Note 1. Nature of Business and Summary of Critical Accounting Policies

Nature of business: Daktronics, Inc. and its subsidiaries are engaged principally in the design, manufacture and sale of a wide range of electronic display systems and related products which are sold in a variety of markets throughout the world and the rendering of related maintenance and professional services. Our products are designed primarily to inform and entertain people through the communication of content.

Fiscal year: We operate on a 52 or 53 week fiscal year, with our fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to April 30 of each year. When April 30 falls on a Wednesday, the fiscal year ends on the preceding Saturday. Within each fiscal year, each quarter is comprised of 13 week periods following the beginning of each fiscal year. In each 53 week year, an additional week is added to the first quarter and each of the last three quarters is comprised of a 13 week period. The years ended April 30, 2016, May 2, 2015, and April 26, 2014 contained operating results for 52, 53, and 52 weeks, respectively.

A reclassification to correct the immaterial presentation of long term prepaid expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets' categories of prepaid expenses and other assets and investment in affiliates and other assets have been made to conform fiscal 2015 to the fiscal 2016 classifications for comparative purposes.

Principles of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include Daktronics, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

Investments in affiliates over which we do not have the ability to exert significant influence over the investee's operating and financing activities are accounted for under the cost method of accounting. We have evaluated our relationships with affiliates and have determined that these entities are not variable interest entities. Our proportional share of the respective affiliate’s earnings or losses is included in other (expense) income in our consolidated statements of operations.

The aggregate amount of investments accounted for under the cost method was $1,211 and $1,071 at April 30, 2016 and May 2, 2015, respectively. There have not been any identified events or changes in circumstances that may have a significant adverse effect on their fair value and it is not practical to estimate their fair value.

Use of estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 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 period. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near-term relate to the determination of the estimated total costs on long-term construction-type contracts, estimated costs to be incurred for product warranties and extended maintenance contracts, excess and obsolete inventory, the allowance for doubtful accounts, share-based compensation, goodwill impairment and income taxes. Changes in estimates are reflected in the periods in which they become known.

Cash and cash equivalents: All highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents and consist primarily of government repurchase agreements, savings accounts and money market accounts that are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. We maintain our cash in bank deposit accounts, the balances of which at times may exceed federally insured limits. We have not experienced any losses in such accounts.

Restricted cash: Restricted cash consists of cash and cash equivalents held in bank deposit accounts to secure issuances of foreign bank guarantees.

Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or market. Market is determined on the basis of estimated net realizable values.

Revenue recognition: Net sales are reported net of estimated sales returns and exclude sales taxes. We estimate our sales returns reserve based on historical return rates and analysis of specific accounts. Our sales returns reserve was $93 and $15 at April 30, 2016 and May 2, 2015, respectively.

Long-term construction-type contracts: Earnings on construction-type contracts are recognized on the percentage-of-completion method, measured by the percentage of costs incurred to date to estimated total costs for each contract. Contract costs include all direct material and labor costs and those indirect costs related to contract performance. Indirect costs include charges for such items as labor overhead, equipment, facilities, engineering, and project management. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such losses are probable and capable of being estimated. We combine contracts for accounting purposes when they are negotiated as a package with an overall profit margin objective, essentially represent an agreement to do a single project for a customer, involve interrelated construction activities, and are performed concurrently or sequentially. When a group of contracts is combined, revenue and profit are recognized uniformly over the performance of the combined projects. We segment revenues in accordance with contract segmenting criteria in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 650-35, Construction-Type and Production-Type Contracts.

Equipment other than construction-type contracts: We recognize revenue on equipment sales, other than construction-type contracts, when title passes, which is usually upon shipment and then only if the terms of the arrangement are fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. We record estimated sales returns and discounts as a reduction of net sales in the same period revenue is recognized.

Product maintenance: In connection with the sale of our products, we also occasionally sell separately priced extended warranties and product maintenance contracts. The revenue related to such contracts is deferred and recognized ratably as net sales over the terms of the contracts, which vary up to 10 years. We record unrealized revenue in deferred revenue (billed or collected) in the liability section of the balance sheet.

Services: Revenues generated by us for services, such as event support, control room design, on-site training, equipment service and technical support of our equipment, are recognized as net sales when the services are performed. Net sales from services and product maintenance approximated 9.7 percent, 8.2 percent and 8.4 percent of net sales for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2016, May 2, 2015 and April 26, 2014, respectively.

Software: We follow ASC 985-605, Software-Revenue Recognition. Revenues from software license fees on sales, other than construction-type contracts, are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of the product has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectability is probable. Subscription-based licenses include the right for a customer to use our licenses and receive related support for a specified term and revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the arrangement.

Multiple-element arrangements: We generate revenue from the sale of equipment and related services, including customization, installation and maintenance services. In these limited cases, we provide some or all of such equipment and services to our customers under the terms of a single multiple-element sales arrangement. These arrangements typically involve the sale of equipment bundled with some or all of these services, but they may also involve instances in which we have contracted to deliver multiple pieces of equipment over time rather than at a single point in time.

When a sales arrangement involves multiple elements, the items included in the arrangement (deliverables) are evaluated pursuant to ASC 605-25, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, and ASC 605-35, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts, to determine whether they represent separate units of accounting. We perform this evaluation at the inception of an arrangement and as we deliver each item in the arrangement. We first consider the separation criteria of ASC 605-35. Deliverables not within the scope of ASC 605-35 are evaluated for separation under ASC 605-25. For those elements falling under the guidance of ASC 605-25, we generally account for a deliverable (or a group of deliverables) separately if the delivered item(s) has standalone value to the customer and if we have given the customer a general right of return relative to the delivered item(s) and delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) or service(s) is probable and substantially in our control.

When items included in a multiple-element arrangement represent separate units of accounting, we allocate the arrangement consideration to the individual items based on their relative fair values. The amount of arrangement consideration allocated to the delivered item(s) is limited to the amount not contingent on us delivering additional products or services. Once we have determined the amount, if any, of arrangement consideration allocable to the delivered item(s), we apply the applicable revenue recognition policy to determine when and by which method such amount may be recognized as revenue.

We generally determine if objective and reliable evidence of fair value for the items included in a multiple-element arrangement exists based on whether we have vendor-specific objective evidence ("VSOE") of the price for which we sell an item on a standalone basis. If we do not have VSOE for the item, we will use the price charged by a competitor selling a comparable product or service on a standalone basis to similarly situated customers, if available. If neither VSOE nor third party evidence is available, we use our best estimate of the selling price for that deliverable.

Long-term receivables and advertising rights: We occasionally sell and install our products at facilities in exchange for the rights to sell or to retain future advertising revenues. For these transactions, we recognize revenue for the amount of the present value of the future advertising payments if enough advertising is sold to obtain normal margins on the contract and we record the related receivable in long-term receivables. We recognize imputed interest as earned.

Property and equipment: Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated principally on the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:



	Years
Buildings	7 - 40
Machinery and equipment	5 - 7
Office furniture and equipment	3 - 5
Computer software and hardware	3 - 5
Equipment held for rental	2 - 7
Demonstration equipment	3 - 5
Transportation equipment	5 - 7

Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Our depreciation expense was $16,561, $14,764 and $14,137 for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2016, May 2, 2015 and April 26, 2014, respectively.

Long-Lived Assets: Long-lived assets other than goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, described in "Note 6. Long-Lived Assets" which are separately tested for impairment, are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable.

When evaluating long-lived assets for potential impairment, we first compare the carrying value of the asset to the asset's estimated future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges). If the estimated future cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset, we calculate an impairment loss. The impairment loss calculation compares the carrying value of the asset to the asset's estimated fair value. We recognize an impairment loss if the amount of the asset's carrying value exceeds the asset's estimated fair value. If we recognize an impairment loss, the adjusted carrying amount of the asset becomes its new cost basis. For a depreciable long-lived asset, the new cost basis will be depreciated (amortized) over the remaining useful life of that asset.

Our impairment loss calculations contain uncertainties because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate future cash flows and asset fair values, including forecasting useful lives of the assets and selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows.

Software costs for internal use: We capitalize certain costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Capitalized software costs are included in property and equipment on our consolidated balance sheets. Software costs that do not meet capitalization criteria are expensed when incurred.

Software costs to be sold, leased, or marketed: We follow the provisions of ASC 985, Software, which states software development costs are expensed as incurred until technological feasibility has been established. At such time, such costs are capitalized until the product is made available for release to customers. Additionally, costs incurred after release to customers are expensed as research and development. We had $3,000 of capitalized software to be sold, leased, or otherwise marketed, which was valued in connection with the acquisition of ADFLOW Networks, Inc. as of April 30, 2016 and is included in intangible assets in our consolidated balance sheet.

Insurance: We are self-insured for certain losses related to health and liability claims and workers’ compensation. We obtain third-party insurance to limit our exposure to these claims. We estimate our self-insured liabilities using a number of factors, including historical claims experience. Our self-insurance liability was $2,314 and $1,783 at April 30, 2016 and May 2, 2015, respectively, and is included in accrued expenses in our consolidated balance sheets.

Foreign currency translation: Our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency of their respective countries as their functional currency. The assets and liabilities of foreign operations are generally translated at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. The operating results of foreign operations are translated at weighted average exchange rates. The related translation gains or losses are reported as a separate component of shareholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

Income taxes: We operate in multiple income tax jurisdictions both within the United States and internationally. Our annual tax rate is determined based on our income, statutory tax rates and the tax impacts of items treated differently for tax purposes than for financial reporting purposes in each tax jurisdiction. Tax laws require certain items be included in the tax return at different times than are reflected in the financial statements. Some of these differences are permanent, such as expenses that are not deductible in our tax return, and some differences are temporary and reverse over time, such as depreciation expense. These temporary differences create deferred tax assets and liabilities and reflect the enacted income tax rates in effect for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. We consider a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets if it is "more likely than not" some or all of the benefits will not be realized.

Because we operate in multiple income tax jurisdictions both within the United States and internationally, management must determine the appropriate allocation of income and expenses to each of these jurisdictions based on current interpretations of complex income tax regulations.

Income tax authorities in these jurisdictions regularly perform audits of our income tax filings. Income tax audits associated with the allocation of income, expenses and other complex issues, including transfer pricing methodologies, may require an extended period of time to resolve and may result in significant income tax adjustments if changes to the income allocation are required between jurisdictions with different income tax rates.

Comprehensive income: We follow the provisions of ASC 220, Reporting Comprehensive Income, which establishes standards for reporting and displaying comprehensive income and its components. Comprehensive income reflects the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. For us, comprehensive loss represents net income adjusted for foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities. The foreign currency translation adjustment included in comprehensive loss has not been tax affected, as the investments in foreign affiliates are deemed to be permanent. In accordance with ASC 220 and Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2011-05, we disclose comprehensive loss on a separate consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

Product design and development: All expenses related to product design and development are charged to operations as incurred. Our product development activities include the enhancement of existing products and the development of new products.

Advertising costs: We expense advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expenses were $2,209, $2,318 and $1,694 for fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Shipping and handling costs: Shipping and handling costs collected from our customers in connection with our sales are recorded as revenue. We record shipping and handling costs as a component of cost of sales at the time the product is shipped.

Earnings per share (“EPS”): Basic EPS is computed by dividing income attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution which may occur if securities or other obligations to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock which share in our earnings.

The following is a reconciliation of the income and common stock share amounts used in the calculation of basic and diluted EPS for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2016, May 2, 2015 and April 26, 2014:



	Net income		Shares	Per share income (loss)
For the year ended April 30, 2016:
Basic earnings per share	$	2,061	43,990	$	0.05
Dilution associated with stock compensation plans	—		466	—
Diluted earnings per share	$	2,061	44,456	$	0.05
For the year ended May 2, 2015:
Basic earnings per share	$	20,882	43,514	$	0.48
Dilution associated with stock compensation plans	—		929	(0.01		)
Diluted earnings per share	$	20,882	44,443	$	0.47
For the year ended April 26, 2014:
Basic earnings per share	$	22,206	42,886	$	0.52
Dilution associated with stock compensation plans	—		876	(0.01		)
Diluted earnings per share	$	22,206	43,762	$	0.51

Options outstanding to purchase 2,122, 1,462 and 1,564 shares of common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $15.04, $18.42 and $18.64 per share during the fiscal years ended April 30, 2016, May 2, 2015 and April 26, 2014, respectively, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the weighted average exercise price of those instruments exceeded the average market price of the common shares during the year.

Share-based compensation: We account for share-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. Under the fair value recognition provisions of ASC 718, we measure share-based compensation cost at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and recognize the compensation expense over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period. See "Note 11. Shareholders’ Equity and Share-Based Compensation" for additional information and the assumptions we use to calculate the fair value of share-based employee compensation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which is intended to simplify certain aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions, including income tax effects when awards vest or settle, repurchase of employees’ shares to satisfy statutory tax withholding obligations, an option to account for forfeitures as they occur, and classification of certain amounts on the statement of cash flows. This standard is effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (that is, lessees and lessors). This update requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase of the leased asset by the lessee. This classification will determine whether the lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months regardless of their classification. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which affects accounting for equity investments and financial liabilities where the fair value option has been elected. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740) Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes. Under the new accounting standard, deferred tax assets and liabilities are required to be classified as noncurrent, eliminating the prior requirement to separate deferred tax assets and liabilities into current and noncurrent. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We adopted the ASU prospectively and have presented both deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as noncurrent in our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of April 30, 2016. Prior balance sheets have not been retrospectively adjusted. For significant components of our deferred tax accounts, see "Note 13. Income Taxes."

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which changes the measurement principle of inventory from the lower of cost or market to the lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance will require prospective application at the beginning of our first quarter of fiscal 2018, but it permits adoption in an earlier period. We have evaluated the effect of adopting ASU 2015-11 and will adopt the standard at the beginning of fiscal 2017. We do not expect this adoption will have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This ASU is a comprehensive revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue from the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The FASB has also issued ASUs 2016-08, 2016-10, and 2016-12 to clarify guidance with respect to principal versus agent considerations, the identification of performance obligations and licensing, and guidance on certain narrow areas and adds practical expedients. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017 (as stated in ASU 2015-14, which was issued in August 2015 and defers the effective date) and is now effective for the Company's fiscal 2019. We are evaluating the effect that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on our consolidated results of operations, cash flows, financial position, and related disclosures.