Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
The reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA is as follows:
Years Ended September 30,
2024 2023 2022
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Net (loss) income $ (59,660) $ 39,136 $ (99,828)
Income tax (benefit) provision (9,997) 1,774 (4,391)
(Loss) income before income taxes (69,657) 40,910 (104,219)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — 155 54
Interest expense, including Receivables Purchase Agreement ("RPA") and factoring financing fees (1)
55,364 48,690 28,771
Depreciation and amortization *
94,770 96,530 104,056
Acquisition and divestiture related items (2) **
5,576 5,293 7,898
Strategic initiatives and other charges (3)**†
65,586 13,923 28,060
Non-recurring / incremental COVID-19 costs (4)***
— — 2,985
Highly inflationary accounting losses (primarily non-cash) (5)
1,027 1,360 1,473
Defined benefit plan termination related items (6)
— — (429)
Goodwill and asset write-downs (7)
33,574 — 92,504
Stock-based compensation 18,478 17,308 17,432
Non-service pension and postretirement expense (8)
439 1,640 31,823
Total Adjusted EBITDA $ 205,157 $ 225,809 $ 210,408
(1) Includes fees for receivables sold under the RPA and factoring arrangements totaling $4.8 million, $4.0 million and $1.0 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(2) Includes certain non-recurring costs associated with recent acquisition and divestiture activities, and also includes a gain of $1.8 million in fiscal year 2023 related to the divestiture of a business in the Industrial Technologies segment.
(3) Includes certain non-recurring costs associated with commercial, operational and cost-reduction initiatives and costs associated with global ERP system integration efforts. Fiscal 2024 also includes legal costs related to an ongoing dispute with Tesla, which totaled $12.4 million (See Note 19, "Commitments and Contingent Liabilities" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"). Fiscal 2023 includes loss recoveries totaling $2.2 million which were related to a previously disclosed theft of funds by a former employee initially identified in fiscal 2015.
(4) Includes certain non-recurring direct incremental costs (such as costs for purchases of computer peripherals and devices to facilitate working-from-home, additional personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies and services, etc.) incurred in response to COVID-19. This amount does not include the impact of any lost sales or underutilization due to COVID-19.
(5) Represents exchange losses associated with highly inflationary accounting related to the Company's Turkish subsidiaries (see Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”).
(6) Represents items associated with the termination of the Company's DB Plan, supplemental retirement plan and the defined benefit portion of the officers retirement restoration plan.
(7) Fiscal 2024 includes goodwill write-downs within the Industrial Technologies segment of $16.7 million (see Note 23, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"), asset write-downs within the Memorialization segment of $13.7 million (see Note 24, "Asset Write-Downs" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"), and investment write-downs within Corporate and Non-operating of $3.1 million (see Note 8, "Investments" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"). Fiscal 2022 includes goodwill write-downs within the SGK Brand Solutions segment of $82.5 million (see Note 23, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data"), and asset write-downs net of recoveries within the SGK Brand Solutions segment of $10.1 million (see Note 24, "Asset Write-Downs" in Item 8 - “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data").
(8) Non-service pension and postretirement expense includes interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortization of actuarial gains and losses, curtailment gains and losses, and settlement gains and losses. These benefit cost components are excluded from adjusted EBITDA since they are primarily influenced by external market conditions that impact investment returns and interest (discount) rates. Curtailment gains and losses and settlement gains and losses are excluded from adjusted EBITDA since they generally result from certain non-recurring events, such as plan amendments to modify future benefits or settlements of plan obligations. The service cost and prior service cost components of pension and postretirement expense are included in the calculation of adjusted EBITDA, since they are considered to be a better reflection of the ongoing service-related costs of providing these benefits. Please note that GAAP pension and postretirement expense or the adjustment above are not necessarily indicative of the current or future cash flow requirements related to these employee benefit plans.
* Depreciation and amortization was $27.8 million, $23.7 million, and $23.2 million, for the Memorialization segment, $23.8 million, $23.2 million, and $11.4 million for the Industrial Technologies segment, $38.7 million, $44.8 million, and $64.2 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $4.6 million, $4.8 million, and $5.3 million for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
** Acquisition and divestiture costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other charges were $3.5 million, $1.0 million, and $3.5 million for the Memorialization segment, $54.4 million, $4.1 million, and $5.6 million for the Industrial Technologies segment, $3.0 million, $10.9 million, and $19.4 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $10.3 million, $3.2 million, and $7.5 million for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
*** Non-recurring/incremental COVID-19 costs were $1.3 million for the Memorialization segment, $6,000 for the Industrial Technologies segment, $1.2 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $466,000 for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022.
† Strategic initiatives and other charges includes charges for exit and disposal activities (including severance and other employee termination benefits) totaling $45.7 million, $13.2 million and $14.6 million in fiscal years 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Fiscal 2024 amounts totaling $32.5 million, $1.4 million and $11.8 million were presented in cost of sales, selling expense, and administrative expense, respectively. Fiscal 2023 amounts totaling $9.0 million, $1.9 million and $2.3 million were presented in cost of sales, selling expense, and administrative expense, respectively. Fiscal 2022 amounts totaling $1.8 million, $267,000 and $12.6 million were presented in cost of sales, selling expense, and administrative expense, respectively. Accrued severance and other employee termination benefits totaled $42.2 million and $7.3 million as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES :
Net cash provided by operating activities was $79.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2024, compared to $79.5 million and $126.9 million for fiscal years 2023 and 2022, respectively. Operating cash flow for fiscal 2024 principally included net income (loss) adjusted for deferred taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, goodwill and other asset write-downs, non-cash pension expense, gain on divestitures and sale of assets, and other non-cash adjustments, and changes in working capital items. The change in working capital in fiscal 2024 primarily reflected lower inventory levels, higher accrued compensation related to severance and other employee termination benefits, changes in contract assets and liabilities related to products and services provided to customers over time, lower trade accounts payable, lower performance-based compensation accruals, and changes in other accounts. Operating cash flow for fiscal 2023 principally included net income (loss) adjusted for deferred taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, non-cash pension expense, gain on divestitures and sale of assets, and other non-cash adjustments, and changes in working capital items. Fiscal 2023 operating cash flow also reflected $24.2 million of contributions to fund the settlement of the Company's SERP and ORRP obligations, and $10.5 million of proceeds from the settlement of cash flow hedges. The change in working capital in fiscal 2023 primarily reflected higher inventory levels, lower trade accounts payable, and changes in contract assets and liabilities related to products and services provided to customers over time, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of receivables under a receivables purchase agreement and a non-recourse factoring arrangement (see below for further discussion). Operating cash flow for fiscal 2022 principally included net income (loss) adjusted for deferred taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, goodwill and other asset write-downs, non-cash pension expense, gain on divestitures and sale of assets, and other non-cash adjustments, and changes in working capital items. Fiscal 2022 operating cash flow also reflected $35.7 million of contributions to fully fund the settlement of the Company's DB Plan obligations. The favorable movements in working capital in fiscal 2022 primarily reflected proceeds from the sale of receivables under a receivables purchase agreement, partially offset by higher inventory levels reflecting increased commodity costs, lower performance-based compensation accruals, and changes in other accounts.
Cash used in investing activities was $47.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2024, compared to $58.7 million and $80.9 million for fiscal years 2023 and 2022, respectively. Investing activities for fiscal 2024 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $45.2 million, acquisition payments (net of cash acquired or received from sellers) of $5.8 million, purchases of investments of $825,000, and proceeds from the sale of assets of $4.2 million . Investing activities for fiscal 2023 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $50.6 million, acquisition payments (net of cash acquired or received from sellers) of $15.3 million, purchases of investments of $1.6 million, proceeds from the sale of assets of $2.1 million, and proceeds from divestitures of $6.7 million . Investing activities for fiscal 2022 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $61.3 million, acquisition payments (net of cash acquired or received from sellers) of $44.5 million , purchases of investments of $2.2 million, proceeds from the sale of assets of $5.0 million, proceeds from the sale of investments of $8.8 million, and proceeds from the settlement of net investment hedges of $13.1 million .
Capital expenditures were $45.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2024, compared to $50.6 million and $61.3 million for fiscal years 2023 and 2022, respectively. Capital expenditures in each of the last three fiscal years reflected reinvestments in the Company's business segments and were made primarily for the purchase of new production machinery, equipment, software and systems, and facilities designed to improve product quality, increase manufacturing efficiency, lower production costs and meet regulatory requirements. Capital spending for property, plant and equipment has averaged $52.4 million for the last three fiscal years. Capital expenditures for the last three fiscal years were primarily financed through operating cash. Capital spending for fiscal 2025 is currently estimated to be in the range of approximately $50 million to $60 million. The Company expects to generate sufficient cash from operations to fund all anticipated capital spending projects.
Cash used in financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2024 was $35.0 million, and principally reflected repayments, net of proceeds, on long-term debt of $31.3 million, purchases of treasury stock of $20.6 million, payment of dividends of $31.4 million, payments of debt issuance costs of $10.2 million (see below), and proceeds from net investment hedges of $58.4 million (see below). Cash used in financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2023 was $50.2 million, and principally reflected repayments, net of proceeds, on long-term debt of $18.2 million, purchases of treasury stock of $2.9 million, and payment of dividends of $28.2 million. Cash used in financing activities for the year ended September 30, 2022 was $37.2 million, and principally reflected proceeds, net of repayments, on long-term debt of $35.7 million, purchases of treasury stock of $41.7 million, payment of dividends of $27.7 million, and $725,000 of holdback and contingent consideration payments related to acquisitions from prior years.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
The Company has a domestic credit facility with a syndicate of financial institutions that was amended and restated in September 2024. The amended and restated loan agreement includes a $750.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility, which matures in January 2029, subject to the terms and conditions of the amended facility. The obligations under the domestic credit facility are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company's and certain of its domestic subsidiaries' assets. A portion of the revolving credit facility (not to exceed $350.0 million ) can be drawn in foreign currencies. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility bear interest at Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), plus a 0.10% per annum rate spread adjustment, plus a factor ranging from 1.00% to 2.00% (1.50% at September 30, 2024) based on the Company's leverage ratio. The leverage ratio is defined as total indebtedness divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) as defined within the domestic credit facility agreement. The Company is required to pay an annual commitment fee ranging from 0.15% to 0.30% (based on the Company's leverage ratio) of the unused portion of the revolving credit facility. The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $4.9 million in connection with the amended and restated agreement, which were deferred and are being amortized over the term of the facility. Unamortized costs were $5.0 million and $949,000 at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The domestic credit facility requires the Company to maintain certain leverage and interest coverage ratios. A portion of the facility (not to exceed $75.0 million) is available for the issuance of trade and standby letters of credit. Outstanding U.S. dollar denominated borrowings on the revolving credit facility at September 30, 2024 and 2023 were $410.5 million and $405.0 million, respectively. Outstanding Euro denominated borrowings on the revolving credit facility at September 30, 2024 and 2023 were €30.0 million ($33.5 million) and €55.0 million ($58.2 million), respectively. The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings for the domestic credit facility (including the effects of interest rate swaps and Euro denominated borrowings) at September 30, 2024 and 2023 was 4.59% and 5.95%, respectively.
In September 2024, the Company issued $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.625% senior secured second lien notes due October 1, 2027 (the "2027 Senior Secured Notes"). The 2027 Senior Secured Notes bear interest at a rate of 8.625% per annum with interest payable semi-annually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year beginning on April 1, 2025. The Company's obligations under the 2027 Senior Secured Notes are secured by a second priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s and certain of its domestic subsidiaries’ assets. The Company is subject to certain covenants and other restrictions in connection with the 2027 Senior Secured Notes. The net proceeds from the 2027 Senior Secured Notes, together with additional funds borrowed under the Company’s domestic credit facility, were irrevocably deposited into a trust and were subsequently used to redeem all of the Company’s outstanding 5.25% senior unsecured notes due December 1, 2025 (the “2025 Senior Notes”) on October 24, 2024, and to pay accrued and unpaid interest on the 2025 Senior Notes at such time. Effective with the irrevocable deposit of these amounts into the trust in September 2024, the Company satisfied and discharged the indenture governing the 2025 Senior Notes in accordance with its terms. Accordingly, the remaining unamortized direct financing costs from the 2025 Senior Notes, which totaled $585,000 , were charged to interest expense during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. The Company incurred direct financing fees and costs of $5.2 million in connection with 2027 Senior Secured Notes, which were deferred and are being amortized over the term of the 2027 Senior Secured Notes. Unamortized costs related to the Company’s notes were $5.2 million and $1.1 million at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company and certain of its domestic subsidiaries sell, on a continuous basis without recourse, their trade receivables to Matthews Receivables Funding Corporation, LLC (“Matthews RFC”), a wholly-owned bankruptcy-remote subsidiary of the Company. Matthews RFC has a receivables purchase agreement (“RPA”) to sell up to $125.0 million of receivables to certain purchasers (the “Purchasers”) on a recurring basis in exchange for cash (referred to as “capital” within the RPA) equal to the gross receivables transferred. The parties intend that the transfers of receivables to the Purchasers constitute purchases and sales of receivables. Matthews RFC has guaranteed to each Purchaser the prompt payment of sold receivables, and has granted a security interest in its assets for the benefit of the Purchasers. Under the RPA, each Purchaser’s share of capital accrues yield at a floating rate plus an applicable margin. The Company is the master servicer under the RPA, and is responsible for administering and collecting receivables. The RPA, which had a maturity date of March 2024, was amended in March 2024 to extend the maturity date to March 2026.
The proceeds of the RPA are classified as operating activities in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Cash received from collections of sold receivables may be used to fund additional purchases of receivables on a revolving basis, or to reduce all or any portion of the outstanding capital of the Purchasers. The fair value of the sold receivables approximated book value due to their credit quality and short-term nature, and as a result, no gain or loss on sale of receivables was recorded. As of September 30, 2024, and 2023, the amount sold to the Purchasers was $96.3 million and $101.8 million, respectively which was derecognized from the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As collateral against sold receivables, Matthews RFC maintains a certain level of unsold receivables, which was $58.2 million and $57.9 million as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
The following table sets forth a summary of receivables sold as part of the RPA:
For the Year Ended September 30,
2024 2023
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Gross receivables sold
$ 379,094 $ 393,493
Cash collections reinvested
(384,594) (388,283)
Net cash (payments) proceeds $ (5,500) $ 5,210
In March 2023, the Company, through its U.K. subsidiary, entered into a non-recourse factoring arrangement. In connection with this arrangement, the Company periodically sells trade receivables to a third-party purchaser in exchange for cash. These transfers of financial assets are recorded at the time the Company surrenders control of the assets. As these transfers qualify as true sales under the applicable accounting guidance, the receivables are de-recognized from the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets upon transfer. The principal amount of receivables sold under this arrangement was $70.2 million and $55.2 million during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The discounts on the trade receivables sold are included within administrative expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The proceeds from the sale of receivables are classified as operating activities in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. As of September 30, 2024 and 2023, the amount of factored receivables that remained outstanding was $15.7 million and $18.0 million, respectively.
The Company, through certain of its European subsidiaries, has a credit facility with a European bank, which is guaranteed by Matthews. The maximum amount of borrowings available under this facility is €10.0 million ($11.2 million). This facility also provides €18.5 million ($20.6 million) for bank guarantees. This facility has no stated maturity date and is available until terminated. There were no outstanding borrowings under the credit facility at September 30, 2024 or 2023.
Other borrowings totaled $15.6 million and $19.2 million at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The weighted-average interest rate on these borrowings was 2.66% and 2.95% at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company operates internationally and utilizes certain derivative financial instruments to manage its foreign currency, debt and interest rate exposures. The following table presents information related to interest rate swaps entered into by the Company and designated as cash flow hedges:
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Notional amount $ 175,000 $ 175,000
Weighted-average maturity period (years) 3.2 4.1
Weighted-average received rate 4.85 % 5.32 %
Weighted-average pay rate 3.83 % 3.83 %
The Company enters into interest rate swaps in order to achieve a mix of fixed and variable rate debt that it deems appropriate. In order to transition the Company's swaps from LIBOR-based to SOFR-based rates, the LIBOR-based swaps were settled during the second quarter of fiscal 2023, resulting in cash proceeds of $10.5 million. Concurrently, the Company entered into new interest rate swaps with SOFR-based rates with a notional amount of $175.0 million. The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of future variable interest payments, which are considered probable of occurring. Based on the Company's assessment, all of the critical terms of each of the hedges matched the underlying terms of the hedged debt and related forecasted interest payments, and as such, these hedges were considered highly effective.
The fair value of the interest rate swaps reflected a net unrealized loss of $2.6 million ($1.9 million after tax) and a net unrealized gain of $4.0 million ($3.0 million after tax) at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, that is included in shareholders' equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI"). Unrecognized gains of $3.8 million ($2.9 million after tax) and $8.1 million ($6.0 million after tax) related to previously terminated LIBOR-based swaps were also included in AOCI as of September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Assuming market rates remain constant with the rates at September 30, 2024, a gain (net of tax) of approximately $1.0 million included in AOCI is expected to be recognized in earnings over the next twelve months.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
The Company utilizes certain cross currency swaps as net investment hedges of foreign operations and assesses effectiveness for these contracts based on changes in fair value attributable to changes in spot prices. The following table presents information related to cross currency swaps entered into by the Company and designated as net investment hedges:
Notional Amount Unrealized Losses Recognized in AOCI
Swap Currencies Maturity Date September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
USD/EUR September 2027 $ 81,392 $ 81,392 $ (5,440) $ (2,065)
USD/SEK June 2025 20,000 — (468) —
USD/SGD August 2026 20,000 — (441) —
USD/EUR August 2026 25,000 — (30) —
$ 146,392 $ 81,392 $ (6,379) (1)
$ (2,065) (1)
(1) Total unrealized losses are presented net of tax of $2,156 and $701, for the years ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
In connection with certain of these cross currency swaps, the Company received cash from the counterparties, representing partial advance payments of amounts due under the U.S. dollar leg of the swaps. Such amounts totaled $58.4 million, of which $17.4 million and $41.0 million were included in other current liabilities and other liabilities, respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2024.
The Company uses certain foreign currency debt instruments as net investment hedges of foreign operations with a notional amount of €30.0 million ($33.5 million) as of September 30, 2024. Currency losses of $3.8 million (net of income taxes of $1.1 million), which represent effective hedges of net investments, were reported as a component of AOCI within currency translation adjustment at September 30, 2024. No such net investment hedges were outstanding as of September 30, 2023.
The Company has a stock repurchase program. The buy-back program is designed to increase shareholder value, enlarge the Company's holdings of its Class A Common Stock, and add to earnings per share. Repurchased shares may be retained in treasury, utilized for acquisitions, or reissued to employees or other purchasers, subject to the restrictions set forth in the Company's Restated Articles of Incorporation. Under the current authorization, 611,321 shares remain available for repurchase as of September 30, 2024.
Consolidated working capital was $197.8 million at September 30, 2024, compared to $253.7 million at September 30, 2023. Cash and cash equivalents were $40.8 million at September 30, 2024, compared to $42.1 million at September 30, 2023. The Company's current ratio was 1.5 and 1.6 at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Long-Term Contractual Obligations:
The following table summarizes the Company's contractual obligations at September 30, 2024, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on its liquidity and cash flows in future periods.
Payments due in fiscal year:
Total 2025 2026 to 2027 2028 to 2029 After
2029
Contractual Cash Obligations: (Dollar amounts in thousands)
Revolving credit facilities $ 444,011 $ — $ — $ 444,011 $ —
2027 Senior Secured Notes 372,376 12,938 51,750 307,688 —
Finance lease obligations (1)
24,492 6,836 12,339 4,259 1,058
Non-cancelable operating leases (1)
67,592 24,711 30,977 8,457 3,447
Cross-currency swaps 66,967 18,042 48,925 — —
Other (2)
74,029 53,532 11,495 2,419 6,583
Total contractual cash obligations $ 1,049,467 $ 116,059 $ 155,486 $ 766,834 $ 11,088
(1) Lease obligations have not been discounted to their present value.
(2) Includes $42,245 of severance and other employee termination benefit obligations, as well as $15,433 of deferred purchase price and contingent consideration obligations related to acquisitions completed in prior years.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company made lump sum payments totaling $24.2 million to fully settle the Company's non-qualified Supplemental Retirement Plan ("SERP") and defined benefit portion of the Company's Officers Retirement Restoration Plan ("ORRP") obligations. The settlement of these plan obligations resulted in the recognition of a non-cash charge of $1.3 million, which has been presented as a component of other income (deductions), net for the year ended September 30, 2023. This amount represents the immediate recognition of the deferred AOCI balances related to the SERP and ORRP.
Unrecognized tax benefits are positions taken, or expected to be taken, on an income tax return that may result in additional payments to tax authorities. If a tax authority agrees with the tax position taken, or expected to be taken, or the applicable statute of limitations expires, then additional payments will not be necessary. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits, excluding penalties and interest, of approximately $4.5 million. The timing of potential future payments related to the unrecognized tax benefits is not presently determinable. The Company believes that its current liquidity sources, combined with its operating cash flow and borrowing capacity, will be sufficient to meet its capital needs for the foreseeable future.
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES:
Refer to Note 22, "Acquisitions and Divestitures" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," for further details on the Company's acquisitions and divestitures.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:
Management routinely develops and reviews with the Company’s Board of Directors strategic plans with the primary objective of continuous improvement in the Company’s consolidated sales and operating results. Strategic plans are developed at the business segment level and generally contain strategies for organic growth and acquisitions. Organic growth primarily reflects the Company’s internal efforts to grow its businesses including commercial activities, cost structure and productivity improvements, new product development, and the expansion into new markets with existing products. Growth through acquisitions reflects the benefits from acquired businesses and also includes related integration activities to achieve commercial and cost synergy benefits.
The significant factors influencing organic sales growth in the Industrial Technologies segment include economic/industrial market conditions, new product development, and the electric vehicles ("EV") and e-commerce trends. Sales within this segment may also be influenced by the timing of work with the Company's largest energy storage customer, as well as the level of advancement by existing and potential new customers towards adopting new production solutions. For the Memorialization segment, the Company expects that sales growth will be influenced by North America death rates and the impact of the increasing trend toward cremation on the segment's product offerings, including caskets, cemetery memorial products and cremation-related products. For the SGK Brand Solutions segment, the Company expects that sales growth will be influenced by global economic conditions, brand innovation, the level of marketing spending by the Company's clients, and government regulation. Due to the global footprint of the Company’s businesses, particularly the Industrial Technologies and SGK Brand Solutions segments, currency fluctuations can also be a significant factor on the Company’s U.S. dollar reported results.
Recent labor cost increases, supply chain challenges, and other inflation-related impacts are expected to impact the Company's results for the near future. The Company expects to partially mitigate these cost increases through price realization and cost-reduction initiatives. The Company initiated cost reduction programs during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, which are primarily focused on the Company's engineering and tooling operations in Europe, as well as the Company's general and administrative functions.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND POLICIES:
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Therefore, the determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgment based on various assumptions and other factors such as historical experience, economic conditions, and in some cases, actuarial techniques. Actual results may differ from those estimates. A discussion of market risks affecting the Company can be found in Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk," of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
The Company's significant accounting policies are included in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables the Company to provide useful and reliable financial information about the Company's operating results and financial condition. The following accounting policies involve significant estimates, which were considered critical to the preparation of the Company's consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2024.
Long-Lived Assets, including Property, Plant and Equipment:
Long-lived assets are recorded at their respective cost basis on the date of acquisition. Depreciation on property, plant and equipment is computed primarily on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives. The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property, plant and equipment, and intangibles with finite useful lives, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets is determined by evaluating the estimated undiscounted net cash flows of the operations to which the assets relate. An impairment loss would be recognized when the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value, which is based on a discounted cash flow analysis. An asset considered held-for-sale is reported at the lower of the asset's carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell. No impairment charges for property, plant and equipment were recognized during the years presented, except as disclosed in Note 24, “Asset Write-Downs" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles:
Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but are tested annually for impairment, or when circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist. In general, when the carrying value of these assets exceeds the implied fair value, an impairment loss must be recognized. A significant decline in cash flows generated from these assets may result in a write-down of the carrying values of the related assets. For purposes of testing goodwill for impairment, the Company uses a combination of valuation techniques, including discounted cash flows and other market indicators. A number of assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the discounted cash flow model to forecast operating cash flows, including sales volumes and pricing, costs to produce, tax rates, capital spending, working capital changes, and discount rates. The Company estimates future cash flows using volume and pricing assumptions based largely on existing customer relationships and contracts, and operating cost assumptions management believes are reasonable based on historical performance and projected future performance as reflected in its most recent operating plans and projections. The discount rates used in the discounted cash flow analyses are developed with the assistance of valuation experts and management believes the discount rates appropriately reflect the risks associated with the Company's operating cash flows. In order to further validate the reasonableness of the estimated fair values of the reporting units as of the valuation date, a reconciliation of the aggregate fair values of all reporting units to market capitalization is performed using a reasonable control premium.
The Company performed its annual impairment review of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 (January 1, 2024) and determined that the estimated fair values for all goodwill reporting units exceeded their carrying values, therefore no impairment charges were necessary. The results of this review indicated that the estimated fair value of the Company's SGK Brand Solutions reporting unit exceeded the carrying value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value) by approximately 7%. The fair value for the reporting unit was determined using level 3 inputs (including estimates of revenue growth, EBITDA contribution and the discount rates) and a combination of the income approach using the estimated discounted cash flows and a market-based valuation methodology. If current projections are not achieved or specific valuation factors outside the Company's control (such as discount rates and continued economic and industry challenges) significantly change, additional goodwill write-downs may be necessary in future periods.
The Company's Surfaces and Engineering reporting unit experienced declines during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, primarily related to the Company's recently acquired (August 2022) Olbrich GmbH business. The Company determined that a triggering event occurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, resulting in a re-evaluation of the goodwill for the Surfaces and Engineering reporting unit as of September 1, 2024. As a result of this interim assessment, the Company recorded a goodwill write-down totaling $16.7 million during the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, reducing the amount of goodwill for this reporting unit to zero. The fair value for the reporting unit was determined using level 3 inputs (including estimates of revenue growth, EBITDA contribution and the discount rates) and the income approach valuation methodology which utilizes estimated discounted cash flows of the reporting unit.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, (continued)
In fiscal 2022, in its assessment of the potential impacts of weakened economic conditions (particularly in Europe), increases in the cost of certain materials, labor, and other inflation-related pressures, and unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates on the estimated future earnings and cash flows for the SGK Brand Solutions reporting unit, and in light of the limited excess fair value over carrying value for this reporting unit, management determined a triggering event occurred, resulting in a re-evaluation of goodwill for the reporting unit, as of September 1, 2022. As a result of this interim assessment, the Company recorded a goodwill write-down totaling $82.5 million during the fiscal 2022 fourth quarter. Subsequent to this write-down, the fair value of the SGK Brand Solutions reporting unit approximated its carrying value at September 1, 2022. The fair value for the reporting unit was determined using level 3 inputs (including estimates of revenue growth, EBITDA contribution and the discount rates) and a combination of the income approach using the estimated discounted cash flows and a market-based valuation methodology.
Income Taxes:
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are provided for the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. Deferred income taxes have not been provided on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries since they have either been previously taxed, or are exempt from tax, or such earnings are considered to be reinvested indefinitely in foreign operations.
INFLATION:
Recent labor cost increases and other inflation-related pressures have had an unfavorable impact on the Company's results of operations (see "Results of Operations"). Although recent economic conditions increase the level of uncertainty in the Company's near-term outlook, inflation is not currently anticipated to have a material impact on a long-term basis.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS:
Refer to Note 3, "Accounting Pronouncements" in Item 8 - "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," for further details on recently issued accounting pronouncements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK:
The following discussion about the Company's market risk involves forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company has market risk related to changes in interest rates, commodity prices and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company does not generally use derivative financial instruments in connection with these market risks, except as noted below.
Interest Rates - The Company's most significant long-term instrument is the domestic credit facility. U.S. dollar denominated debt under the domestic credit facility bears interest at variable rates based on SOFR (LIBOR for periods prior to March 2023).
The following table presents information related to interest rate contracts entered into by the Company and designated as cash flow hedges:
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Pay fixed swaps - notional amount $ 175,000 $ 175,000
Weighted-average maturity period (years) 3.2 4.1
Weighted-average received rate 4.85 % 5.32 %
Weighted-average pay rate 3.83 % 3.83 %
The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of the future variable interest payments which are considered probable of occurring. Based on the Company's assessment, all the critical terms of each of the hedges matched the underlying terms of the hedged debt and related forecasted interest payments, and as such, these hedges were considered highly effective.
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