Oil-Dri Corporation of America (ODC) 10-Q2025 Q1 Quarterly report

Certain statements in this report, including, but not limited to, those under the heading "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and those statements elsewhere in this report and other documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), contain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our future performance, our business, our beliefs and our management’s assumptions. In addition, we, or others on our behalf, may make forward-looking statements in press releases or written statements, or in our communications and discussions with investors and analysts in the normal course of business through meetings, webcasts, phone calls and conference calls. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "expect," "outlook," "forecast," "would," "could," "should," "project," "intend," "plan," "continue," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," "assume," "potential," "strive," and similar references to future periods.

"Oil-Dri" is a registered trademark of Oil-Dri Corporation of America.

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") for interim financial information and in compliance with instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The financial statements and the related notes are condensed and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.

The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Oil-Dri Corporation of America and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions are eliminated. Except as otherwise indicated herein or as the context otherwise requires, references to "Oil-Dri," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our" refer to Oil-Dri Corporation of America and its subsidiaries.

The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals and reclassifications which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the statements contained herein. Operating results for the three months ended October 31, 2024 are not necessarily an indication of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2025.

Certain amounts in the prior period financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of the current period financial statements. These immaterial reclassifications had no effect on the previously reported net income.

The preparation of the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses during the reporting period, as well as the related disclosures. Estimates and assumptions about future events cannot be made with certainty. All of our estimates and assumptions are revised periodically. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Our significant accounting policies, which are summarized in detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, have not materially changed. The following is a description of certain of our significant accounting policies:

These assets are carried at cost on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are reviewed for possible impairment on an annual basis or when circumstances indicate impairment that an asset may become impaired. We take into consideration idle and

underutilized equipment and review business plans for possible impairment. When impairment is indicated, an impairment charge is recorded for the difference between the carrying value of the asset and its fair market value.

The composition of property, plant and equipment is as follows (in thousands):

Additionally, it is our policy to capitalize the purchase cost of land and mineral rights, including associated legal fees, survey fees and real estate fees. The costs of obtaining mineral patents, including legal fees and drilling expenses, are also capitalized. Pre-production development costs on new mines and any prepaid royalties that may be offset against future royalties due upon extraction of the minerals are also capitalized. All exploration related costs are expensed as incurred.

Certain of our leases provide for variable lease payments that vary due to changes in facts and circumstances occurring after the commencement date, other than the passage of time. Variable lease payments that are dependent on an index or rate (e.g., the Consumer Price Index) are included in the initial measurement of the lease liability and the ROU asset. Variable lease payments that are not known at the commencement date and are determinable based on the performance or use of the underlying asset, are expensed as incurred. Our variable lease payments primarily include common area maintenance charges based on the percentage of the total square footage leased and the usage of assets, such as photocopiers.

Some of our contracts may contain lease components as well as non-lease components, such as an agreement to purchase services. As allowed under ASC 842, we have elected not to separate the lease components from non-lease components for all

asset classes and we will not allocate the contract consideration to these components. This policy was applied to all existing leases upon adoption of ASC 842 and will be applied to new leases on an ongoing basis.

We have an unconditional right to consideration under the payment terms specified in the contracts upon completion of the

performance obligation. We may require certain customers to provide payment in advance of product shipment. We recorded a

liability for these advance payments of $0.2 million as of both October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024. This liability is reported in Other within Accrued Expenses on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. There was $0.2 million revenue recognized during the three months ended October 31, 2024, that was included in the liability for advance payments at the beginning of the period.

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2023-09, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures." These amendments primarily require enhanced disclosures and disaggregation of income tax information by jurisdiction in the annual income tax reconciliation and quantitative disclosures regarding income taxes paid. These amendments are to be applied prospectively, with the option to apply the standard retrospectively, for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on our disclosures.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, "Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures." These amendments primarily require enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker and included within each reported measure of segment profit or loss. In addition, ASU No. 2023-07 also requires all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 to be included in interim periods. These amendments are to be applied retrospectively for all periods presented in the financial statements and are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on our disclosures.

The composition of inventories is as follows (in thousands):

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or net realizable value. Inventory costs include the cost of raw materials, packaging supplies, labor, and other overhead costs. The Company maintains reserves against inventory to reduce the carrying value to the expected net realizable value. These reserves are based upon a combination of factors including historical issues and market trends. Inventory reserves were $3.7 million and $3.8 million as of October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024, respectively.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The inputs used to measure fair value are prioritized into categories based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The categories in the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Cash equivalents are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices in active markets. These cash instruments are primarily money market funds and are included in cash and cash equivalents on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We had $0.9 million in cash equivalents as of October 31, 2024 and $3.0 million in cash equivalents as of July 31, 2024.

Balances of accounts receivable, short-term investments and accounts payable approximated their fair values at October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024 due to the short maturity and nature of those balances.

Debt is reported at outstanding face value, less unamortized debt issuance costs. The estimated fair value of debt, including current maturities, was $47.1 million and $51.1 million as of October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024, respectively. The fair value was estimated using the exit price notion of fair value and is classified as Level 2. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about such debt.

We apply fair value techniques on at least an annual basis associated with: (1) valuing potential impairment loss related to goodwill, trademarks and other indefinite-lived intangible assets and (2) valuing potential impairment loss related to long-lived assets. See Note 5 of the Notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about goodwill and other intangible assets.

Our intangible assets are mainly comprised of customer lists, patents, trademarks, trade names and goodwill.

During fiscal year 2024, we recorded additions of intangible assets of $37.4 million related to the acquisition of Ultra Pet Company, Inc. ("Ultra Pet"), the components of which were $20.4 million of customer list, $5.2 million of trade name and $11.8 million of goodwill. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 we recognized a measurement period adjustment as a result of our acquisition of Ultra Pet, which increased our goodwill by $0.2 million.

We amortize customer lists and patents on a straight-line basis over periods ranging from 18 to 20 years. Estimated intangible amortization for fiscal year 2025 is $1.2 million. Estimated intangible amortization for each of the next five fiscal years is $1.2 million.

Trademarks and trade names acquired via acquisitions, with a carrying value of $5.6 million, were determined to have an indefinite life and are not amortized.

We are party to various legal actions from time to time that are ordinary in nature and incidental to the operation of our business, including ongoing litigation. While it is not possible at this time to determine with certainty the ultimate outcome of these or other lawsuits, we believe that none of the pending proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In fiscal year 2023, we recorded a reserve for anticipated modification costs that we expected to incur to address capacity issues at our sole landfill located in Ochlocknee, Georgia. Reserves are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. The amount of the reserve represented management’s best estimate of the costs for the modification with respect to this matter, at the time. Work began on the modifications during fiscal year 2024. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, we increased the total estimated cost by $0.4 million resulting in a total $3.5 million expense related to this matter. The modification work is expected to be completed during fiscal year 2025. Inherent uncertainties exist in these estimates primarily due to unknown conditions, changing governmental regulations and legal standards, and emerging technologies for handling site modification. Consequently, it is reasonably possible that modification costs in excess of amounts accrued could have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are party to an Amended and Restated Note Purchase and Private Shelf Agreement (as amended, the "Note Agreement") with PGIM, Inc. ("Prudential") and certain existing noteholders and purchasers affiliated with Prudential named therein. Pursuant to the Note Agreement, (i) on May 15, 2020 we issued $10 million in aggregate principal amount of our 3.95% Series

B Senior Notes due May 15, 2030, of which $6 million aggregate principal amount remained outstanding as of October 31, 2024, (ii) on December 16, 2021, we issued an additional $25 million in aggregate principal amount of our 3.25% Series C Senior Notes due December 16, 2031, all of which remained outstanding as of October 31, 2024, and (iii) on April 30, 2024 we issued $10 million in aggregate principal amount of our 6.47% Series D Senior Notes due April 30, 2033, all of which remained outstanding as of October 31, 2024. The Note Agreement also provides us with the ability to request, from time to time, that Prudential affiliate(s) purchase, at Prudential’s discretion and on an uncommitted basis, additional senior unsecured notes of Oil-Dri (the “Shelf Notes,” and collectively with the Series A Senior Notes, Series B Senior Notes, Series C Senior Notes, and Series D Senior Notes, the “Notes”) in an aggregate principal amount of up to $75 million minus the aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding and Shelf Notes that have been accepted for purchase. Interest payable on any Shelf Note agreed to be purchased under the Note Agreement will be at a rate determined by Prudential and will mature no more than fifteen years after the date of original issue of such Shelf Note. On September 21, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 4 to the Note Agreement extending the time frame for issuing and selling Shelf Notes to September 21, 2026.

We are party to the Credit Agreement, dated as of January 27, 2006 (as previously amended, the “Credit Agreement”), among us, BMO Harris Bank N.A (“BMO”), and certain of our domestic subsidiaries. The Credit Agreement provides for a $75 million unsecured revolving credit facility, including a maximum of $20 million for letters of credit.

As of October 31, 2024, and July 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants. There were no new borrowings during the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, however, on October 30, 2024 we elected to pay down $5 million of our total borrowings under the Credit Agreement. As of October 31, 2024 we had $5 million drawn at a 6.66% interest rate. We also had $2.9 million of letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Agreement as of both October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024.

The Credit Agreement states that we may select a variable interest rate based on either the BMO prime rate or an adjusted SOFR-based rate, plus a margin that varies depending on our debt to earnings ratio, or a fixed rate as agreed between us and BMO. As of October 31, 2024, the variable rates would have been 8.00% for the BMO prime-based rate or 5.81% for the adjusted SOFR-based rate.

We have operating leases primarily for real estate properties, including corporate headquarters, customer service and sales offices, manufacturing and packaging facilities, warehouses, and research and development facilities, as well as for rail tracks, railcars and office equipment. Certain of our leases for a shared warehouse and office facility, rail track and railcars have options to extend which we are reasonably certain we will exercise and, accordingly, have been considered in the lease term used to recognize our ROU assets and lease liabilities. To determine the present value of the lease liability, we use an incremental borrowing rate, which is defined as the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow (on a collateralized basis over a similar term) an amount equal to the lease payments in similar economic environments. Further information about our accounting policy for leases is included in Note 1 of the Notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

We have no material finance leases, and variable costs for operating leases are immaterial for the three months ended October 31, 2024. Operating lease costs are included in Cost of Goods Sold or SG&A expenses based on the nature of the lease. The following table summarizes total lease costs for our operating leases (in thousands):

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands):

Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are separately presented on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, excluding leases with an initial term of twelve months or less. Other supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

We have two operating segments: (1) Retail and Wholesale Products Group and (2) Business to Business Products Group. These operating segments are managed separately and each segment's major customers have different characteristics. The Retail and Wholesale Products Group customers include mass merchandisers, the farm and fleet channel, drugstore chains, pet specialty retail outlets, dollar stores, retail grocery stores, distributors of industrial cleanup and automotive products, environmental service companies, sports field product users and marketers of consumer products. The Business to Business Products Group customers include: processors and refiners of edible oils, renewable diesel, petroleum-based oils and biodiesel fuel, manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals, and distributors of animal health and nutrition products. Our operating segments are also our reportable segments. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.

We do not rely on any segment asset allocations and we do not consider them meaningful because of the shared nature of our production facilities; however, we have estimated the segment asset allocations below for those assets for which we can reasonably determine. The unallocated asset category is the remainder of our total assets. The asset allocation is estimated and is not a measure used by our chief operating decision maker about allocating resources to the operating segments or in assessing their performance. 

Net sales and operating income for each segment are provided below. The corporate expenses line includes certain unallocated expenses, including primarily salaries, wages and benefits, purchased services, rent, utilities and depreciation and amortization associated with corporate functions such as information systems, finance, legal, human resources and customer service. 

The Amended and Restated Oil-Dri Corporation of America 2006 Long Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the "2006 Plan"), permits the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards and other stock-based and cash-based awards. Our employees and outside directors are eligible to receive grants under the 2006 Plan. The total number of shares of stock subject to grants under the 2006 Plan may not exceed 1,719,500. As of October 31, 2024, there were 560,724 shares of Common Stock or Class B Stock available for future grants under this plan.

There were 40,800 and 57,000 restricted shares of Common Stock granted during the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. There were no restricted shares of Class B Stock granted during the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 125,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2023. Stock-based compensation expense was $0.9 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The following table summarizes the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component as of October 31, 2024 (in thousands):

One member of our Board is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of one of our vendors. Total payments to this vendor for fees and cost reimbursements were $0.3 million and $0.1 million for the first three months of fiscal years 2025 and 2024, respectively. There were $0.1 million of outstanding accounts payable due to that vendor as of both October 31, 2024 and July 31, 2024.

One member of our Board retired from the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of one of our customers on September 28, 2019 and is currently party to a post-employment consulting agreement with this customer. Total sales to that customer, including sales to its subsidiaries, were $0.1 million for the first three months of both fiscal years 2025 and 2024. There were no outstanding amounts due from that customer as of either October 31, 2024 or July 31, 2024.

We develop, mine, manufacture and market sorbent products principally produced from clay minerals, primarily consisting of calcium bentonite, attapulgite and diatomaceous shale. Our principal products include agricultural and horticultural chemical carriers, animal health and nutrition products, cat litter, fluids purification and filtration bleaching clays, industrial and automotive floor absorbents and sports field products. Our products are sold to two primary customer groups, including customers who resell our products as originally produced to the end consumer and other customers who use our products as part of their production process or use them as an ingredient in their final finished product. We have two reportable operating segments based on the different characteristics of our two primary customer groups: the Retail and Wholesale Products Group ("Retail and Wholesale" or "R&W") and the Business to Business Products Group ("Business to Business" or "B2B"), as described in Note 10 of the Notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Each operating segment is discussed individually below.

Quarterly net sales, gross profit and net income reached all-time highs in the three months ended October 31, 2024. Net sales grew across both the Retail and Wholesale Products Group and the Business to Business Products Group. Both operating segments grew due to higher volumes and favorable mix compared to the same period in fiscal year 2024. Consolidated net sales of $127.9 million increased $16.5 million, or 15%, in the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023. Gross margin grew to 32% for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to 28% for the three months ended October 31, 2023.

Despite higher SG&A and other expenses including tax, consolidated income from operations increased $8.0 million, or 61%, and net income increased $5.6 million, or 52%, for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023.

Our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of October 31, 2024 and our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended October 31, 2024 show an decrease in total cash and cash equivalents from fiscal year-end 2024. The decrease was driven primarily due to the use of cash in investing and financing activities which included capital expenditures, partial payment on our revolving credit facility, dividend payments and treasury stock repurchases. These were partially offset by positive cash flow from operations. Refer to the "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section below for more details.

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS

Consolidated net sales for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were $127.9 million, a 15% increase compared to net sales of $111.4 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. The increase was primarily driven by higher volumes and favorable mix in both our Business to Business and Retail and Wholesale product groups.

Total SG&A expenses of $19.6 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were higher by $1.8 million, or 10%, compared to $17.8 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. Corporate unallocated expenses remained flat year over year as the increase was driven by segments' SG&A. The discussion of the segments' operating incomes below describes the changes in SG&A expenses that were allocated to the operating segments.

Total other expenses, net were $1.0 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to $0.3 million in the same period of fiscal year 2024. The increase was mainly due to higher interest expenses an increase in the estimated landfill modification cost. Refer to Note 7 of the Notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details regarding the landfill modification accrual.

Consolidated net income before taxes for the three months ended October 31, 2024 was $20.2 million compared to $12.8 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. Results for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were driven by the factors discussed above.

We had tax expense of $3.8 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to $2.1 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. Our tax expense was driven primarily by higher net income. We used an estimated annual effective tax rate ("ETR") of 19% in determining our provision for income taxes, which is based on expected annual taxable income and the assessment of various tax adjustments, including depletion and discrete items.

BUSINESS TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP

Net sales of the Business to Business Products Group for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were $48.4 million, an increase of $9.3 million, or 24%, from net sales of $39.2 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023, driven by sales of our fluids purification and agricultural products. Net sales of our fluids purification products increased $8.2 million, or 37%, in the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023. The increase was primarily driven by new and growing demand in the renewable diesel business and, to a lesser extent, higher prices. Net sales increased in all regions except for our subsidiary in the U.K. which is further discussed below. Net sales of our agricultural and horticultural chemical carrier products increased $1.3 million, or 12%, for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023 as a result of stronger demand and, to a lesser extent, higher prices. The volume growth was primarily due to key customers who resumed purchasing after working through inventory surpluses. Net sales of our animal health & nutrition products decreased $0.2 million, or 3%, during the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to three months ended October 31, 2023. The decrease was driven by the Asia region (including China) and our subsidiary in Mexico, partially offset by higher sales in North America and Latin America. Net sales in Asia were down due to the sell off of existing inventory that occurred in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 as we transitioned to a master distributor in China. Net sales in Latin America grew due to higher demand of exiting and new customers specifically in Brazil while net sales in North America grew due to higher prices and, to a lesser extent, growth in demand.

SG&A expenses for the Business to Business Products Group increased by $0.7 million, or 20%, for the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023. The increase was mainly driven by a preliminary foreign value-added tax ("VAT") assessment and higher research and development costs.

The Business to Business Products Group’s operating income for the three months ended October 31, 2024 was $17.1 million, an increase of $6.0 million, or 54%, from operating income of $11.1 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. The increase in operating income was mostly driven by higher sales in our fluids purification and agricultural products.

RETAIL AND WHOLESALE PRODUCTS GROUP

Net sales of the Retail and Wholesale Products Group for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were $79.5 million, an increase of $7.3 million, or 10%, from net sales of $72.3 million for the three months ended October 31, 2023. This increase was mainly driven by sales of our new crystal cat litter products and stronger demand for our co-packaged cat litter and industrial products. Total global cat litter net sales for the three months ended October 31, 2024 increased $6.8 million, or 11%, compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023, driven primarily by sales of our new crystal cat litter products and higher demand in our co-packaged business partially offset by a decrease in our clay based cat litter sales. Net sales of co-packaged cat litter increased $2.1 million, or 78%, compared to the three months ended October 31, 2024 due to higher demand. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, a cyber-attack disrupted a key customer’s ability to place and receive orders, which negatively impacted sales of Oil-Dri’s co-packaged coarse litter. However, the cyber event boosted sales of the Oil-Dri’s branded and private label coarse items, and is currently influencing year-over-year comparisons for both domestic clay and co-packaged litter products. Although total domestic clay litter revenues declined, Oil-Dri continued to experience topline growth of its EPA-approved Cat’s Pride Antibacterial Clumping Litter which is currently sold at large brick and mortar and e-commerce retailers. In addition, new distribution of other clay products and accessories was achieved at new and existing customers. Net sales of cat litter by our subsidiary in Canada decreased slightly period over period, as discussed in "Foreign Operations" below. Net sales of our global industrial and sports products increased $0.4 million, or 4%, compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023, primarily driven by increased demand of our clay-based floor absorbent products by new and existing customers.

SG&A expenses for the Retail and Wholesale Products Group were $1.0 million, or 21%, higher during the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023, primarily due to higher compensation related costs, a credit reserve for several customer bankruptcies, amortization of the customer list acquired with Ultra Pet and higher research and development costs. These higher expenses were partially offset by lower advertising expense in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 compared to the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. We anticipate total advertising expense in fiscal year 2025 to be lower than fiscal year 2024.

The Retail and Wholesale Products Group's operating income for the three months ended October 31, 2024 was $13.4 million, an increase of $2.1 million, or 18%, from operating income of $11.3 million for three months ended October 31, 2023. This was driven primarily by higher volumes including new crystal cat litter sales, partially offset by elevated SG&A expenses, as discussed above.

FOREIGN OPERATIONS

Foreign operations include our subsidiaries in Canada and Netherlands, which are reported in the Retail and Wholesale Products Group, and our subsidiaries in the United Kingdom ("UK"), Mexico, China and Indonesia, which are reported in the Business to Business Products Group. Net sales by our foreign subsidiaries for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were $5.1 million, a decrease of 27%, compared to net sales of $7.0 million during the three months ended October 31, 2023. The decrease was driven mainly by our subsidiary in China and, to a lesser extent, all other subsidiaries. Net sales of our subsidiary in China decreased $1.7 million, or 100%, in the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the same period of fiscal year 2024 due to a sell-off of all existing inventory to a new master distributor, which occurred in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. Sales to China are now directly through the Company and not through our subsidiary in China. Total net sales of our subsidiary in Canada decreased $0.1 million, or 2%, in the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023, driven by softer sales volumes of cat litter partially offset by higher net sales of floor absorbents due to higher prices. Net sales of our subsidiaries in the UK and Mexico decreased slightly in the three months ended October 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended October 31, 2023. Net sales by our foreign subsidiaries represented 4% and 6% of our consolidated net sales for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Our foreign subsidiaries reported net loss of $0.2 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024, compared to net income of $0.6 million in the three months ended October 31, 2023. The decrease in net income was primarily driven by the decrease in China sales as well as the preliminary foreign VAT assessment recognized in the quarter.

Identifiable assets of our foreign subsidiaries as of October 31, 2024, were $9.2 million, compared to $8.7 million as of July 31, 2024.

The following table sets forth certain elements of our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):

Net cash provided by operating activities

In addition to net income, as adjusted for depreciation and amortization and other non-cash operating activities, the primary sources and uses of operating cash flows for the three months ended October 31, 2024 were as follows:

Accounts receivable, net of allowances increased by $9.0 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024. The increase in accounts receivable was driven primarily by higher net sales, offset by the level and timing of collections due to payment terms.

Inventory increased by $2.0 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024 due to the building of finished goods inventory to meet anticipated demand.

Prepaid expenses decreased by $2.2 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024. The decrease is mainly due to the timing of tax and insurance payments.

Excluding the impact of payments related to capital expenditures, accounts payable increased by $1.9 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024. The increase was mainly due to the timing of payments, cost of goods and services we purchase, production volume levels and vendor payment terms. In the three months ended October 31, 2024 there was a $3.0 million decrease in accounts payable related to capital expenditures recognized as cash used in investing activities

Excluding the impact of payments made related to capital expenditures, accrued expenses decreased $6.1 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024. The decrease was mainly due to the payout of annual bonuses and taxes, and other miscellaneous expenses which fluctuate due to timing of payments, changes in the cost of goods and services we purchase, production volume levels and vendor payment terms including freight. In the three months ended October 31, 2024 there was a $4.5 million decrease in accrued expenses related to capital expenditures recognized as cash used in investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash used in investing activities of $12.8 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024 was driven by capital expenditures. During the three months ended October 31, 2024 we continued to expand our plant equipment and improve our facilities to support increased demand for our products.

Net cash used in financing activities

Cash used in financing activities of $9.1 million in the three months ended October 31, 2024 was primarily driven by a $5 million payment of our borrowing under the Credit Agreement, as well as cash used for dividend payments and treasury stock repurchases.

Total cash balances held by our foreign subsidiaries of $4.7 million as of October 31, 2024 decreased compared to $4.5 million as of July 31, 2024. See further discussion in "Foreign Operations" above.

As of October 31, 2024, we had remaining authority to repurchase 368,902 shares of Common Stock and 244,113 shares of Class B Stock under a repurchase plan approved by our Board. Repurchases may be made on the open market (pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 plans or otherwise) or in negotiated transactions. The timing, number and manner of share repurchases will be determined by our management pursuant to the repurchase plan approved by our Board.

We believe that cash flow from operations, availability under our Note Agreement and revolving credit facility under our Credit Agreement, current cash balances and our ability to obtain other financing, if necessary, will provide sufficient liquidity for foreseeable working capital needs, capital expenditures at existing facilities, deferred compensation payouts, dividend payments and debt service obligations for at least the next 12 months.

We continually evaluate our liquidity position and anticipated cash needs, as well as the financing options available to obtain additional cash reserves. Our ability to fund operations, to make planned capital expenditures, to make scheduled debt payments and to remain in compliance with all financial covenants under debt agreements, including, but not limited to, the Credit Agreement, depends on our future operating performance, which, in turn, is subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors. The timing and size of any new business ventures or acquisitions that we complete may also impact our cash requirements.

This discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and in compliance with instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. The preparation of these financial statements requires the use of estimates and assumptions related to the reporting of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures. In preparing these financial statements, we have made our best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the financial statements. Estimates and assumptions are revised periodically. Actual results could differ from these estimates. See the information concerning our critical accounting policies included under "Management’s Discussion of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. These risks primarily include changes in commodity prices, interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, and duties and tariffs, along with the impact of inflation. We do not engage in financial transactions for trading or speculative purposes.

borrowing and investing, we do not expect changes in interest rates to have a material impact on our results of operations or financial position.

Management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act")) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The controls evaluation was conducted under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"). Based upon the controls evaluation, our CEO and CFO have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Our management, including the CEO and CFO, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Further, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of controls effectiveness to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.

Items 1, 3, and 5 of this Part II are either inapplicable or are answered in the negative and are omitted pursuant to the instructions to Part II of Form 10-Q.

During the three months ended October 31, 2024, we did not sell any securities which were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The following table summarizes our Common Stock purchases by or on behalf of the Company or any affiliated purchaser (as defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Exchange Act) during this period.

Our mining operations are subject to regulation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration under authority of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended. Information concerning mine safety violations or other regulatory matters required by section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K are included in Exhibit 95 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.