Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Background and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

v3.19.1
Background and Basis of Presentation (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation
The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations for interim reporting. In the opinion of management, all adjustments of a normal and recurring nature necessary to state fairly the financial position and results of operations have been included. The results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Other than the update to our lease accounting policies described in Note 11, the Company has continued to follow the accounting policies set forth in those consolidated financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance (with subsequent targeted amendments) that modifies the accounting for leases. Under the new guidance, a lessee will recognize right-of-use lease assets and lease liabilities for most leases (including those classified under existing GAAP as operating leases, which based on previous standards are not reflected on the balance sheet), but will recognize expenses in a manner that is generally consistent with existing practices. The new guidance also requires companies to provide expanded disclosures regarding leasing arrangements. For public companies, the new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those years. The new guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition method.
The Company adopted the new lease guidance effective January 1, 2019 as required using the modified retrospective transition method and applied the provisions of the guidance at the effective date with a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings without adjusting the comparative periods presented. The new guidance provides practical expedients and allows for certain policy elections with regard to the Company’s lease population. The Company has elected the short term lease accounting policy and will not record right-of-use lease assets or lease liabilities for leases with an initial term of twelve months or less. Additionally, the Company has elected to utilize the portfolio approach to apply incremental borrowing rates to its leases. The Company has elected the package of practical expedients which provides the Company with the ability to bypass reassessment of the following for leases existing at the date of adoption: (1) whether any existing contracts are, or contain, leases; (2) the lease classification for any existing leases; and (3) initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company also elected the land easement practical expedient to carry forward existing accounting treatment on existing land easements.
Adoption of the new lease guidance resulted in the recognition of right-of-use lease assets of $60,726, which included $57,832 of right-of-use lease assets related to lease commitments and $2,895 related to the reclassification of favorable lease contracts, and lease liabilities of $58,929. The new guidance had no impact on the Company’s operating results or liquidity upon adoption. Disclosures related to the Company’s leases are included in Note 11 to these condensed consolidated financial statements.
In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance which permits entities to make a one-time election to reclassify the residual (“stranded”) income tax effects included in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) to beginning retained earnings as a result of tax reform legislation enacted by the U.S. government on December 22, 2017. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Prior to the enactment of the tax reform legislation on December 22, 2017, the Company had amounts recorded in AOCI related to its domestic pension, postretirement and supplementary benefit plans and cash flow hedging relationships that were based on pre-enactment tax rates, which were included in AOCI at the adoption date of the new guidance. The Company adopted the new guidance effective January 1, 2019 as required, and reclassified the income tax effects stranded in AOCI of $1,874 from AOCI to beginning retained earnings.
In June 2018, the FASB issued guidance which conforms the accounting for the issuance of all share-based payments using the same accounting model. Previously, the accounting for share-based payments to non-employees was covered under a different framework than those made to employees. Under the new guidance, awards to both employees and non-employees will essentially follow the same model, with small variations related to determining the term assumption when valuing a non-employee award as well as a different expense attribution model for non-employee awards. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2019 as required, with no material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.
Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance which modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans. The guidance eliminates certain disclosure requirements, including the amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income expected to be recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost over the next fiscal year and the effects of a one-percentage point change in assumed health care cost trend rates. The guidance also requires additional disclosure of the reasons for significant gains and losses related to changes in the benefit obligation for the period. The guidance is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020 with early adoption permitted, and is required to be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods presented. The Company will modify its benefit plan disclosures in accordance with the new guidance upon adoption, and the guidance will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance which modifies certain disclosure requirements over fair value measurements. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including all interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company believes that the new guidance will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance which eliminates the second step from the traditional two-step goodwill impairment test. Under current guidance, an entity performed the first step of the goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount; if an impairment loss was indicated, the entity computed the implied fair value of goodwill to determine whether an impairment loss existed, and if so, the amount to recognize. Under the new guidance, an impairment loss is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value (the Step 1 test), with no further testing required. Any impairment loss recognized is limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The new guidance is effective for public companies that are Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registrants for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company will apply the guidance prospectively to goodwill impairment tests subsequent to the adoption date.
In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance that affects loans, trade receivables and any other financial assets that have the contractual right to receive cash. Under the new guidance, an entity is required to recognize expected credit losses rather than incurred losses for financial assets. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company believes that the new guidance will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value Measurement
Restoration plan assets
The fair values of the Company’s restoration plan assets are determined through quoted prices in active markets. Restoration plan assets are assets held in a Rabbi trust to fund the obligations of the Company’s defined benefit supplementary retirement plans and include various stock and fixed income mutual funds. See Note 15 to these condensed consolidated financial statements regarding defined supplementary retirement plans. The Company’s restoration plan assets are included in other long-term assets on its condensed consolidated balance sheets. Gains and losses related to these investments are included in other expense, net in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of income. Unrealized gains and losses associated with the underlying stock and fixed income mutual funds were immaterial as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.
Derivative contracts
Derivative assets and liabilities can be exchange-traded or traded over-the-counter (“OTC”). The Company generally values exchange-traded derivatives using models that calibrate to market transactions and eliminate timing differences between the closing price of the exchange-traded derivatives and their underlying instruments. OTC derivatives are valued using market transactions and other market evidence whenever possible, including market-based inputs to models, model calibration to market transactions, broker or dealer quotations or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. When models are used, the selection of a particular model to value an OTC derivative depends on the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the instrument as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. The Company generally uses similar models to value similar instruments. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices and rates, forward curves, measures of volatility, and correlations of such inputs. For OTC derivatives that trade in liquid markets, such as forward contracts, swaps and options, model inputs can generally be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means, and model selection does not involve significant management judgment.
The Company has interest rate caps, natural gas swaps and cross currency swaps that are fair valued using Level 2 inputs. In addition, the Company applies a credit valuation adjustment to reflect credit risk which is calculated based on credit default swaps. To the extent that the Company’s net exposure under a specific master agreement is an asset, the Company utilizes the counterparty’s default swap rate. If the net exposure under a specific master agreement is a liability, the Company utilizes a default swap rate comparable to PQ Group Holdings. The credit valuation adjustment is added to the discounted fair value to reflect the exit price that a market participant would be willing to receive to assume the Company’s liabilities or that a market participant would be willing to pay for the Company’s assets.
Leases
11. Leases:
The Company has operating and finance lease agreements with remaining lease terms as of March 31, 2019 up to 28 years, including leases of land, buildings, railcars, vehicles, manufacturing equipment and general office equipment. Some leases include options to terminate or extend for one or more years. These options are incorporated in the Company’s lease term when it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised. Some leases include options to purchase, which the Company assesses under the guidance to determine if these leases should be classified as finance lease agreements.
When the Company enters into an arrangement, at inception, the Company determines if the arrangement contains a lease and whether that lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease. Some of the Company’s lease arrangements contain lease components (e.g. minimum rent payments) and non-lease components (e.g. maintenance). The Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components based on the estimated standalone price of each component. Certain of the Company’s lease agreements include rental payments that are adjusted periodically for an index or rate and these are initially measured using the index or rate in effect at the commencement date. Variable lease expense is recognized in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
The Company recognizes a right-of-use lease asset and lease liability at the lease commencement date based on the present value of the remaining lease payments over the lease term using the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. The Company is required to use the rate of interest that it would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. When the Company is unable to readily determine the discount rate implicit in the lease agreement, the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate over the relevant lease term. Short-term leases, which have an initial term of twelve months or less, are not recorded on the Company’s balance sheet.
Lease expense for operating leases and financing leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in cost of goods sold or selling, general, and administrative expense on the condensed consolidated statements of income.