10-Q 1 e613972_10q-gulf.htm Unassociated Document
 
 UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q
 
x
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
   
 
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2015
   
 
Or
   
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
   
 
For the transition period from _________ to _________

Commission File Number: 001-34499

GULF RESOURCES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
13-3637458
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
     
Level 11,Vegetable Building, Industrial Park of the East City,
Shouguang City, Shandong,
 
262700
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: +86 (536) 567 0008

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every, Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Yes x No o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. 
 
Large accelerated filer o
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) o
Smaller reporting company x
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No x
 
As of August 6, 2015, the registrant had outstanding 46,007,120 shares of common stock.
    
 
 

 
 
 
Part I – Financial Information
 
Item 1. Financial Statements
1
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
20
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
39
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
40
Part II – Other Information
 
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
40
Item 1A. Risk Factors
41
Item 2. Unregistered Shares of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
41
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
41
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
41
Item 5. Other Information
41
Item 6. Exhibits
41
Signatures
42
 
 
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
 
Item 1. Financial Statements
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
 AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
 
   
June 30, 2015
Unaudited
   
December 31, 2014
Audited
 
Current Assets
               
Cash
 
$
118,027,848
   
$
146,585,601
 
Accounts receivable
   
75,429,396
     
41,997,862
 
Inventories
   
6,755,970
     
5,367,868
 
Prepayments and deposits
   
25,367
     
86,301
 
Prepaid land leases
   
533,290
     
51,024
 
Other receivable
   
559
     
38,272
 
Deferred tax assets
   
865
     
864
 
Total Current Assets
   
200,773,295
     
194,127,792
 
Non-Current Assets
               
Property, plant and equipment, net
   
127,650,293
     
124,350,781
 
Property, plant and equipment under capital leases, net
   
1,162,793
     
1,339,602
 
Prepaid land leases, net of current portion
   
5,529,022
     
733,560
 
Deferred tax assets
   
2,514,284
     
2,430,417
 
Goodwill
   
31,396,066
     
-
 
Total non-current assets
   
168,252,458
     
128,854,360
 
Total Assets
 
$
369,025,753
   
$
322,982,152
 
                 
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
               
Current Liabilities
               
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
 
$
16,856,838
   
$
4,004,728
 
Retention payable
   
44,875
     
326,959
 
Capital lease obligation, current portion
   
114,171
     
205,128
 
Taxes payable
   
7,086,921
     
3,545,429
 
Total Current Liabilities
   
24,102,805
     
8,082,244
 
Non-Current Liabilities
               
Capital lease obligation, net of current portion
   
2,714,745
     
2,826,495
 
Total Liabilities
 
$
26,817,550
   
$
10,908,739
 
 
               
Stockholders’ Equity
               
PREFERRED STOCK; $0.001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none outstanding
 
$
     
$
   
COMMON STOCK; $0.0005 par value; 80,000,000 shares authorized as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014; 46,276,269 and 38,911,014 shares issued; and 46,007,120 and 38,672,865 shares outstanding as of June 30,2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively
   
23,139
     
19,456
 
Treasury stock; 269,149 and 238,149 shares as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 at cost
   
(599,441
)
   
(561,728
)
Additional paid-in capital
   
94,093,265
     
80,380,008
 
Retained earnings unappropriated
   
198,503,449
     
183,480,402
 
Retained earnings appropriated
   
19,145,876
     
18,078,392
 
Cumulative translation adjustment
   
31,041,915
     
30,676,883
 
Total Stockholders’ Equity
   
342,208,203
     
312,073,413
 
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
 
$
369,025,753
   
$
322,982,152
 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
   
Three-Month Period Ended June 30,
   
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
   
2015
   
2014
   
2015
   
2014
 
                         
NET REVENUE
                       
Net revenue
  $ 49,350,070     $ 31,752,814     $ 84,260,899     $ 57,344,990  
                                 
OPERATING INCOME (EXPENSES)
                               
Cost of net revenue
    (32,280,120 )     (22,566,923 )     (57,760,978 )     (41,301,327 )
Sales, marketing and other operating expenses
    (120,746 )     (27,215 )     (202,176 )     (49,729 )
Research and development cost
    (63,470 )     (32,558 )     (111,705 )     (63,338 )
Exploration cost
    -       -       (325,840 )     -  
Loss from disposal of property, plant and equipment
    -       (9,866 )     -       (9,866 )
General and administrative expenses
    (2,434,246 )     (1,701,601 )     (4,415,363 )     (3,022,119 )
Other operating income
    109,901       116,921       227,203       234,605  
      (34,788,681 )     (24,221,242 )     (62,588,859 )     (44,211,774 )
                                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS
    14,561,389       7,531,572       21,672,040       13,133,216  
                                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)
                               
Interest expense
    (51,013 )     (52,428 )     (101,866 )     (105,140 )
Interest income
    108,182       119,171       235,143       225,646  
INCOME BEFORE TAXES
    14,618,558       7,598,315       21,805,317       13,253,722  
                                 
INCOME TAXES
    (3,843,298 )     (1,933,503 )     (5,714,786 )     (3,302,572 )
NET INCOME
  $ 10,775,260     $ 5,664,812     $ 16,090,531     $ 9,951,150  
                                 
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME:
                               
NET INCOME
  $ 10,775,260     $ 5,664,812     $ 16,090,531     $ 9,951,150  
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
                               
- Foreign currency translation adjustments
    1,475,380       (34,932 )     365,032       (2,939,120 )
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
  $ 12,250,640     $ 5,629,880     $ 16,455,563     $ 7,012,030  
                                 
EARNINGS PER SHARE:
                               
BASIC
  $ 0.23     $ 0.15     $ 0.36     $ 0.26  
DILUTED
  $ 0.23     $ 0.14     $ 0.36     $ 0.25  
                                 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES:
                               
                                 
BASIC
    45,928,234       38,726,415       44,313,537       38,662,773  
DILUTED
    47,143,073       39,341,228       45,319,208       39,309,946  
 
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
   
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
SIX-MONTH PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2015
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
 
 
   
Common stock
                                     
   
Number
   
Number
   
Number
               
Additional
   
Retained
   
Retained
   
Cumulative
       
   
of shares
   
of shares
   
of treasury
         
Treasury
   
paid-in
   
earnings
   
earnings
   
translation
       
   
issued
   
outstanding
   
stock
   
Amount
   
stock
   
capital
   
unappropriated
   
appropriated
   
adjustment
   
Total
 
                                                             
BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2014 Audited
    38,911,014       38,672,865       238,149     $ 19,456     $ (561,728 )   $ 80,380,008     $ 183,480,402     $ 18,078,392     $ 30,676,883     $ 312,073,413  
Translation adjustment
 
- 
      -       -    
- 
           
- 
   
- 
   
- 
      365,032       365,032  
Common stock
repurchased
    -       (31,000 )     31,000       -       (37,713 )     -       -       -       -       (37,713 )
Cashless exercise of stock options
    97,244       97,244       -       49       -       (49 )     -       -       -       -  
Issuance of stock options to employees and directors
    -       -       -       -       -       343,800       -       -       -       343,800  
Common stock issued for business acquisition
    7,268,011       7,268,011       -       3,634       -       13,369,506       -       -       -       13,373,140  
Net income for six-month period ended June 30, 2015
 
- 
      -       -    
- 
      -    
- 
      16,090,531       -    
- 
      16,090,531  
Transfer to statutory common reserve fund
    -       -       -       -       -       -       (1,067,484     1,067,484       -       -  
BALANCE AT JUNE 30, 2015 Unaudited
    46,276,269       46,007,120       269,149     $ 23,139     $ (599,441 )   $ 94,093,265     $ 198,503,449     $ 19,145,876     $ 31,041,915     $ 342,208,203  
 
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)


   
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
   
2015
   
2014
 
   
 
   
 
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
 
 
   
 
 
Net income
 
$
16,090,531
   
$
9,951,150
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
             
Interest on capital lease obligation
   
101,460
     
104,767
 
Amortization of prepaid land leases
   
254,087
     
201,411
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
14,906,669
     
13,808,998
 
Loss from disposal of property, plant and equipment
   
-
     
9,866
 
Exchange (gain) loss on inter-company balances
   
24,292
     
(238,647
)
Stock-based compensation expense
   
343,800
     
30,000
 
Deferred tax asset
   
(81,460
 
-
-
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisition:
             
Accounts receivable
   
(13,943,594
)
   
(804,584
)
Inventories
   
268,683
     
(323,463
)
Prepayments and deposits
   
67,150
     
(16,250
)
Other receivables
   
37,713
     
-
 
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
   
4,172,413
     
1,229,869
 
Retention payable
   
(281,241
)
   
(207,047
)
Taxes payable
   
2,568,444
     
(643,039
Net cash provided by operating activities
   
24,528,947
     
23,103,031
 
               
CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
             
Additions of prepaid land leases
   
(632,139
)
   
(614,773
)
Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment
   
-
     
21,514
 
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
   
-
     
(39,586
)
Consideration paid for business acquisition
   
(66,305,606
)
   
-
 
Cash acquired from acquisition
   
14,074,720
     
-
 
Net cash used in investing activities
   
(52,863,025
)
   
(632,845
)
               
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES
             
Repayment of capital lease obligation
   
(306,683
)
   
(304,806
)
Repurchase of common stock
   
(37,713
)
   
-
 
Net cash used in financing activities
   
(344,396
)
   
(304,806
)
               
EFFECTS OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
   
120,721
     
(1,041,878
)
NET (DECREASE)/INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
   
(28,557,753)
     
21,123,502
 
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - BEGINNING OF PERIOD
   
146,585,601
     
107,828,800
 
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - END OF PERIOD
 
$
118,027,848
   
$
128,952,302
 
                 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
               
Cash paid during the period for:
               
Income taxes
 
$
3,766,955
   
$
3,931,589
 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH INVESTING
AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of common stock upon cashless exercise of options
 
$
49
   
$
73
 
Issuance of common stock for acquisition of business
 
$
13,373,140
   
$
-
 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
   
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

(a)           Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The accompanying condensed financial statements have been prepared by Gulf Resources, Inc. a Delaware corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), without audit, in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and, therefore, do not necessarily include all information and footnotes necessary for a fair statement of its financial position, results of operations and cash flows in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”).

In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 presented reflects all adjustments, which are only normal and recurring, necessary for a fair statement of results of operations, financial position and cash flows. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in the Company’s 2014 Form 10-K. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of operating results for an entire fiscal year.
 
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts that are reported in the financial statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may be different from the estimates. The Company also exercises judgments in the preparation of these condensed financial statements in the areas including classification of leases and related party transactions.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Gulf Resources, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Upper Class Group Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, which owns 100% of Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong (“HKJI”). HKJI owns 100% of Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC") which owns 100% of ShouguangYuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited (“SYCI”) and Shouguang City Rongyuan Chemical Co, Ltd (“SCRC”).  All material intercompany transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.
 
(b)           Nature of the Business

The Company manufactures and trades bromine and crude salt through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC"), manufactures chemical products for use in the oil industry, pesticides and paper manufacturing industry through its wholly-owned subsidiary, ShouguangYuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited ("SYCI"), andmanufactures chemical products used for human and animal antibiotics through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shouguang City Rongyuan Chemical Co, Ltd (“SCRC”) in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”).

(c)           Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, allowances for doubtful accounts were nil. No allowances for doubtful accounts were charged to the income statement for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.

(d)           Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is exposed to credit risk in the normal course of business, primarily related to accounts receivable and cash and cash equivalents. Substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are maintained with financial institutions in the PRC, namely, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited and China Merchants Bank Company Limited, which are not insured or otherwise protected. The Company placed $118,027,848 and $146,585,601 with these institutions as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.  The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts in the PRC.

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable exists as the Company sells a substantial portion of its products to a limited number of customers. However, such concentrations of credit risks are limited since the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and due to the generally short payment terms.  Approximately 74.4% and 66.5% of the balances of accounts receivable as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively, are outstanding for less than three months. For the balances of accounts receivable aged more than 90 days as of June 30, 2015, approximately 69% were settled in July 2015. 
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
(Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

(e)           Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. Expenditures for new facilities or equipment, and major expenditures for betterment of existing facilities or equipment are capitalized and depreciated using the straight-line method at rates sufficient to depreciate such costs over the estimated productive lives. All other ordinary repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

Mineral rights are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. Mineral rights are amortized ratably over the term of the lease, or the equivalent term under the units of production method, whichever is shorter.

Construction in progress primarily represents direct costs of construction of plant, machinery and equipment. Costs incurred are capitalized and transferred to property and equipment upon completion, at which time depreciation commences.

The Company’s depreciation and amortization policies on property, plant and equipment, other than mineral rights and construction in progress, are as follows:
 
 
Useful life
(in years) 
Buildings (including salt pans)
8 - 20
Plant and machinery (including protective shells, transmission channels and ducts)
3 - 8
Motor vehicles
5
Furniture, fixtures and equipment
3-8
 
Property, plant and equipment under capital leases are depreciated over their expected useful lives on the same basis as owned assets, or where shorter, the term of the lease, which is 20 years.

(f)           Retirement Benefits

Pursuant to the relevant laws and regulations in the PRC, the Company participates in a defined contribution retirement plan for its employees arranged by a governmental organization. The Company makes contributions to the retirement scheme at the applicable rate based on the employees’ salaries. The required contributions under the retirement plans are charged to the consolidated income statement on an accrual basis when they are due. The Company’s contributions totaled $241,972 and $193,729 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and totaled $435,120 and $319,030 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

(g)           Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue, net of value-added tax, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of the goods has occurred, customer acceptance has been obtained, which means the significant risks and ownership have been transferred to the customer, the price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured.
 
  
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

(h)           Recoverability of Long-lived Assets

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360-10-35“Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets”, long-lived assets to be held and used are analyzed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of those assets are no longer appropriate. The Company evaluates at each balance sheet date whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate possible impairment.

The Company determines the existence of such impairment by measuring the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) and comparing such amount to the carrying amount of the assets. An impairment loss, if one exists, is then measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the discounted estimated future cash flows. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value of such assets less costs to sell. Asset impairment charges are recorded to reduce the carrying amount of the long-lived asset that will be sold or disposed of to their estimated fair values. Charges for the asset impairment reduce the carrying amount of the long-lived assets to their estimated salvage value in connection with the decision to dispose of such assets.

For the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2014 and 2015, the Company determined that there are no events or circumstances indicating possible impairment of its long-lived assets.

(i)           Basic and Diluted Net Income per Share of Common Stock

Basic earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the periods presented.  Diluted earnings per share are computed using weighted average number of common shares plus dilutive common share equivalents outstanding during the period. Potential common shares that would have the effect of increasing diluted earnings per share are considered to be anti-dilutive, i.e. the exercise prices of the outstanding stock options were greater than the market price of the common stock. Anti-dilutive common stock equivalents which were excluded from the calculation of number of dilutive common stock equivalents amounted to 229,228 and 1,971,251 shares for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and amounted to 294,032 and1,782,469 shares for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. These awards could be dilutive in the future if the market price of the common stock increases and is greater than the exercise price of these awards.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

(i)           Basic and Diluted Net Income per Share of Common Stock – Continued

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:
 
  
 
Three-Month Period Ended June 30,
   
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
   
2015
   
2014
     
2015
     
2014
 
Numerator
                           
Net income
 
$
10,775,260
   
$
5,664,812
   
$
16,090,531
   
$
9,951,150
 
                                 
Denominator
                               
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period
   
45,928,234
     
38,726,415
     
44,313,537
     
38,662,773
 
Add: Dilutive effect of stock options
   
1,214,839
     
614,813
     
1,005,671
     
647,173
 
Diluted
   
47,143,073
     
39,341,228
     
45,319,208
     
39,309,946
 
                                 
Net income per share
                               
Basic
 
$
0.23
   
$
0.15
   
$
0.36
   
$
0.26
 
Diluted
 
$
0.23
   
$
0.14
   
$
0.36
   
$
0.25
 
 
(j)           Reporting Currency and Translation

The financial statements of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are measured using the local currency, Renminbi (“RMB”), as the functional currency; whereas the functional currency and reporting currency of the Company is the United States dollar (“USD” or “$”).

As such, the Company uses the “current rate method” to translate its PRC operations from RMB into USD, as required under FASB ASC 830 “Foreign Currency Matters”. The assets and liabilities of its PRC operations are translated into USD using the rate of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet date. The capital accounts are translated at the historical rate. Adjustments resulting from the translation of the balance sheets of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are recorded in stockholders’ equity as part of accumulated comprehensive income. The statement of income and comprehensive income is translated at average rate during the reporting period. Gains or losses resulting from transactions in currencies other than the functional currencies are recognized in net income for the reporting periods as part of general and administrative expense. The statement of cash flows is translated at average rate during the reporting period, with the exception of the consideration paid for the acquisition of business which is translated at historical rates.
 
(k)           Foreign Operations

All of the Company’s operations and assets are located in PRC.  The Company may be adversely affected by possible political or economic events in this country.  The effect of these factors cannot be accurately predicted.

(l)           Exploration Costs

Exploration costs, which included the cost of researching for appropriate places to drill wells and the cost of well drilling in search of potential natural brine or other resources, are charged to the income statement as incurred.

(m)      Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the net of the fair value of the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and the fair value of liabilities assumed in business acquisitions. Management of the Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill annually or when a possible impairment is indicated. The Company performs its impairment assessment annually and between annual tests in certain circumstances and determined that there was no impairment of goodwill. Goodwill impairment is assessed using the expected present value of associated future cash flows.

(n)           New Accounting Pronouncements

No accounting standards and guidance with an effective date during the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 or issued during 2015 had or are expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements through 2016.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
NOTE 2 – BUSINESS ACQUISITION
 
In order to increase the Company’s profit margins, produce more consistent and reliable earnings and lessen dependence on the economically sensitive bromine industry, on January 12, 2015, Gulf Resources, Inc. (the “Company” or “Gulf”) and Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“SCHC”), entered into an Equity Interest Transfer Agreement (the “Agreement”) to acquire 100% of SCRC for a total consideration of $79,678,746 to be settled in cash and in the shares of the commons stock of the Company.

On February 4, 2015, the Company closed the transactions contemplated by the Agreement between the Company, SCHC and SCRC. The Closing Date is deemed to be the acquisition date.

On the Closing Date, the Company issued 7,268,011 shares of its common stock, par value $0.0005 per share (the “Shares”), at a the closing market price of $1.84 per Share on the Closing Date to the four former equity owners of SCRC. The sellers of SCRC agreed as part of the purchase price to accept 7,268,011 shares of Gulf Resources stock, based on a valuation of $2.00, which was a 73% premium to the price on the day the agreement was reached. For accounting purposes, these shares are being valued at $1.84, which was the closing price of the Company’s stock on the day of the closing of the agreement. There is no change in the number of shares issued. The total purchase consideration consisted of $66,305,606 in cash and $13,373,140 in the shares of the common stock of the Company.

The issuance of the Shares was exempt from registration pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. On the Closing Date, the Company entered into a lock-up agreement with the four former equity owners of SCRC. In accordance with the terms of the lock-up agreement, the shareholders have agreed not to sell or transfer the Shares for five years from the date the stock certificates evidencing the Shares are issued.

The following table represents the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities of SCRC acquired and goodwill recognized at acquisition date.

Cash
  $ 14,074,720  
Accounts receivable
    19,365,259  
Inventories
    1,646,196  
Other current assets
    82,562  
Property, plant and equipment, net
    17,891,360  
Prepaid land leases, net of current portion
    4,800,404  
Goodwill
    31,399,066  
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
    (8,670,568 )
Taxes payable
    (963,458 )
Cumulative translation adjustment
    56,205  
Total purchase price
  $ 79,678,746  

The net revenue and net income of SCRC since the acquisition date that are included in the condensed consolidated statement of income for the three months ended June 30, 2015 are $18,084,963 and $4,613,809. The net revenue and net income of SCRC since the acquisition date that are included in the condensed consolidated statement of income for the six months ended June 30, 2015 are $28,588,332 and $7,198,569.Goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purpose.

Costs of $121,512 related to the acquisition, which included audit fee and valuation fees, have been charged directly to operations and are included in general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of income for the six months ended June 30, 2015.

The following table shows supplemental information of the results of operations on a pro forma basis for the six months ended June 31, 2015 and 2014, as if the acquisition of SCRC had been completed at the beginning of the Company’s interim periods presented.
 
   
For the six months ended
 
   
June 30, 2015
   
June 30, 2014
 
Net Revenue
  $ 89,975,162     $ 87,740,225  
Net Income
  $ 17,560,565     $ 17,277,051  
EARNINGS PER SHARE
               
-Basic
  $ 0.38     $ 0.38  
-Diluted
  $ 0.37     $ 0.37  

The pro forma information for all periods presented has been calculated after adjusting for results of SCRC to reflect the business combination accounting effect resulting from this acquisition including the elimination of intercompany sales, depreciation and amortization on the increase in valuation of property, plant and equipment and prepaid land lease. There are no nonrecurring items included in the pro forma results of operations presented.

NOTE 3 – INVENTORIES

Inventories consist of:
 
   
June 30,
2015
   
December 31,
2014
 
             
Raw materials
 
$
1,146,319
   
$
625,160
 
Finished goods
   
4,733,210
     
4,746,163
 
Work-in-process
   
879,899
     
-
 
Allowance for obsolete and slow-moving inventory
   
(3,458
)
   
(3,455
)
   
$
6,755,970
   
$
5,367,868
 
 
NOTE 4 – PREPAID LAND LEASES
 
The Company prepaid for land leases with lease terms for periods ranging from one to fifty years to use the land on which the office premises, production facilities and warehouses of the Company are situated. The prepaid land lease is amortized on a straight line basis.

During the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, amortization of prepaid land lease totaled $127,583 and $96,439, respectively, which were recorded as cost of net revenue. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, amortization of prepaid land lease totaled $254,087 and $201,411, respectively, which were recorded as cost of net revenue.

The Company has the rights to use certain parcels of land located in Shouguang, the PRC, through lease agreements signed with local townships or government authority. For parcels of land that are collectively owned by local townships, the Company could not obtain land use rights certificates. The parcels of land that the Company could not obtain land use rights certificates cover a total of approximately 59.43 square kilometers with an aggregate carrying value of $1,172,819 and approximately 59.39 square kilometers with an aggregate carrying value of $742,820 as at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
 
NOTE 5 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property, plant and equipment, net consist of the following:
 
   
June 30,
2015
   
December 31,
2014
 
At cost:
           
Mineral rights
 
$
6,512,242
   
$
6,506,668
 
Buildings
   
72,909,702
     
53,231,127
 
Plant and machinery
   
186,178,788
     
177,485,689
 
Motor vehicles
   
9,397
     
9,389
 
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment
   
5,166,920
     
4,884,991
 
Total
   
270,777,049
     
242,117,864
 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
   
(143,126,756
)
   
(117,767,083
)
Net book value
 
$
127,650,293
   
$
124,350,781
 

The Company has certain buildings and salt pans erected on parcels of land located in Shouguang, PRC, and such parcels of land are collectively owned by local townships or the government. The Company has not been able to obtain property ownership certificates over these buildings and salt pans. The aggregate carrying values of these properties situated on parcels of the land are $46,566,572 and $37,219,221as at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 5 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET – Continued

During the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $7,438,801, of which $7,060,750 and $378,051 were recorded as cost of net revenue and administrative expenses, respectively. During the three-month period ended June 30, 2014, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $6,788,929, of which $6,469,584 and $319,345 were recorded as cost of net revenue and administrative expenses, respectively. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $14,729,165, of which $13,993,009 and $736,156 were recorded as cost of sales and administrative expenses respectively. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2014, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $13,638,256, of which $12,997,481 and $640,775 were recorded as cost of sales and administrative expenses respectively.

NOTE 6 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT UNDER CAPITAL LEASES, NET

Property, plant and equipment under capital leases, net consist of the following:

   
June 30,
2015
   
December 31,
2014
 
At cost:
           
Buildings
 
$
134,604
   
$
134,489
 
Plant and machinery
   
2,530,172
     
2,528,007
 
Total
   
2,664,776
     
2,662,496
 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
   
(1,501,983
)
   
(1,322,894
)
Net book value
 
$
1,162,793
   
$
1,339,602
 
 
The above buildings erected on parcels of land located in Shouguang, PRC, are collectively owned by local townships.  The Company has not been able to obtain property ownership certificates over these buildings as the Company could not obtain land use rights certificates on the underlying parcels of land.  

During the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $88,880 and $81,829, respectively, which was recorded as cost of net revenue. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $177,504 and$170,742, respectively, which was recorded as cost of net revenue.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 7 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following:

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2015
   
2014
 
Accounts payable
 
$
15,831,370
   
$
3,181,465
 
Salary payable
   
286,059
     
234,932
 
Social security insurance contribution payable
   
111,075
     
89,232
 
Other payables
   
628,334
     
499,099
 
Total
 
$
16,856,838
   
$
4,004,728
 
 
NOTE 8 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

During the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015, the Company borrowed $220,000 and $520,000, respectively, from Jiaxing Lighting Appliance Company Limited (Jiaxing Lighting”), in which Mr. Ming Yang, a shareholder and the Chairman of the Company, had a 100% equity interest in Jiaxing Lighting. The amounts due to Jiaxing Lighting was unsecured, interest free and repayable on demand and was fully settled in the three-month period ended June 30, 2015. There was no balance owing to Jiaxing Lighting as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

During the fiscal year 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with the Shandong Shouguang Vegetable Seed Industry Group Co., Ltd, a related party, to provide property management services for an annual amount of approximately $100,704 for five years from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. The expense associated with this agreement for the three- month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 were approximately$25,500. The expense associated with this agreement for the six- month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 were approximately $51,000.

NOTE 9 – TAXES PAYABLE
 
Taxes payable consists of the following:
 
   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2015
   
2014
 
Income tax payable
 
$
3,920,134
   
$
1,388,341
 
Mineral resource compensation fee payable
   
352,617
     
292,026
 
Value added tax payable
   
1,561,224
     
724,915
 
Land use tax payable
   
960,554
     
949,544
 
Other tax payables
   
292,392
     
190,603
 
Total
 
$
7,086,921
   
$
3,545,429
 
   
NOTE 10 – CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS
 
The components of capital lease obligations are as follows:
 
 
Imputed
 
June 30,
 
December 31,
 
Interest rate
 
2015
 
2014
Total capital lease obligations
6.7%
 
$
2,828,916
   
$
3,031,623
 
Less: Current portion
     
(114,171
)
   
(205,128
)
Capital lease obligations, net of current portion
   
$
2,714,745
   
$
2,826,495
 

Interest expenses from capital lease obligations amounted to $50,803 and $52,213 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, which were charged to the income statements. Interest expenses from capital lease obligations amounted to $101,460 and $104,767 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, which were charged to the income statements.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 11 ––EQUITY

(a)
Authorized shares

During the annual general meeting held on June 18, 2013, the shareholders of the Company approved the amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of the authorized shares of the Company’s common stocks to 80,000,000. The Company has completed the filing of the amendment and restatement of the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of the State of Delaware to decrease the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock and accordingly 80,000,000 is disclosed as the authorized shares of the Company’s common stock in the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

(b)
Retained Earnings - Appropriated

In accordance with the relevant PRC regulations and the PRC subsidiaries’ Articles of Association, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are required to allocate its profit after tax to the following reserve:

Statutory Common Reserve Funds

SCHC, SYCI and SCRC are required each year to transfer at least 10% of the profit after tax as reported under the PRC statutory financial statements to the Statutory Common Reserve Funds until the balance reaches 50% of the registered share capital.  This reserve can be used to make up any loss incurred or to increase share capital.  Except for the reduction of losses incurred, any other application should not result in this reserve balance falling below 25% of the registered capital. The Statutory Common Reserve Fund as of June 30, 2015 for SCHC, SYCI and SCRC is 39%, 50% and 7% of its registered capital respectively.

NOTE 12 – TREASURY STOCK

In January 2015, the Company repurchased 31,000 shares of common stock of the Company at an average price of $1.22 per share for a total cost of $37,713 under the approval of the Board of Directors. The Company recorded the entire purchase price of the treasury stock as a reduction of equity.

NOTE 13 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, the total aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance is 4,341,989 shares. As of June 30, 2015, the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance is 1,060,989.

The fair value of each option award below is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The risk free rate is based on the yield-to-maturity in continuous compounding of the US Government Bonds with the time-to-maturity similar to the expected tenor of the option granted, volatility is based on the annualized historical stock price volatility of the Company, and the expected life is estimated based on historical share option exercise experience as prescribed in FASB ASC 718.

In early March 2015, the Company granted to an independent director an option to purchase 12,500 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.66 per share and the options vested immediately. The options were valued at $7,400 fair value, with assumed 73.55% volatility, a three-year expiration term with an expected tenor of 1.49 years, a risk free rate of 0.42% and no dividend yield. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2015, $7,400 was recognized as general and administrative expenses.

On April 8, 2015, the Company granted to 17 management staff options to purchase 275,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, respectively, at an exercise price of $1.428 per share and the options vested immediately. The options were valued at $146,400 fair value, respectively, with assumed 68.70% volatility, a four-year expiration term with an expected tenor of 0.94 years, a risk free rate of 0.20% and no dividend yield.

On April 8, 2015, the Company granted to 3 director options to purchase 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, respectively, at an exercise price of $1.428 per share and the options vested immediately. The options were valued at $181,400 fair value, respectively, with assumed 65.71% volatility, a four-year expiration term with an expected tenor of 1.30 years, a risk free rate of 0.31% and no dividend yield.
 
On May 7, 2015, the Company granted to an independent director an option to purchase 12,500 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.550 per share and the options vested immediately. The options were valued at $8,600 fair value, with assumed 69.32% volatility, a three-year expiration term with an expected tenor of 0.97 years, a risk free rate of 0.23% and no dividend yield.

The following table summarizes all Company stock option transactions between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015.

   
Number of Option
and Warrants
Outstanding and exercisable
   
Weighted- Average Exercise price of Option
and Warrants
   
Range of
Exercise Price per Common Share
 
Balance, January 1, 2015
    2,744,000     $ 2.38     $0.95 - $12.60  
Granted and vested during the period
Ended June 30, 2015
    600,000     $ 1.46     $1.43-2.55  
Exercised during the period ended
June 30, 2015
    (182,500 )   $ 1.12     $0.95-1.66  
Expired during the period ended
June 30, 2015
    (817,500 )   $ 4.86     $2.06-4.97  
Balance, June 30, 2015
    2,344,000     $ 1.38     $0.95 - $12.60  
 
     
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 13 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION – Continued

   
Stock and Warrants Options Exercisable and Outstanding
           
Weighted Average
 
           
Remaining
 
   
Outstanding at June 30, 2015
 
Range of
Exercise Prices
 
Contractual Life
 (Years)
 
Exercisable and outstanding
 
2,344,000
 
$0.95 - $12.60
 
2.61
 
 
The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and exercisable as of June 30, 2015 was $2,193,632.

The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $236,535 and $400,954 for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.

Intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying award and the closing market price of the stock of the Company as of June 30, 2014 for options outstanding and exercisable as of June 30, 2015, and the closing market price of the stock of the Company as of the date of exercise for options exercised.

The 182,500 options exercised during the six months ended June 30, 2015, were cashless exercise of option.
 
NOTE 14 – INCOME TAXES

The Company utilizes the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10.

(a)           United States

Gulf Resources, Inc. is subject to the United States of America Tax law at a tax rate of 34%. No provision for the US federal income taxes has been made as the Company had no US taxable income for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, and management believes that its earnings are permanently invested in the PRC.

(b)           BVI

Upper Class Group Limited, a subsidiary of Gulf Resources, Inc., was incorporated in the BVI and, under the current laws of the BVI, it is not subject to tax on income or capital gain in the BVI. Upper Class Group Limited did not generate assessable profit for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.

(c)           Hong Kong

Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited, a subsidiary of Upper Class Group Limited, was incorporated in Hong Kong and is subject to Hong Kong profits tax. The Company is subject to Hong Kong taxation on its activities conducted in Hong Kong and income arising in or derived from Hong Kong.  No provision for profits tax has been made as the Company has no assessable income for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.  The applicable statutory tax rates for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 are 16.5%. There is no dividend withholding tax in Hong Kong.

(d)           PRC

Enterprise income tax (“EIT”) for SCHC, SYCI and SCRC in the PRC is charged at 25% of the assessable profits.

The operating subsidiaries SCHC, SYCI and SCRC are wholly foreign-owned enterprises (“FIE”) incorporated in the PRC and are subject to PRC Foreign Enterprise Income Tax Law.

On February 22, 2008, the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) and the State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”) jointly issued CaiShui [2008] Circular 1 (“Circular 1”). According to Article 4 of Circular 1, distributions of accumulated profits earned by a FIE prior to January 1, 2008 to foreign investor(s) in 2008 will be exempted from withholding tax (“WHT”) while distribution of the profit earned by an FIE after January 1, 2008 to its foreign investor(s) shall be subject to WHT at 5% effective tax rate.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 14 – INCOME TAXES – Continued

As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the accumulated distributable earnings under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP”) of PRC of the FIE of the Company are $260,482,101 and $242,440,917, respectively. Upon dividend distribution, these accumulated distributable earnings are subject to WHT of up to $11,910,044 and $11,008,938 on the accumulated distributable reserves as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

The Company’s tax returns are subject to the various tax authorities’ examination. The federal, state and local authorities of the United States may examine the Company’s tax returns filed in the United States for three years from the date of filing. The Company’s US tax returns since 2011 are currently subject to examination. Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong may examine the Company’s tax returns filed in Hong Kong for seven years from date of filing. The Company’s Hong Kong tax returns since incorporation in year 2008 are currently subject to examination.
 
The components of the provision for income taxes from continuing operations are:

 
Three-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
 
Current taxes – PRC
 
$
3,843,298
   
$
1,933,503
   
$
5,796,246
   
$
3,302,572
 
Deferred taxes – PRC
   
-
     
-
     
(81,460
   
-
 
   
$
3,843,298
   
$
1,933,503
   
$
5,714,786
   
$
3,302,572
 
 
The effective income tax expenses differ from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% from continuing operations in the PRC as follows:

 
 
Three-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
Reconciliations
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Statutory income tax rate
 
25
%
   
25
%
   
25
%
   
25
%
 
US federal net operating loss
 
1
%
   
-
     
1
%
   
-
   
Effective tax rate
 
26
%
   
25
%
   
26
%
   
25
%
 
 
Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are as follows:

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
 
2015
   
2014
 
Deferred tax liabilities
 
$
-
   
$
-
 
                 
Deferred tax assets:
               
Allowance for obsolete and slow-moving inventories
 
$
865
   
$
864
 
Impairment on property, plant and equipment
   
477,836
     
477,427
 
Exploration costs
   
2,036,448
     
1,952,990
 
Compensation costs of unexercised stock options
   
618,382
     
1,427,296
 
US federal net operating loss
   
9,946,898
     
9,692,379
 
Total deferred tax assets
   
13,080,429
     
13,550,956
 
Valuation allowance
   
(10,565,280
)
   
(11,119,675
)
Net deferred tax asset
 
$
2,515,149
   
$
2,431,281
 
                 
Current deferred tax asset
 
$
865
   
$
864
 
Long-term deferred tax asset
 
$
2,514,284
   
$
2,430,417
 

The increase in valuation allowance for each of the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 is $209,007 and $199,223, respectively.

The decrease in valuation allowance for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 is $554,395.

The increase in valuation allowance for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 is $219,427.

There were no unrecognized tax benefits and accrual for uncertain tax positions as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 15 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The Company has three reportable segments:  bromine, crude salt and chemical products. The reportable segments are consistent with how management views the markets served by the Company and the financial information that is reviewed by its chief operating decision maker.

An operating segment’s performance is primarily evaluated based on segment operating income, which excludes share-based compensation expense, certain corporate costs and other income not associated with the operations of the segment. These corporate costs (income) are separately stated below and also include costs that are related to functional areas such as accounting, treasury, information technology, legal, human resources, and internal audit. The Company believes that segment operating income, as defined above, is an appropriate measure for evaluating the operating performance of its segments. All the customers are located in PRC.

Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2015
 
Bromine*
   
Crude
 Salt*
   
Chemical
 Products
   
Segment
 Total
   
Corporate
   
Total
 
Net revenue
(external customers)
 
$
15,092,861
   
$
2,909,342
   
$
31,347,867
   
$
49,350,070
   
$
-
   
$
49,350,070
 
Net revenue
(intersegment)
   
2,518,562
     
-
     
-
     
2,518,562
     
-
     
2,518,562
 
Income (loss) from operations before taxes
   
4,505,928
     
(4,027
)
   
10,765,654
     
15,267,555
     
(706,166
)
   
14,561,389
 
Income taxes
   
951,896
     
171,681
     
2,719,721
     
3,843,298
     
-
     
3,843,298
 
Income (loss) from operations after taxes
   
3,554,032
     
(175,708
)
   
8,045,933
     
11,424,257
     
(706,166
)
   
10,718,091
 
Total assets
   
142,221,356
     
40,055,235
     
186,715,430
     
368,992,021
     
33,732
     
369,025,753
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
4,501,603
     
1,589,490
     
1,436,588
     
7,527,681
     
-
     
7,527,681
 
Goodwill
   
-
     
-
     
31,396,066
     
31,396,066
     
-
     
31,396,066
 

Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2014
 
Bromine*
   
Crude
 Salt*
   
Chemical
 Products
   
Segment
 Total
   
Corporate
   
Total
 
Net revenue
(external customers)
 
$
16,214,612
   
$
 2,915,445
   
$
12,622,757
   
$
31,752,814
   
$
-
   
$
31,752,814
 
Net revenue
(intersegment)
   
836,840
     
-
     
-
     
836,840
     
-
     
836,840
 
Income (loss) from operations before taxes
   
3,599,026
     
(116,798
)
   
4,191,572
     
7,673,800
     
(142,228
)
   
7,531,572
 
Income taxes
   
735,834
     
141,819
     
1,055,850
     
1,933,503
     
-
     
1,933,503
 
Income (loss) from operations after taxes
   
2,863,192
     
(258,617
)
   
3,135,722
     
5,740,297
     
(142,228
)
   
5,598,069
 
Total assets
   
189,852,951
     
53,961,678
     
72,505,351
     
316,319,980
     
25,561
     
316,345,541
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
4,378,252
     
1,604,960
     
887,546
     
6,870,758
     
-
     
6,870,758
 
Capital expenditures
   
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
-
     
 
-
 
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 15 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS – Continued

Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2015
 
Bromine*
   
Crude
 Salt*
   
Chemical
 Products
   
Segment
 Total
   
Corporate
        Total
Net revenue
(external customers)
 
$
26,126,110
   
$
4,873,073
   
$
53,261,716
   
$
84,260,899
   
$
-
    $
84,260,899
Net revenue
(intersegment)
   
4,024,239
     
-
     
-
     
4,024,239
     
-
     
4,024,239
Income (loss) from operations before taxes
   
4,642,886
     
183,509
     
17,812,394
     
22,638,789
     
(966,749
)
   
21,672,040
Income taxes
   
1,027,302
     
180,738
     
4,506,746
     
5,714,786
     
-
     
5,714,786
Income (loss) from operations after taxes
   
3,615,584
     
2,771
     
13,305,648
     
16,924,003
     
(966,749
)
   
15,957,254
Total assets
   
142,221,356
     
40,055,235
     
186,715,430
     
368,992,021
     
33,732
     
369,025,753
Depreciation and amortization
   
9,236,903
     
2,990,787
     
2,678,979
     
14,906,669
     
-
     
14,906,699
Goodwill
   
-
     
-
     
31,396,066
     
31,396,066
     
-
     
31,396,066

Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2014
 
Bromine*
   
Crude
 Salt*
   
Chemical
 Products
   
Segment
 Total
   
Corporate
        Total
Net revenue
(external customers)
 
$
27,976,528
   
$
5,357,340
   
$
24,011,122
   
$
57,344,990
   
$
-
    $
57,344,990
Net revenue
(intersegment)
   
1,620,833
     
-
     
-
     
1,620,833
     
-
     
1,620,833
Income (loss) from operations before taxes
   
4,617,298
     
526,509
     
7,961,305
     
13,105,112
     
28,104
     
13,133,216
Income taxes
   
1,100,419
     
197,059
     
2,005,094
     
3,302,572
     
-
     
3,302,572
Income (loss) from operations after taxes
   
3,516,879
     
329,450
     
5,956,211
     
9,802,540
     
28,104
     
9,830,644
Total assets
   
189,852,951
     
53,961,678
     
72,505,351
     
316,319,980
     
25,561
     
316,345,541
Depreciation and amortization
   
8,928,395
     
3,099,717
     
1,780,886
     
13,808,998
     
-
     
13,808,998
Capital expenditures
   
34,378
     
5,208
     
-
     
39,586
     
-
     
39,586

* Certain common production overheads, operating and administrative expenses and asset items (mainly cash and certain office equipment) of bromine and crude salt segments in SCHC were split by reference to the average selling price and production volume of respective segment.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 15 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS – Continued

   
Three-Month Period Ended June 30,
   
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
Reconciliations
 
2015
   
2014
   
2015
   
2014
 
Total segment operating income
 
$
15,267,555
   
$
7,673,800
   
$
22,638,789
   
$
13,105,112
 
Corporate costs
   
(706,166
)
   
(142,228
)
   
(966,749
)
   
28,104
 
Income from operations
   
14,561,389
     
7,531,572
     
21,672,040
     
13,133,216
 
Other income, net of expense
   
57,169
     
66,743
     
133,277
     
120,506
 
Income before taxes
 
$
14,618,558
   
$
7,598,315
   
$
21,805,317
   
$
13,253,722
 
 
The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Number
 
Customer
Bromine
(000’s)
 
Crude Salt
(000’s)
 
Chemical Products
(000’s)
 
Total
Revenue
 (000’s)
 
Percentage of
Total
Revenue (%)
 1
 
Shandong Morui Chemical Company Limited
 
$  2,382
 
 
$  731
 
 
$  1,973
 
$  5,086
 
10.3%
TOTAL
   
$  2,382
 
$  731
 
$  1,973
 
$  5,086
 
10.3%

The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Number
 
Customer
Bromine
(000’s)
 
Crude Salt
(000’s)
 
Chemical Products
(000’s)
 
Total
Revenue
 (000’s)
 
Percentage of
Total
Revenue (%)
 1
 
Shandong Morui Chemical Company Limited
 
$  4,072
 
 
$  1,195
 
 
$  3,684
 
$  8,951
 
10.6%
TOTAL
   
$  4,072
 
$  1,195
 
$  3,684
 
$  8,951
 
10.6%

The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014.

Number
 
Customer
Bromine
(000’s)
 
Crude Salt
(000’s)
 
Chemical Products
(000’s)
 
Total
Revenue
 (000’s)
 
Percentage of
Total
Revenue (%)
 1
 
Shandong Morui Chemical Company Limited
 
$  2,505
 
 
$  693
 
 
$  1,935
 
$  5,133
 
16.2%
TOTAL
   
$  2,505
 
$  693
 
$  1,935
 
$  5,133
 
16.2%
 
The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014.

Number
 
Customer
Bromine
(000’s)
 
Crude Salt
(000’s)
 
Chemical Products
(000’s)
 
Total
Revenue
 (000’s)
 
Percentage of
Total
Revenue (%)
 1
 
Shandong Morui Chemical Company Limited
 
$  4,088
 
 
$  1,264
 
 
$  3,320
 
$  8,672
 
15.1%
TOTAL
   
$  4,088
 
$  1,264
 
$  3,320
 
$  8,672
 
15.1%

NOTE 16 – MAJOR SUPPLIERS

During the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015, the Company purchased 54.6% and 56.6% of its raw materials from its top five suppliers, respectively.  As of June 30, 2015, amounts due to those suppliers included in accounts payable were $5,689,387. During the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2014, the Company purchased 89.7% and 89.6% of its raw materials from its top five suppliers, respectively.  As of June 30, 2014, amounts due to those suppliers included in accounts payable were $4,487,708.This concentration makes the Company vulnerable to a near-term severe impact, should the relationships be terminated.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 17 – CUSTOMER CONCENTRATION

During the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015, the Company sold 29.2% and 30.0% of its products to its top five customers, respectively. As of June 30, 2015, amounts due from these customers were $23,645,809. During the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2014, the Company sold 43.1% and 41.2% of its products to its top five customers, respectively. As of June 30, 2014, amounts due from these customers were $21,865,317.This concentration makes the Company vulnerable to a near-term severe impact, should the relationships be terminated.

NOTE 18 – FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
 
The carrying values of financial instruments, which consist of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable and other payables, approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments.  There were no material unrecognized financial assets and liabilities as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

NOTE 19 – CAPITAL COMMITMENT AND OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

As of June 30, 2015, the Company has leased a real property adjacent to Factory No. 1, with the related production facility, channels and ducts, other production equipment and the buildings located on the property, under capital lease. The future minimum lease payments required under capital lease, together with the present value of such payments, are included in the table show below.
 
The Company has leased ten pieces of land under non-cancelable operating leases, which are fixed in rentals and expired through December 2021, December 2022, December 2030, December 2031, December 2032, December 2040, February 2059, August 2059 and June 2060, respectively. The Company accounts for the leases as operating leases.

The Company has no purchase commitment as of June 30, 2015.

The following table sets forth the Company’s contractual obligations as of June 30, 2015:

   
Capital Lease Obligations
   
Operating Lease Obligations
   
Property Management Fees
 
Payable within: 
                 
the next 12 months
$
307,021
   
$
1,012,896
   
$
102,045
 
the next 13 to 24 months
   
307,021
     
1,032,775
     
102,045
 
the next 25 to 36 months
   
307,021
     
1,056,897
     
51,023
 
the next 37 to 48 months
   
307,021
     
1,078,730
     
-
 
the next 49 to 60 months
   
307,021
     
1,105,071
     
-
 
thereafter
   
3,070,209
     
19,900,638
     
-
 
Total
 
$
4,605,314
   
$
25,187,007
   
$
255,113
 
Less: Amount representing interest
   
(1,776,398
)
               
Present value of net minimum lease payments
 
$
2,828,916
                 
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JUNE 30, 2015
 (Expressed in U.S. dollars)
(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 19 – CAPITAL COMMITMENT AND OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS – Continued

Rental expenses related to operating leases of the Company amounted to $251,741 and $243,791, which were charged to the income statements for the three-month ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Rental expenses related to operating leases of the Company amounted to $517,038 and $489,041, which were charged to the income statements for the six-month ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
 
 
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
 
The discussion below contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.  We have used words such as “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities and the timing of certain events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, those matters discussed in Item 1A of Part I of our 2014 Form 10-K.  Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.  The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing in our 2014 Form 10-K and Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Overview
 
Gulf Resources conducts operations through its three wholly-owned China subsidiaries, SCHC, SYCI and SCRC. Our business is also reported in these three segments, Bromine, Crude Salt, and Chemical Products.
 
Through SCHC, we produce and sell bromine and crude salt. We are one of the largest producers of bromine in China, as measured by production output. Elemental bromine is used to manufacture a wide variety of brominated compounds used in industry and agriculture. Bromine is commonly used in brominated flame retardants, fumigants, water purification compounds, dyes, medicines, and disinfectants.
 
Through SYCI, we manufacture and sell chemical products that are used in oil and gas field exploration, oil and gas distribution, oil field drilling, wastewater processing, papermaking chemical agents and inorganic chemicals.
 
Through SCRC, we manufacture and sell chemical products that are used for human and animal antibiotics.

Our Corporate History
     
We were incorporated in Delaware on February 28, 1989. From November 1993 through August 2006, we were engaged in the business of owning, leasing and operating coin and debit card pay-per copy photocopy machines, fax machines, microfilm reader-printers and accessory equipment under the name “Diversifax, Inc.”. Due to the increased use of internet services, demand for our services declined sharply, and in August 2006, our Board of Directors decided to discontinue our operations.
 
Upper Class Group Limited, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in July 2006, acquired all the outstanding stock of SCHC, a company incorporated in Shouguang City, Shandong Province, PRC, in May 2005. At the time of the acquisition, members of the family of Mr. Ming Yang, our president and former chief executive officer, owned approximately 63.20% of the outstanding shares of Upper Class Group Limited. Since the ownership of Upper Class Group Limited and SCHC was then substantially the same, the acquisition was accounted for as a transaction between entities under common control, whereby Upper Class Group Limited recognized the assets and liabilities transferred at their carrying amounts.

On December 12, 2006, we, then known as Diversifax, Inc., a public “shell” company, acquired Upper Class Group Limited and SCHC. Under the terms of the agreement, the stockholders of Upper Class Group Limited received 13,250,000 (restated for the 2-for-1 stock split in 2007 and the 1-for-4 stock split in 2009) shares of voting common stock of Gulf Resources, Inc. in exchange for all outstanding shares of Upper Class Group Limited. Members of the Yang family received approximately 62% of our common stock as a result of the acquisition.  Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, the share exchange is considered to be a capital transaction rather than a business combination. That is, the share exchange is equivalent to the issuance of stock by Upper Class Group Limited for the net assets of Gulf Resources, Inc., accompanied by a recapitalization, and is accounted for as a change in capital structure. Accordingly, the accounting for the share exchange is identical to that resulting from a reverse acquisition, except no goodwill is recorded. Under reverse takeover accounting, the post reverse acquisition comparative historical financial statements of the legal acquirer, Gulf Resources, Inc., are those of the legal acquire, Upper Class Group Limited. Share and per share amounts stated have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the share exchange. On February 20, 2007, we changed our corporate name to Gulf Resources, Inc.
 
   
On February 5, 2007, we acquired SYCI, a company incorporated in PRC, in October 2000. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, the stockholders of SYCI received a total of 8,094,059 (restated for the 2-for-1 stock split in 2007 and the 1-for-4 stock split in 2009) shares of common stock of Gulf Resources, Inc. in exchange for all outstanding shares of SYCI's common stock. Simultaneously with the completion of the acquisition, a dividend of $2,550,000 was paid to the former stockholders of SYCI. At the time of the acquisition, approximately 49.1% of the outstanding shares of SYCI were owned by Ms. Yu, Mr. Yang’s wife, and the remaining 50.9% of the outstanding shares of SYCI were owned by SCHC, all of whose outstanding shares were owned by Mr. Yang and his wife. Since the ownership of Gulf Resources, Inc. and SYCI are substantially the same, the acquisition was accounted for as a transaction between entities under common control, whereby Gulf Resources, Inc. recognized the assets and liabilities of SYCI at their carrying amounts. Share and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the acquisition.

To satisfy certain ministerial requirements necessary to confirm certain government approvals required in connection with the acquisition of SCHC by Upper Class Group Limited, all of the equity interest of SCHC were transferred to a newly formed Hong Kong corporation named Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited (“Hong Kong Jiaxing”) all of the outstanding shares of which are owned by Upper Class Group Limited. The transfer of all of the equity interest of SCHC to Hong Kong Jiaxing received approval from the local State Administration of Industry and Commerce on December 10, 2007.

As a result of the transactions described above, our corporate structure is linear. That is Gulf Resources owns 100% of the outstanding shares of Upper Class Group Limited, which owns 100% of the outstanding shares of Hong Kong Jiaxing, which owns 100% of the outstanding shares of SCHC, which owns 100% of the outstanding shares of SYCI.

On October 12, 2009 we completed a 1-for-4 reverse stock split of our common stock, such that for each four shares outstanding prior to the stock split there was one share outstanding after the reverse stock split. All shares of common stock referenced in this report have been adjusted to reflect the stock split figures. On October 27, 2009 our shares began trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “GFRE” and on June 30, 2011 we changed our ticker symbol to “GURE” to better reflection of our corporate name.

On January 12, 2015, Gulf Resources, Inc. (the “Company” or “Gulf”) and Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“SCHC”), entered into an Equity Interest Transfer Agreement (the “Agreement”) with SCRC.

On February 4, 2015 the Company closed the transactions contemplated by the Agreement between the Company, SCHC and SCRC.

On the Closing Date, the Company issued 7,268,011shares of its common stock, par value $0.0005 per share (the “Shares”), at the closing market price of $1.84 per Share on the Closing Date to the four former equity owners of SCRC .The issuance of the Shares was exempt from registration pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. On the Closing Date, the Company entered into a lock-up agreement with the four former equity owners of SCRC. In accordance with the terms of the lock-up agreement, the shareholders have agreed not to sell or transfer the Shares for five years from the date the stock certificates evidencing the Shares are issued.

The sellers of SCRC agreed as part of the purchase price to accept 7,268,011 shares of Gulf Resources stock, based on a valuation of $2.00, which was a 73% premium to the price on the day the agreement was reached. For accounting purposes, these shares are now being valued at $1.84, which was the closing price of Gulf Resources' stock on the day of the closing of the agreement. The price difference between the original $2.00 and the current $1.84 is solely for accounting purposes. There has been no change in the number of shares issued.

Our current corporate structure chart is set forth in the following diagram:
 
 
As a result of our acquisitions of SCHC, SYCI and SCRC, our historical financial statements and the information presented below reflects the accounts of SCHC, SYCI and SCRC. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.
 
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
The following table presents certain information derived from the consolidated statements of operations, cash flows and stockholders equity for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. 

Comparison of the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2015 and 2014

   
Three-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2015
   
Three-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2014
   
% Change
Net revenue
  $ 49,350,070     $ 31,752,814       55 %
Cost of net revenue
  $ (32,280,120 )   $ (22,566,923 )     43 %
Gross profit
  $ 17,069,950     $ 9,185,891       86 %
Sales, marketing and other operating expenses
  $ (120,746 )   $ (27,215 )     344 %
Research and development costs
  $ (63,470 )   $ (32,558 )     95 %
Loss from disposal of property, plant
and equipment
  $ -     $ (9,866 )     (100 %)
General and administrative expenses
  $ (2,434,246 )   $ (1,701,601 )     43 %
Other operating income
  $ 109,901     $ 116,921       (6 %)
Income from operations
  $ 14,561,389     $ 7,531,572       93 %
Other income (expense), net
  $ 57,169     $ 66,743       (14 %)
Income before taxes
  $ 14,618,558     $ 7,598,315       92 %
Income taxes
  $ (3,843,298 )   $ (1,933,503 )     99 %
Net income
  $ 10,775,260     $ 5,664,812       90 %

Net revenue.  Net revenue was $49,350,070 for three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of approximately $17.6 million (or 55%) as compared to the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $18,084,963 to our net revenue for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Revenue from the bromine products segment decreased from $16,214,612 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $15,092,861 for the same period in 2015, a decrease of approximately 7%. Revenue from the crude salt segment decreased from $2,915,445 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $2,909,342 for the same period in 2015, a decrease of approximately 0.2%.

Revenue from the chemical segment increased from $12,622,757 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $31,347,867 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 148%.
 
   
Net Revenue by Segment
   
   
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Percent Increase/Decrease
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
of Net Revenue
Segment
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Bromine
 
$
15,092,861
     
31
%
 
$
16,214,612
     
51
%
   
(7
%)
Crude Salt
 
$
2,909,342
     
6
%
 
$
2,915,445
     
9
%
   
(0.2
%)
Chemical Products
 
$
31,347,867
     
63
%
 
$
12,622,757
     
40
%
   
148
%
Total sales
 
$
49,350,070
     
100
%
 
$
31,752,814
     
100
%
   
55
%
 
Bromine and crude salt segments 
 
Three-Month Period Ended
   
Percentage Change
product sold in tonnes
 
June 30, 2015
   
June 30, 2014
   
Increase/(Decrease)
Bromine (excluded volume sold to SYCI and SCRC after acquisition in January 2015)
   
4,751
     
5,663
     
(16
%)
Crude Salt
   
90,475
     
89,528
     
1
%
 
   
Three-Month Period Ended
   
Percentage Change
Chemical products segment sold in tonnes
 
June 30, 2015
   
June 30, 2014
   
Increase/(Decrease)
Oil and gas exploration additives
   
3,893
     
3,857
     
0.9
%
Paper manufacturing additives
   
1,099
     
1,096
     
0.3
%
Pesticides manufacturing additives
   
844
     
859
     
(1.7
%)
Pharmaceutical intermediate
   
540
     
-
       
-
By product
   
3,805
     
-
       
-
Overall
   
10,181
     
5,812
     
75
%
 
 
Bromine segment
The decrease in net revenue from our bromine segment was mainly due to the decrease in the sales volume of bromine. The sales volume of bromine decreased from 5,663 tonnes for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 4,751 tonnes for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 16%. The reasons for the decrease in the sales volume of bromine were mainly due to the continuing macro-economic tightening policy imposed by the PRC government beginning in the second half of 2011 to slow down the economy, which has affected our customers’ industries and the sale of bromine to SCRC in three-month period ended June 30, 2015 excluded from the net revenue in the bromine segment as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015.

The selling price of bromine increased from $2,863 per tonne for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $3,177 per tonnes for the same period in 2015, an increase of 11%. The average selling price for this quarter increased $322 per tonne, as compared with the third quarter of 2014, which was $2,855 per tonne. We expect the average selling price of bromine to remain at current levels through the end of 2015 should the PRC government’s macro-economic tightening policy remain in place. The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of bromine for the fiscal year 2015 from the same period in 2014.
 
   
Three-Month Period
Ended June 30,
Increase/(Decrease) in net revenue of bromine as a result of:
 
2015 vs. 2014
Increase in average selling price
 
$
1,631,516
 
Decrease in sales volume
 
$
(2,753,267
)
Total effect on net revenue of bromine
 
$
(1,121,751

Crude salt segment
The decrease in net revenue from our crude salt segment was mainly due to the decrease in the selling price of crude salt. The selling price of crude salt decreased by 1% from $32.56 per tonne for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $32.16 per tonne for the same period in 2015. The decrease in the selling price was mainly due to the macro-economic tightening policy imposed by the PRC government to slow down the economy, which has affected our customers’ industries.
 
We noted an upward trend in the average selling price of crude salt since the third quarter of 2014. The average selling price increased 15% from the third quarter of 2014 to the second quarter of 2015. We expect the average selling price of crude salt to remain at current levels through the end of 2015.
 
   
Three-Month Period
Ended June 30,
Increase / (Decrease) in net revenue of crude salt as a result of:
 
2015 vs. 2014
Decrease in average selling price
  $ (36,748 )
Increase in sales volume
  $ 30,645  
Total effect on net revenue of crude salt
  $ (6,103 )
 
 
Chemical products segment
 
   
Product Mix of Chemical Products Segment
 
Percent
   
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Change of
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
Net Revenue
Chemical Products
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Oil and gas exploration additives
 
$
7,644,723
     
24
%
 
$
7,220,640
     
57
%
   
6
%
Paper manufacturing additives
 
$
1,318,107
     
4
%
 
$
1,259,311
     
10
%
   
5
%
Pesticides manufacturing additives
 
$
4,300,074
     
14
%
 
$
4,142,806
     
33
%
   
4
%
Pharmaceutical intermediates
 
$
13,418,871
     
43
%
   
-
     
-
     
-
 
By product
 
$
4,666,092
     
15
%
   
-
     
-
     
-
 
Total sales
 
$
31,347,867
     
100
%
 
$
12,622,757
     
100
%
   
148
%

Net revenue from our chemical products segment increased from $12,622,757 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $31,347,867 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 148%. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $18,084,963 to our revenue for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015. Net revenue from our oil and gas exploration chemicals contributed $7,644,723 (or 24%) and $7,220,640 (or 57%) of our chemical segment revenue for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, with an increase of $424,082, or 6%. Net revenue from our paper manufacturing additives increased from $1,259,311 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $1,318,107 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 5%. Net revenue from our pesticides manufacturing additives increased from $4,142,806 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $4,300,074 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 4%.

The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of major chemical products for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 from the same period in 2014 (excluding SCRC).

Increase / (Decrease) in net revenue,
for the three-month period ended June 30,
2015 vs. 2014, as a result of:
 
Oil and gas exploration additives
 
Paper manufacturing additives
 
Pesticides manufacturing additives
 
Total
Increase in average selling price
 
$
355,038
   
$
55,274
   
$
231,650
   
$
641,962
 
Increase / (Decrease) in sales volume
 
$
69,044
   
$
3,523
   
$
(74,382
 
$
(1,815
)
Total effect on net revenue of chemical products
 
$
424,082
   
$
58,797
   
$
157,268
   
 
$
 
640,167
 
 
Cost of Net Revenue
 
   
Cost of Net Revenue by Segment
 
% Change
   
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
of Cost of
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
Net Revenue
Segment
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Bromine
 
$
9,613,683
     
30
%
 
$
11,653,753
     
52
%
   
(18
%)
Crude Salt
 
$
2,716,619
     
8
%
 
$
2,824,332
     
12
%
   
(4
%)
Chemical Products
 
$
19,949,818
     
62
%
 
$
8,088,838
     
36
%
   
147
%
Total
 
$
32,280,120
     
100
%
 
$
22,566,923
     
100
%
   
43
%
 
 
Cost of net revenue reflects mainly the raw materials consumed and the direct salaries and benefits of staff engaged in the production process, electricity, depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery and other manufacturing costs. Our cost of net revenue was $32,280,120 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $9,713,197 (or 43%) as compared to the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $11,614,928 to our cost of net revenue for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Bromine production capacity and utilization of our factories

The table below represents the annual capacity and utilization ratios for all of our bromine producing properties:

   
Annual Production Capacity (in tonnes)
 
Utilization
Ratio (i)
Three-month period ended June 30, 2014
   
47,347
     
50%
 
Three-month period ended June 30, 2015
   
47,347
     
47%
 
Variance of the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014
   
-
     
(3%
)

(i) Utilization ratio is calculated based on the annualized actual production volume in tonnes for the periods divided by the annual production capacity in tonnes.

Our utilization ratio decreased by 3% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 as compared with the same period in 2014.

In view of the trend of a decrease in the bromine concentration of the brine water being extracted at our production facilities as explained in 2014 Form 10-K, and in order to reduce the leakage rate and attempt to recover the annual production capacity of bromine and crude salt to a higher level in the future, we plan to carry out an enhancement project for the rest of our transmission channels and ducts in Factories No. 10 and No. 11 in 2015. During the three-month period June 30, 2015, no such enhancement work was carried out due to the extreme hot weather condition in the Shangdong region. We expect to resume the enhancement work in the third and fourth quarters of 2015 when weather conditions permit.

Bromine segment
For the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, the cost of net revenue for the bromine segment was $9,613,683, a decrease of $2,040,070 or 18% over the same period in 2014. The most significant components of the costs of net revenue for the bromine segment were cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $3,148,642 (or 33%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $4,381,296 (or 46%) and electricity of $896,064 (or 9%) for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015. For the three-month period ended June 30, 2014, the major components of the cost of net revenue were the cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $5,114,904 (or 44%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $4,259,921 (or 37%) and electricity of $933,494 (or 8%). The cost structure changed as compared with the same period in 2014 where the contribution from cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed decreased by 11% and depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery increased by 9%. The decrease in net cost of net revenue was mainly attributable to the decreased volume of products sold and an inter-company elimination adjustment related to the sale of bromine to SCRC in the three-month period ended June30, 2015 allocated to the bromine segment whereas there is no such adjustment in the same period in  2014 as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015, which was partially offset by the increase in depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery due to the enhancement projects carried out for our extraction wells and transmission channels and ducts which commenced in August 2014 and completed in September 2014. The depreciation of these enhancement projects commenced in October 2014.
 
 
The table below represents the major production cost component of bromine per tonne sold for respective periods:

Per tonne production cost
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
   
component of bromine segment
 
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
% Change
       
% of total
     
% of total
     
Raw materials
 
$
1,021
     
47
%
 
$
999
     
48
%
   
2
%
Depreciation and amortization
 
$
790
     
36
%
 
$
715
     
34
%
   
10
%
Electricity
 
$
161
     
7
%
 
$
157
     
7
%
   
3
%
Others
 
$
214
     
10
%
 
$
226
     
11
%
   
(5
%)
Production cost of bromine per tonne sold
 
$
2,186
     
100
%
 
$
2,097
     
100
%
   
4
%
 
Our production cost of bromine per tonne sold was $2,186 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of 4% (or $89) as compared to the same period in 2014, which was attributable mainly to the increase in depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery due to the enhancement projects carried out for our extraction wells and transmission channels and ducts which commenced in August 2014 and completed in September 2014. The depreciation of these enhancement projects commenced in October 2014.

Crude salt segment
The cost of net revenue for our crude salt segment for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 was $2,716,619, representing a decrease of $107,713, or 4%, compared to $2,824,332 for the same period in 2014. The decrease in cost was mainly due to the decrease in the allocation of common costs shared between crude salt segment and bromine segment, which decreased from 16.2% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 15.3% for the same period in 2015, which in turn resulted in a decrease in the cost allocated to crude salt segment. The significant cost components for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 were depreciation and amortization of $1,927,377 (or 71%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $295,654 (or 11%) and electricity of $198,678 (or 7%). The significant cost components for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 were depreciation and amortization of $1,955,138 (or 69%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $290,768 (or 10%) and electricity of $222,328 (or 8%).The table below represents the major production cost component of crude salt per ton sold for respective periods:
 
Per tonne production cost
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
   
component of crude salt segment
 
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
% Change
       
% of total
     
% of total
     
Depreciation and amortization
 
$
21.3
     
71
%
 
$
21.8
     
69
%
   
(2
%)
Resource tax
 
$
3.3
     
11
%
 
$
3.2
     
10
%
   
3
%
Electricity
 
$
2.2
     
7
%
 
$
2.5
     
8
%
   
(12
%)
Others
 
$
3.2
     
11
%
 
$
4.0
     
13
%
   
(20
%)
Production cost of crude salt per tonne sold
 
$
30.0
     
100
%
 
$
31.5
     
100
%
   
(5
%)

Chemical products segment
Cost of net revenue for our chemical products segment for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 was $19,949,818, representing an increase of $11,860,980 or 147% over the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $11,614,928 to our cost of net revenue for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.
 
 
Gross Profit. Gross profit was $17,069,950, or 35%, of net revenue for three-month period ended June 30, 2015 compared to $9,185,891, or 29%, of net revenue for the same period in 2014.

   
Gross Profit by Segment
 
% Point Change
   
Three-Month Period Ended
 
Three-Month Period Ended
 
of Gross
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
Profit Margin
Segment
       
Gross Profit Margin
       
Gross Profit Margin
     
Bromine
 
$
5,479,178
     
36
%
 
$
4,560,859
     
28
%
   
8
%
Crude Salt
 
$
192,723
     
7
%
 
$
91,113
     
3
%
   
4
%
Chemical Products
 
$
11,398,049
     
36
%
 
$
4,533,919
     
36
%
   
0
%
Total Gross Profit
 
$
17,069,950
     
35
%
 
$
9,185,891
     
29
%
   
6
%

Bromine segment
For the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, the gross profit margin for our bromine segment was 36% compared to 28% for the same period in 2014. This 8% increase is mainly due to the selling price of bromine increased from $2,863 per tonne for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $3,177 per tonnes for the same period in 2015, an increase of 11%. We expect that the average selling price and gross profit margin of bromine will remain at current level towards the end of 2015 should the PRC government’s macro-economic tightening policy remain in place.

Crude salt segment
For the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 the gross profit margin for our crude salt segment was 7% compared to 3% for the same period in 2014.

This 4% increase in our gross profit margin is mainly attributable to the decrease in the allocation of common costs shared between crude salt segment and bromine segment, which decreased from 16.2% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 15.3% for the same period in 2015, which in turn resulted in a decrease in the cost allocated to crude salt segment. We distribute the total costs shared among bromine and crude salt by reference to the average selling price and production volume of respective segment.

Chemical products segment
The gross profit margin for our chemical products segment for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 was 36% compared to 36% for the same period in 2014.

Research and Development Costs . The total research and development costs incurred for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 were $63,470 and $32,558, respectively, an increase of 95%. Research and development costs for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 represented raw materials used by SYCI and SCRC for testing the manufacturing routine. Research and development costs for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 represented raw materials used by SYCI for testing the manufacturing routine.
 
 
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were $2,434,246 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $732,645 (or 43%) as compared to $1,701,601 for the same period in 2014. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to (i) a non-cash expense related to stock options granted to employees increase from $16,100 for the three-month period ended June 30,2014 to $336,400 for the same period of 2015 ; and (ii) the unrealized exchange gain in relation to the translation difference of inter-company balances in USD and RMB for the three-month period ended June 30,2014 amounted to $3,223, as compared to the unrealized exchange loss for the same period in 2015 amounted to$125,651 ; and (iii) consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which accounted for $183,864 of our general and administrative expenses for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015

Other Operating Income Other operating income, which represented the sales of wastewater to some of our customers, was $109,901 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, representing a decrease of $7,020 (or 6%) from $116,921 for the same period in 2014. Wastewater is generated from the production of bromine and eventually becomes crude salt when it evaporates. Not all of our bromine production plants have sufficient area on the property to allow for evaporation of wastewater to produce crude salt. Certain of our customers who have facilities located adjacent to our bromine production plants have agreed to allow us to channel our wastewater into brine pans on their properties for evaporation. These customers then are able to sell the resulting crude salt themselves. We signed agreements with four of our customers to sell them our wastewater at market prices.

Income from Operations Income from operations was $14,561,389 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 (or 30% of net revenue), an increase of $7,029,817, or approximately 93%, over income from operations for the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $6,155,547 to our income from operation for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

   
Income /loss from Operations by Segment
   
Three-Month Period Ended
June 30, 2015
 
Three-Month Period Ended
June 30, 2014
Segment:
       
% of total
     
% of total
Bromine
 
$
4,505,928
   
  29.51%
 
$
3,599,026
   
  47%
Crude Salt
   
(4,027
 
   (0.03%)
   
(116,798
)
 
  (2%)
Chemical Products
   
10,765,654
   
  70.52%
   
4,191,572
   
  55%
Income from operations before corporate costs
   
15,267,555
   
100%
   
7,673,800
   
100%
Corporate costs
   
(706,166
)
       
(142,228
)
   
Income from operations
 
$
14,561,389
       
$
7,531,572
     
 
 
Bromine segment
Income from operations from our bromine segment was $4,505,928 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $906,902 (or approximately 25%) as compared to the same period in 2014. This increase resulted primarily from the higher selling price of bromine in the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, and an inter-company elimination adjustment related to the sale of bromine to SCRC in the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 allocated to the bromine segment whereas there is no such adjustment in the same period in 2014 as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015.

Crude salt segment
Loss from operations from our crude salt segment was $4,027 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015. Loss from operations from our crude salt segment was $116,798 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014. This decrease in loss resulted primarily from the decrease in the allocation of common costs shared between crude salt segment and bromine segment, which decreased from 16.2% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 15.3% for the same period in 2015, which in turn resulted in a decrease in the cost allocated to crude salt segment. We distribute the total costs shared among bromine and crude salt by reference to the average selling price and production volume of respective segment.

Chemical products segment
Income from operations from our chemical products segment was $10,765,654 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $6,574,082 (or approximately 157%) compared to the same period in 2014. This significant increase was primarily due to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which contributed $6,155,547 to our income from operation for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Other Income, Net Other income, net of $57,169 represented bank interest income, net of capital lease interest expense for the three -month period ended June 30, 2015, a decrease of $9,574 (or approximately 14%) as compared to the same period in 2014,.

Net Income Net income was $10,775,260 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $5,110,448 (or approximately 90%) compared to the same period in 2014. This significant increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which contributed $4,613,809 to our net income for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Effective Tax Rate Our effective tax rate for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 were 26% and 25% respectively. The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended June 30, 2015 was 1% higher than the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% due to the US federal net operating loss incurred by the Company in which a full valuation allowance was booked .

Comparison of the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2015 and 2014

   
Six-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2015
   
Six-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2014
   
% Change
Net revenue
  $ 84,260,899     $ 57,344,990       47 %
Cost of net revenue
  $ (57,760,978 )   $ (41,301,327 )     40 %
Gross profit
  $ 26,499,921     $ 16,043,663       65 %
Sales, marketing and other operating expenses
  $ (202,176 )   $ (49,729 )     307 %
Research and development costs
  $ (111,705 )   $ (63,338 )     76 %
Exploration cost
  $ (325,840 )     -       -  
Loss from disposal of property, plant and equipment
  $ -     $ (9,866 )     (100 %)
General and administrative expenses
  $ (4,415,363 )   $ (3,022,119 )     46
Other operating income
  $ 227,203     $ 234,605       (3 %)
Income from operations
  $ 21,672,040     $ 13,133,216       65 %
Other income, net
  $ 133,277     $ 120,506       11 %
Income before taxes
  $ 21,805,317     $ 13,253,722       65 %
Income taxes
  $ (5,714,786 )   $ (3,302,572 )     73 %
Net income
  $ 16,090,531     $ 9,951,150       62 %
 
 
Net revenue.  Net revenue was $84,260,899 for six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of approximately $26.9 million (or 47%) as compared to the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $28,588,332 to our net revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Revenue from the bromine products segment decreased from $27,976,528 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $26,126,110 for the same period in 2015, a decrease of approximately 7%. Revenue from the crude salt segment decreased from $5,357,340 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $4,873,073 for the same period in 2015, a decrease of approximately 9%.

Revenue from the chemical segment increased from $24,011,122 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $53,261,716 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 122%.
 
   
Net Revenue by Segment
   
   
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Percent Increase/(Decrease)
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
of Net Revenue
Segment
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Bromine
 
$
26,126,110
     
31
%
 
$
27,976,528
     
49
%
   
(7
%)
Crude Salt
 
$
4,873,073
     
6
%
 
$
5,357,340
     
9
%
   
(9
%)
Chemical Products
 
$
53,261,716
     
63
%
 
$
24,011,122
     
42
%
   
122
%
Total sales
 
$
84,260,899
     
100
%
 
$
57,344,990
     
100
%
   
47
%


Bromine and crude salt segments 
 
Six-Month Period Ended
   
Percentage Change
product sold in tonnes
 
June 30, 2015
   
June 30, 2014
   
Increase/(Decrease)
Bromine (excluded volume sold to SYCI and SCRC after acquisition in January 2015)
   
8,422
     
9,603
     
(12
%)
Crude Salt
   
153,202
     
152,900
     
0.2
%
 
   
Six-Month Period Ended
   
Percentage Change
Chemical products segment sold in tonnes
 
June 30, 2015
   
June 30, 2014
   
Increase/(Decrease)
Oil and gas exploration additives
   
7,374
     
7,226
     
2
%
Paper manufacturing additives
   
2,090
     
2,058
     
2
%
Pesticides manufacturing additives
   
1,614
     
1,651
     
(2
%)
Pharmaceutical intermediate
   
852
     
-
     
-
 
By product
   
6,146
     
-
     
-
 
Overall
   
18,076
     
10,935
     
65
%

Bromine segment
The decrease in net revenue from our bromine segment was mainly due to the decrease in the sales volume of bromine. The sales volume of bromine decreased from 9,603 tonnes for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 8,422 tonnes for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 12%. The reasons for the decrease in the sales volume of bromine were mainly due to the continuing macro-economic tightening policy imposed by the PRC government beginning in the second half of 2011 to slow down the economy, which has affected our customers’ industries and the sale of bromine to SCRC in six-month period ended June 30, 2015 excluded from the net revenue in the bromine segment as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015.

The selling price of bromine increased from $2,913 per tonne for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $3,102 per tonnes for the same period in 2015, an increase of 6%. The average selling price for the first half of 2015 remained relatively stable at around $3,100 per tonne. We expect the average selling price of bromine to remain at current levels through the end of 2015 should the PRC government’s macro-economic tightening policy remain in place. The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of bromine for the fiscal year 2015 from the same period in 2014.
 
   
Six-Month Period
Ended June 30,
Increase / (Decrease) in net revenue of bromine as a result of:
 
2015 vs. 2014
Increase in average selling price
 
$
1,703,342
 
Decrease in sales volume
 
$
(3,553,760
)
Total effect on net revenue of bromine
 
$
(1,850,418
 
 
Crude salt segment
The decrease in net revenue from our crude salt segment was mainly due to the decrease in the average selling price of crude salt. The average selling price of crude salt decreased from $35.04 per tonne for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $31.81 per tonne for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 9%.The decrease in the selling price was mainly due to the macro-economic tightening policy imposed by the PRC government to slow down the economy, which has affected our customers’ industries.

   
Six-Month Period
Ended June 30,
Increase / (Decrease) in net revenue of crude salt as a result of:
 
2015 vs. 2014
Decrease in average selling price
 
$
(494,350
)
Increase in sales volume
 
$
10,083
 
Total effect on net revenue of crude salt
 
$
(484,267
)


Chemical products segment
   
Product Mix of Chemical Products Segment
 
Percent
   
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Change of
   
June 30, 2014
 
June 30, 2013
 
Net Revenue
Chemical Products
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Oil and gas exploration additives
 
$
14,213,220
     
27
%
 
$
13,719,606
     
57
%
   
4
%
Paper manufacturing additives
 
$
2,457,912
     
 4
%
 
$
2,371,261
     
 10
%
   
4
%
Pesticides manufacturing additives
 
$
8,002,252
     
15
%
 
$
7,920,256
     
33
%
   
1
%
Pharmaceutical intermediates
 
$
21,118,012
     
40
%
   
-
     
-
     
-
 
By product
 
$
7,470,320
     
14
%
   
-
     
-
     
-
 
Total sales
 
$
53,261,716
     
100
%
 
$
24,011,122
     
100
%
   
122
%

Net revenue from our chemical products segment increased from $24,011,122 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $53,261,716 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 122%. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $28,588,332 to our revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015. Net revenue from our oil and gas exploration chemicals contributed $14,213,220 (or 27%) and $13,719,606 (or 57%) of our chemical segment revenue for the six-month periods ended June 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, with an increase of $493,614, or 4%. Net revenue from our paper manufacturing additives increased from $2,371,261 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $2,457,912 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 4%. Net revenue from our pesticides manufacturing additives increased from $7,920,256 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $8,002,252 for the same period in 2015, an increase of approximately 1%.
 
 
The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of major chemical products for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 from the same period in 2015 (excluding SCRC).

Increase in net revenue,
for the six-month period ended June 30,
2015 vs. 2014, as a result of:
 
Oil and gas exploration additives
 
Paper manufacturing additives
 
Pesticides manufacturing additives
 
Total
Increase in average selling price
 
$
210,481
   
$
49,399
   
$
262,469
   
$
522,349
 
Increase/(Decrease) in sales volume
 
$
283,133
   
$
37,252
   
$
(180,473
 
$
139,912
 
Total effect on net revenue of chemical products
 
$
493,614
   
$
86,651
   
$
81,996
   
$
662,261
 
 
Cost of Net Revenue
 
   
Cost of Net Revenue by Segment
 
% Change
   
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
of Cost of
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
Net Revenue
Segment
       
% of total
       
% of total
     
Bromine
 
$
19,169,659
     
33
%
 
$
21,424,507
     
52
%
   
(11
%)
Crude Salt
 
$
4,317,740
     
8
%
 
$
4,457,682
     
11
%
   
(3
%)
Chemical Products
 
$
34,273,579
     
59
%
 
$
15,419,138
     
37
%
   
122
%
Total
 
$
57,760,978
     
100
%
 
$
41,301,327
     
100
%
   
40
%

Cost of net revenue reflects mainly the raw materials consumed and the direct salaries and benefits of staff engaged in the production process, electricity, depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery and other manufacturing costs. Our cost of net revenue was $57,760,978 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $16,459,651 (or 40%) as compared to the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $18,446,264 to our cost of net revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Bromine production capacity and utilization of our factories

The table below represents the annual capacity and utilization ratios for all of our bromine producing properties:

   
Annual Production Capacity (in tonnes)
 
Utilization
Ratio (i)
Six-month period ended June 30, 2014
   
47,347
     
43%
 
Six-month period ended June 30, 2015
   
47,347
     
41%
 
Variance of the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014
   
-
     
(2%
)

(i)
Utilization ratio is calculated based on the annualized actual production volume in tonnes for the periods divided by the annual production capacity in tonnes.

Our utilization ratio decreased by 2% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 as compared with the same period in 2014.
 
 
Bromine segment
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, the cost of net revenue for the bromine segment was $19,169,659,a decrease of $2,254,848 or 11% over the same period in 2014. The most significant components of the costs of net revenue for the bromine segment were cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $6,330,499 (or 33%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $8,990,182 (or 47%) and electricity of $1,582,660 (or 8%) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2014, the major components of the cost of net revenue were the cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $8,656,305 (or 40%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $8,686,697 (or 41%) and electricity of $1,627,204 (or 8%). The cost structure changed as compared with the same period in 2014 where the contribution from cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed decreased by 7% and depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery increased by 6%. The decrease in net cost of net revenue was attributable mainly to the decrease in volume of products sold and an inter-company elimination adjustment related to the sale of bromine to SCRC in the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 allocated to the bromine segment whereas there is no such adjustment in the same period in 2014 as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015, which was partially offset by the increase in depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery due to the enhancement projects carried out for our extraction wells and transmission channels and ducts which commenced in August 2014 and completed in September 2014. The depreciation of these enhancement projects commenced in October 2014.


The table below represents the major production cost component of bromine per tonne sold for respective periods:

Per tonne production cost
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
   
component of bromine segment
 
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
% Change
       
% of total
     
% of total
     
Raw materials
 
$
1,065
     
44
%
 
$
1,012
     
44
%
   
5
%
Depreciation and amortization
 
$
925
     
39
%
 
$
855
     
38
%
   
8
%
Electricity
 
$
163
     
7
%
 
$
160
     
7
%
   
2
%
Others
 
$
232
     
10
%
 
$
241
     
11
%
   
(4
%)
Production cost of bromine per tonne sold
 
$
2,385
     
100
%
 
$
2,268
     
100
%
   
5
%

Our production cost of bromine per tonne sold was $2,385 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of 5% (or $117) as compared to the same period in 2014.

Crude salt segment
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, the cost of net revenue for our crude salt segment was $4,317,740, representing a decrease of $139,942, or 3%, compared to $4,457,682 for the same period in 2014. The decrease in cost was mainly due to the decrease in the allocation of common costs shared between crude salt segment and bromine segment, which decreased from 14.7% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to 13.0% for the same period in 2015, which in turn resulted in a decrease in the cost allocated to crude salt segment. The significant cost components for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 were depreciation and amortization of $3,094,508 (or 72%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $500,043 (or 12%) and electricity of $268,117 (or 6%). The significant cost components for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 were depreciation and amortization of $3,117,460 (or 70%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $497,932 (or 11%) and electricity of $305,095 (or 7%).The table below represents the major production cost component of crude salt per ton sold for respective periods:


Per tonne production cost
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
   
component of crude salt segment
 
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
% Change
       
% of total
     
% of total
     
Depreciation and amortization
 
$
20.2
     
72
%
 
$
20.4
     
70
%
   
(1
%)
Resource tax
 
$
3.3
     
12
%
 
$
3.3
     
11
%
   
0
%
Electricity
 
$
1.7
     
6
%
 
$
2.0
     
7
%
   
(15
%)
Others
 
$
3.0
     
10
%
 
$
3.5
     
12
%
   
(14
%)
Production cost of crude salt per tonne sold
 
$
28.2
     
100
%
 
$
29.2
     
100
%
   
(3
%)
 

 
Chemical products segment
Cost of net revenue for our chemical products segment for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 was $34,273,579, representing an increase of $18,854,441 or 122% over the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $18,446,264 to our cost of net revenue for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Gross Profit. Gross profit was $26,499,921, or 31%, of net revenue for six-month period ended June 30, 2015 compared to $16,043,663, or 28%, of net revenue for the same period in 2014.The increase in gross profit percentage was primarily attributable to an increase in the margin percentage of bromine.

   
Gross Profit by Segment
 
% Point Change
   
Six-Month Period Ended
 
Six-Month Period Ended
 
of Gross
   
June 30, 2015
 
June 30, 2014
 
Profit Margin
Segment
       
Gross Profit Margin
       
Gross Profit Margin
     
Bromine
 
$
6,956,451
     
27
%
 
$
6,552,021
     
23
%
    4
%
Crude Salt
 
$
555,333
     
11
%
 
$
899,658
     
17
%
   
(6
%)
Chemical Products
 
$
18,988,137
     
36
%
 
$
8,591,984
     
36
%
   
0
%
Total Gross Profit
 
$
26,499,921
     
31
%
 
$
16,043,663
     
28
%
   
3
%

Bromine segment
The gross profit margin for our bromine segment for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 was 27% compared to 23% for the same period in 2014.This 4% increase is mainly due to the increase in bromine price.

Crude salt segment
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, the gross profit margin for our crude salt segment was 11% compared to 17% for the same period in 2014. This 6% decrease in our gross profit margin is mainly attributable to the decrease in crude salt selling price.
 
 
Chemical products segment
The gross profit margin for our chemical products segment for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 was 36% compared to 36% for the same period in 2014.

Research and Development Costs. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, the total research and development costs incurred were $111,705 and $63,338, respectively, a decrease of 76%. Research and development costs for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 represented raw materials used by SYCI and SCRC for testing the manufacturing routine. Research and development costs for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 represented raw materials used by SYCI for testing the manufacturing routine.

Exploration Costs The total exploration costs incurred for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 were $325,840 and $0. As of June 30, 2015 the Company incurred a total of $7,848,873 in exploration cost for the drilling of natural gas resources. On January 30, 2015, the Company announced that it found natural gas resources under its bromine well in the Sichuan area and received a testing report in early May 2015 which confirmed the economics of the natural gas under this well.
 
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were $4,415,363 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $1,393,244 (or 46%) as compared to $3,022,119 for the same period in 2014. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to (i) audit fee incurred in the amount of $115,000 related to the audit of SCRC acquired in the six-month period ended June 30, 2015; and (ii) a non-cash expense related to stock options granted to employees increased from $30,000 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 to $343,800 for the same period of 2015; and (iii) the unrealized exchange gain in relation to the translation difference of inter-company balances in USD and RMB for the six-month period ended June 30,2014 amounted to $238,647, as compared to the unrealized exchange loss for the same period in 2015 amounted to $24,292; and (iv) consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which accounted for $335,615 of our general and administrative expenses for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Other Operating Income Other operating income, which represented the sales of wastewater to some of our customers, was $227,203 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, representing a decrease of $7,402 (or 3%) from $234,605 for the same period in 2014.
Wastewater is generated from the production of bromine and eventually becomes crude salt when it evaporates. Not all of our bromine production plants have sufficient area on the property to allow for evaporation of wastewater to produce crude salt. Certain of our customers who have facilities located adjacent to our bromine production plants have agreed to channel our wastewater into brine pans on their properties for evaporation. These customers then are able to sell the resulting crude salt themselves. We signed agreements with four of our customers to sell them our wastewater at market prices.
 
 
Income from Operations. Income from operations was $21,672,040 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 (or 26% of net revenue), an increase of $8,538,824, or approximately 65%, over income from operations for the same period in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which collectively contributed $9,599,147 to our income from operation for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, offset by the decrease in revenue from bromine and crude salt for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 as compared with the same period in 2014.
 
   
Income from Operations by Segment
   
Six-Month Period Ended
June 30, 2015
 
Six-Month Period Ended
June 30, 2014
Segment:
       
% of total
       
% of total
Bromine
  $ 4,642,886       20 %   $ 4,617,298       35 %
Crude Salt
    183,509       1 %     526,509       4 %
Chemical Products
    17,812,394       79 %     7,961,305       61 %
Income from operations before corporate costs
    22,638,789       100 %     13,105,112       100 %
Corporate costs
    (966,749 )             28,104          
Income from operations
  $ 21,672,040             $ 13,133,216          
 
Bromine segment
Income from operations from our bromine segment was $4,642,886 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $25,589 (or approximately 0.6%) compared to the same period in 2014. This was mainly due to the higher selling price of bromine in the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, and an inter-company elimination adjustment related to the sale of bromine to SCRC in the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 allocated to the bromine segment whereas there is no such adjustment in the same period in 2014 as SCRC was acquired by us in January 2015, which was offset by exploration costs incurred in the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 compared to no such costs incurred in the same period in 2014.

Crude salt segment
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, income from operations from our crude salt segment was $183,509, a decrease of $343,001 (or approximately 65%) compared to the same period in 2014. This decrease was mainly due to the decrease in the selling price of crude salt.

Chemical products segment
Income from operations from our chemical products segment was $17,812,394 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $9,851,089 (or approximately 124%) compared to the same period in 2014. This significant increase was primarily due to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which contributed $9,599,147 to our income from operation for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.

Other Income, Net. Other income, net of $133,277 represented bank interest income, net of capital lease interest expense for the six -month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $12,771 (or approximately11%) as compared to the same period in 2014.

Net Income. Net income was $16,090,531 for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, an increase of $6,139,381 (or approximately 62%) compared to the same period in 2014. This significant increase was primarily attributable to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which contributed $7,198,569 to our net income for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, offset by the decrease in revenue from bromine and crude salt as compared with the same period in 2014.

Effective Tax Rate. Our effective tax rate for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 was 26% and 25%, respectively. The effective tax rate for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 was 1% higher than the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% due to the US federal net operating loss incurred by the Company in which a full valuation allowance was booked.
 
 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
As of June 30, 2015, cash and cash equivalents were $118,027,848 as compared to $146,585,601 as of December 31, 2014. The components of this decrease of $28,557,753 are reflected below.
 
Statement of Cash Flows
  
   
Six-Month Period Ended June 30,
 
   
2015
   
2014
 
Net cash provided by operating activities
 
$
24,528,947
   
$
23,103,031
 
Net cash used in investing activities
 
$
(52,863,025
)
 
$
(632,845
)
Net cash used in financing activities
 
$
(344,396
)
 
$
(304,806
)
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
 
$
120,721
   
$
(1,041,878
Net increase(decrease)in cash and cash equivalents
 
$
(28,557,753
)
 
$
21,123,502
 
     
For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, we met our working capital and capital investment requirements mainly by using cash flow from operations and cash on hand.

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
 
During the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, we had positive cash flow from operating activities of $24.5 million and $23.1 million, respectively.

During the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, cash flow from operating activities of $24.5 million exceeded our net income of $16.09 million, mainly due to (i) substantial non-cash charges of $15.5 million, mainly in the form of depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment; partially offset by (ii) cash using in working capital of $7.1 million, which mainly consisted of the increase in accounts receivable, partially offset by the increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and tax payable.

During the six-month period ended June 30, 2014, cash flow from operating activities of $23.1 million exceeded our net income of $9.95 million, mainly due to (i) substantial non-cash charges of $13.9 million, mainly in the form of depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment; partially offset by (ii) cash generated from working capital of $0.7 million, which mainly consisted of the increase in accounts receivable and in inventories and decrease in tax payable, partially offset by the increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Accounts receivable
 
Cash collections on our accounts receivable had a major impact on our overall liquidity. The following table presents the aging analysis of our accounts receivable as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
   
June 30, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
         
% of total
         
% of total
 
Aged 1-30 days
 
$
19,345,229
     
25
%
 
$
9,323,910
     
22
%
Aged 31-60 days
 
$
19,539,424
     
26
%
 
$
9,974,381
     
24
%
Aged 61-90 days
 
$
17,265,026
     
23
%
 
$
8,631,203
     
20
%
Aged 91-120 days
 
$
14,174,870
     
19
%
 
$
9,188,133
     
22
%
Aged 121-180 days
 
$
5,104,847
     
7
%
 
$
4,880,235
     
12
%
Total
 
$
75,429,396
     
100
%
 
$
41,997,862
     
100
%

The overall accounts receivable balance as of June 30, 2015 increased by $33,431,534 (or 80%), as compared to those as of December 31, 2014. Such increase was mainly due to the consolidation in 2015 of SCRC, which contributed $31,203,973 to our accounts receivable for June 30, 2015. Approximately 69% of the balances of accounts receivable as of June 30, 2015 aged more than 90 days were settled in July 2015. We have policies in place to ensure that sales are made to customers with an appropriate credit history. We perform ongoing credit evaluation on the financial condition of our customers. No allowance for doubtful debts for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 is required.
 
 
Inventory
 
Our inventory consists of the following:
 
   
June 30, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
         
% of total
       
% of total
Raw materials
 
$
1,146,319
     
16.97
%
 
$
625,160
     
11.7
%
Finished goods
 
$
4,733,210
     
70.06
%
 
$
4,746,163
     
88.4
%
Work-in-process
   
879,899
     
13.02
%
   
-
     
-
 
   
$
6,759,428
     
100.05
%
 
$
5,371,323
     
100.1
%
Allowance for obsolete and slowing-moving inventory
 
$
(3,458
)
   
(0.05
%)
 
$
(3,455
)
   
(0.1
%)
Total
 
$
6,755,970
     
100.0
%
 
$
5,367,868
     
100.0
%
 
The net inventory level as of June 30, 2015 increased by $1,388,102 (or 26%), as compared to the net inventory level as of December 31, 2014.

Raw materials increased by 83% as of June 30, 2015 as compared to December 31, 2014. All of the raw materials are basic chemical industry materials, few of which have a possibility of loss over time, or major fluctuations in their prices. So, we concluded that all of our raw materials as of June 30, 2015 are fully realizable for production of finished goods without any impairment.
 
Our finished goods consist of bromine, crude salt and chemical products. Our chemical products are similar to raw materials, as there is no loss over time and a stable market price with a positive gross profit margin of 36% for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 (35% for fiscal year 2014). Therefore, we believe that the realization of the chemical products is 100%. Similarly, as there is no depletion of bromine, we believe that the realization of it is also 100%. The gross profit margin for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 increased to 27%, as compared with 25% in fiscal year 2014, we anticipated that the price for the rest of 2015 will not fluctuate significantly to impair the cost of bromine.
 
The annual loss of crude salt due to evaporation is around 3%. As the market price of crude salt per ton increased from $27.88 in the third quarter of 2014 to $32.16 in the second quarter of 2015, we believe that there will be no realization problem for crude salt as we do not expect selling price to be lower than its cost.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

 For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, we used approximately $0.6 million cash for the prepayment of land leases. We also used approximately $66.3 million to acquire SCRC.

We received $14.1 million from the acquisition of SCRC.

 For the six-month period ended June 30, 2014, we used approximately $0.6 million cash for the prepayment of land leases.

Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
 
We repaid approximately $0.3 million cash for our capital lease obligation for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, we used $0.04 million to repurchase 31,000 shares of common stock of the Company with the approval of the Board of Directors.

We believe that our available funds and cash flows generated from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated ongoing operating needs for the next twelve (12) months.

Working capital was approximately $176.7 million at June 30, 2015 as compared to approximately $186.0 million at December 31, 2014. The decrease was mainly attributable to the cash paid for business acquisition of SCRC, which offset by the cash provided by operating activities during the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.
 
 We had available cash of approximately $118.0 million at June 30, 2015, most of which is in highly liquid current deposits which earn no or little interest. We intend to retain the cash for future expansion of our bromine and crude salt businesses through acquisition, enhancements to our existing bromine and crude salt business, and further development of the new resources in Sichuan Province.

In the future we intend to focus our efforts on the activities of SCHC, SYCI and SCRC as these segments continue to expand within the Chinese market.

We may not be able to identify, successfully integrate or profitably manage any businesses or business segment we may acquire, or any expansion of our business. An expansion may involve a number of risks, including possible adverse effects on our operating results, diversion of management’s attention, inability to retain key personnel, risks associated with unanticipated events and the financial statement effect of potential impairment of acquired intangible assets, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our condition and results of operations. In addition, if competition for acquisition candidates or operations were to increase, the cost of acquiring businesses could increase materially. We may effect an acquisition with a target business which may be financially unstable, under-managed, or in its early stages of development or growth. Our inability to implement and manage our expansion strategy successfully may have a material adverse effect on our business and future prospects.
 
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We have no significant contractual obligations not fully recorded on our consolidated balance sheets or fully disclosed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. Additional information regarding our contractual obligations and commitments at June 30, 2015 is provided in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. See “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 19 – Capital Commitment and Operating Lease Commitments”.

Material Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not currently have any off balance sheet arrangements falling within the definition of Item 303(a) of Regulation S-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and this requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We base its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Accordingly, actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We have identified the following critical accounting policies and estimates used by us in the preparation of our financial statements: accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts, assets retirement obligation, property, plant and equipment, recoverability of long lived assets, mineral rights, revenue recognition, income taxes, and stock-based compensation. These policies and estimates are described in the Company’s 2014 Form 10-K.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
Pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation S-K (§ 229.305(e)), the Company is not required to provide the information required by this Item as it is a “smaller reporting company,” as defined by Rule 229.10(f)(1).
 
 
Item 4. Controls and Procedures

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed pursuant to the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules, regulations and related forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
 
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q.
 
(b) Changes in internal controls
 
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during our most recently completed fiscal quarter, which is the subject of this report, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

None.
 
      
Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no changes with respect to risk factors as previously disclosed in our 2014 Form 10-K.  Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and in our 2014 Form 10-K, under the caption “Risk Factors”, our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations set forth in Item 2 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our consolidated financial statements and related notes, as well as our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the other information in our 2014 Form 10-K. Readers should carefully review those risks, as well as additional risks described in other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 2. Unregistered Shares of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

None.
 
Item 6. Exhibits
 
Exhibit No.
Description
 
31.1                         
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
31.2                         
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
  
32.1                         
Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
 
101                         
The following financial statements from Gulf Resources, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2015 formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss); (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity; (iv) the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows; and, (v) the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text.
 
 
SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
GULF RESOURCES, INC.
     
Dated: August 7, 2015
By:
/s/ Xiaobin Liu
   
Xiaobin Liu
   
Chief Executive Officer
   
(principal executive officer)
     
Dated: August 7, 2015
By:
/s/ Min Li
   
Min Li
   
Chief Financial Officer
   
(principal financial and accounting officer)
 
 
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