Virco Manufacturing Corporation
04/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/08/2026 11:07
Annual Report for Fiscal Year Ending January 31, 2026 (Form 10-K)
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Executive Overview of Operating Results
Virco Mfg. Corporation is the nation's largest domestic manufacturer and distributor of Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment ("FF&E") for the education (K-12) market. The Company's operating model and unique market differs in several ways from the traditional furniture industry model. The furniture industry is traditionally structured around furniture manufacturers that sell to end customers through dealership networks. These dealership networks can be aligned with one manufacturer or open to
multiple manufacturers. Virco is one of the few domestic manufacturers of school furniture that call on and sell direct to school customers, with approximately 75% to 85% of sales being direct to customers.
The markets that Virco serves include the education market (the Company's primary market), which is made up of public and private schools (preschool through 12th grade), junior and community colleges, four-year colleges and universities and trade, technical and vocational schools. Virco also serves convention centers and arenas; the hospitality industry, with respect to their banquet and meeting facilities; government facilities at the federal, state, county and municipal levels; and places of worship. In addition, the Company sells to wholesalers, distributors, retailers, catalog retailers, and internet retailers that serve these same markets. These institutions are frequently characterized by extreme seasonality and/or a bid-based purchasing function. The Company's business model, which is designed to support this strategy, is highly integrated. The Company markets and sells direct to the schools and provides project management and logistics. Approximately 80% of sales are delivered FOB destination.
As part of this integrated business model, the Company has developed several competencies to enable superior service to the markets in which Virco competes. Virco's sales force is supported by a project management team which includes field-based project specialists, in-house interior designers, project management specialists, purchasing specialists, and field service supervisors. The project management team and the sales force utilize the Company's proprietary PlanSCAPE®software in conjunction with Building Information Modeling when preparing complete package solutions for the FF&E segment of bond-funded public school construction projects. The PlanSCAPE® software supports classroom by classroom product selection, product specification, pricing, and furniture delivery including delivery to and turnkey classroom setup. PlanSCAPE®software also enables the entire Virco sales force to prepare quotations for less complicated projects. An important element of Virco's business model is the Company's emphasis on developing and maintaining key manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, delivery, project management and service capabilities. The Company has developed a comprehensive product offering for the FF&E needs of the K-12 education market, enabling a school to procure all of its FF&E requirements from one source.
China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 had a severe impact on the industry, with most furniture manufacturers closing their domestic fabrication facilities and importing components or finished goods from China. This also enabled dealers and resellers to bypass domestic sources and purchase direct from China for domestic distribution. During this time Virco retained its domestic fabrication facilities. Today these facilities are substantially depreciated on our books but extremely well maintained, automated where cost effective, and fully operational. Recent economic events, in some cases accelerated by COVID, tariffs, volatility in both cost and availability of ocean freight, and other extended supply chain challenges have made our domestic manufacturing footprint a significant competitive advantage compared to companies which import finished products.
Furniture sold into the educational market is characteristically heavy, bulky, and logistically challenging compared to other markets significantly impacted by imports.
The market for school furniture is traditionally seasonal, with approximately 50% of annual sales occurring in the months of June, July, and August. The Company has traditionally met the seasonal needs with significant overtime and by hiring seasonal temporary labor. During fiscal 2021, the demand for school furniture declined primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, order rates declined by 20%, and the Company reduced production levels. Because of the traditional dependence on temporary seasonal labor, the Company was able to reduce seasonal hiring to match production to demand. The Company did not sever any of its full-time employees during the pandemic.
In the prior fiscal year, the Company benefited from a large series of disaster recovery orders that were received at the end of fiscal 2024 and the first quarter of fiscal 2025. During fiscal 2025, the Company shipped and recognized revenue related to these orders of approximately $23.0 million. These shipments positively affected the Company's traditional seasonal cycle, with positive impacts on production, overhead absorption, accounts receivable, collections, as well as lower borrowings to support that inventory. This project was substantially completed at the end of fiscal year 2025. The Company believes that the timing and related positive impacts of this project were non-recurring and that more typical seasonal and financial patterns are likely to return moving forward.
Following a downturn during the COVID pandemic, order rates recovered during fiscal 2022, 2023, and 2024. Initially, the Company had difficulty sourcing adequate new permanent and temporary workers. The Company remedied this by providing significant raises to its hourly work force, and for fiscal years 2023 - 2026 our ability to support the seasonal business model returned to pre-COVID capabilities, with the Company delivering 47% - 49% of annual revenue during June, July, and August.
Virco's product offering consists primarily of items manufactured by Virco, complemented with products sourced from other furniture manufacturers to fill any gaps in product manufactured by the Company. The Company has served the education industry for over 76 years and over this time developed products to address a variety of classroom management trends, from collaborative learning to individual and combination desks facilitating distancing and classroom control. The pandemic caused a noticeable change in the types of products requested by educators. In fiscal 2021, we experienced an increase in the demand for individual desks. In fiscal 2022, demand began to return to products supporting collaborative learning. This trend continued
through fiscal 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Our product offerings are continually enhanced with an ongoing new product development program that incorporates internally developed products as well as product lines developed with accomplished designers. Finally, management continues to hone Virco's ability to forecast, finance, manufacture, warehouse, deliver and install furniture within the relatively narrow delivery window associated with the highly seasonal demand for education sales. The educational sales market is extremely seasonal. In fiscal 2025 and 2026, approximately 50% of the Company's total sales were delivered in June, July, and August. During periods of traditional seasonality, average weekly shipments during July and August can be as great as six times the level of average weekly shipments in the winter months. Virco's substantial warehouse space allows the Company to build and ship adequate inventories to service this narrow delivery window for the education market.
The budgetary pressures directly impact the demand for the Company's products, as the demand for educational furniture largely depends upon: (1) available funding in a school's general operating fund and (2) the completion of bond-funded projects, which is directly impacted by the amount of bond financing issued to fund new school construction, to renovate older schools, and to fully equip new and renovated schools.
We believe that a significant majority, approximately 80-85%, of a typical school's operating budget is for the salaries and benefits for school teachers and administrators. Increasing costs for medical insurance, combined with pressures from unfunded post-retirement medical and pension obligations reduces funds available for other purposes. In response to these budgetary pressures, schools typically elect to retain teachers and spend less on repairs, maintenance, and replacement furniture, which in turn reduces the demand for, and sales of, the Company's products.
The significant budgetary challenges faced by the education industry have had an impact on the Company's business model over this time frame and have created opportunities as well. In response to their budgetary challenges, many school districts closed warehouses and reduced janitorial and support staff in order to retain accredited teachers. Selling efforts must now reach school principals and administrative staff in addition to the district business offices. Sales priced under national contracts or buying groups are displacing competitive bids administered by professional purchasing departments. Distribution and service has become a more meaningful component of our business as most deliveries are to school sites, and over 50% include delivery into the classroom. This evolution adds to the seasonal challenges of our business, but also creates opportunities to suppliers that can execute during the short summer delivery window.
The Company's operating results can be impacted significantly by cost and volatility of commodities, especially steel, plastic, wood, and energy. The majority of the Company's sales are generated under annual contracts in which the Company can raise the price of its products once every six months and only on future orders. If the costs of the Company's raw materials increase suddenly or unexpectedly, the Company cannot be certain that it will be able to implement immediate corresponding increases in its sales prices in order to offset such increased costs. The Company moderates this exposure by building significant quantities of finished goods and component parts during the first and second quarters. In fiscal 2023, the cost of commodities was volatile, but not as severe as experienced in 2022. Increased selling prices covered increases in commodity prices during fiscal 2023. In 2025 and 2026, the Company increased selling prices in anticipation of additional cost increases. The cost of materials in 2025 and 2026 were reasonably stable compared to the volatility in prior years - especially the years impacted by COVID.
Approximately 80% of Virco's sales include freight to the customer facility and the cost or availability of transportation equipment can adversely impact both profitability and customer service. Significant cost increases in manufacturing or distributing products during a given contract period can adversely impact operating results and have done so during prior years. The Company typically benefits from any decreases in raw material or distribution costs under the contracts described above.
Beginning in 2025, the United States implemented and proposed significant changes to trade policies, including broad-based tariffs on imports from certain countries and product categories under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA"). These actions included tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as higher tariffs on steel, aluminum, and certain manufactured goods, including furniture. As a result, U.S. tariff rates increased to their highest levels in decades. Tariffs have also been used as a policy tool in trade negotiations and in connection with broader geopolitical objectives. These tariffs are expected to increase the cost of imported components and materials during fiscal 2027. Although the Company increased product prices in fiscal 2026 and 2027 to offset higher costs, it may not be able to fully pass through increases in raw materials, transportation, and energy, including steel and plastics.
On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, striking down certain tariffs previously imposed under the IEEPA. The ultimate availability, timing, and amount of any potential refunds of such tariffs remain highly uncertain and are subject to further legal, regulatory, and administrative developments. Following the Supreme Court's decision, the Trump Administration implemented a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, effective February 24, 2026 for a period of 150 days. There remains substantial uncertainty regarding the duration of existing and newly announced tariffs, potential changes or pauses to such tariffs, tariff levels, and whether further additional tariffs or other retaliatory actions may be imposed, modified, or suspended, and the impacts of such actions on our business. We
continue to monitor and evaluate these developments and assess their potential impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has contributed to volatility in crude oil and natural gas markets. Because many plastic resins are petroleum- and natural gas-based, disruptions in these markets may reduce supply availability and increase material costs. Energy price volatility may also increase transportation and logistics costs. The Company is uncertain as to the impact this conflict might have on its cost of goods sold and margins.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill ("OBBB") Act, which includes a broad range of tax reform provisions, was signed into law in the United States. FASB Topic 740, Income Taxes, requires the effects of tax law changes to be recognized in the period of enactment. As the legislation was signed into law before the close of the second quarter, the impacts are included in the Company's operating results for fiscal 2026. Among other provisions, the OBBB repealed the capitalization of domestic research and development expenditures, extended bonus depreciation on fixed assets, and reduced the deduction rate on foreign-derived deduction eligible income and income from non-U.S. subsidiaries. These provisions did not have a material impact on the Company's effective tax rate and deferred tax assets in fiscal year ended January 31, 2026 and are not expected to have a material impact on future periods.
While the Company anticipates challenging economic conditions to continue to impact its core customer base in the near term, there are certain underlying demographics, customer responses and changes in the competitive landscape that provide opportunities. First, the underlying demographics of the student population are relatively stable compared to the volatility of school budgets and the related impact on furniture and equipment purchases. This volatility is attributable to the financial health of the school systems. Virco management believes that there is a pent-up demand for quality school furniture (though it is unclear when and to what extent that pent-up demand will be converted into a meaningful increase in purchases). Second, management believes that parents and voters will make quality education an ongoing priority for future government spending. The disruption related to COVID-19 school closures reinforced the need for learning in classroom settings. Third, many schools have responded to the budget strains by reducing their support infrastructure. This change provides opportunities to provide services to schools, such as project management for new or renovated schools, delivery to individual school sites rather than truckload deliveries to central warehouses, and delivery of furniture into classrooms. Moreover, this change offers opportunities for Virco to promote its complete product assortment which allows one-stop shopping as opposed to sourcing furniture needs from a variety of suppliers. Fourth, many suppliers previously shut down or dramatically curtailed their domestic manufacturing capabilities, making it difficult for competitors to adapt to dynamic fluctuations in demand or provide custom colors or finishes during a narrow seasonal summer delivery window when they are reliant upon a supply chain extending to Asia or elsewhere. Meanwhile, Virco has continued to invest in automation at its domestic manufacturing facilities, adding flat metal forming processes to its manufacturing capabilities and bringing production into its factories of items formerly sourced from other suppliers (both domestic and international). Domestic production facilitates our product development process, enabling the Company to more rapidly develop new products, release extensions of product families, and offer customized variants of our product offerings. Virco views its domestic factories as a strategic resource for providing its customers with timely delivery of a broad selection of colors, finishes, laminates, and product styles. Finally, many of our domestic competitors, especially small dealerships, may be undercapitalized and less capable of supporting the significant seasonal nature of our business. We believe that our financial strength, which allows us to build material quantities of inventory in advance of the summer delivery season, is a significant competitive advantage.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
This discussion and analysis of Virco's financial condition and results of operations is based upon the Company's consolidated financial statements ("financial statements"), which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires Virco management to make estimates and judgments that affect the Company's reported assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Certain of these estimates are considered critical accounting estimates (slow-moving and obsolete inventories). On an ongoing basis, management evaluates estimates, including those related to valuation of inventory and related slow-moving and obsolete inventories, self-insured retention for workers' compensation insurance and estimates related to deferred tax assets and liabilities. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. This forms the basis of judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include the factors discussed above under "Item 1A. Risk Factors", and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Virco's critical accounting policies and estimates are as follows:
Slow-Moving and Obsolete Inventories: Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value (determined on a first-in, first-out ("FIFO") basis and include material, labor, and factory overhead. The Company records valuation adjustments for the excess cost of the inventory over its estimated net realizable value. Valuation adjustments for slow-moving and obsolete inventory involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. Valuation adjustments for slow-moving and obsolete inventory are calculated using an estimated percentage applied to inventories based on a physical inspection of the product in connection
with a physical inventory, a review of slow-moving products and component stage, inventory category, historical and forecasted consumption of sales, and consideration of active marketing programs. The market for educational furniture is traditionally driven by value, and the Company has not typically incurred material obsolescence expenses. If market conditions are less favorable than those anticipated by management, additional valuation adjustments may be required. The Company records the cost of excess capacity as a period expense, not as a component of capitalized inventory valuation.
While we believe that adequate adjustments for inventory obsolescence have been made in the consolidated financial statements, our obsolescence adjustments calculations contain estimates that require management to make assumptions based on several factors, including market conditions, the selling environment, historical results, supply-chain environment, current inventory trends and customer behavior. There have been no changes to our policies for establishing adjustments throughout the year, and we do not expect significant changes to our historical obsolescence levels. A 10% increase in our year-end inventory adjustments would decrease our net income by approximately $400,000, on an after-tax basis. The net income would increase by similar amounts if the inventory adjustments were to decrease by a comparable percentage. As of January 31, 2026 and January 31, 2025, our inventory obsolescence adjustments were $5.0 million and $5.6 million, respectively, representing 8.1% and 9.1%, respectively, of our inventories on a FIFO basis.
Self-Insured Retention: For fiscal 2026 and 2025, the Company was self-insured for product liability losses up to $250,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation losses up to $250,000 per occurrence, and auto and general liability losses up to $50,000 per occurrence. The Company obtains quarterly or semi-annual actuarial valuations for the self-insured retentions. Product liability, workers' compensation, and auto reserves for known and unknown incurred but not reported ("IBNR") losses are recorded at the net present value of the estimated losses using a risk-free discount rate of 4.0% for fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025. Given the relatively short term over which the known losses and IBNR losses are discounted, the sensitivity to the discount rate is not significant. Estimated workers' compensation and auto losses (including IBNR) were funded during the insurance year and subject to retroactive loss adjustments. The Company's exposure to self-insured retentions varies depending upon the market conditions in the insurance industry and the availability of cost-effective insurance coverage. Self-insured retentions for fiscal 2027 will be comparable to the retention levels for fiscal 2026.
Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities: In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of its deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income or reversal of deferred tax liabilities during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. As a part of this evaluation, the Company assesses all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, the availability of tax carry backs, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations (including cumulative income (losses) in recent years), to determine whether sufficient future taxable income will be generated to realize existing deferred tax assets.
At January 31, 2026, the Company recorded a partial valuation allowance of $231,000 on certain state net operating losses ("NOLs") to reduce the carrying amount of deferred tax assets to an amount that is more-likely-than-not to be realized. The net change in the valuation allowance for the year ended January 31, 2026, was a decrease of $5,000. At January 31, 2026, the Company has no NOLs for U.S. federal tax purposes and $8.2 million for state income tax purposes, expiring at various dates through January 31, 2045.
The amount of the deferred tax asset considered realizable could be adjusted if the Company's actual results in the future do not generate taxable income that is sufficient to allow the Company to utilize its deferred tax assets. The Company's future taxable income projections are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and could be impacted, both positively and negatively, by changes in our business or the markets in which we operate. A change in the assessment of the realizability of our deferred tax assets could materially impact our results of operations.
Results of Operations (fiscal 2026 vs. 2025)
Financial Highlights
The Company earned a pre-tax profit of $3.5 million on net sales of $199.7 million for fiscal 2026, compared to pre-tax profit of $28.4 million on net sales of $266.2 million in fiscal 2025. Net income per diluted share was $0.16 for fiscal 2026, compared to $1.32 per diluted share in the prior year. Cash flow used in operations was $0.8 million in fiscal 2026, compared to cash provided by operations of $33.1 million in fiscal 2025.
Net Sales
Virco's net sales decreased by 25.0% in fiscal 2026 to $199.7 million compared to $266.2 million in fiscal 2025. In fiscal 2025 the Company benefited from a large series of one-time, disaster recovery counter-seasonal shipments that resulted in approximately $23.0 million of additional shipments. These deliveries positively affected the Company's traditional cycle in the prior year, with positive impacts on production, overhead absorption, accounts receivable, collections, and reductions in
inventory, as well as lower borrowings to support that inventory. Excluding this non-recurring event, net sales for fiscal 2026 decreased approximately 18%, driven by the current dynamic macroeconomic environment and uncertainty surrounding the government's budget and spending levels, which adversely affected the demand for the Company's products.
The Company has effectively increased selling prices under its largest contracts to recover volatile commodity, energy, freight, and labor costs incurred in recent years. The Company does not anticipate material margin growth as recent price increases have restored profitability. As we have gone through this economic cycle, the Company continues to focus on strategies to develop and strengthen its brand with emphasis on product quality, product selection, and service. We will continue to use our domestic factories to provide greater flexibility for custom specifications such as laminates, colors, and on-time delivery. The Company will continue to emphasize product value, design and variety; the strength of its distribution and delivery network; its classroom delivery and project management capabilities; and the importance of timely delivery during peak seasonal periods. To increase or maintain market share during fiscal 2027, when market conditions warrant, the Company may selectively compete based on direct prices. Estimates of sales volume for the next year may continue to be impacted by global events.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales was 59.3% of net sales in fiscal 2026 and 56.9% of net sales in fiscal 2025. Gross margin in fiscal 2026 was 40.7% compared to 43.1% in the prior year. Gross margin declined in the current year primarily due to lower sales volume combined with a decline in production levels, partially offset by sales price increases and a slight reduction in manufacturing spending. The Company reduced production levels in order to maintain control over inventory levels.
The material portion of our costs as a percentage of sales was 31.8% of net sales in fiscal 2026 and 33.2% of net sales in fiscal 2025. This was the result of changes to product mix, as business shifted to a higher percentage of full service deliveries. Full service delivery orders are more service oriented and as such the associated expenses are recorded in Selling, General and Administrative instead of Cost of Sales.
During fiscal 2027, the Company anticipates continued uncertainty and volatility in commodity costs, particularly with respect to certain raw materials, transportation, energy, and tariffs due to potential macroeconomic events. The Company also anticipates continued and possibly increased supply chain disruptions from both domestic and international suppliers. Due in part to volatile transportation and energy costs, we may incur higher commodity costs in fiscal 2027. For more information, please see the section below entitled "Inflation and Future Change in Prices."
Selling, General and Administrative and Other Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A") for fiscal 2026 decreased by $9.2 million to $77.6 million from $86.8 million. The decrease in SG&A was primarily due to lower variable selling expenses related to the overall decline in sales volume. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales were 38.9% compared to 32.6% last year. This was the result of changes to product mix, as business shifted to a higher percentage of full service deliveries. Full service delivery orders are more service oriented and as such the associated expenses are recorded in SG&A instead of cost of sales. Additionally, a certain portion of SG&A expense is fixed in nature and as such does not fluctuate with sales volume.
Pension expense decreased due to increased discount rates and higher expected return on plan assets. Discount rates decreased from approximately 5.6% in fiscal 2025 to a range of 3.9% - 5.4% in fiscal 2026. Expected return on plant assets increased from approximately 5.2% in fiscal 2025 to approximately 5.6% in fiscal 2026. Interest expense was $49,000 lower in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025 because of decreased levels of borrowing.
Provision for Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate was 25.8% for fiscal 2026, and is based on recurring factors, including the forecasted mix of income before taxes in various jurisdictions, estimated permanent differences and the recording of a partial valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets. The OBBB did not have a material impact on the Company's effective income tax rate for fiscal 2026, which the Company believes is representative of rates that will affect fiscal 2027.
Valuation allowances of $231,000 are needed for certain state net operating loss carryforwards to reduce the carrying amount of deferred tax assets to an amount that is more-likely-than-not to be realized. At January 31, 2026, the Company has no operating loss carryforwards for U.S. federal, and $8.2 million for state income tax purposes, expiring at various dates through January 31, 2045.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes cash flow information for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2026 and 2025:
| January 31, | |||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||
| (In thousands) | |||||||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities | $ | (841) | $ | 33,128 | |||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (5,735) | (5,563) | |||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (5,854) | (5,984) | |||||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash | $ | (12,430) | $ | 21,581 | |||||||
Operating activities.Our cash flows from operating activities are primarily collections from the sale and distribution of furniture to our customers in the education market. Net cash (used in) provided by operations was $(0.8) million in fiscal 2026 and $33.1 million in fiscal 2025. The change in cash from operating activities was primarily attributable to the decrease in net income and the change in cash used in accounts payable and accrued liabilities.
Investing activities. Our net investments primarily consist of investments in our factories and technology to support our business activities. There were no material commitments for capital expenditures as of January 31, 2026.
Financing activities. Our financing activities primarily consist of payment of cash dividends and repurchases of Company stock.
Due to the seasonal nature of our business, the Company maintains a line of credit to support seasonal working capital needs and typically repays seasonal borrowings at the conclusion of the peak summer season. During fiscal 2026, the Company did not have any borrowings under the line of credit and used cash flows from operations to fund its operating and investing activities.
Inflation and Future Change in Prices
We commit to annual contracts that determine selling prices for goods and services for periods of six months and occasionally longer. Though the Company has negotiated flexibility under many of these contracts that may allow the Company to increase prices on future orders, the Company may not have the ability to raise prices on orders received prior to any announced price increase. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, the Company may receive significant orders during the first and second quarters for delivery in the second and third quarters. With respect to any of the contracts described above, if the costs of providing our products or services increase between the date the orders are received and the shipping date, we may not be able to implement corresponding increases in our sales prices for such products or services to offset the related increased costs. During fiscal 2026 and 2025 the cost of commodities was reasonably stable.
For fiscal 2027, the Company anticipates potential volatility in costs, particularly with respect to energy and transportation costs, as well as imported components from China, freight from China, certain raw materials including steel, and potential impacts of escalating labor costs. Anticipated adverse volatility for fiscal 2027 could be severe in light of global supply chain and economic sanctions, tariffs imposed or threatened on imported commodities and other disruptions affecting our suppliers. There is continued uncertainty with respect to steel and other raw material costs, including plastics, which are affected by the price of oil. Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has contributed to volatility in crude oil and natural gas markets. Because many plastic resins are petroleum- and natural gas-based, disruptions in these markets may reduce supply availability and increase material costs. Energy price volatility may also increase transportation and logistics costs, in the form of increased operation costs for our fleet, and surcharges on freight paid to third-party carriers. Virco depends upon third-party carriers for more than 90% of customer deliveries. Recent regulations and more stringent enforcement of federal regulations governing the transportation industry (especially regarding drivers) have adversely impacted the cost and availability of freight services. Virco expects to incur continued pressure on employee compensation and benefit costs. The Company has renewed health insurance contracts for its employees through December 2026, but costs after that date may be adversely impacted by current legislation, claim costs and industry consolidation.
To recover the cumulative impact of increased costs, the Company has increased published list prices for fiscal 2027. Due to current economic conditions, the Company anticipates increased price competition in fiscal 2027 and may not be able to raise prices further in response to increased commodity costs without risk of losing market share. As a portion of Virco's business is obtained through competitive bids, the Company is carefully considering material and transportation costs as part of the bidding process. The Company is working to control and reduce costs by improving production and distribution methodologies,
investigating new packaging and shipping materials, and searching for new sources of purchased components and raw materials.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working Capital Requirements
Virco addresses liquidity and working capital requirements in the context of short-term seasonal requirements and long-term capital requirements of the business. The Company's core business of selling furniture to publicly-funded educational institutions is extremely seasonal. The seasonal nature of this business permeates most of Virco's operational, capital and financing decisions.
The Company's working capital requirements during and in anticipation of the peak summer season oblige management to make estimates and judgments that affect Virco's assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Management expends a significant amount of time during the year, and especially in the fourth quarter of the prior year and first quarter of current year, developing a production plan and estimating the number of employees, the amount of raw materials and the types of components and products that will be required during the peak season. If management underestimates any of these requirements, Virco's ability to fill customer orders on a timely basis or to provide adequate customer service may be diminished. If management overestimates any of these requirements, the Company may be required to absorb higher storage, labor, and related costs, each of which may affect profitability. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates such estimates, including those related to market demand, labor costs and inventory levels, and continually strives to improve Virco's ability to correctly forecast business requirements during the peak season each year.
As part of Virco's efforts to address seasonality, financial performance, and quality without sacrificing service or market share, management has been refining the Company's assemble-to-ship ("ATS") operating model. ATS is Virco's version of mass-customization, which assembles standard, stocked components into customized configurations before shipment. The Company's ATS program reduces the total amount of inventory and working capital needed to support a given level of sales. It does this by increasing the inventory's versatility, delaying assembly until the last moment, and reducing the amount of warehouse space needed to store finished goods. In order to provide "one-stop shopping" for all FF&E needs, Virco purchases and re-sells certain finished goods from other furniture manufacturers. When practical, these furniture items are drop shipped from the Company's supplier. Where cost effective, the Company will bring the item into the Virco warehouse, and the third-party products will be shipped along with products manufactured by Virco. The Company did not carry material amounts of vendor inventory during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2026 and 2025.
In addition, Virco finances its largest balance of accounts receivable during the peak season. This occurs for three primary reasons. First, accounts receivable balances naturally increase during the peak season as shipments of products increase. Second, many customers during this period are government institutions, which tend to pay accounts receivable more slowly than commercial customers. Third, many summer deliveries may be "projects" where the Company fulfills large orders of furniture for a new school or significant refurbishment of an existing school. Customers with large projects may require architect sign off, school board approval prior to payment, or punch list completion, all of which can delay payment.
Because of the seasonality of our business, our manufacturing and distribution capacity is dictated by the capacity requirement during the months of June, July, and August. Because of this seasonality, factory utilization is lower during the slow season. The Company utilizes a variety of tactics to address the seasonality of its business. During the summer months, which comprise our second and third fiscal quarters, our personnel utilization generally is at or close to full capacity. The Company utilizes temporary labor and significant overtime to meet the seasonal requirements. During the slow portions of the year, temporary labor and overtime are eliminated to moderate the off-season costs. Our manufacturing facility capacity utilization generally remains less than 100% during these off-season months because physical structure capacity cannot be adjusted as readily as personnel capacity, and we have secured sufficient physical structure capacity to accommodate our current needs, as well as for anticipated future growth. Our physical structure utilization is significantly lower during the first and fourth quarters of each year than it is during the second and third quarters.
The Company utilizes a comparable strategy to address warehousing and distribution requirements. During summer months, temporary labor is hired to supplement experienced warehouse and distribution personnel. More than 90% of the Company's freight is provided by third-party carriers. The Company has secured sufficient warehouse capacity to accommodate our current needs as well as anticipated future growth.
Additionally, the Company may elect to opportunistically purchase shares based on excess cash generation and share price considerations. In fiscal 2026, the Company spent $4.0 million to repurchase 348,944 shares of its common stock. As of January 31, 2026, $7.2 million was authorized and available for repurchase of shares by the Company.
Line of Credit
As the capital required for the summer season generally exceeds cash available from operations, Virco has historically relied on third-party bank financing to meet seasonal cash flow requirements. On December 22, 2011, the Company and Virco Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ("Virco" and, together with the Company, the "Borrowers") entered into a Revolving Credit and Security Agreement ("Restated Credit Agreement") with PNC Bank, National Association, as administrative agent and lender ("PNC").
The Restated Credit Agreement as currently in effect provides the Borrowers with a secured revolving line of credit ("Revolving Credit Facility") subject to a borrowing base limitations and generally provides for advances of up to 85% of eligible accounts receivable, plus a percentage equal to the lesser of 60% of the value of eligible inventory or 85% of the liquidation value of eligible inventory, plus $10.0 million from January through June of each year, minus undrawn amounts of letters of credit and reserves; (ii) inventory sublimit of $35.0 million and ATS inventory sublimit of $15.0 million during the months of May through August; and (iii) an equipment loan of $2.0 million. The Revolving Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of the Borrowers' personal property and certain of the Borrowers' real property. The scheduled maturity date of the Restated Credit Agreement is April 15, 2027, at which point the principal amount outstanding under the Restated Credit Agreement and any accrued and unpaid interest is due and payable, subject to certain prepayment penalties upon earlier termination. Prior to the maturity date, principal amounts outstanding under the Restated Credit Agreement may be repaid and reborrowed at the option of the Borrowers without premium or penalty, subject to borrowing base limitations, seasonal adjustments, and certain other conditions.
The Revolving Credit Facility interest rate is determined as a sum of the applicable margin rate, which is 3.00% from January through July and 2.50% from August through December, plus the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). The Company incurred a fee on the unused portion of the revolving line of credit at a rate of 0.25%. The Company did not have an outstanding amount under the Credit Agreement as of January 31, 2026. The interest rate at January 31, 2026 was 8.5%.
The Restated Credit Agreement permits the Company to issue dividends or make payments with respect to the Company's capital stock in an aggregate amount up to $8.0 million during any fiscal year, provided that no default shall have occurred or is continuing or would result from any such payment, and the Company must demonstrate pro forma compliance with a 12-month trailing Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio ("FCCR") of not less than 1.20:1.00 as of the fiscal quarter immediately preceding the date of any such dividend or payment.
The Restated Credit Agreement contains a clean-down provision that requires the Company to reduce borrowings under the line of credit to less than $10.0 million for a period of 30 consecutive days during the Company's fourth fiscal quarter of each fiscal year. The clean-down provision allows the Company to maintain the minimum outstanding balance of $10.0 million to be carried on an uninterrupted period extending beyond one year and ultimately due at the scheduled maturity. The Company believes that normal operating cash flow will continue to allow it to meet the clean-down requirement with no adverse impact on the Company's liquidity.
Events of default (subject to certain cure periods and other limitations) under the Restated Credit Agreement include, but are not limited to, (i) non-payment of principal, interest or other amounts due under the Restated Credit Agreement, (ii) the violation of terms, covenants, representations or warranties in the Restated Credit Agreement or related loan documents, (iii) any event of default under agreements governing certain indebtedness of the Borrowers and certain defaults by the Borrowers under other agreements that would materially adversely affect the Borrowers, (iv) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation involving the Borrowers, (v) judgments or judicial actions against the Borrowers in excess of $250,000, subject to certain conditions, (vi) the failure of the Company to comply with Pension Benefit Plans (as defined in the Restated Credit Agreement), (vii) the invalidity of loan documents pertaining to the Restated Credit Agreement, (viii) a change of control of the Borrowers and (ix) the interruption of operations of any of the Borrowers' manufacturing facilities for five consecutive days during the peak season or 15 consecutive days during any other time, subject to certain conditions.
Pursuant to the Restated Credit Agreement, substantially all of the Borrowers' accounts receivable are automatically and promptly swept to repay amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility upon receipt by the Borrowers. Due to this automatic liquidating nature of the Revolving Credit Facility, if the Borrowers breach any covenant, violate any representation or warranty, or suffer a deterioration in their ability to borrow pursuant to the borrowing base calculation, the Borrowers may not have access to cash liquidity unless provided by PNC at its discretion. In addition, certain of the covenants and representations and warranties set forth in the Restated Credit Agreement contain limited or no materiality thresholds, and many of the representations and warranties must be true and correct in all material respects upon each borrowing, which the Borrowers expect to occur on an ongoing basis. Based on the Company's current projections, raw material costs and its ability to introduce price increases, management believes it will maintain compliance with these financial covenants, although there are uncertainties there within, such as raw material costs and supply chain challenges.
The Company's revolving line of credit with PNC is structured to provide seasonal credit availability during the Company's peak summer season. Approximately $28.0 million was available for borrowing as of January 31, 2026 and 2025.
Long-Term Capital Requirements
In addition to short-term liquidity considerations, the Company continually evaluates long-term capital requirements.
Capital expenditures will continue to focus on automation, both in the factory and software applications, and new product development along with the tooling and new processes required to produce new products. The Company has identified several opportunities for capital expenditures during the next five years. The Company anticipates capital spending of approximately $5.0 million for fiscal 2027. Our Revolving Credit Facility with PNC Bank provides a $2.0 million line for equipment and covenants allow for anticipated capital expenditures for fiscal 2027.
Retirement Obligations
The Company provides retirement benefits to employees under two defined benefit retirement plans: the Employee Plan and the VIP Plan. The Employee Plan is a qualified retirement plan that is funded through a trust held at PNC Bank ("Trustee"). The other plan is non-qualified retirement plan. Benefits payable under the VIP Plan are secured by life insurance policies and marketable securities held in a rabbi trust. The Company obtains annual actuarial valuations for both retirement plans.
During the quarter ended October 31, 2025, the Company's Board of Directors approved the termination of the VIP Plan, a supplemental retirement plan for certain key employees. The termination became effective on November 1, 2025. This decision was part of the Company's ongoing efforts to reduce benefit obligations and ongoing administrative costs. The termination is expected to be settled through lump sum distributions to participants funded by the liquidation of assets held in a rabbi trust, which are expected to occur during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027. Management anticipates these distributions will not materially impact the Company's current and long-term liquidity and that the termination will not materially impact the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Because the plans have been frozen since 2003, there is no service cost related to the plans. In the past, due to a large number of lump sum benefits paid to retired and terminated employees, the Company has incurred settlement costs for the Employee Plan. In an effort to de-risk the Employee Plan, the Company intends to continue to reach out to and offer lump sum benefits to terminated and retired employees, which may result in settlement costs in the future. With the increase in interest rates during recent years, the Company was able to purchase approximately $5.0 million of annuities in the third quarter ended October 31, 2023, resulting in a settlement charge in that quarter. In the future, the Company may purchase additional annuities from third parties to further de-risk the Plan. The Company incurred $26,000 in settlement costs in fiscal 2026 and did not incur settlement costs in fiscal 2025. It is the Company's policy to contribute adequate funds to the trust accounts to cover benefit payments under the VIP Plan and to maintain the funded status of the Employee Plan at a level which is adequate to avoid significant restrictions to the Employee Plan under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and to minimize PBGC related expenses. Contributions to the Qualified Plan Trust and benefit payments under the VIP Plan totaled $357,000 and $623,000 in fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Contributions during fiscal 2027 will depend upon actual investment results and benefit payments; however, the Company does not expect to make contributions during fiscal 2027. At January 31, 2026, accumulated other comprehensive loss of $112,000, net of tax, is attributable to the pension plans.
The Company does not anticipate making any significant changes to the pension assumptions in the near future. If the Company were to have used different assumptions in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, a 1% reduction in investment return would have increased pension expense by approximately $170,000, a 1% change in the rate of compensation increase would have no impact, and a 1% reduction in discount rates would cause obligations under the Plans to increase by approximately $1.9 million and pension expense would decrease by approximately $63,000.
Stockholders' Equity
Historically it has been the board of directors' policy to periodically review the payment of cash and stock dividends in light of the Company's earnings and liquidity. The Company declared a cash dividend in each quarter of 2025 and 2026.
Virco issued a 10% stock dividend or 3/2 stock split every year, beginning in 1983 through 2003. Although the stock dividend had no cash consequences to the Company, the accounting methodology required for 10% dividends has affected the equity section of the balance sheet. When the Company records a 10% stock dividend, 10% of the market capitalization of the Company on the date of the declaration is reclassified from retained earnings to additional paid-in capital. During the period from 1983 through 2003, the cumulative effect of the stock dividends has been to reclassify over $122.0 million from retained earnings to additional paid-in capital. The equity section of the balance sheet on January 31, 2026 reflects additional paid-in
capital of approximately $113.8 million and accumulated deficit of approximately $7.9 million. The majority of the accumulated deficit is a result of the accounting reclassification and is not the result of accumulated losses.
Environmental and Contingent Liabilities
Environmental Compliance and Government Regulation
Virco is subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations in the various jurisdictions in which it operates that (a) govern operations that may have adverse environmental effects, such as the discharge of materials into the environment, as well as handling, storage, transportation and disposal practices for solid and hazardous wastes, and (b) impose liability for response costs and certain damages resulting from past and current spills, disposals or other releases of hazardous materials. In this context, Virco works diligently to remain in compliance with all such environmental laws and regulations as these affect the Company's operations. Moreover, Virco has enacted policies for recycling and resource recovery that have earned repeated commendations, including: recognition by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery ("CalRecycle") in 2012 and 2011 as a Waste Reduction Awards Program ("WRAP") honoree; recognition by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 as a WasteWise Winner for reducing waste, in 2004 as a WasteWise Hall of Fame Charter Member, in 2003 as a WasteWise Partner of the Year, and in 2002 as a WasteWise Program Champion for Large Businesses; and recognition by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County for compliance with industrial waste water discharge guidelines in 2008 through 2011. This is only a partial list of Virco's environmental awards and commendations; for a more complete list, go to www.virco.com.
In addition to these awards and commendations, Virco's ZUMA and ZUMAfrd product lines were the first classroom furniture collections to earn indoor air quality certification through the stringent GREENGUARD® Children & Schools Program, now known as GREENGUARD Gold certification. As a follow-up to the certification of ZUMA and ZUMAfrd models in 2006, hundreds of other Virco furniture items - including Analogy™ furniture models and Textameter™ instructor workstations - have earned GREENGUARD certification. Moreover, all Virco products covered by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 are in compliance with this legislation. All affected Virco models are also in compliance with the California Air Resources Board rule and Toxic Control Substances Act rule concerning formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. Environmental laws have changed rapidly in recent years, and Virco may be subject to more stringent environmental laws in the future. The Company has expended, and may be expected to continue to expend, significant amounts in the future for compliance with environmental rules and regulations, for the investigation of environmental conditions, for the installation of environmental control equipment or remediation of environmental contamination. Recurring expenses relating to operating our factories in a manner that meets or exceeds environmental laws are matched to the cost of producing inventory. It is possible that the Company's operations may result in noncompliance with, or liability for remediation pursuant to, environmental laws. Should such eventualities occur, the Company records liabilities for remediation costs when remediation costs are probable and can be reasonably estimated. See"Item 1A. Risk Factors: We could be required to incur substantial costs to comply with environmental and other legal requirements. Violations of, and liabilities under, these laws and regulations may increase our costs or require us to change our business practices."
Contingent Liabilities
In fiscal 2026 and 2025, the Company was self-insured for product liability losses of up to $250,000 per occurrence, general liability losses of up to $50,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation losses up to $250,000 per accident and auto liability up to $50,000 per accident. In prior years the Company has been partially self-insured for workers' compensation, automobile, product, and general liability losses. The Company has purchased insurance to cover losses in excess of the self-insured retention or deductible up to a limit of $30.0 million.
The Company has aggressively pursued a program to improve product quality, reduce product liability claims and losses and to aggressively defend product liability cases. This program has continued through fiscal 2026 and has resulted in reductions in product liability claims and litigated product liability cases. In addition, the Company has active safety programs to improve plant safety and control workers' compensation losses. Management does not anticipate that any related settlement, after consideration of the existing reserves for claims and potential insurance recovery, would have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company did not enter into any material off-balance sheet arrangements during fiscal 2026, nor did the Company have any material off-balance sheet arrangements outstanding at January 31, 2026.
New Accounting Pronouncements
See disclosure of recently adopted and recently issued but not yet adopted accounting standards in Note 2to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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