DLH (DLHC) 10-Q2024 Q1 Quarterly report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

 

(770) 554-3545

 

(unaudited, in thousands) 

(unaudited, in thousands, except for per share data) 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of DLH Holdings Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (together with its subsidiaries, "DLH" or the "Company" and also referred to as "we," "us" and "our"). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

Operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending September 30, 2024 or any future period. Amounts as of December 31, 2023 and for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 are unaudited. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 6, 2023.

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The most significant of these estimates and assumptions relate to estimating costs including overhead and its allocation, valuing and determining the amortization periods for long-lived intangible assets, interest rate swaps, stock-based compensation, and right-of-use assets and leases liabilities. We evaluate these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis and base our estimates on historical experience, current and expected future outcomes, third-party evaluations, and various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities as well as identifying and assessing the accounting treatment with respect to commitments and contingencies. We revise material accounting estimates if changes occur, such as more experience is acquired, additional information is obtained, or there is new information on which an estimate was or can be based. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The Company's revenues from contracts with customers are derived from offerings that include technology-enabled business process outsourcing, program management solutions, and public health research and analytics, substantially within the U.S. government and its agencies. The Company has various types of contracts including time-and-materials contracts, cost-reimbursable contracts, and firm-fixed-price contracts.

We consider a contract with a customer to exist when there is a commitment by both parties (customer and Company), payment terms are determinable, there is commercial substance, and collectability is probably in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") No. 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606").

We recognize revenue over time when there is a continuous transfer of control to our customer as performance obligations are satisfied. For our U.S. government contracts, this continuous transfer of control to the customer is transferred over time and revenue is recognized based on the extent of progress toward completion of the performance obligation. We consider control to transfer when we have a right to payment. In some instances, the Company commences providing services prior to formal approval to begin work from the customer. The Company considers these factors, the risks associated with commencing work, and legal enforceability in determining whether a contract exists under Topic 606.

Contract modification can occur throughout the life of the contract and can affect the transaction price, extend the period of performance, adjust funding, or create new performance obligations. We review each modification to assess the impact of these contract changes to determine if it should be treated as part of the original performance obligation or as a separate contract. Contract modifications impact performance obligations when the modification either creates new or changes the existing

enforceable rights and obligations. The effect of a contract modification on the transaction price and our measure of progress for the performance obligation to which it relates is recognized as an adjustment to revenue and profit cumulatively. Furthermore, a significant change in one or more estimates could affect the profitability of our contracts. We recognize adjustments in estimated profit on contracts in the period identified.

For service contracts, we satisfy our performance obligations as services are rendered. We use cost-based input and time-based output methods to measure progress based on the contract type.

Contract costs generally include direct costs such as labor, materials, subcontract costs, and indirect costs identifiable with or allocable to a specific contract. Costs are expensed as incurred and include an estimate of the contractual fees earned. Contract costs incurred for U.S. government contracts, including indirect costs, are subject to audit and adjustment by various government audit agencies. Historically, our adjustments have not been material.

 

The carrying amounts of the Company's cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, contract assets, accrued expenses, and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The fair values of the Company's debt instruments approximate fair value because the underlying interest rates approximate market rates that the Company could obtain for similar instruments at the balance sheet dates.

Our long-lived assets include equipment and improvements, intangible assets, right-of-use assets, and goodwill. The Company continues to review long-lived assets for possible impairment or loss of value at least annually, or more frequently upon the occurrence of an event or when circumstances indicate that a reporting unit's carrying amount is greater than its fair value.

Equipment and improvements are recorded at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful asset lives (3 to 7 years) and the shorter of the initial lease term or estimated useful life for leasehold improvements. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred. Intangible assets (other than goodwill) are originally recorded at fair value and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of 10 years.

Right-of-use assets are measured at the present value of future minimum lease payments, including all probable renewals, plus lease payments made to the lessor before or at lease commencement and indirect costs paid, less incentives received. Our right-of-use assets include long-term leases for facilities and equipment and are amortized over their respective lease terms.

The Company has leases for facilities and office equipment. Our lease liabilities are recognized as the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. Our lease payments consist of fixed and in-substance fixed amounts attributable to the use of the underlying asset over the lease term. Variable lease payments that do not depend on an index rate or are not in-substance fixed payments are excluded in the measurement of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities and are expensed in the period incurred. The incremental borrowing rate on our secured term loan is used in determining the present value of future minimum lease payments. Some of our lease agreements include options to extend the lease term or terminate the lease. These options are accounted for in our right-of-use assets and lease liabilities when it is reasonably certain that the Company will extend the lease term or terminate the lease. The Company does not have any finance leases.

The Company reviews goodwill for impairment on an annual basis and on a quarterly basis the Company assesses the impact of any macroeconomic changes that may impact the business conditions to determine if these changes have any adverse impact to goodwill. Notwithstanding this evaluation, factors including non-renewal of a major contract or other substantial changes in business conditions could have a material adverse effect on the valuation of goodwill in future periods and the resulting charge could be material to future periods’ results of operations. The Company determined that no change in business conditions occurred which would have a material adverse effect on the valuation of goodwill.

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the asset and liability method, whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities, using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reflected on the consolidated balance sheets when it is determined that it is more likely than not that the asset will be realized. This guidance also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We account for uncertain tax positions by recognizing the financial statement effects of a tax position only when, based upon the technical merits, it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination. We had no uncertain tax positions at either December 31, 2023 or September 30, 2023. We report interest and penalties as a component of provision for income taxes. During the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized no interest and no penalties related to income taxes.

Stock-based compensation expense for the portion of equity awards for which the requisite service has not been rendered is recognized as the requisite service is rendered. The stock-based compensation expense for that portion of awards has been based on the grant-date fair value of those awards as calculated for recognition purposes under applicable guidance. For options that vest based on the Company’s common stock achieving and maintaining defined market prices, the Company values the awards with a Monte Carlo method that utilizes various probability factors and other criterion in establishing fair value of the grant. The related compensation expense is recognized over the service period.

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. We maintain cash balances at financial institutions that are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000. Deposits held with financial institutions may exceed the $250,000 limit.

Receivables include amounts billed and currently due from customers where the right to consideration is unconditional and amounts unbilled. Both billed and unbilled amounts are non-interest bearing, unsecured, and recognized at an estimated realizable value that includes costs and fees, and are generally expected to be billed and received within a single year. We evaluate our receivables for expected credit losses on a quarterly basis and determine whether an allowance for expected credit losses is appropriate based on specific collection issues. No allowance for doubtful accounts was deemed necessary at either December 31, 2023 or September 30, 2023.

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding and restricted stock grants that vested or are likely to vest during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of basic common shares outstanding, adjusted to reflect potentially dilutive securities. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using the treasury stock method.

The Company periodically purchases its own common stock that is traded on public markets as part of announced stock repurchase programs. The repurchased common stock is classified as treasury stock on the consolidated balance sheets and held at cost. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company did not hold any treasury stock.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock with designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors up to an aggregate of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, the Company has not issued any preferred stock.

The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage interest rate risk associated with its variable debt. The Company's objective in using these interest rate derivatives is to manage its exposure to interest rate movements and reduce volatility of interest expense. The gains and losses due to changes in the fair value of the interest rate swap agreements completely offset changes in the fair value of the hedged portion of the underlying debt. Offsetting changes in fair value of both the interest rate swaps and the hedged portion of the underlying debt are recognized in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company does not hold or issue any derivative instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Management evaluates the impact of global markets and economic factors on our industry and the potential for adverse effects on the Company's consolidated financial position and its operations. As of December 31, 2023, there was no indication of any global or economic impacts to our industry.

The following table summarizes the contract balances recognized on the Company's consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

Contract assets are included as part of the accounts receivable on the consolidated balances sheets. Contract liabilities had no balance as of December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023.

We disaggregate our revenue from contracts with customers by customer, contract type, as well as whether the Company acts as prime contractor or subcontractor. We believe these categories best depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of our revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. The following series of tables present our revenue disaggregated by these categories:

Revenue by customer for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows (in thousands):

Revenue by contract type for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows (in thousands):

Revenue by whether the Company acts as a prime contractor or a subcontractor for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows (in thousands):

(a) The Company subleases a portion of one of its leased facilities. The sublease is classified as an operating lease with respect to the underlying asset. The sublease term is 5 years and includes two additional 1 year term extension options.

At December 31, 2023, the weighted-average remaining lease term and weighted-average discount rate are 6.2 years and 6.3%, respectively. The calculation of the weighted-average discount rate was determined based on borrowing terms from our secured term loan.

Other information related to our leases for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows (in thousands):

The following table summarizes accounts receivable presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

The following table summarizes other current assets presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

The change in the carrying amount of goodwill as follows presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

Amortization expense was $4.1 million and $2.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023, the estimated amortization expense per fiscal year as follows (in thousands):

At December 31, 2023, the weighted-average remaining amortization period in total was 8.1 years. At September 30, 2023, the weighted-average amortization period for customer contracts and related customer relationships, backlog, trade names and covenants not to compete was 8.0 years, 8.3 years, 8.4 years, 5.8 years, respectively.

The following table summarizes equipment and improvements, net presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

Depreciation and amortization expense was $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The following table summarizes accounts payable and accrued liabilities presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

The following table summarizes debt obligations presented on our consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023, we have satisfied mandatory principal payments on our secured term loan.

(a) As of December 31, 2023, the current portion comprises term loan amortization of $2.3 million and the $15.4 million outstanding balance on the secured revolving line of credit, net of $1.5 million of unamortized deferred financing costs.

    

The following table summarizes interest expense presented on our consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows (in thousands):

(a) Interest expense on borrowing.

(b) Amortization of expenses related to secured term loan and secured revolving line of credit.

The Credit Agreement requires compliance with a number of financial covenants and contains restrictions on our ability to engage in certain transactions. Among other matters, we must comply with limitations on: granting liens; incurring other indebtedness; maintenance of assets; investments in other entities and extensions of credit; mergers and consolidations; and changes in nature of business. The loan agreement also requires us to comply with certain quarterly financial covenants including: (i) a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.25 to 1.00, and (ii) a total leverage ratio not exceeding the ratio of 4.50:1.00 to 2.00:1.00 through maturity. The total leverage ratio is calculated by dividing the Company's total interest-bearing debt by net income adjusted to exclude (i) interest and other expenses, (ii) provision for income taxes (benefit) expense, if any, (iii) depreciation and amortization, and (iv) non-cash charges, losses or expenses, including stock-based compensation, and (v) non-recurring charges, losses or expenses to include transaction and non-cash equity expense. We are in compliance with all loan covenants and restrictions as of December 31, 2023.

We are required to pay quarterly amortization payments, which commenced in December 2022. The annual amortization amounts are $14.3 million each for fiscal years 2023 and 2024, $19.0 million each for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, and $23.75 million for fiscal year 2027, with the remaining unpaid loan balance due at maturity in December 2027. The quarterly payments are equal installments. The Company made voluntary prepayments of $10.8 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 bringing the outstanding principal balance on the secured term loan to $159.0 million. We have satisfied the mandatory principal payments through the end of fiscal 2024.

(b) The secured revolving line of credit has a ceiling of up to $70.0 million; as of December 31, 2023, we had unused borrowing capacity of $22.8 million, which is net of outstanding letters of credit. Borrowing on the secured revolving line of credit is secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of the Company. The Company accessed funds from the secured revolving line of credit during the year, which had a $15.4 million outstanding balance at December 31, 2023. As part of the secured revolving line of credit, the lenders agreed to a sublimit of $10.0 million for letters of credit for the account of the Company, subject to applicable procedures.

 

Options issued under equity incentive plans were designated as either an incentive stock or a non-statutory stock option. No option was granted with a term of more than 10 years from the date of grant. Exercisability of option awards may depend on achievement of certain performance measures determined by the Compensation Committee of our Board. Shares issued upon option exercise are newly issued shares. As of December 31, 2023, there were 0.8 million shares available for grant.

Stock-based compensation expense shown in the table below, is recorded in general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows (in thousands):

(a) Included in this amount are equity grants of restricted stock units ("RSU") to Executive Officers, which were issued in accordance with the DLH long-term incentive compensation policy in this fiscal year, including both RSU and stock option grants to employees during prior fiscal years. The RSUs issued and outstanding totaled 367,795 and 140,404 at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, 169,544 RSUs were granted to Executive Officers. Of the RSUs granted, 84,773 have performance-based vesting criteria and the remaining 84,771 have service-based vesting criteria. The RSUs granted during the three months ended December 31, 2023, were valued as follows using the Monte Carlo Method, and will be amortized over the 3-year measurement period.

(b) Equity grants of RSUs were made in accordance with DLH compensation policy for non-employee directors and a total of 61,525 and 53,510 restricted stock units were issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These grants have service-based vesting criteria and vest at the end of this fiscal year.

Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense is presented in the table below for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows (in thousands):

(a) On a weighted average basis, the unrecognized expense for the three months ended December 31, 2023 is expected to be recognized within the next 3.42 years.

(a) Certain awards vest upon satisfaction of certain performance criteria.

As a commercial enterprise and employer, the Company is subject to various claims and legal actions in the ordinary course of business. These matters can include professional liability, employment-relations issues, workers’ compensation, tax, payroll and employee-related matters, other commercial disputes arising in the course of its business, and inquiries and investigations by governmental agencies regarding our employment practices or other matters. The Company is not aware of any pending or threatened litigation that it believes is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

The Company has determined that for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 there were no significant related party transactions that have occurred which require disclosure through the date that these consolidated financial statements were issued.

Management has evaluated subsequent events through the date that the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, the Company has determined that no subsequent events have occurred which require disclosure through the date that these consolidated financial statements were issued.

 

 

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, and in other reports we have subsequently filed with the SEC. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain statements contained in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances or that are not statements of historical fact (including without limitation statements to the effect that the Company or its management “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “intends” and similar expressions) should be considered forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or DLH’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this report include, among others, statements regarding benefits of the acquisition, estimates of future revenues, operating income, earnings, earnings per share, backlog, and cash flows. These statements reflect our belief and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Our actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements made in this report due to a variety of factors, including: the failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of any future acquisition (including anticipated future financial operating performance and results); the diversion of management’s attention from normal daily operations of the business and the challenges of managing larger and more widespread operations; the inability to retain employees and customers; contract awards in connection with re-competes for present business and/or competition for new business; our ability to manage our increased debt obligations; compliance with bank financial and other covenants; changes in client budgetary priorities; government contract procurement (such as bid and award protests, small business set asides, loss of work due to organizational conflicts of interest, etc.) and termination risks; the impact of inflation and higher interest rates; an other risks described in our SEC filings. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, as well as interim quarterly filings thereafter. The forward-looking statements contained herein are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections about our industry and business. Such forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and may become outdated over time. The Company does not assume any responsibility for updating forward-looking statements.

We have invested in leading credentials and capabilities that we expect will deliver value to our customers. These investments include development of secure Information Technology ("IT") platforms; sophisticated data analytic tools and techniques; and implementation process improvement and quality assurance programs and techniques. We are actively pursuing additional credentials that will support our customers' ever evolving missions.

We primarily focus on improved deployment of large-scale health and defense initiatives for multiple agencies within the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS"), the Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA"), Department of Defense ("DoD"), and many of their sub-agencies.

We deliver services primarily through prime contracts awarded by the federal government through competitive bidding processes. We have a diverse mix of contract vehicles with various agencies of the federal government, which supports our overall corporate growth strategy. Our revenue is distributed to time and materials contracts (56.0%), firm fixed price contracts (23.8%), and cost reimbursable contracts (20.2%).

We provide the following services and solutions, which are aligned with the long-term needs of our customers:

Digital Transformation and Cyber Security

We provide critical digital transformation and cyber security solutions across the federal civilian and cyber defense communities, leveraging advanced technology to modernize obsolete systems, protect sensitive information, manage large datasets, and enhance operational efficiency. Our suite of tools includes artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud enablement, cybersecurity ecosystem, big data analytics, and modeling and simulation.

IT modernization and cyber security maturity are priority initiatives throughout our customer set. Our customers, including numerous institutes and centers within the National Institutes of Health ("NIH"), the Defense Health Agency ("DHA"), Tele-medicine and Advanced Technology Research Center ("TATRC"), and US Navy Naval Information Warfare Center ("NIWC"), rely on our information technology support to enable their vital missions. We work with these customers to reduce risk and build resilience to cyber and physical threats to the federal government’s infrastructure, providing the full spectrum of cyber capabilities, cryptographic and true cyber engineering, Certified Information Security Officer ("CISO") / Information System Security Officer ("ISSO") support, risk management frameworks, Continuity of Operations ("COOP") / Disaster Recovery, and enterprise infrastructure and cloud governance focused on designing and implementing zero trust architecture.

Science Research and Development

We advance scientific knowledge and understanding through our extensive research portfolio and domain expertise. We primarily provide large-scale data analytics, testing and evaluation, clinical trials research services, and epidemiology studies to support multiple operating divisions within HHS, including NIH and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"), as well as the Military Health System.

System Engineering and Integration

Our employees specialize in delivering engineering solutions that support our customers' evolving needs by rapidly deploying resources, solutions, and services. This includes specialized engineering expertise, encompassing areas of pharmaceutical

delivery logistics, fire protection engineering, biomedical equipment, and technology engineering on behalf of the VA, NIWC, HHS and other federal customers.

Major Customers

The revenue attributable to the VA was derived from 16 separate contracts covering the Company's performance of pharmacy and logistics services in support of the VA's Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy ("CMOP") program.

At December 31, 2023, our backlog was approximately $653.5 million, of which $132.3 million was funded backlog. At September 30, 2023, our backlog was approximately $704.8 million, of which $169.9 million was funded backlog.

We define backlog as our estimate of remaining future revenue from existing signed contracts, assuming the exercise of all options relating to such contracts and including executed task orders issued under Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Delivery ("IDIQ") contracts or if the contract is a single award IDIQ contract.

We define funded backlog as the portion of backlog for which funding is appropriated and allocated to the contract by the customer and authorized for payment by the customer, once specified work is completed. Funded backlog does not include the full contract value as Congress often appropriates funding for contracts on a yearly or quarterly basis.

Circumstances and events may cause changes in the amount of our backlog and funded backlog, including the execution of new contracts, extension of existing contracts, non-renewal or completion of current contracts, early termination, and adjustments to estimates. Changes in funded backlog may be affected by the funding cycles of the government. While no assurances can be given that existing contracts will result in earned revenue in any future period, or at all, our major customers have historically exercised their contractual renewal options.

Backlog value is quantified from management's judgment and assumptions about the volume of services based on past volume trends and current planning developed with customers.

Our mission is to expand our position as a trusted provider of technology-enabled healthcare and public health services, medical logistics, and readiness enhancement services to active duty personnel, veterans, and civilian populations and communities. Our primary focus within the defense agency markets includes cyber security, military service members' and veterans' requirements for telehealth services, behavioral healthcare, medication therapy management, process management, clinical systems support, and healthcare delivery. Our primary focus within the civilian agency markets includes digital transformation, IT modernization, healthcare and social programs delivery and readiness. These include compliance monitoring on large scale programs, technology-enabled program management, consulting, and digital communications solutions ensuring that education, health, and social standards are being achieved within underserved and at-risk populations. We believe these business development priorities will position the Company to expand within top national priority programs and funded areas.

The President’s budget proposal for fiscal year ("FY") 2024 outlines many initiatives that include investments to rebuild our country’s physical infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, combat inflation, expand economic opportunity, respond to the changing climate, sustain and strengthen national defense, and bolster America's public health infrastructure. Specifically, the investment in public health infrastructure involves improving the nation’s readiness for future pandemics and other biological threats, expanding access to vaccines and healthcare, and defeating diseases and epidemics such as, but not limited to, the opioid and HIV/AIDS epidemics. The budget's initiatives are further reflected in the budget requests for the HHS, VA, and DoD.

While Congress has not completed the final appropriation bills for the government’s 2024 fiscal year, the Company continues to believe that its key programs benefit from bipartisan support and does not expect a material impact on its current business base from budget negotiations. If the appropriations bills are not timely enacted, government agencies operate under a continuing resolution ("CR"), which may negatively impact our business due to delays in new program starts, delays in contract award decisions, and other factors. On January 19, 2024, the President signed a CR providing funds to the federal government through March 1, 2024 for several agencies and through March 8, 2024 for the remaining. When a CR expires, unless appropriations bills have been passed by Congress and signed by the President, or a new CR is passed and signed into law, the government must cease operations, or shutdown, except in certain emergency situations or when the law authorizes continued activity. We continuously review our operations in an attempt to identify programs potentially at risk from CRs so that we can consider appropriate contingency plans.

The Federal government has an overall goal of 23% of prime contracts flowing through small businesses. As previously reported, various agencies within the federal government have policies that support small business goals, including the adoption of the “Rule of Two” by the VA, which provides that the agency shall award contracts by restricting competition for the contract to service-disabled or other veteran-owned businesses. To restrict competition pursuant to this rule, the contracting officer must reasonably expect that at least two of these businesses, which are capable of delivering the services, will submit offers and that the award can be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the U.S, When two qualifying small businesses cannot be identified, the VA may proceed to award contracts following a full and open bid process.

The Company believes that its past performance in this market and track record of success provide a competitive advantage. However, the effect of set-aside provisions may limit our ability to compete for prime contractor positions on programs that we recompete or that we have targeted for growth. In these cases, the Company may elect to join a team with an eligible contractor as prime for specific pursuits that align with our core markets and corporate growth strategy.

 

The following table summarizes results operations for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows (in thousands except for per share amounts, and percentage of revenue):

 

 

Contract costs primarily include the costs associated with providing services to our customers. These costs are generally comprised of direct labor and associated fringe benefit costs, subcontract cost, other direct costs, and the related management and infrastructure costs. For the three months ended December 31, 2023, contract costs increased by approximately $21.8 million primarily due to the December 2022 acquisition.

  

 

Interest expense, net, includes interest expense on the Company's term loan and amortization of deferred financing costs on debt obligations. For the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, interest expense, net was approximately $4.7 million and $1.8 million, respectively. The increase in interest expense was primarily due to the borrowing required to finance the December 2022 acquisition.

A summary of the change in cash is presented below for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as follows (in thousands):

Cash flows from operations totaled approximately $5.1 million and $8.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in cash from operations was principally due to a decrease in accounts payable.

We used $0.2 million and $180.3 million of cash in investing activities during the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The cash utilized in the prior fiscal year period was predominantly due to the December 2022 acquisition.

Cash used in and provided by financing activities during the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were approximately $5.0 million and $173.5 million, respectively. The cash used in the three months ended December 31, 2023 was principally due to retiring outstanding term debt while in the three months ended December 31, 2022 the cash provided was to finance the December 2022 acquisition.

A summary of our credit facilities for the period ended December 31, 2023 is as follows (in thousands):