Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

v3.20.2
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
Fair Value of Financial Instruments Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. To measure fair value, we use a three-tier valuation hierarchy based upon observable and non-observable inputs:
Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
Level 2 - Significant other observable inputs available at the measurement date, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, either directly or indirectly, including:
Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets;
Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets;
Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability; and
Inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by other observable market data.
Level 3 - Significant unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data and reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally determined using model-based techniques, including option pricing models, discounted cash flow models, probability weighted models, and Monte Carlo simulations.
The Company's financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, derivative instruments, accounts payable, earn-out liabilities, a revolving line of credit, a term loan, and equity securities investments.
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The fair value hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. In instances where the inputs used to measure fair value fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the fair value measurement has been determined on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular item to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, including the consideration of inputs specific to the asset or liability.
Level 1: Equity securities
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company sold 494,074 and 1.2 million shares, respectively, of its equity securities investments, resulting in a realized loss of $69,375 and $37,954, respectively.
For the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded no net unrealized gains or losses on investments in equity securities. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded net unrealized gains of $0.2 million on the investments in equity securities held, which is included in "Other expense (income)" on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.
The Company held no equity securities as of September 30, 2020. The fair value of equity securities held by the Company as of December 31, 2019 was $4.3 million and is included in “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Level 2: Derivative Instruments
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 a liability of $0.1 million at September 30, 2020 and an asset of $6,088 at December 31, 2019, respectively. The interest rate swap was priced using discounted cash flow techniques. Changes in its fair value were recorded to other expense (income) with corresponding offsetting entries to "Prepaid expenses and other current assets" or "Accrued Expenses", 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.
Level 3: Contingent consideration (earn-out) liabilities
The fair value of contingent consideration ("earn-out") liabilities resulting from the 2017 MUSA-Stainless acquisition, 2018 MUSA-Galvanized acquisition, and 2019 American Stainless acquisition are classified as Level 3. Each quarter-end, the Company re-evaluates its assumptions for all earn-out liabilities and adjusts to reflect the updated fair values. Changes in the estimated fair value of the earn-out liabilities are reflected in operating income in the periods in which they are identified. Changes in the fair value of the earn-out liabilities may materially impact and cause volatility in the Company's operating results. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company's contingent consideration (earn-out) liabilities are the discount rate, timing of the estimated payouts, and future revenue projections. Significant increases (decreases) in any of those inputs would not have resulted in a material difference in the fair value measurement of the earn-out liabilities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.
The following table presents a summary of changes in fair value of the Company's Level 3 earn-out liabilities measured on a recurring basis for the nine months ended September 30, 2020:
(in thousands) MUSA-Stainless MUSA-Galvanized American Stainless Total
Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 2,403  $ 1,782  $ 4,969  $ 9,154 
Earn-out payments during the period
(1,263) (488) (1,480) (3,231)
Changes in fair value during the period
(415) (38) (516) (969)
Balance at September 30, 2020 $ 725  $ 1,256  $ 2,973  $ 4,954 
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company had no unrealized gains or losses included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value instruments.
Quantitative Information about Significant Unobservable Inputs Used in Level 3 Fair Value Measurements
The following table summarizes the significant unobservable inputs in the fair value measurement of our contingent consideration (earn-out) liabilities as of September 30, 2020:
Instrument Fair Value
September 30, 2020
Principal Valuation Technique Significant Unobservable Inputs Range Weighted
Average
Contingent consideration (earn-out) liabilities $4,954 Probability Weighted Expected Return Discount rate - 5%
Timing of estimated payouts 2020 - 2022 -
Future revenue projections
$5.5M - 12.3M
$9.5M
The weighted average discount rate was calculated by applying an equal weighting to each contingent consideration's (earn-out liabilities) discount rate. The weighted average future revenue projection was calculated by applying an equal weighting of probabilities to each forecasted scenario within the valuation models to determine the probability weighted sales applicable to the contingent consideration (earn-out liabilities).
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company's only significant assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis subsequent to their initial recognition were certain long-lived assets and goodwill.
The Company reviews the carrying amounts of long-lived assets whenever certain events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. With input from executive management, the Company's accounting and finance personnel that organizationally report to the chief financial officer, assess performance quarterly against historical patterns, projections of future profitability, and whether it is more likely than not that the assets will be disposed of significantly prior to the end of their estimated useful life for evidence of possible impairment. An impairment loss is recognized when the carrying amount of the asset (disposal) group is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. The Company estimates the fair values of assets subject to long-lived asset impairment based on the Company's own judgments about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the assets and observable market data, when available. The Company classifies these fair value measurements as Level 3.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2020, due to the continued curtailment of operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, inventory of Palmer was written down to its net realizable value of $2.1 million and certain long-lived assets of Palmer, including tangible and intangible assets, were written down to their estimated fair value of $1.7 million, resulting in asset impairment charges of $6.1 million.
The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually and earlier if an event or other circumstances indicates that we may not recover the carrying value of the asset. During the third quarter of 2020, the Company determined potential indicators of impairment within the Welded Pipe & Tube reporting unit included in the Metals Segment existed. As a result of the goodwill impairment evaluation, it was concluded that the estimated fair value of the Welded Pipe and Tube reporting unit was below its carrying value by 9.7% resulting in a goodwill impairment charge of $10.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. See Note 5 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets for additional details. The Company classifies these fair value measurements as Level 3.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
For short-term instruments, other than those required to be reported at fair value on a recurring and non-recurring basis and for which additional disclosures are included above, 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 September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, the Company's revolving line of credit, which is based on a variable interest rate, and term loan approximate their fair value.