Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

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Fair Value of Financial Instruments
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company makes estimates of fair value in accounting for certain transactions, in testing and measuring impairment and in providing disclosures of fair value in its condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company determines the fair values of its financial instruments for disclosure purposes by maximizing the use of observable inputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs. Fair value disclosures for assets and liabilities are grouped into three levels. The levels prioritize the inputs used to measure the fair value of the assets or liabilities. These levels are:
Level 1 - Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for assets and liabilities, either directly or indirectly. These inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are less active.
Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity for assets or liabilities and includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.
The Company's financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, derivative instruments, accounts payable, earn-out liabilities, revolving line of credit and equity investments. For short-term instruments, other than those required to be reported at fair value on a recurring basis and for which additional disclosures are included below, management concluded the historical carrying value is a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization. Therefore, as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the carrying amount for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and the Company's revolving line of credit, which is based on a variable interest rate, approximates their fair value.
During the second quarter of 2018, the Company recorded a gain on the investment in equity securities of $59,112 which is included in "Other expense (income)" on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The fair value of equity securities held by the Company as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $845,000 and $537,233, respectively, and is included in “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The equity securities are classified as a Level 1 financial instrument.
The Company has one interest rate swap contract, which is classified as a Level 2 financial instrument as it is not actively traded and is valued using pricing models that use observable market inputs. The fair value of the contract was an asset of $220,440 and $127,981 at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The interest rate swap was priced using discounted cash flow techniques. Changes in its fair value were recorded to other income (expense) with corresponding offsetting entries to current assets or liabilities, as appropriate. Significant inputs to the discounted cash flow model include projected future cash flows based on projected one-month LIBOR and the average margin for companies with similar credit ratings and similar maturities. It is classified as Level 2 as it is not actively traded and is valued using pricing models that use observable market inputs.
To manage the impact on earnings of fluctuating nickel prices, the Company occasionally enters into six-month forward option contracts, which are classified as Level 2. At June 30, 2018, the Company did not have any such contracts in place. At December 31, 2017, the Company had contracts in place with notional quantities totaling approximately 1,351,494 pounds with strike prices ranging from $3.75 to $4.64 per pound. The fair value of the option contract in place at December 31, 2017 was an asset of $9,027. The fair value of the contracts was priced using discounted cash flows techniques based on forward curves and volatility levels by asset class determined on the basis of observable market inputs, when available. Changes in their fair value were recorded to "Other expense (income)" with corresponding offsetting entries to other current assets. The fair value of the forward option contracts approximates their carrying value.
The fair value of contingent consideration liabilities ("earn-out") resulting from the Bristol Metals-Munhall acquisition discussed in Note 9 is classified as Level 3. The fair value was estimated by applying the Monte Carlo Simulation approach using management's projection of pounds shipped and price per unit. Each quarter-end the Company re-evaluates its assumptions and adjusts to the updated fair value.
The following table presents a summary of changes in fair value of the Company's earn-out liability during the period:
Balance at December 31, 2017
 
$
4,833,850

Earn-out payments to MUSA
 
(1,172,065
)
Change in fair value during the period
 
2,461,658

Balance at June 30, 2018
 
$
6,123,443


There were no transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 in the three-month or six-month periods ended June 30, 2018 or year ended December 31, 2017. During the first six months of 2018, there have been no changes in the fair value methodologies used by the Company.