Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Business

Smith-Midland Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”) develop, manufacture, license, sell and install precast concrete products for the construction, transportation and utilities industries in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the United States.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Smith-Midland Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries consist of Smith-Midland Corporation, a Virginia corporation, Smith-Carolina Corporation, a North Carolina corporation, Smith-Columbia Corporation, a South Carolina corporation, Easi-Set Industries, Inc., a Virginia corporation, Concrete Safety Systems, Inc., a Virginia corporation, and Midland Advertising and Design, Inc., doing business as Midland Advertising + Design, a Virginia corporation. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all unrestricted cash and money market accounts purchased with an original or remaining maturities of three months or less as cash and cash equivalents.

Investments

Investments in marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and are stated at market value with unrealized holding gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported as a separate component of stockholders' equity until realized.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method, or market. Inventory reserves were approximately $67,000 at December 31, 2016 and 2015.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is stated at cost. Expenditures for ordinary maintenance and repairs are charged to income as incurred. Costs of betterments, renewals, and major replacements are capitalized. At the time properties are retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and allowance for depreciation are eliminated from the accounts and any gain or loss on disposition is reflected in income.

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:



	Years
Buildings		10-33
Trucks and automotive equipment		3-10
Shop machinery and equipment		3-10
Land improvements		10-15
Office equipment		3-10

Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

As of December 31, 2016, the Company has not identified any unrecognized tax positions. The Company files tax returns in the U.S. Federal and various state jurisdictions. The Company recognizes, when applicable, interest and penalties related to income taxes in other income (expense) in its consolidated statement of income. The Company is no longer subject to U.S. or state tax examinations for the years prior to 2013. The Company does not believe there will be any material changes in unrecognized tax positions over the next twelve months.

Stock Compensation

Stock Options – Stock based compensation is measured based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant and the corresponding expense is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award. The fair value of each stock option is estimated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model based on certain assumptions including expected term, risk-free interest rate, stock price volatility and dividend yield. The assumption for expected term is based on evaluations of historical and expected future employee exercise behavior. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected term at the grant date. The historical volatility of the Company’s stock is used as the basis for the volatility assumption. See Note 6 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to stock based compensation. There have been no option grants since 2008. Substantially all options become vested and exercisable ratably, on an annual basis, over a three-year period.

Restricted Stock – On October 13, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan which allows the Company to grant up to 400,000 shares of common stock of the Company to employees, officers, directors and consultants. The grants may be in the form of restricted or performance shares of common stock of the Company. The fair value of each restricted stock grant is estimated to be the sales price of the common stock at the close of business on the day of the grant. There were 103,000 shares of restricted stock grants issued during the year ended December 31, 2016 which vest ratably, on an annual basis, over a three year period.

Revenue Recognition

The Company primarily recognizes revenue on the sale of its standard precast concrete products at shipment date, including revenue derived from any projects to be completed under short-term contracts. Installation of the Company’s standard products is typically performed by the customer; however, in some circumstances, the Company will install certain products at the time of delivery and will recognize the installation revenue at that time. The installation activities are usually completed the day of delivery or the following day. In utility building sales, the majority of the buildings are erected on the Company’s site and delivered completely installed.

Leasing fees are paid at the beginning of the lease agreement and are recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue is then recognized each month as lease income for the duration of the lease.

Royalties are recognized as revenue as they are earned. The Company licenses certain products to other precast companies to produce the Company's products to our engineering specifications under the licensing agreements. The agreements are typically for five year terms and require royalty payments from 4% to 6% which are paid on a monthly basis. The revenue from licensing agreements are recognized in the month earned.

Certain sales of Soundwall, architectural precast panels and Slenderwall™ concrete products revenue is recognized using the percentage-of-completion method for recording revenues on long term contracts under ASC 605-35. Percent-of-completion contracts are estimated based on the number of units produced during the period multiplied by the unit rate stated in the contract. The contracts are executed by both parties and clearly stipulate the requirements for progress payments and a schedule of delivery dates. Provisions for estimated losses on contracts are made in the period in which such losses are determined.

Shipping revenues are recognized in the period the shipping services are provided to the customer.

Smith-Midland products are typically sold pursuant to an implicit warranty as to merchantability only. Warranty claims are reviewed and resolved on a case by case method. Although the Company does incur costs for these types of expense, historically the amount of expense is minimal.

Shipping and Handling

Amounts billed to customers are recorded in sales and the costs associated with the shipping and handling are recorded as cost of goods sold.

Sales and Use Taxes

Use taxes on construction materials are reported gross in general and administrative expense.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company sells products to highway contractors operating under government funded highway programs and other customers and extends credit based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition, generally without requiring collateral. Exposure to losses on receivables is principally dependent on each customer’s financial condition. The Company monitors its exposure to credit losses and maintains allowances for anticipated losses. Management reviews accounts receivable on a weekly basis to determine the probability of collection. Any accounts receivable that are deemed to be uncollectible along with a general reserve, which is calculated based upon the aging category of the receivable, is included in the overall allowance for doubtful accounts. Management believes the allowance for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2016 is adequate. However, actual write-offs may exceed the recorded allowance. Due to inclement weather, the Company may experience reduced revenue from December through February and may realize the substantial part of its revenue during the other months of the year.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying value for each of the Company’s financial instruments (consisting of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and short-term line of credit) approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of those instruments. The estimated fair value of the long-term debt approximates carrying value based on current rates offered to the Company for debt of the similar maturities.

Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting (U.S. GAAP) principles 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 revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Advertising Costs

The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expense was approximately $401,000 and $399,000 in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilution of securities that could share in earnings of the Company.

Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews the carrying values of its long-lived and identifiable intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of assets may not be recoverable based on undiscounted estimated future operating cash flows. When any such impairment exists, the related assets will be written down to fair value. No impairment losses have been recorded through December 31, 2016.

Recent Accounting Pronouncement

On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic

606). Adoption of this ASU requires that an entity recognize net sales at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services. When applying the 78 principles of the ASU, entities will use a five-step model to 1) identify the contract(s) with a customer, 2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, 3) determine the transaction price, 4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and 5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. On July 9, 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date by one year to December 15, 2017 for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after that date and permitted early adoption of the standard but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). Adoption of this ASU

requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for most leases. For public business entities the guidance is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On August 26, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230),

Classification of Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which is intended to reduce diversity in practice as it relates to how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows, as previous guidance was either omitted or unclear. The new standard is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions for both public and nonpublic entities, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

On June 19, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the

Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period. The amendments in the ASU clarify the proper method of accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance target could be achieved after the requisite service period. ASU 2014-12 is effective for all entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those annual periods and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this pronouncement did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which requires an entity to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB finalized the delay of the effective date by one year, making the new standard effective for interim periods and annual period beginning after December 15, 2017. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” which further clarifies the implementation guidance relating to identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance. These standards can be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of the change recognized at the date of the initial application. While our preliminary assessment of these updates does not currently lead us to believe that the impact of the adoption of these updates is likely to result in material changes to our revenues, we are in the initial stages of this assessment and continue to evaluate the available transition method.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, "Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities." This update addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on the Company's consolidated financial statements.