loan Facility") and, together, with the Term Loan Facility, matures on February 23, 2021.  The proceeds of 
these borrowings were primarily used to finance our acquisition of TCS, including the repayment of certain existing 
indebtedness of TCS. The Term Loan Facility requires quarterly repayments. During the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018
and 2017, we repaid $18,960,000 and $33,567,000, respectively, principal amount of borrowings under the Term Loan 
Facility. The repayments in the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017 include a payment of $22,500,000 made in connection 
with the June 2017 amendment to reduce the balloon or final payment of the Term Loan Facility, which is discussed 
further below. Under the Revolving Loan Facility, we had outstanding balances ranging from $34,904,000 to $66,804,000
during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018.

As of July 31, 2018 and 2017, net amounts outstanding under our Secured Credit Facility were as follows:

Term Loan Facility

Less unamortized deferred financing costs related to Term Loan Facility

     Term Loan Facility, net

Revolving Loan Facility

Amount outstanding under Secured Credit Facility, net

Less current portion of long-term debt

Non-current portion of long-term debt

2018

$

120,121,000

3,427,000

116,694,000

48,604,000

165,298,000

17,211,000

$

148,087,000

2017

139,080,000

4,763,000

134,317,000

57,405,000

191,722,000

15,494,000

176,228,000

Interest expense, including amortization of deferred financing costs, recorded during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 
2017 and 2016 related to the Secured Credit Facility was $9,614,000, $11,106,000 and $6,933,000, respectively, and 
reflects a blended interest rate of approximately 5.40%, 4.90% and 5.00% in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

At July 31, 2018, we had $3,166,000 of standby letters of credit outstanding under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, 
related to our guarantees of future performance on certain customer contracts and no outstanding commercial letters of 
credit.

F- 19

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

The Revolving Loan Facility is primarily used for working capital and other general corporate purposes of the Company 
and its subsidiaries, including the issuance of letters of credit. Borrowings under the Secured Credit Facility, pursuant to 
terms defined in the Secured Credit Facility, shall be either (i) Alternate Base Rate ("ABR") borrowings, which bear 
interest from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to (x) the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on 
such day, (b) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day plus 0.50% per annum and (c) the Adjusted LIBO 
Rate on such day (or, if such day is not a business day, the immediately preceding business day) plus 1.00% per annum 
(provided that if the LIBO Rate is less than 1.00%, then the LIBO Rate shall be deemed to be 1.00%), plus (y) the 
Applicable Rate, or (ii) Eurodollar borrowings, which bear interest from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum 
equal to (x) the Adjusted LIBO Rate for such interest period (provided that if the LIBO Rate is less than 1.00%, then the 
LIBO Rate shall be deemed to be 1.00%) plus (y) the Applicable Rate. The Applicable Rate is determined based on a 
pricing grid that is dependent upon our leverage ratio as of the end of each fiscal quarter. The Secured Credit Facility 
contains customary representations, warranties and affirmative covenants and customary negative covenants, subject to 
negotiated exceptions, on (i) liens, (ii) investments, (iii) indebtedness, (iv) significant corporate changes, including mergers 
and  acquisitions,  (v)  dispositions,  (vi)  restricted  payments,  including  stockholder  dividends,  and  (vii)  certain  other 
restrictive agreements. The Secured Credit Facility also contains certain financial covenants and customary events of 
default (subject to grace periods, as appropriate), such as payment defaults, cross-defaults to other material indebtedness, 
bankruptcy and insolvency, the occurrence of a defined change in control and the failure to observe the negative covenants 
and other covenants related to the operation of our business. 

We  believe  the  June  2017 Amendment  provides  increased  operating  and  acquisition  flexibility  and  simplifies  the 
calculations of our financial covenants. In particular, the June 2017 Amendment provides, among other things, that the:

(i)  Consolidated EBITDA definition more closely aligns with our Adjusted EBITDA metric by eliminating favorable 

adjustments to operating income related to settlements of TCS intellectual property matters;

(ii)  Leverage Ratio is calculated on a "gross" basis using the quotient of Total Indebtedness (excluding unamortized 
deferred financing costs) divided by our trailing twelve month ("TTM") Consolidated EBITDA. The prior Leverage 
Ratio  was  calculated  on  a  "net"  basis  but  did  not  include  a  reduction  for  any  cash  or  cash  equivalents  above 
$50,000,000; 

(iii) Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio includes a deduction for all cash dividends, regardless of the amount of our cash 
and cash equivalents and the related allowable Quarterly Dividend Amount, as defined, now aligns with our current 
quarterly dividend target of $0.10 per common share;

(iv)  Balloon or final payment of the Term Loan Facility, (which is not due until February 23, 2021), was reduced by 
$22,500,000 through increased borrowings from the Revolving Loan Facility, (which does not expire until February 
23, 2021); and 

(v)  Leverage  Ratios  will  be  adjusted,  in  certain  conditions,  to  provide  for  additional  flexibility  for  us  to  make 

acquisitions.

In connection with the June 2017 Amendment, there were no changes to: (i) the committed borrowing capacity; (ii) the 
maturity date; or (iii) interest rates payable (except that the interest rate pricing grid is now based on the new Leverage 
Ratio). Also, the June 2017 Amendment did not result in an extinguishment for accounting purposes (as such term is 
defined in ASC 470 "Debt"); instead, the June 2017 Amendment was accounted for as a debt modification. As a result, 
deferred financing costs (including incremental fees for the June 2017 Amendment) will continue to be amortized over 
the remaining maturity term of the Secured Credit Facility. 

As of July 31, 2018, our Leverage Ratio was 2.19x TTM Consolidated EBITDA compared to the maximum allowable 
Leverage Ratio of 3.00x TTM Consolidated EBITDA. Our Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of July 31, 2018 was 2.33x 
compared  to  the  minimum  required  Fixed  Charge  Coverage  Ratio  of  1.25x.  Given  our  expected  future  business 
performance, we anticipate maintaining compliance with the terms and financial covenants in our Secured Credit Facility, 
as amended, for the foreseeable future. 

F- 20

 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

The obligations under the Secured Credit Facility, as amended, are guaranteed by certain of our domestic subsidiaries 
(the  "Subsidiary  Guarantors"). As  collateral  security  for  amounts  outstanding  under  our  Secured  Credit  Facility,  as 
amended, and the guarantees thereof, we and our Subsidiary Guarantors have granted to an administrative agent, for the 
benefit of the lenders, a lien on, and first priority security interest in, substantially all of our tangible and intangible assets.

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings set forth for such terms in the Secured Credit Facility, 
dated as of February 23, 2016, and the First Amendment of the Secured Credit Facility, dated as of June 6, 2017, both 
of which have been documented and filed with the SEC.

(9) Capital Lease and Other Obligations

We lease certain equipment under capital leases. As of July 31, 2018 and 2017, the net book value of the leased assets which 
collateralize the capital lease and other obligations was $2,547,000 and $5,419,000, respectively, and consisted primarily of 
machinery and equipment. Depreciation of leased assets is included in depreciation expense.

As of July 31, 2018, our capital lease and other obligations reflect a blended interest rate of approximately 6.10%. Our capital 
leases generally contain provisions whereby we can purchase the equipment at the end of the lease for a one dollar buyout. 

Future minimum payments under capital lease and other obligations consisted of the following at July 31, 2018:

Fiscal 2019

Fiscal 2020

Fiscal 2021 and beyond

Total minimum lease payments

Less: amounts representing interest

Present value of net minimum lease payments

Current portion of capital lease and other obligations

Non-current portion of capital lease and other obligations

$

$

1,972,000

780,000

—

2,752,000

151,000

2,601,000

1,836,000

765,000

(10) Income Taxes

On December 22, 2017, H.R.1, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Reform"), was enacted in the U.S. Tax 
Reform significantly lowered the amount of our current and future income tax expense primarily due to the reduction 
in the U.S. statutory income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%. This provision went into effect on January 1, 2018 and 
required us to remeasure our deferred tax assets and liabilities. In fiscal 2019 and beyond, Tax Reform will result in the 
loss of our ability to take the domestic production activities deduction, which has been repealed, and is also likely to 
result in lower tax deductions for certain executive compensation expenses.

For fiscal 2018, we were subject to a 35.0% statutory income tax rate with respect to the period August 1, 2017 through 
December 31, 2017 and a 21.0% statutory income tax rate with respect to the period January 1, 2018 through July 31, 
2018, or a blended statutory income tax rate for fiscal 2018 of approximately 27.0%. As such, our effective tax rate for 
accounting purposes in fiscal 2018, excluding discrete items, was 27.0%. We expect to fully benefit from the lower 
statutory income tax rate in fiscal 2019 and thereafter.

During fiscal 2018, we recorded a net discrete tax benefit of $11,792,000 which, as a result of Tax Reform, primarily 
related to the remeasurement of deferred tax liabilities associated with non-deductible amortization related to intangible 
assets. The  remeasurement  was  recorded  pursuant  to ASC  740  "Income  Taxes"  and  SEC  Staff Accounting  Bulletin 
("SAB") 118, using estimates based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and available information as of the 
reporting date. As such, the remeasurement of deferred taxes is an estimate and will be finalized after we file our federal 
and state income tax returns for fiscal 2018. The estimated impact recorded in fiscal 2018 will change if the timing of 
the deferred tax impacts shift between fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 and beyond. In addition, it is possible that the Internal 
Revenue Service ("IRS") will issue clarifying or interpretive guidance related to Tax Reform, which may ultimately 
result in a change to our estimated income tax.

F- 21

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Income (loss) before (benefit from) provision for income taxes consists of the following:

U.S.

Foreign

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2018

22,243,000

2,383,000

24,626,000

$

$

2017

23,732,000

1,749,000

25,481,000

2016
(7,666,000)
(526,000)
(8,192,000)

The (benefit from) provision for income taxes included in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations 
consists of the following:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2018

$

367,000

(7,499,000)

2017

(441,000)
8,399,000

2016

2,297,000
(2,930,000)

440,000

1,115,000

429,000

5,000

608,000

659,000

413,000

16,000

408,000
(310,000)

81,000

—
(454,000)

Federal – current

Federal – deferred

State and local – current

State and local – deferred

Foreign – current

Foreign – deferred

Computed "expected" tax
expense (benefit)

Increase (reduction) in income

taxes resulting from:

State and local income
taxes, net of federal
benefit

(Benefit from) provision for income taxes

$

(5,143,000)

9,654,000

The (benefit from) provision for income taxes differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. Federal 
income tax rate as a result of the following:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

2018

2017

2016

Amount

Rate

Amount

Rate

Amount

Rate

$

6,615,000

27.0 %

8,919,000

35.0%

(2,867,000)

35.0%

Stock-based compensation

(1,112,000)

(4.5)

78,000

1,193,000

4.8

1,257,000

4.9

0.3

23,000

68,000

(0.3)

(0.8)

Research and

experimentation credits

Acquisition-related tax

contingencies

Nondeductible transaction

costs

Tax Reform remeasurement

of deferred taxes

Foreign income taxes

Other

(Benefit from) provision for
income taxes

(678,000)

(2.8)

(919,000)

(3.6)

(1,106,000)

13.5

—

—

—

—

(11,317,000)

(46.0)

(221,000)

(0.9)

377,000

1.4

—

—

—

—

—

—

(151,000)

470,000

(0.6)

1.9

1,962,000

(24.0)

1,279,000

(15.6)

—

—

289,000

(3.5)

(102,000)

1.2

$ (5,143,000)

(21.0)%

9,654,000

37.9%

(454,000)

5.5%

F- 22

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and liabilities 
at July 31, 2018 and 2017 are presented below:

Deferred tax assets:

Inventory and warranty reserves

Compensation and commissions

2018

2017

$

5,089,000

3,511,000

7,854,000

3,807,000

Federal, state and foreign research and experimentation

credits

18,816,000

16,286,000

Federal alternative minimum tax credit

Stock-based compensation

Acquisition-related contingent liabilities

Federal and state net operating losses

Other

Less valuation allowance

Total deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities:

Plant and equipment

Intangibles

Total deferred tax liabilities

Net deferred tax liabilities

3,243,000

5,092,000

2,477,000

7,349,000

4,672,000
(11,854,000)
38,395,000

2,652,000

7,767,000

4,687,000

19,880,000

8,764,000
(8,633,000)
63,064,000

(1,155,000)
(48,167,000)
(49,322,000)
(10,927,000)

$

(1,309,000)
(79,061,000)
(80,370,000)
(17,306,000)

We provide for income taxes under the provisions of FASB ASC 740 "Income Taxes." FASB ASC 740 requires an asset 
and  liability  based  approach  in  accounting  for  income  taxes.  In  assessing  the  realizability  of  deferred  tax  assets, 
management  considers  whether  it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  some  portion  or  all  of  them  will  not  be  realized.  If 
management determines that it is more likely than not that some or all of its deferred tax assets will not be realized, a 
valuation allowance will be recorded against such deferred tax assets.

At July 31, 2018, we had $19,069,000 of U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards reflected in deferred tax assets. 
Of the total loss carryforwards, $18,422,000 were generated by TCS in the tax period from January 1, 2016 to February 
23, 2016 and will begin to expire in 2035. $183,000 is the remaining net operating loss carryforwards acquired in an 
acquisition by TCS in 2001 and will expire in 2021 if unused at that time. The remaining U.S. federal net operating loss 
carryforwards generated in fiscal year 2016 of $464,000 will expire in 2036.  

At July 31, 2018, we had federal alternative minimum tax credit carryforwards of $3,243,000, which are available to 
offset future regular federal taxes. We have federal research and experimentation credits of $10,948,000 that will begin 
to expire in 2019. The timing and manner in which we may utilize net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits in 
future tax years will be limited by the amounts and timing of future taxable income and by the application of the ownership 
change rules under Section 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code.

We have state net operating loss carryforwards available of $3,345,000 which expire through 2037, utilization of which 
will be limited in a manner similar to the federal net operating loss carryforwards. We believe that it is more likely than 
not that the benefit from certain state net operating loss carryforwards will not be realized.  In recognition of this risk, 
we have provided a valuation allowance of $3,138,000 on the deferred tax assets relating to these state net operating 
loss carryforwards.  We have state research and experimentation credit carryforwards of $6,982,000 expiring through 
2037.  We believe that it is more likely than not that the benefit from certain state research and experimentation credits 
will not be realized.  In recognition of this risk, we have provided a valuation allowance of $6,771,000 on the deferred 
tax assets relating to these state credits.

F- 23

 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

At July 31, 2018 and 2017, our foreign deferred tax assets relating to research and experimentation credits have been 
offset by a valuation allowance as they may not be utilized in a future period. Our foreign earnings and profits are 
insignificant and, as such, we have not recorded any deferred tax liability on unremitted foreign earnings. 

We must generate $158,700,000 of taxable income in the future to fully utilize our net deferred tax assets as of July 31, 
2018. Management believes it is more likely than not that the results of future operations will generate sufficient taxable 
income to realize the net deferred tax assets.

At July 31, 2018 and 2017, total unrecognized tax benefits were $9,339,000 and $8,681,000, respectively, including 
interest of $202,000 and $95,000, respectively. At July 31, 2018, $2,572,000 of our unrecognized tax benefits were 
recorded as non-current income taxes payable in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The remaining unrecognized tax 
benefits of $6,767,000 were presented as an offset to the associated non-current deferred tax assets in our Consolidated 
Balance Sheet.  At July 31, 2017, $2,515,000 of our unrecognized tax benefits were recorded as non-current income 
taxes payable in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The remaining unrecognized tax benefit of $6,166,000 was presented 
as an offset to the associated non-current deferred tax assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Of the total unrecognized 
tax benefits, $8,563,000 and $7,727,000 at July 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, net of the reversal of the federal benefit 
recognized as a deferred tax asset relating to state reserves, would favorably impact our effective tax rate, if recognized. 
Unrecognized tax benefits result from income tax positions taken or expected to be taken on our income tax returns for 
which a tax benefit has not been recorded in our financial statements. We do not expect that there will be any significant 
changes to our total unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.

Our policy is to recognize interest and penalties relating to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. The following 
table summarizes the activity related to our unrecognized tax benefits for fiscal years 2018, 2017 and 2016 (excluding 
interest):

2018

2017

2016

Balance at beginning of period

$

8,586,000

Increase related to current period

Increase related to prior periods

Expiration of statute of limitations

Decrease related to prior periods

Balance at end of period

$

645,000

49,000
(81,000)
(62,000)
9,137,000

9,108,000

587,000

86,000
(404,000)
(791,000)
8,586,000

2,728,000

2,487,000

4,490,000
(580,000)
(17,000)
9,108,000

Since November 2017, our federal income tax return for fiscal 2016 has been under audit by the IRS. The audit is ongoing 
and we are unaware of any proposed adjustments by the IRS. Our federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and 2017 
are also subject to potential future IRS audit. None of our state income tax returns prior to fiscal 2014 are subject to 
audit. TCS' federal income tax returns for tax years 2014 and 2015 and the tax period from January 1, 2016 to February 
23, 2016 are subject to potential future IRS audit. None of TCS' state income tax returns prior to calendar year 2013 are 
subject to audit. The results of the IRS tax audit for fiscal 2016, future tax assessments or settlements could have a 
material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

(11) Stock-Based Compensation

Overview

We issue stock-based awards to certain of our employees and our Board of Directors pursuant to our 2000 Stock Incentive 
Plan, as amended, (the "Plan") and our 2001 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP") and recognize related stock-
based  compensation  in  our  consolidated  financial  statements.  The  Plan  provides  for  the  granting  to  employees  and 
consultants of Comtech (including prospective employees and consultants): (i) incentive and non-qualified stock options, 
(ii) restricted stock units ("RSUs"), (iii) RSUs with performance measures (which we refer to as "performance shares"), 
(iv) restricted stock, (v) stock units (reserved for issuance to non-employee directors) and share units (reserved for issuance 
to employees) (collectively, "share units") and (vi) stock appreciation rights ("SARs"), among other types of awards. Our 
non-employee  directors  are  eligible  to  receive  non-discretionary  grants  of  stock-based  awards,  subject  to  certain 
limitations. 

F- 24

 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

On August 1, 2017, we adopted ASU No. 2016-09, which amended several aspects of the accounting for and reporting 
of our share-based payment transactions, including:

Excess tax benefits and shortfalls - ASU No. 2016-09 requires that all tax effects related to our share-based 
awards be recognized in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. ASU No. 2016-09 also removes the prior 
requirement to delay recognition of excess tax benefits until it reduces current taxes payable; instead, we are 
now required to recognize excess tax benefits as discrete items in the interim period in which they occur, subject 
to normal valuation allowance considerations. As ASU No. 2016-09 eliminated the concept of accumulated 
hypothetical tax benefits, excess tax benefits and shortfalls are no longer recognized in stockholders’ equity. As 
a result, ASU No. 2016-09 is expected to result in future volatility of our income tax expense (as the future tax 
effects of share-based awards will be dependent on the price of our common stock at the time of settlement). 
Additionally, on a prospective basis, excess income tax benefits from the settlement of share-based awards are 
presented as a cash inflow from operating activities in our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. 

Diluted earnings per share - Prior to the adoption of ASU No. 2016-09, in addition to considering the amount 
an employee must pay upon assumed exercise of stock-based awards and the amount of stock-based compensation 
cost attributed to future services and not yet recognized, when calculating our diluted earnings per share, the 
assumed proceeds also included the amount of excess tax benefits, if any, that would have been credited to 
additional paid-in capital assuming exercise of in-the-money stock-based awards. Effective with our adoption 
of ASU No. 2016-09, excess tax benefits are to be excluded from the calculation on a prospective basis. As a 
result, the denominator for our diluted calculations could increase in the future as compared to prior calculations.

Forfeitures - As permitted by ASU No. 2016-09, we elected to continue to estimate forfeitures of share-based 
awards.

Statutory  Tax  Withholding  Requirements  - ASU  No.  2016-09  now  allows  us,  when  net  settling  share-based 
awards, to withhold an amount up to the employees’ maximum individual tax rate in the relevant jurisdiction, 
without resulting in liability classification of the award. To qualify, we must have at least some withholding 
obligation. This aspect of adopting ASU No. 2016-09 did not have any material impact on us. However, with 
respect to cash payments that we make to taxing authorities on behalf of employees for such shares withheld, 
on a retrospective basis, we are required to present such payments as a cash outflow from financing activities 
in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (as opposed to operating activities). 

As of July 31, 2018, the aggregate number of shares of common stock which may be issued, pursuant to the Plan, may 
not exceed 10,362,500. Stock options granted may not have a term exceeding ten years or, in the case of an incentive 
stock award granted to a stockholder who owns stock representing more than 10.0% of the voting power, no more than 
five years. We expect to settle all outstanding awards under the Plan and employee purchases under the ESPP with the 
issuance of new shares of our common stock.

As of July 31, 2018, we had granted stock-based awards pursuant to the Plan representing the right to purchase and/or 
acquire an aggregate of 8,166,820 shares (net of 3,926,429 expired and canceled awards), of which an aggregate of 
5,679,407 have been exercised or settled. 

As of July 31, 2018, the following stock-based awards, by award type, were outstanding:

Stock options
Performance shares
RSUs and restricted stock
Share units
Total

July 31, 2018

1,668,975
255,275
397,412
165,751
2,487,413

Our ESPP provides for the issuance of up to 800,000 shares of our common stock. Our ESPP is intended to provide our 
eligible employees the opportunity to acquire our common stock at 85% of fair market value at the date of issuance. 

F- 25

 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Through July 31, 2018, we have cumulatively issued 743,735 shares of our common stock to participating employees in 
connection with our ESPP.

Stock-based compensation for awards issued is reflected in the following line items in our Consolidated Statements of 
Operations:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,

Cost of sales

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Research and development expenses

Stock-based compensation expense
before income tax benefit

Estimated income tax benefit

Net stock-based compensation expense

$

2018

$

758,000

6,866,000

945,000

8,569,000
(2,005,000)
6,564,000

2017

760,000

7,071,000

675,000

8,506,000
(3,065,000)
5,441,000

2016

296,000

3,407,000

414,000

4,117,000
(1,434,000)
2,683,000

Stock-based compensation for equity-classified awards is measured at the date of grant, based on an estimate of the fair 
value of the award and is generally expensed over the vesting period of the award.  At July 31, 2018, unrecognized stock-
based compensation of $6,641,000, net of estimated forfeitures of $742,000, is expected to be recognized over a weighted 
average period of 2.7 years. Total stock-based compensation capitalized and included in ending inventory at July 31, 2018
and 2017 was $48,000 and $12,000, respectively. There are no liability-classified stock-based awards outstanding as of 
July 31, 2018 or 2017.

Stock-based compensation expense, by award type, is summarized as follows:

Stock options

Performance shares

RSUs and restricted stock

ESPP

Share units

Stock-based compensation expense before income tax

benefit

Estimated income tax benefit

Net stock-based compensation expense

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
2017
1,400,000

2018
1,089,000

1,013,000

1,458,000

205,000

4,804,000

1,607,000

829,000

162,000

4,508,000

2016
2,353,000

1,374,000

227,000

163,000

—

8,569,000
(2,005,000)
6,564,000

8,506,000
(3,065,000)
5,441,000

4,117,000
(1,434,000)
2,683,000

$

$

ESPP stock-based compensation expense primarily relates to the 15% discount offered to participants in the ESPP.  

The estimated income tax benefit as shown in the above table was computed using income tax rates expected to apply 
when the awards are settled. Such deferred tax asset was recorded net as part of our non-current deferred tax liability in 
our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2018 and 2017. The actual income tax benefit recognized for tax reporting 
is based on the fair market value of our common stock at the time of settlement and can significantly differ from the 
estimated income tax benefit recorded for financial reporting. 

F- 26

 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Stock Options 

The following table summarizes the Plan's activity:

Outstanding at July 31, 2015
Granted
Expired/canceled
Exercised
Outstanding at July 31, 2016
Expired/canceled
Outstanding at July 31, 2017
Expired/canceled
Exercised
Outstanding at July 31, 2018

Exercisable at July 31, 2018

Awards
(in Shares)

2,119,683
552,806
(396,610)
(19,200)
2,256,679
(400,804)
1,855,875
(72,190)
(114,710)
1,668,975

1,314,448

Vested and expected to vest at July 31, 2018

1,632,696

Weighted 
Average
Exercise Price
29.33
$
27.15
28.99
27.24
28.87
30.15
28.60
27.58
27.44
28.72

$

$

$

28.67

28.70

Weighted 
Average
Remaining 
Contractual
Term (Years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value

4.53

4.07

4.48

$

$

$

8,198,000

6,516,000

8,049,000

Stock options outstanding as of July 31, 2018 have exercise prices ranging from $20.90 - $33.94. The total intrinsic value 
relating to stock options exercised during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 and 2016 was $469,000 and $32,000, 
respectively. There were no stock options exercised during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017. Stock options granted 
during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 had exercise prices equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the 
date of grant, a contractual term of five or ten years and a vesting period of three or five years. There were no stock options 
granted during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 and 2017.

During fiscal 2018, at the election of certain holders of vested stock options, 101,610 stock options were net settled upon 
exercise. As a result, 8,706 net shares of our common stock were issued during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, after 
reduction of shares retained to satisfy the exercise price and statutory tax withholding requirements.

The estimated per-share weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options granted during fiscal 2016 was $5.50, 
which  was  determined  using  the  Black-Scholes  option  pricing  model,  and  included  the  following  weighted  average 
assumptions:

Expected dividend yield
Expected volatility
Risk-free interest rate
Expected life (years)

Fiscal Year
Ended July 31,
2016

4.46%
34.44%
1.52%
5.15

F- 27

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Expected dividend yield is the expected annual dividend as a percentage of the fair market value of our common stock 
on the date of grant, based on our Board's annual dividend target at the time of grant. We estimate expected volatility by 
considering the historical volatility of our stock and the implied volatility of publicly-traded call options on our stock.  
The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for an instrument which 
closely  approximates  the  expected  term. The  expected  term  is  the  number  of  years  we  estimate  that  awards  will  be 
outstanding  prior  to  exercise  and  is  determined  by  employee  groups  with  sufficiently  distinct  behavior  patterns. 
Assumptions used in computing the fair value of stock-based awards reflect our best estimates, but involve uncertainties 
relating to market and other conditions, many of which are outside of our control. Estimates of fair value are not intended 
to predict actual future events or the value ultimately realized by recipients of stock-based awards.

Performance Shares, RSUs, Restricted Stock and Share Unit Awards

The following table summarizes the Plan's activity relating to performance shares, RSUs, restricted stock and share units:

Outstanding at July 31, 2015

Granted

Settled

Forfeited

Outstanding at July 31, 2016
Granted
Settled
Forfeited
Outstanding at July 31, 2017
Granted
Settled
Canceled/Forfeited
Outstanding at July 31, 2018

Vested at July 31, 2018

Vested and expected to vest at July 31, 2018

Awards
(in Shares)

224,165

$

71,605
(16,439)
(62,118)
217,213
705,241
(61,462)
(30,795)
830,197
473,005
(354,822)
(129,942)
818,438

207,998

785,543

$

$

$

Weighted 
Average
Grant Date 
Fair Value

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value

28.26

27.45

26.35

27.62

28.32
14.31
26.63
17.13
16.95
22.45
17.66
17.26
19.78

$ 27,500,000

28.88

$

6,989,000

19.92

$ 26,394,000

The total intrinsic value relating to fully-vested awards settled during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016
was $10,473,000, $1,039,000 and $660,000 respectively.

Performance shares granted to employees prior to fiscal 2014 generally vest over a 5.3 year period, beginning on the date 
of grant once pre-established performance goals were attained, and are convertible into shares of our common stock at 
the time of vesting, on a one-for-one basis for no cash consideration. The performance shares granted to employees since 
fiscal 2014 principally vest over a three-year performance period, if pre-established performance goals are attained, or 
as specified pursuant to the Plan and related agreements. As of July 31, 2018, the number of outstanding performance 
shares included in the above table, and the related compensation expense prior to consideration of estimated pre-vesting 
forfeitures, assume achievement of the pre-established goals at a target level. 

RSUs and restricted stock granted to non-employee directors have a vesting period of three years and are convertible into 
shares of our common stock generally at the time of termination, on a one-for-one basis for no cash consideration, or 
earlier under certain circumstances. RSUs granted to employees have a vesting period of five years and are convertible 
into shares of our common stock generally at the time of vesting, on a one-for-one basis for no cash consideration. 

F- 28

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Share units granted prior to July 31, 2017 were vested when issued and are convertible into shares of our common stock, 
generally at the time of termination, on a one-for-one basis for no cash consideration, or earlier under certain circumstances. 
Share units granted on or after July 31, 2017 were granted to certain employees in lieu of non-equity incentive compensation 
and are convertible into shares of our common stock on the one-year anniversary of the respective grant date. 

On July 31, 2018, 160,899 fully vested share units were granted to certain employees in lieu of fiscal 2018 non-equity 
incentive compensation. Also, on July 31, 2018, 247,664 fully vested share units (previously granted in lieu of fiscal 2017 
non-equity incentive compensation) were converted into 162,391 shares of our common stock after reduction of shares 
retained to satisfy employees’ statutory tax withholding requirements. Cumulatively, through July 31, 2018, 265,348
share units granted have been settled.

The fair value of performance shares, RSUs, restricted stock and share units is determined using the closing market price 
of our common stock on the date of grant, less the present value of any estimated future dividend equivalents such awards 
are not entitled to receive and an applicable estimated discount for post vesting restrictions. RSUs, performance shares 
and restricted stock granted since fiscal 2013 are entitled to dividend equivalents unless forfeited before vesting occurs; 
however, performance shares granted in fiscal 2013 were not entitled to such dividend equivalents until our Board of 
Directors determined that the pre-established performance goals were met. Share units granted prior to fiscal 2014 are 
not entitled to dividend equivalents. Share units granted since fiscal 2014 are entitled to dividend equivalents while the 
underlying shares are unissued.

Dividend equivalents are subject to forfeiture, similar to the terms of the underlying stock-based awards, and are payable 
in cash generally at the time of settlement of the underlying shares into our common stock. During fiscal 2018, 2017 and 
2016, we accrued $300,000, $273,000 and $155,000, respectively, of dividend equivalents (net of forfeitures) and paid 
out $141,000, $176,000 and $23,000, respectively. Accrued dividend equivalents were recorded as a reduction to retained 
earnings. As of July 31, 2018 and 2017, accrued dividend equivalents were $713,000 and $554,000, respectively. 

We recorded $1,193,000 of income tax benefit in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for fiscal 2018, which 
primarily represents net excess income tax benefits from the settlement of stock-based awards. During fiscal 2017 and 
2016, net income tax shortfalls from similar items totaled $670,000 and $283,000, pursuant to prior GAAP, were recorded 
as a reduction to additional paid-in capital.

Subsequent Events

In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, our Board of Directors authorized the issuance of 152,617 stock-based awards of which 
46,305 were performance shares, 10,386  were restricted stock and 95,926 were restricted stock units. Total unrecognized 
compensation expense related to such awards, net of estimated forfeitures and assuming achievement of the pre-established 
performance goals at a target level, approximated $5,057,000. 

F- 29

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(12) Customer and Geographic Information

Sales by geography and customer type, as a percentage of consolidated net sales, are as follows:

Fiscal Years Ended July 31,
2017

2016

2018

United States
U.S. government
Domestic

Total United States

International
Total

35.5%
38.9%
74.4%

25.6%
100.0%

32.7%
38.9%
71.6%

28.4%
100.0%

40.8%
29.2%
70.0%

30.0%
100.0%

Sales to U.S. government customers include sales to the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD"), intelligence and civilian 
agencies, as well as sales directly to or through prime contractors.

Domestic sales include sales to commercial customers, as well as to U.S. state and local governments. Included in domestic 
sales are sales to Verizon which represented 10.0% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018. Except for the U.S. government, 
there were no customers that represented more than 10.0% of consolidated net sales during fiscal 2017 and 2016. 

International sales for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 (which include sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in 
products that are sold to international customers) were $145,784,000, $156,483,000 and $123,474,000, respectively.

Except for the U.S., no individual country (including sales to U.S. domestic companies for inclusion in products that are 
sold to a foreign country) represented more than 10% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016. 

(13) Segment Information

Reportable operating segments are determined based on Comtech’s management approach. The management approach, 
as defined by FASB ASC 280 "Segment Reporting" is based on the way that the chief operating decision-maker ("CODM") 
organizes the segments within an enterprise for making decisions about resources to be allocated and assessing their 
performance. Our CODM, for purposes of FASB ASC 280, is our Chief Executive Officer and President.

Our Commercial Solutions segment serves commercial customers and smaller government customers, such as state and 
local governments, that require advanced communication technologies to meet their needs. This segment also serves 
certain large government customers (including the U.S. government) that have requirements for off-the-shelf commercial 
equipment. We believe this segment is a leading provider of satellite communications (such as satellite earth station 
modems and TWTAs), public safety systems (such as NG911 technologies) and enterprise application technologies (such 
as messaging and trusted location-based technologies).

F- 30

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Our Government Solutions segment serves large government end-users (including those of foreign countries) that require 
mission-critical technologies and systems. Government solutions products include command and control applications 
(such as the design, installation and operation of data networks that integrate computing and communications, including 
both  satellite  and  terrestrial  links),  ongoing  network  operation  and  management  support  services  (including  project 
management and fielding and maintenance solutions related to satellite ground terminals), troposcatter communications 
(such as digital troposcatter multiplexers, digital over-the-horizon modems, troposcatter systems and frequency converter 
systems)  and  RF  power  and  switching  technologies  (such  as  solid-state  high-power  broadband  amplifiers,  enhanced 
position location reporting system (commonly known as "EPLRS") amplifier assemblies, identification friend or foe 
("IFF") amplifiers and amplifiers used in the counteraction of improvised explosive devices).

Our  CODM  primarily  uses  a  metric  that  we  refer  to  as Adjusted  Earnings  Before  Interest, Taxes,  Depreciation  and 
Amortization  ("Adjusted  EBITDA")  to  measure  an  operating  segment’s  performance  and  to  make  decisions  about 
resources to be allocated. Our Adjusted EBITDA metric for the Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions segments 
do not consider any allocation of indirect expenses, including the following: income taxes, interest (income) and other, 
interest expense, amortization of stock-based compensation, amortization of intangibles, depreciation expense, settlement 
of intellectual property litigation, acquisition plan expenses or strategic alternatives analysis expenses and other expenses 
that relate to our Unallocated segment. These items, while periodically affecting our results, may vary significantly from 
period to period and may have a disproportionate effect in a given period, thereby affecting the comparability of results. 
Any  amounts  shown  in  the Adjusted  EBITDA  calculation  for  our  Commercial  Solutions  and  Government  Solutions 
segments are directly attributable to those segments. Our Adjusted EBITDA is also used by our management in assessing 
the Company's operating results. Although closely aligned, the Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA is different 
than the Consolidated EBITDA (as such term is defined in our Secured Credit Facility, as amended) utilized for financial 
covenant calculations and also may differ from the definition of EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA used by other companies 
and, therefore, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Operating segment information, along with a reconciliation of segment net income (loss) and consolidated net income 
(loss) to Adjusted EBITDA is presented in the tables below:

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2018

Net sales

Operating income (loss)

Net income (loss)

     Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

     Interest (income) and other

     Interest expense

     Amortization of stock-based compensation

     Amortization of intangibles

     Depreciation

Adjusted EBITDA

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

$ 345,076,000

225,513,000

40,837,000

10,950,000

40,297,000

10,835,000

270,000

151,000

119,000

—

17,699,000

9,479,000

—

112,000

3,000

—

3,376,000

3,088,000

68,015,000

17,414,000

$

$

$

$

Unallocated

Total

— $ 570,589,000
(16,712,000) $ 35,075,000

(21,363,000) $ 29,769,000
(5,413,000)
(5,143,000)
(9,000)
254,000
10,073,000

10,195,000

8,569,000

8,569,000

—

21,075,000

1,088,000
13,655,000
(7,055,000) $ 78,374,000

7,151,000

901,000

590,000

$

8,642,000

Total assets at July 31, 2018

$ 610,166,000

195,924,000

39,067,000

$ 845,157,000

F- 31

 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Net sales

Operating income (loss)

Net income (loss)

     Provision for income taxes

     Interest (income) and other

     Interest expense

     Amortization of stock-based compensation

     Amortization of intangibles

     Depreciation

     Settlement of intellectual property litigation
Adjusted EBITDA

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

$

$

$

$

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2017

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

Unallocated

Total

$ 330,867,000

219,501,000

— $ 550,368,000

33,234,000

9,393,000

(5,585,000) $

37,042,000

32,871,000

9,421,000

258,000
(108,000)
213,000

—

17,698,000

9,938,000

—
60,870,000

—
(34,000)
6,000

(26,465,000) $
9,396,000

74,000

11,410,000

—

8,506,000

5,125,000

—

2,938,000

1,478,000
— (12,020,000)

17,456,000

(7,621,000) $

15,827,000

9,654,000
(68,000)
11,629,000

8,506,000

22,823,000

14,354,000
(12,020,000)
70,705,000

7,007,000

1,046,000

97,000

$

8,150,000

Total assets at July 31, 2017

$ 606,436,000

185,234,000

40,393,000

$ 832,063,000

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2016

Net sales

Operating income (loss)

Net income (loss)

     Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

     Interest (income) and other

     Interest expense

     Amortization of stock-based compensation

     Amortization of intangibles

     Depreciation

     Acquisition plan expenses

Adjusted EBITDA

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

Long-lived assets acquired in connection with

the TCS acquisition

$

$

$

$

Commercial
Solutions

Government
Solutions

$ 248,955,000

162,049,000

23,255,000

23,006,000

22,785,000

23,018,000

72,000

109,000

289,000

—

10,592,000

7,073,000

—

—
(11,000)
(1,000)
—

2,823,000

2,006,000

—

40,920,000

27,835,000

Unallocated

Total

— $ 411,004,000
(576,000)

(46,837,000) $

(53,541,000) $
(526,000)
(232,000)
7,462,000

4,117,000

—

751,000

21,276,000
(20,693,000) $

(7,738,000)
(454,000)
(134,000)
7,750,000

4,117,000

13,415,000

9,830,000

21,276,000

48,062,000

4,614,000

978,000

75,000

$

5,667,000

367,865,000

82,860,000

4,359,000

455,084,000

Total assets at July 31, 2016

$ 631,936,000

226,865,000

62,395,000

$ 921,196,000

Unallocated  expenses  result  from  corporate  expenses  such  as  executive  compensation,  accounting,  legal  and  other 
regulatory compliance related costs and also includes all of our amortization of stock-based compensation. Unallocated 
expenses reflect favorable adjustments to operating income related to: (i) warranty and sales and use tax settlements in 
fiscal 2018; and (ii) settlement of certain legacy TCS intellectual property matters in fiscal 2017. During fiscal 2016, 
unallocated expenses include acquisition plan expenses, most of which related to the February 23, 2016 acquisition of 
TCS.

F- 32

 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Interest expense in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 includes $9,614,000, $11,106,000 and $6,933,000, respectively, related 
to our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, and includes the amortization of deferred financing costs.  See Note (8) -
"Secured Credit Facility" for further discussion of such debt.

Intersegment sales in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 by the Commercial Solutions segment to the Government Solutions 
segment were $9,630,000, $12,492,000 and $6,266,000, respectively.  There were nominal sales by the Government 
Solutions segment to the Commercial Solutions segment for these fiscal periods.  All intersegment sales are eliminated 
in consolidation and are excluded from the tables above.

Unallocated assets at July 31, 2018 consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, income taxes receivable, corporate 
property, plant and equipment and deferred financing costs. Substantially all of our long-lived assets are located in the 
U.S.

F- 33

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

(14) Commitments and Contingencies

(a) Operating Leases

At July 31, 2018, future minimum lease payments, net of subleases, under non-cancelable operating lease agreements are as 
follows:

Fiscal Year:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Thereafter

Total

$

11,246,000

9,884,000

7,866,000

6,577,000

4,950,000

10,760,000

$

51,283,000

Lease expense charged to operations was $12,733,000, $13,270,000 and $9,100,000 in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

We lease our Melville, New York production facility from a partnership controlled by our President, CEO and Chairman. Lease 
payments made in fiscal 2018 were $625,000. The current lease provides for our use of the premises as they exist through 
December 2021 with an option for an additional 10 years. The annual rent of the facility for calendar year 2019 is $645,000
and is subject to customary adjustments. We have a right of first refusal in the event of a sale of the facility.

(b) Legal Proceedings and Other Matters

Legacy TCS Intellectual Property Matter - Vehicle IP
In December 2009, Vehicle IP, LLC ("Vehicle IP") filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District 
of Delaware (the "District Court"), seeking monetary damages, fees and expenses and other relief from, among others, our 
customer Verizon Wireless ("Verizon"), based on the VZ Navigator product, and TCS is defending Verizon against Vehicle 
IP. In 2013, the District Court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment on the basis that the products in question 
did not infringe plaintiff’s patent. Plaintiff appealed that decision and, in 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 
reversed the District Court's claim construction, overturned the District Court's grant of summary judgment of noninfringement, 
and  remanded  the  case  for  further  proceedings.  Fact  discovery  and  expert  discovery  has  closed.    Substantive  settlement 
conversations have occurred but, to-date, the parties have been unable to reach a settlement. As discussed in Note (6) - "Accrued 
Expenses and Other Current Liabilities," we have accrued certain legal and settlement costs related to the Vehicle IP matter. 
The accrued settlement costs related to this matter do not reflect the final amounts we actually may pay, if any. 

On May 30, 2017, we received positive news that the District Court issued a supplemental claim construction order in our 
favor.  As a result, the plaintiff agreed to file a joint status report to the District Court that requested that the District Court 
cancel the trial date (which was scheduled for July 2017). On July 28, 2017, the parties entered into a stipulation that the 
defendants’ accused products do not infringe Vehicle IP’s patent under the District Court’s current revised construction of the 
disputed patent claim term and requested that the District Court therefore enter a judgment of noninfringement. On August 18, 
2017, the court entered such a judgment of noninfringement. As expected, following the judgment, Vehicle IP filed a notice of 
appeal on August 29, 2017. Vehicle IP's opening brief on appeal of the District Court's claim construction was submitted in 
October 2017. TCS' brief in response was filed on January 19, 2018. Vehicle IP's reply brief was filed on February 23, 2018. 
Oral argument was held on August 8, 2018 and an appellate ruling may take several months to be issued. If the District Court's 
current claim construction is ultimately upheld at the appellate level, it is possible that we may not have to go to trial or pay 
any monetary damages.

Ongoing legal expenses associated with defending this matter and its ultimate resolution could vary and have a material adverse 
effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows in future periods.

F- 34

 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

Other Matters 
In October 2014, we disclosed to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") that we learned 
during a self-assessment of our export transactions that a shipment of modems sent to a Canadian customer by Comtech EF Data 
Corp. was incorporated into a communication system, the ultimate end user of which was the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority. The 
sales value of this equipment was approximately $288,000. At the time of shipment, OFAC regulations prohibited U.S. persons from 
doing business directly or indirectly with Sudan. In late 2015, OFAC issued an administrative subpoena seeking further information 
about the disclosed transaction. We have responded to the subpoena, including alerting OFAC to Comtech’s repair of three modems 
for  a  customer  in  Lebanon  who  may  have  rerouted  the  modems  from  Lebanon  to  Sudan  without  the  required  U.S.  licensing 
authorization. Subsequently, in October 2017, U.S. sanctions with respect to Sudan were revoked. Consistent with the revocation of 
the Sudan Sanction Regulations ("SSR"), shipments to the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority by U.S. persons are now permissible. We 
are not able to predict when OFAC will complete its review, nor whether it will take any enforcement action against us in light of the 
recent revocation of the SSR. If OFAC determines that we have violated U.S. trade sanctions, civil and criminal penalties could apply, 
and we may suffer reputational harm. Even though we take precautions to avoid engaging in transactions that may violate U.S. trade 
sanctions, those measures may not be effective in every instance.

In May 2018, we were informed by the Office of Export Enforcement ("OEE") of the Department of Commerce ("DoC") that it was 
forwarding to the DoC's Office of Chief Counsel, the results of its audit of international shipments by Comtech Xicom Technology, 
Inc. for further review and possible determination of an administrative penalty. We fully cooperated with the OEE in their audit and, 
based on our self-assessment of the approximately 7,800 individual transactions audited, have determined that six (6) transactions 
may not have been fully in compliance with the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). These six (6) items, for which export 
licenses were not obtained, were either spares or repaired power amplifier subassembly components valued at less than $100,000 (in 
aggregate) and were shipped to Brazil, Italy, Russia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The EAR provides an exception to the 
requirement to obtain an export license for the replacement of a defective or damaged component. During our self-assessment, we 
determined that we inadvertently did not obtain export licenses for the spares, or had evidence of the return or destruction of the 
defective or damaged components necessary to authorize our use of the export license exception for the replacements. Since discovering 
this issue, we have implemented additional controls and procedures and have increased awareness of these specific export requirements 
throughout the Company to help avoid similar occurrences in the future. Administrative penalties under the EAR can range from a 
warning  letter  to  a  denial  of  export  privileges.  Given  the  lapsed  legal  status  of  the  Export Administration Act  ("EAA")  itself, 
administrative penalties under the EAR are currently determined pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
("IEEPA"), which can reach the greater of twice the amount of the transaction that is the basis of the violation or approximately 
$300,000 per violation. We have not recorded an accrual related to a possible administrative penalty and continue to work cooperatively 
with the OEE.

In the ordinary course of business, we include indemnification provisions in certain of our customer contracts to indemnify, hold 
harmless and reimburse such customers for certain losses, including but not limited to losses related to third-party claims of intellectual 
property infringement arising from the customer’s use of our products or services. From time to time, customers seek indemnification 
under these contractual arrangements and we evaluate such claims as and when they arise. We do not always agree with customers 
that they are entitled to indemnification and in such cases reject their indemnification claims. However, pending or future claims 
asserted against us by a party that we agree to indemnify could result in legal costs and damages that could have a material adverse 
effect on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

There are certain other pending and threatened legal actions which arise in the normal course of business. Although the ultimate 
outcome of litigation is difficult to accurately predict, we believe that the outcome of these other pending and threatened actions will 
not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations. 

(c) Employment Change of Control and Indemnification Agreements

We have an employment agreement with our CEO and President. The employment agreement generally provides for an annual salary 
and bonus award. We have also entered into change of control agreements with certain of our executive officers and certain key
employees. All of these agreements may require payments by us, in certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, a change in
control of our Company.

(15) Goodwill

The following table represents goodwill by reportable operating segment as of July 31, 2018 and 2017:

Goodwill

Commercial
Solutions
231,440,000

$

Government
Solutions

Total

59,193,000

$

290,633,000

In accordance with FASB ASC 350 "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other," we perform a goodwill impairment analysis at least annually 
(in the first quarter of each fiscal year), unless indicators of impairment exist in interim periods. If we fail the quantitative assessment 
of goodwill impairment ("quantitative assessment"), pursuant to our adoption of FASB ASU No. 2017-04 in fiscal 2017, we would 
be  required  to  recognize  an  impairment  loss  equal  to  the  amount  that  a  reporting  unit's  carrying  value  exceeded  its  fair  value; 
however, any loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. 

F- 35

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

On August 1, 2018 (the first day of our fiscal 2019), we performed our annual quantitative assessment using market 
participant assumptions to determine if the fair value of each of our reporting units with goodwill exceeded its carrying 
value. In making this assessment, we considered, among other things, expectations of projected net sales and cash flows, 
assumptions impacting the weighted average cost of capital, trends in trading multiples of comparable companies, changes 
in our stock price and changes in the carrying values of our reporting units with goodwill. We also considered overall 
business conditions. 

In performing the quantitative assessment, we estimated the fair value of each of our reporting units using a combination 
of the income and market approaches. The income approach, also known as the discounted cash flow ("DCF") method, 
utilizes the present value of cash flows to estimate fair value. The future cash flows for our reporting units were projected 
based on our estimates, at that time, of future revenues, operating income and other factors (such as working capital and 
capital expenditures). For purposes of conducting our impairment analysis, we assumed revenue growth rates and cash 
flow projections that are below our actual long-term expectations. The discount rates used in our DCF method were based 
on a weighted-average cost of capital ("WACC") determined from relevant market comparisons, adjusted upward for 
specific reporting unit risks (primarily the uncertainty of achieving projected operating cash flows). A terminal value 
growth rate was applied to the final year of the projected period and reflected our estimate of stable, perpetual growth. 
We then calculated a present value of the respective cash flows for each reporting unit to arrive at an estimate of fair value 
under the income approach. Under the market approach, we estimated a fair value based on comparable companies' market 
multiples of revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and factored in a control premium. 
Finally, we compared our estimates of fair values to our August 1, 2018 total public market capitalization and assessed 
implied control premiums based on our common stock price of $33.70 as of August 1, 2018. 

Based on our quantitative evaluation, we determined that our Commercial Solutions and Government Solutions reporting 
units had estimated fair values in excess of their carrying values of at least 42.5% and 105.5%, respectively, and concluded 
that our goodwill was not impaired and that neither of our two reporting units was at risk of failing the quantitative 
assessment. It is possible that, during fiscal 2019 or beyond, business conditions (both in the U.S. and internationally) 
could deteriorate from the current state, our current or prospective customers could materially postpone, reduce or even 
forgo purchases of our products and services to a greater extent than we currently anticipate or our common stock price 
could decline. A significant decline in our customers' spending that is greater than we anticipate or a shift in funding 
priorities may also have a negative effect on future orders, sales, income and cash flows and we might be required to 
perform a quantitative assessment during fiscal 2019 or beyond. If assumed net sales and cash flow projections are not 
achieved in future periods or our common stock price significantly declines from current levels, our Commercial Solutions 
and Government Solutions reporting units could be at risk of failing the quantitative assessment and goodwill assigned 
to the respective reporting units could be impaired.

In any event, we are required to perform the next annual goodwill impairment analysis on August 1, 2019 (the start of 
our fiscal 2020). If our assumptions and related estimates change in the future, or if we change our reporting unit structure 
or other events and circumstances change (e.g., a sustained decrease in the price of our common stock (considered on 
both absolute terms and relative to peers)), we may be required to record impairment charges when we perform these 
tests, or in other future periods. Any impairment charges that we may record in the future could be material to our results 
of operations and financial condition.

F- 36

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(16) Intangible Assets

Intangible assets with finite lives as of July 31, 2018 and 2017 are as follows:

Weighted Average
Amortization Period
21.0
12.8
16.4

Weighted Average
Amortization Period
20.3
12.3
16.4

July 31, 2018

Gross Carrying
Amount
249,831,000
82,370,000
28,894,000
361,095,000

$

$

Accumulated
Amortization

55,350,000
54,386,000
10,563,000
120,299,000

July 31, 2017

Gross Carrying
Amount
249,831,000
82,370,000
28,894,000
361,095,000

$

$

Accumulated
Amortization

41,923,000
48,623,000
8,678,000
99,224,000

Net Carrying
Amount
194,481,000
27,984,000
18,331,000
240,796,000

Net Carrying
Amount
207,908,000
33,747,000
20,216,000
261,871,000

$

$

$

$

Customer relationships
Technologies
Trademarks and other
Total

Customer relationships
Technologies
Trademarks and other
Total

The weighted average amortization period in the above table excludes fully amortized intangible assets. 

Amortization expense for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $21,075,000, $22,823,000 and $13,415,000, 
respectively. 

The estimated amortization expense consists of the following for the fiscal years ending July 31: 

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

$ 17,155,000

17,155,000

16,196,000

14,955,000

14,955,000

We review net intangible assets with finite lives for impairment when an event occurs indicating the potential for impairment. No 
such event has occurred during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018. We believe that the carrying values of our net intangible assets 
were recoverable as of July 31, 2018. Any impairment charges that we may record in the future could be material to our results of 
operations and financial condition.

(17) Stockholders’ Equity

Sale of Common Stock
In June 2016, the Company sold 7,145,000 shares of its common stock in a public offering at a price to the public of $14.00 per 
share, resulting in proceeds to the Company of $95,029,000, net of underwriting discounts and commissions.  During the fiscal year 
ended July 31, 2016, the Company recorded $1,112,000 of total issuance costs related to this common stock offering, $959,000 of 
which was a reduction to the additional paid-in capital included in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2016. As of July 31, 
2018  and  September 26,  2018,  an  aggregate  registered  amount  of  $74,970,000  under  the  Company's  existing  shelf  registration 
statement filed with the SEC remains available for sale of various types of securities, including debt.

Stock Repurchase Program
As of July 31, 2018 and September 26, 2018, we were authorized to repurchase up to an additional $8,664,000 of our common stock, 
pursuant to our current $100,000,000 stock repurchase program. Our stock repurchase program has no time restrictions and repurchases 
may be made in open-market or privately negotiated transactions and may be made pursuant to SEC Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. There 
were no repurchases made during the fiscal years ended July 31, 2018 or 2017. 

Dividends
Since September 2010, we have paid quarterly dividends pursuant to an annual targeted dividend amount that was established by 
our Board of Directors. On September 27, 2017, December 6, 2017, March 7, 2018 and June 6, 2018, our Board of Directors declared 
a dividend of $0.10 per common share, which were paid on November 17, 2017, February 16, 2018, May 18, 2018 and August 17, 
2018, respectively. On September 26, 2018, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10 per common share, payable on 
November 16, 2018 to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 17, 2018. 

Future dividends remain subject to compliance with financial covenants under our Secured Credit Facility, as amended, as well as 
Board approval.

F- 37

 
 
 
 
 
 
COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Continued

(18) Unaudited Quarterly Financial Data

The following is a summary of unaudited quarterly operating results.  Our historical results prior to February 23, 2016 do 
not include TCS; as such, you should not rely on period-to-period comparisons as an indicator of future performance as 
these comparisons may not be meaningful.

Fiscal 2018

Net sales

Gross profit

Net (loss) income

Diluted (loss) income

per share

Fiscal 2017

Net sales

Gross profit

Net (loss) income

Diluted (loss) income

per share

Fiscal 2016

Net sales

Gross profit

Net income (loss)

Diluted income (loss)

per share

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Total

$ 121,569,000

133,731,000

147,854,000

167,435,000

$ 570,589,000

47,716,000

(1,660,000)

50,801,000

15,761,000

62,436,000

8,210,000

62,988,000

223,941,000

7,458,000

29,769,000

(0.07)

0.66

0.34

0.31

1.24

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Total

$ 135,786,000

139,028,000

127,792,000

147,762,000

$ 550,368,000

52,108,000

(2,489,000)

53,204,000

52,461,000

60,412,000

218,185,000

6,585,000

4,417,000

7,314,000

15,827,000

(0.11)

0.28

0.19

0.31

0.67

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Total

$

64,117,000

70,323,000

124,187,000

152,377,000

$ 411,004,000

28,202,000

1,439,000

29,438,000

2,476,000

51,391,000
(14,355,000)

62,206,000

2,702,000

171,237,000
(7,738,000)

0.09

0.15

(0.89)

0.14

(0.46) *

* The per share information is computed independently for each quarter and the full year based on the respective weighted average 
number of common shares outstanding. Therefore, income per share information for the full fiscal year may not equal the total of 
the quarters within the year.

F- 38

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Schedule II

COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP.
AND SUBSIDIARIES

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves

Fiscal Years Ended July 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 

Column A

Column B

Column C Additions

Column D  

Column E

Balance at
beginning of
period

Charged to
cost and
expenses

Charged to
other 
accounts
- describe

Transfers
(deductions)
- describe

Balance at
end of
period

Description

Allowance for doubtful
accounts receivable:

Year ended July 31,

2018

2017

2016

$ 1,300,000

1,029,000

1,206,000

573,000

497,000

907,000

(A)

(A)

(A)

Inventory reserves:

Year ended July 31,

2018

2017

2016

$ 16,019,000

16,198,000

16,904,000

5,628,000

2,900,000

2,780,000

(C)

(C)

(C)

Valuation allowance for
deferred tax assets:

Year ended July 31,

2018

2017

2016

$ 8,633,000

3,221,000

9,624,000

4,442,000

324,000

524,000

(E)

(E)

(E)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

121,000

4,658,000

(F)

(F)

(112,000)
(226,000)
(1,084,000)

(B)

(B)

(B)

$ 1,761,000

1,300,000

1,029,000

(4,220,000)
(3,079,000)
(3,486,000)

(D)

(D)

(D)

$ 17,427,000

16,019,000

16,198,000

—
(1,436,000)
—

(F)

$ 11,854,000

8,633,000

9,624,000

(A)  Provision for doubtful accounts.
(B)  Write-off of uncollectible receivables.
(C)  Provision for excess and obsolete inventory.
(D)  Write-off of inventory.
(E)  Change in valuation allowance.
(F)  Acquisition related valuation allowance charged to (deducted from) goodwill.

S- 1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CORPORATE INFORMATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Fred Kornberg (1) (5)
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer 
and President

Edwin Kantor (1) (3) (4)
Lead Independent Director
Executive Director of Colony S2K 
Partners LLC

Ira Kaplan (3) (4) (5)
Private Investor 

Robert G. Paul (2) (4)
Private Investor

Dr. Yacov A. Shamash (2) (5)
Vice President of Economic 
Development at Stony Brook University

Lawrence J. Waldman (1) (2) (3)
Senior Advisor
First Long Island Investors, LLC

(1) Executive Committee 

(2) Audit Committee

(3) Executive Compensation Committee

(4) Nominating and Governance Committee

(5) Science and Technology Committee

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT
Fred Kornberg
President and Chief Executive Officer

Michael D. Porcelain
Senior Vice President; 
Chief Operating Officer

Michael Bondi
Chief Financial Officer

SUBSIDIARY MANAGEMENT
John Branscum
Senior Vice President;
President of Comtech Xicom Technology, Inc.
and Comtech EF Data Corp. 

Richard L. Burt
Senior Vice President; 
President of Comtech Systems, Inc. 

Michael Atcheson
President of Command and Control Technologies

Kent Hellebust
President of Safety and Security Technologies

Michael V. Hrybenko
President of Comtech PST Corp. 

Jay F. Whitehurst
President of Enterprise Technologies

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS 
Deloitte & Touche LLP 
Jericho, New York 11753

MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK
Common Stock is traded on the NASDAQ 
Stock Market LLC  under the stock symbol CMTL

REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT
American Stock Transfer and Trust Co.
6201 15th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11219

COMMON STOCK PRICE RANGE

High    

     Low

Fiscal Year Ended July 31, 2018
First Quarter      
Second Quarter  
Third Quarter  
Fourth Quarter  

    $  22.90     
  23.90   
32.94   
35.38  

 $ 17.11
    19.30
    20.62
    29.36

INVESTOR RELATIONS AND SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
Visit  us  at  www.comtechtel.com  or  call  (631)  962-7000.  A  copy  of  the  Form  10-K  Annual  Report, 
exhibits  and  other  reports  as  filed  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  are  available 
to  shareholders.  Requests  for  information  should  be  made  by  submitting  an  email  to  info@
comtechtel.com  or  by  writing  to  us  at  Comtech  Telecommunications  Corp.,  Attention:  Corporate 
Secretary, 68 South Service Road, Suite 230, Melville, NY 11747. 

    
                    
 
  
 
 
68 South Service Road, Suite 230
Melville, New York 11747
Tel: (631) 962-7000 • Fax: (631) 962-7001
www.comtechtel.com