Ecovyst, Inc. Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Financial Instruments

Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

14. Financial Instruments:

The Company uses (1) interest rate related derivative instruments to manage its exposure to changes in interest rates on its variable-rate debt instruments, (2) commodity derivatives to manage its exposure to commodity price fluctuations, and (3) foreign currency related derivative instruments to manage its foreign currency exposure to its net investments in certain foreign operations. The Company does not speculate using derivative instruments.

By using derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to changes in interest rates, commodity prices and foreign currency, the Company exposes itself to credit risk and market risk. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is an asset, the counterparty owes the Company, which creates credit risk for the Company. When the fair value of a derivative contract is a liability, the Company owes the counterparty and therefore, the Company is not exposed to the counterparty’s credit risk in those circumstances. The Company minimizes counterparty credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with high quality counterparties. The derivative instruments entered into by the Company do not contain credit-risk-related contingent features.

Market risk is the adverse effect on the value of a derivative instrument that results from a change in interest rates, currency exchange rates or commodity prices. The market risk associated with the Company’s derivative instruments is managed by establishing and monitoring parameters that limit the types and degree of market risk that may be undertaken.

Use of Derivative Financial Instruments to Manage Commodity Price Risk. The Company is exposed to risks in energy costs due to fluctuations in energy prices, particularly natural gas. The Company has a hedging program in the United States which allows the Company to mitigate exposure to natural gas volatility with natural gas swap agreements. Fair value is determined based on estimated amounts that would be received or paid to terminate the contracts at the reporting date based on quoted market prices of comparable contracts. The respective current and non-current liabilities are recorded in accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities and the respective current and non-current assets are recorded in prepaid and other current assets and other long-term assets, as applicable, in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. As the derivatives are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the gains or losses on the natural gas swaps are recorded in stockholders’ equity as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”), net of tax. Reclassifications of the gains and losses on natural gas hedges into earnings are recorded in production costs and subsequently charged to cost of goods sold in the condensed consolidated statements of income in the period in which the associated inventory is sold. As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s natural gas swaps had a remaining notional quantity of 2.0 million MMBTU to mitigate commodity price volatility through December 2021.

Use of Derivative Financial Instruments to Manage Interest Rate Risk. The Company is exposed to fluctuations in interest rates on its senior secured credit facilities. Changes in interest rates will not affect the market value of such debt but will affect the Company’s interest payments over the term of the loans. Likewise, an increase in interest rates could have a material impact on the Company’s cash flow. The Company hedges the interest rate fluctuations on debt obligations through interest rate cap agreements. The Company records these agreements at fair value as assets or liabilities in its consolidated balance sheet. As the derivatives are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the gains or losses on the interest rate cap agreements are recorded in stockholders’ equity as a component of OCI, net of tax. Reclassifications of the gains and losses on the interest rate cap agreements into earnings are recorded as part of interest expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income as the Company makes its interest payments on the hedged portion of its senior secured credit facilities. Fair value is determined based on estimated amounts that would be received or paid to terminate the contracts at the reporting date based on quoted market prices.

In July 2016, the Company entered into interest rate cap agreements, paying a premium of $1,551 to mitigate interest rate volatility from July 2016 through July 2020 by employing varying cap rates, ranging from 1.50% to 3.00%, on $1,000,000 of notional variable-rate debt.

In November 2018, the Company entered into additional interest rate cap agreements to mitigate interest volatility from July 2020 through July 2022, with a cap rate of 3.50% on $500,000 of notional variable-rate debt and a $3,380 premium annuitized during the effective period. In February 2020, the Company restructured its $500,000 of notional variable-rate debt interest rate cap agreements from July 2020 through July 2022, to lower the interest cap rate to 2.50% with an incremental $130 premium annuitized during the effective period. In March 2020, the Company again amended such interest rate cap agreements to lower the cap rate to 0.84% from 2.50% on $500,000 of notional variable-rate debt and paid an additional incremental $900 premium annuitized during the effective period. The term remains unchanged from July 2020 through July 2022. The total cumulative annuitized premium on the $500,000 of notional variable-rate debt is $4,410. The cap rate in effect at September 30, 2020 was 0.84% associated with the $500,000 of notional variable-rate debt.

In July 2020, the Company entered into additional interest rate cap agreements to mitigate interest rate volatility from August 2020 to August 2023, with a cap rate of 1.00% on $400,000 of notional variable-rate debt.

Use of Derivative Financial Instruments to Manage Foreign Currency Risk. The Company is exposed to risks related to its net investments in foreign operations due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly between the United States dollar and the Euro. In February 2018, the Company entered into multiple cross-currency interest rate swap arrangements with an aggregate notional amount of €280,000 ($328,832 as of September 30, 2020) to hedge this exposure on the net investments of certain of its Euro-denominated subsidiaries. The Company records these swap agreements at fair value as assets or liabilities in its consolidated balance sheet. As the derivatives are designated and qualify as net investment hedges, changes in the fair value of the swaps attributable to changes in the spot exchange rates are recognized in cumulative translation adjustment (“CTA”) within OCI and are held there until the hedged net investments are sold or substantially liquidated. Upon such sale or liquidation, the amount recognized in CTA is reclassified to earnings and reported in the same line item as the gain or loss on the liquidation of the net investments. Changes in the fair value of the swaps attributable to the cross-currency basis spread are excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness and are recorded in current period earnings.

The fair values of derivative instruments held as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 are shown below:


	Balance sheet location	September 30, 2020		December 31, 2019
Derivative assets:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges:
Natural gas swaps	Prepaid and other current assets	$	365	$	—

Natural gas swaps	Other long-term assets	123		—

		488		—
Derivatives designed as net investment hedges:
Cross-currency interest rate swaps	Prepaid and other current assets	4,685		3,928


Total derivative assets		$	5,173	$	3,928

Derivative liabilities:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges:
Natural gas swaps	Accrued liabilities	$	—	$	813
Interest rate caps	Accrued liabilities	1,954		420
Natural gas swaps	Other long-term liabilities	—		226
Interest rate caps	Other long-term liabilities	2,246		2,822
		4,200		4,281
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges:
Cross-currency interest rate swaps	Other long-term liabilities	14,562		8,134
Total derivative liabilities		$	18,762	$	12,415

The following tables show the effect of the Company’s derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges on AOCI for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019:


		Three months ended September 30,
		2020				2019
	Location of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivatives		Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income		Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivatives		Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income
Interest rate caps	Interest (expense) income	$	573	$	506	$	(216)	$	(157)
Natural gas swaps	Cost of goods sold	814		(362)		(185)		(291)
		$	1,387	$	144	$	(401)	$	(448)


		Nine months ended September 30,
		2020				2019
	Location of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivatives		Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income		Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivatives		Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income
Interest rate caps	Interest (expense) income	$	(347)	$	(18)	$	(3,264)	$	(449)
Natural gas swaps	Cost of goods sold	297		(1,229)		(951)		(187)
		$	(50)	$	(1,247)	$	(4,215)	$	(636)

The following tables show the effect of the Company’s cash flow hedge accounting on the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019:


	Location and amount of gain (loss) recognized in income on cash flow hedging relationships
	Three months ended September 30,
	2020				2019
	Cost of goods sold		Interest (expense) income		Cost of goods sold		Interest (expense) income
Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the statement of income in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded	$	(283,818)	$	(18,642)	$	(310,904)	$	(27,697)

The effects of cash flow hedging:
Gain (loss) on cash flow hedging relationships:
Interest contracts:
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	—		506		—		(157)
Commodity contracts:
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	(362)		—		(291)		—

	Location and amount of gain (loss) recognized in income on cash flow hedging relationships
	Nine months ended September 30,
	2020				2019
	Cost of goods sold		Interest (expense) income		Cost of goods sold		Interest (expense) income
Total amounts of income and expense line items presented in the statement of income in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded	(823,503)		(65,372)		(905,395)		(84,855)

The effects of cash flow hedging:
Gain (loss) on cash flow hedging relationships:
Interest contracts:
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	—		(18)		—		(449)
Commodity contracts:
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	(1,229)		—		(187)		—

The amount of unrealized losses in AOCI related to the Company’s cash flow hedges that is expected to be reclassified to the condensed consolidated statement of income over the next twelve months is $48 as of September 30, 2020.

The following tables show the effect of the Company’s net investment hedges on AOCI and the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019:


	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivative				Location of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income				Location of gain (loss) recognized in income on derivative (amount excluded from effectiveness testing)	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in income on derivative (amount excluded from effectiveness testing)
	Three months ended September 30,					Three months ended September 30,					Three months ended September 30,
	2020		2019			2020		2019			2020		2019
Cross-currency interest rate swaps	$	(15,275)	$	15,342	Gain (loss) on sale of subsidiary	$	—	$	—	Interest (expense) income	$	1,175	$	2,395

	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI on derivative				Location of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income	Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into income				Location of gain (loss) recognized in income on derivative (amount excluded from effectiveness testing)	Amount of gain (loss) recognized in income on derivative (amount excluded from effectiveness testing)
	Nine months ended September 30,					Nine months ended September 30,					Nine months ended September 30,
	2020		2019			2020		2019			2020		2019
Cross-currency interest rate swaps	$	(5,672)	$	21,282	Gain (loss) on sale of subsidiary	$	—	$	—	Interest (expense) income	$	4,419	$	6,888