Item 1. Financial Statements
Item 1. Financial Statements
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions, except per share data)
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Net sales $ 2,534 $ 2,709 $ 4,922 $ 4,997
Cost of products sold 1,709 1,827 3,357 3,384
Gross profit 825 882 1,565 1,613
Selling, general and administrative expenses 504 572 1,022 1,106
Restructuring costs, net 4 5 9 10
Operating income 317 305 534 497
Non-operating expenses:
Interest expense, net 55 65 114 132
Other (income) expense, net 8 ( 3 ) ( 116 ) ( 4 )
Income before income taxes 254 243 536 369
Income tax provision 50 46 98 83
Net income $ 204 $ 197 $ 438 $ 286
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic 413.8 425.4 417.9 425.1
Diluted 415.7 427.8 420.2 427.7
Earnings per share:
Basic $ 0.49 $ 0.46 $ 1.05 $ 0.67
Diluted $ 0.49 $ 0.46 $ 1.04 $ 0.67
See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
2
Table of Contents
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) (Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions)
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income $ 204 $ 197 $ 438 $ 286
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
Foreign currency translation adjustments ( 120 ) 34 ( 97 ) ( 10 )
Pension and postretirement costs 7 4 12 9
Derivative financial instruments 11 3 11 8
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax ( 102 ) 41 ( 74 ) 7
Comprehensive income 102 238 364 293
Total comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests — 3 — 2
Total comprehensive income attributable to parent $ 102 $ 235 $ 364 $ 291
See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
3
Table of Contents
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions, except par values)
June 30,
2022 December 31,
2021
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 323 $ 440
Accounts receivable, net 1,562 1,500
Inventories 2,522 1,997
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 350 325
Total current assets 4,757 4,262
Property, plant and equipment, net 1,138 1,204
Operating lease assets 563 558
Goodwill 3,450 3,504
Other intangible assets, net 2,977 3,370
Deferred income taxes 786 814
Other assets 777 467
Total assets $ 14,448 $ 14,179
Liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 1,700 $ 1,680
Accrued compensation 160 270
Other accrued liabilities 1,309 1,364
Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt 1,461 3
Total current liabilities 4,630 3,317
Long-term debt 3,793 4,883
Deferred income taxes 714 405
Operating lease liabilities 500 500
Other noncurrent liabilities 864 983
Total liabilities 10,501 10,088
Commitments and contingencies (Footnote 17)
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock ( 10.0 authorized shares, $ 1.00 par value, no shares issued at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021)
— —
Common stock ( 800.0 authorized shares, $ 1.00 par value, 438.6 shares and 450.0 shares issued at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively)
439 450
Treasury stock, at cost ( 25.0 shares and 24.5 shares at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively)
( 623 ) ( 609 )
Additional paid-in capital 7,251 7,734
Retained deficit ( 2,164 ) ( 2,602 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss ( 956 ) ( 882 )
Total stockholders’ equity 3,947 4,091
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 14,448 $ 14,179
See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
4
Table of Contents
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions)
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income $ 438 $ 286
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 147 166
(Gain) loss from sale of businesses ( 133 ) 2
Deferred income taxes 309 ( 12 )
Stock based compensation expense 23 26
Other, net ( 1 ) ( 3 )
Changes in operating accounts excluding the effects of divestitures:
Accounts receivable ( 177 ) ( 50 )
Inventories ( 681 ) ( 386 )
Accounts payable 106 54
Accrued liabilities and other ( 481 ) ( 7 )
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities ( 450 ) 76
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of divested business 620 —
Capital expenditures ( 140 ) ( 114 )
Other investing activities, net 19 9
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 499 ( 105 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
Short-term debt, net 372 ( 1 )
Payments on current portion of long-term debt ( 2 ) ( 94 )
Payments on long-term debt — ( 6 )
Repurchase of shares of common stock ( 325 ) —
Cash dividends ( 195 ) ( 198 )
Acquisition of noncontrolling interest — ( 4 )
Equity compensation activity and other, net ( 35 ) ( 35 )
Net cash used in financing activities ( 185 ) ( 338 )
Exchange rate effect on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash ( 3 ) ( 6 )
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash ( 139 ) ( 373 )
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 477 1,021
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 338 $ 648
Supplemental disclosures:
Restricted cash at beginning of period $ 37 $ 40
Restricted cash at end of period 15 11
See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
5
Table of Contents
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions)
Common
Stock Treasury
Stock Additional Paid-In Capital Retained Earnings (Deficit) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Total Stockholders' Equity
Balance at March 31, 2022 $ 441 $ ( 623 ) $ 7,384 $ ( 2,368 ) $ ( 854 ) $ 3,980
Comprehensive income (loss) — — — 204 ( 102 ) 102
Dividends declared on common stock - $ 0.23 per share
— — (95) — — ( 95 )
Equity compensation, net of tax — — 10 — — 10
Common stock purchased and retired ( 2 ) — ( 48 ) — — ( 50 )
Balance at June 30, 2022 $ 439 $ ( 623 ) $ 7,251 $ ( 2,164 ) $ ( 956 ) $ 3,947
Balance at December 31, 2021 $ 450 $ ( 609 ) $ 7,734 $ ( 2,602 ) $ ( 882 ) $ 4,091
Comprehensive income (loss) — — — 438 ( 74 ) 364
Dividends declared on common stock - $ 0.46 per share
— — ( 192 ) — — ( 192 )
Equity compensation, net of tax 2 ( 14 ) 22 — — 10
Common stock purchased and retired ( 13 ) — ( 312 ) — — ( 325 )
Other — — ( 1 ) — — ( 1 )
Balance at June 30, 2022 $ 439 $ ( 623 ) $ 7,251 $ ( 2,164 ) $ ( 956 ) $ 3,947
Common
Stock Treasury
Stock Additional Paid-In Capital Retained Earnings (Deficit) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent Noncontrolling Interests Total Stockholders' Equity
Balance at March 31, 2021 $ 450 $ ( 608 ) $ 7,993 $ ( 3,085 ) $ ( 914 ) $ 3,836 $ 25 $ 3,861
Comprehensive income — — — 197 38 235 3 238
Dividends declared on common stock - $ 0.23 per share
— — ( 99 ) — — ( 99 ) — ( 99 )
Equity compensation, net of tax — ( 1 ) 12 — — 11 — 11
Acquisition of noncontrolling interests — — — — — — ( 3 ) ( 3 )
Other changes attributable to noncontrolling interests — — — — 3 3 — 3
Balance at June 30, 2021 $ 450 $ ( 609 ) $ 7,906 $ ( 2,888 ) $ ( 873 ) $ 3,986 $ 25 $ 4,011
Balance at December 31, 2020 $ 448 $ ( 598 ) $ 8,078 $ ( 3,174 ) $ ( 880 ) $ 3,874 $ 26 $ 3,900
Comprehensive income — — — 286 6 292 1 293
Dividends declared on common stock - $ 0.46 per share
— — ( 200 ) — — ( 200 ) — ( 200 )
Equity compensation, net of tax 2 ( 11 ) 28 — — 19 — 19
Acquisition of noncontrolling interests — — — — — — ( 3 ) ( 3 )
Other changes attributable to noncontrolling interests — — — — 1 1 1 2
Balance at June 30, 2021 $ 450 $ ( 609 ) $ 7,906 $ ( 2,888 ) $ ( 873 ) $ 3,986 $ 25 $ 4,011
See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited).
6
Table of Contents
NEWELL BRANDS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
Footnote 1 — Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Newell Brands Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and the results of operations of the Company. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements, and the footnotes thereto, included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2021 has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but it does not include all the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for a complete financial statement. Certain reclassifications have been made in the Company's financial statements of the prior year to conform to current year presentation.
On March 31, 2022, the Company sold its Connected Home & Security (“CH&S”) business unit to Resideo Technologies, Inc. See Footnotes 2 and 16 for further information.
Use of Estimates and Risks
Management’s application of U.S. GAAP in preparing the Company's consolidated financial statements requires the pervasive use of estimates and assumptions. The Company continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary and supply chain pressures, and the indirect macroeconomic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has required greater use of estimates and assumptions in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements, more specifically, those estimates and assumptions utilized in the Company’s forecasted results of operations and cash flows that form the basis in developing the fair values utilized in its impairment assessments, its annual effective tax rate and other related reserves. These estimates also include assumptions as to the timing and amount of demand shifts amongst sales channels, workforce availability and supply chain continuity. Although management has made its best estimates and assumptions based upon current information, actual results could materially differ and may require future changes to such estimates and assumptions, including reserves, which may result in future expense.
Seasonal Variations
Sales of the Company’s products tend to be seasonal, with sales, operating income and operating cash flow in the first quarter generally lower than any other quarter during the year, driven principally by reduced volume and the mix of products sold in the first quarter. The seasonality of the Company’s sales volume combined with the accounting for fixed costs, such as depreciation, amortization, rent, personnel costs and interest expense, impacts the Company’s results on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company typically tends to generate the majority of its operating cash flow in the third and fourth quarters of the year due to seasonal variations in operating results, the timing of annual performance-based compensation payments, customer program payments, working capital requirements and credit terms provided to customers. Accordingly, the Company’s results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2022, may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2022.
The Company's sales and operating results, previously disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, reverted back to historical patterns in 2021, however, uncertainty still remains due to the inflationary and supply chain pressures and the volatility and direction of future consumer demand patterns.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Changes to U.S. GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.
7
Table of Contents
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “ Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ” In January 2021, the FASB clarified the scope of this guidance with the issuance of ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform: Scope. ASU 2020-04 provides optional expedients and exceptions to account for contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or another reference rate if certain criteria are met. ASU 2020-04 may be applied prospectively to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated on or before December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the potential effects of the adoption of ASU 2020-04.
Sales of Accounts Receivables
Factored receivables at June 30, 2022 associated with the Company's existing factoring agreement (the “Customer Receivables Purchase Agreement”) were approximately $ 545 million, an increase of approximately $ 45 million from December 31, 2021. During the second quarter of 2022, the Company amended the Customer Receivables Purchase Agreement to (1) increase the amount of certain customer receivables that may be sold under the agreement, (2) add new customers to the agreement and (3) change the reference rate from LIBOR to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). Transactions under this agreement are accounted for as sales of accounts receivable, and the receivables sold are removed from the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at the time of the sales transaction. The Company classifies the proceeds received from the sales of accounts receivable as an operating cash flow in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The Company records the discount as other (income) expense, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and collections of accounts receivables not yet submitted to the financial institution as a financing cash flow.
Footnote 2 — Divestiture Activity
On March 31, 2022, the Company sold its CH&S business unit to Resideo Technologies, Inc., for approximately $ 593 million, subject to customary working capital and other post-closing adjustments. As a result, during the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded a pretax gain of $ 133 million, which was included in other (income) expense, net in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Footnote 3 — Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The following table displays the changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (“AOCL”) by component, net of tax, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 (in millions):
Cumulative
Translation
Adjustment Pension and
Postretirement
Costs
Derivative
Financial
Instruments AOCL
Balance at December 31, 2021 $ ( 575 ) $ ( 292 ) $ ( 15 ) $ ( 882 )
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications ( 103 ) 6 13 ( 84 )
Amounts reclassified to earnings 6 6 ( 2 ) 10
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) ( 97 ) 12 11 ( 74 )
Balance at June 30, 2022 $ ( 672 ) $ ( 280 ) $ ( 4 ) $ ( 956 )
8
Table of Contents
Reclassifications from AOCL to the results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 were pretax (income) expense of (in millions):
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Cumulative translation adjustment (1)
$ — $ — $ 6 $ —
Pension and postretirement benefit plans (2)
3 6 7 11
Derivative financial instruments (3)
( 4 ) 7 ( 3 ) 11
(1) See Footnote 2 for further information.
(2) See Footnote 11 for further information.
(3) See Footnote 10 for further information.
The income tax provision (benefit) allocated to the components of AOCL for the periods indicated are as follows (in millions):
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Foreign currency translation adjustments $ 19 $ ( 3 ) $ 20 $ 9
Pension and postretirement benefit costs 1 1 1 2
Derivative financial instruments 4 1 3 3
Income tax provision (benefit) related to AOCL $ 24 $ ( 1 ) $ 24 $ 14
Footnote 4 — Restructuring Costs
Restructuring costs, net incurred by reportable business segments for all restructuring activities for the periods indicated are as follows (in millions):
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Commercial Solutions $ — $ — $ 1 $ —
Home Appliances — 3 1 4
Home Solutions — 1 1 3
Learning and Development — — 2 1
Outdoor and Recreation 2 — 2 1
Corporate 2 1 2 1
$ 4 $ 5 $ 9 $ 10
Accrued restructuring costs activity for the six months ended June 30, 2022 are as follows (in millions):
Balance at December 31, 2021 Restructuring
Costs, Net Payments Balance at
June 30, 2022
Severance and termination costs $ 8 $ 8 $ ( 9 ) $ 7
Contract termination and other costs 2 1 ( 2 ) 1
$ 10 $ 9 $ ( 11 ) $ 8
9
Table of Contents
2020 Restructuring Plan
The Company’s 2020 restructuring program, which was substantially complete at the end of 2021, was designed to reduce overhead costs, streamline certain underperforming operations and improve future profitability. The restructuring costs, which impacted all segments, include employee-related costs such as severance and other termination benefits. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $ 4 million and $ 9 million, respectively. Any remaining cash payments are expected to be paid within one year of charges incurred.
Other Restructuring and Restructuring-Related Costs
The Company regularly incurs other restructuring and restructuring-related costs in connection with various discrete initiatives, including certain costs associated with Project Ovid, the multi-year, customer centric supply chain initiative to transform the Company's go-to-market capabilities in the U.S., improve customer service levels and drive operational efficiencies. Restructuring-related costs are recorded in cost of products sold and selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the nature of the underlying costs incurred. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $ 4 million and $ 9 million, respectively.
Footnote 5 — Inventories
Inventories are comprised of the following at the dates indicated (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Raw materials and supplies $ 327 $ 310
Work-in-process 203 167
Finished products 1,992 1,520
$ 2,522 $ 1,997
Footnote 6 — Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
Property, plant and equipment, net, is comprised of the following at the dates indicated (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Land $ 76 $ 82
Buildings and improvements 632 678
Machinery and equipment 2,325 2,387
3,033 3,147
Less: Accumulated depreciation ( 1,895 ) ( 1,943 )
$ 1,138 $ 1,204
Depreciation expense was $ 47 million and $ 51 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 96 million and $ 103 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company took possession of a right of use operating lease asset with future obligations of approximately $ 64 million.
10
Table of Contents
Footnote 7 — Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net
Goodwill activity for the six months ended June 30, 2022 is as follows (in millions):
Segments Net Book Value at December 31, 2021
Foreign
Exchange
Gross
Carrying
Amount
Accumulated
Impairment
Charges
Net Book Value at
June 30, 2022
Commercial Solutions $ 747 $ — $ 916 $ ( 169 ) $ 747
Home Appliances — — 569 ( 569 ) —
Home Solutions 164 — 2,567 ( 2,403 ) 164
Learning and Development 2,593 ( 54 ) 3,385 ( 846 ) 2,539
Outdoor and Recreation — — 788 ( 788 ) —
$ 3,504 $ ( 54 ) $ 8,225 $ ( 4,775 ) $ 3,450
Other intangible assets, net, are comprised of the following at the dates indicated (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Gross
Carrying
Amount
Accumulated Amortization
Net Book
Value
Gross
Carrying
Amount
Accumulated
Amortization
Net Book
Value
Trade names — indefinite life $ 1,985 $ — $ 1,985 $ 2,219 $ — $ 2,219
Trade names — other 160 ( 73 ) 87 159 ( 65 ) 94
Capitalized software 586 ( 466 ) 120 631 ( 495 ) 136
Patents and intellectual property 22 ( 15 ) 7 22 ( 14 ) 8
Customer relationships and distributor channels 1,071 ( 293 ) 778 1,216 ( 303 ) 913
$ 3,824 $ ( 847 ) $ 2,977 $ 4,247 $ ( 877 ) $ 3,370
Amortization expense for intangible assets for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was $ 24 million and $ 29 million, respectively and $ 51 million and $ 63 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Footnote 8 — Other Accrued Liabilities
Other accrued liabilities are comprised of the following at the dates indicated (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Customer accruals $ 678 $ 715
Operating lease liabilities 122 122
Accrued self-insurance liabilities, contingencies and warranty 117 125
Accrued marketing and freight expenses 74 59
Accrued interest expense 53 56
Accrued income taxes 52 43
Other 213 244
$ 1,309 $ 1,364
11
Table of Contents
Footnote 9 — Debt
Debt is comprised of the following at the dates indicated (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
3.85 % senior notes due 2023
$ 1,087 $ 1,086
4.00 % senior notes due 2024
200 200
4.875 % senior notes due 2025
495 494
3.90 % senior notes due 2025
47 47
4.20 % senior notes due 2026
1,976 1,975
5.375 % senior notes due 2036
417 417
5.50 % senior notes due 2046
658 658
Commercial paper 112 —
Receivables facility 260 —
Other debt 2 9
Total debt
5,254 4,886
Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt ( 1,461 ) ( 3 )
Long-term debt $ 3,793 $ 4,883
Senior Notes
On February 11, 2022, S&P Global Inc. (“S&P”) upgraded the Company’s debt rating to “BBB-” from “BB+” as S&P believed the Company has been able to achieve S&P’s target debt level. Since the S&P upgrade, the Company has been in a position to access the commercial paper market, up to a maximum of $ 800 million, provided there is a sufficient amount available for borrowing under the Credit Revolver (defined hereafter). In addition, the interest rate on the relevant senior notes decreased by 25 basis points due to the upgrade, reducing the Company’s interest expense by approximately $ 10 million on an annualized basis (approximately $ 8 million in 2022). However, certain of the Company’s outstanding senior notes aggregating to approximately $ 4.2 billion are still subject to an interest rate adjustment of 25 basis points in connection with the Moody’s Corporation (“Moody’s”) downgrade of the Company's debt rating in 2020.
Receivables Facility
The Company maintains an Accounts Receivable Securitization Facility (the “Securitization Facility”). During the second quarter of 2022, the Company amended the Securitization Facility. This amendment (1) reduced the aggregate commitment under the Securitization Facility to $ 375 million from $ 600 million, (2) extended its maturity by one year to October 2023 and (3) changed the reference rate under the Securitization Facility from LIBOR to SOFR. The Securitization Facility bears interest at a margin over a variable interest rate. The maximum availability under the Securitization Facility fluctuates based on eligible accounts receivable balances. At June 30, 2022, the Company has $ 260 million outstanding under the Securitization Facility.
Revolving Credit Facility and Commercial Paper
The Company maintains a $ 1.25 billion revolving credit facility that matures in December 2023 (the “Credit Revolver”). Under the Credit Revolver the Company may borrow funds on a variety of interest rate terms. Since the Credit Revolver provides the committed backup liquidity required to issue commercial paper, the Company may issue commercial paper up to a maximum of $ 800 million provided there is a sufficient amount available for borrowing under the Credit Revolver. At June 30, 2022, the Company did not have any amounts outstanding under the Credit Revolver, with a net availability of approximately $ 1.1 billion and approximately $ 112 million outstanding under its commercial paper program.
The Credit Revolver also provides for the issuance of up to $ 100 million of letters of credit, so long as there is sufficient amount available for borrowing under the Credit Revolver. At June 30, 2022, the Company has approximately $ 22 million of outstanding standby letters of credit issued against the Credit Revolver.
12
Table of Contents
Other
The fair value of the Company’s senior notes are based upon prices of similar instruments in the marketplace and are as follows (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Fair Value Book Value Fair Value Book Value
Senior notes $ 4,619 $ 4,880 $ 5,477 $ 4,877
The carrying amounts of all other significant debt approximates fair value.
Footnote 10 — Derivatives
From time to time, the Company enters into derivative transactions to hedge its exposures to interest rate, foreign currency rate and commodity price fluctuations. The Company does not enter into derivative transactions for trading purposes.
Interest Rate Contracts
The Company manages its fixed and floating rate debt mix using interest rate swaps. The Company may use fixed and floating rate swaps to alter its exposure to the impact of changing interest rates on its consolidated results of operations and future cash outflows for interest. Floating rate swaps would be used, depending on market conditions, to convert the fixed rates of long-term debt into short-term variable rates. Fixed rate swaps would be used to reduce the Company’s risk of the possibility of increased interest costs. The cash paid and received from the settlement of interest rate swaps is included in interest expense.
Fair Value Hedges
At June 30, 2022, the Company had approximately $ 100 million notional amount of interest rate swaps that exchange a fixed rate of interest for a variable rate (LIBOR) of interest plus a weighted average spread. These floating rate swaps are designated as fair value hedges against $ 100 million of principal on the 4.00 % senior notes due 2024 for the remaining life of the note. The effective portion of the fair value gains or losses on these swaps is offset by fair value adjustments in the underlying debt.
Cross-Currency Contracts
The Company uses cross-currency swaps to hedge foreign currency risk on certain financing arrangements. The Company previously entered into three cross-currency swaps, maturing in January 2025, February 2025 and September 2027, respectively, with an aggregate notional amount of $ 1.3 billion. Each of these cross-currency swaps were designated as net investment hedges of the Company's foreign currency exposure of its net investment in certain Euro-functional currency subsidiaries with Euro-denominated net assets, and the Company pays a fixed rate of Euro-based interest and receives a fixed rate of U.S. dollar interest. The Company has elected the spot method for assessing the effectiveness of these contracts. During the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized income of $ 6 million and $ 3 million, respectively, and income of $ 11 million and $ 7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, in interest expense, net, related to the portion of cross-currency swaps excluded from hedge effectiveness testing.
Foreign Currency Contracts
The Company uses forward foreign currency contracts to mitigate the foreign currency exchange rate exposure on the cash flows related to forecasted inventory purchases and sales with maturity dates through March 2023. The derivatives used to hedge these forecasted transactions that meet the criteria for hedge accounting are accounted for as cash flow hedges. The effective portion of the gains or losses on these derivatives is deferred as a component of AOCL until it is recognized in earnings at the same time that the hedged item affects earnings and is included in the same caption in the statements of operations as the underlying hedged item. At June 30, 2022, the Company had approximately $ 375 million notional amount outstanding of forward foreign currency contracts that are designated as cash flow hedges of forecasted inventory purchases and sales.
The Company also uses foreign currency contracts, primarily forward foreign currency contracts, to mitigate the foreign currency exposure of certain other foreign currency transactions. At June 30, 2022, the Company had approximately $ 1.5 billion notional amount outstanding of these foreign currency contracts that are not designated as effective hedges for accounting purposes and have maturity dates through May 2023. Fair market value gains or losses are included in the results of operations and are classified in other (income) expense, net in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.
13
Table of Contents
The following table presents the fair value of derivative financial instruments at the dates indicated (in millions):
Fair Value of Derivatives
Assets (Liabilities)
Balance Sheet Location June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Derivatives designated as effective hedges:
Cash Flow Hedges
Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 14 $ 12
Foreign currency contracts Other accrued liabilities ( 2 ) ( 2 )
Fair Value Hedges
Interest rate swaps Other assets — 3
Interest rate swaps Other accrued liabilities ( 2 ) —
Net Investment Hedges
Cross-currency swaps Prepaid expenses and other current assets 17 18
Cross-currency swaps Other assets 42 —
Cross-currency swaps Other noncurrent liabilities — ( 41 )
Derivatives not designated as effective hedges:
Foreign currency contracts Prepaid expenses and other current assets 21 7
Foreign currency contracts Other accrued liabilities ( 26 ) ( 14 )
Total $ 64 $ ( 17 )
The following table presents gain and (loss) activity (on a pretax basis) related to derivative financial instruments designated or previously designated, as effective hedges (in millions):
Three Months
Ended
June 30, 2022 Three Months
Ended
June 30, 2021
Gain/(Loss) Gain/(Loss)
Location of gain/(loss) recognized in income Recognized
in OCI
(effective portion)
Reclassified
from AOCL
to Income
Recognized
in OCI
(effective portion)
Reclassified
from AOCL
to Income
Interest rate swaps Interest expense, net $ — $ ( 1 ) $ — $ ( 1 )
Foreign currency contracts Net sales and cost of products sold 20 5 ( 3 ) ( 6 )
Cross-currency swaps Other (income) expense, net 78 — ( 8 ) —
Total $ 98 $ 4 $ ( 11 ) $ ( 7 )
Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2022 Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2021
Gain/(Loss) Gain/(Loss)
Location of gain/(loss) recognized in income Recognized
in OCI
(effective portion)
Reclassified
from AOCL
to Income
Recognized
in OCI
(effective portion)
Reclassified
from AOCL
to Income
Interest rate swaps
Interest expense, net $ — $ ( 3 ) $ — $ ( 3 )
Foreign currency contracts
Net sales and cost of products sold 19 6 — ( 8 )
Cross-currency swaps
Other (income) expense, net 82 — 28 —
Total $ 101 $ 3 $ 28 $ ( 11 )
14
Table of Contents
At June 30, 2022, net deferred gains of approximately $ 23 million within AOCL are expected to be reclassified to earnings over the next twelve months.
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recognized income of $ 2 million and expense of $ 1 million respectively, and expense of $ 3 million and income of $ 4 million, during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, in other (income) expense, net, related to derivatives that are not designated as hedging instruments. Gains and losses on these derivatives are mostly offset by foreign currency movement in the underlying exposure.
The Company is not a party to any derivatives that require collateral to be posted prior to settlement.
Footnote 11 — Employee Benefit and Retirement Plans
The components of pension and postretirement benefit (income) expense for the periods indicated, are as follows (in millions):
Pension Benefits
U.S. International U.S. International
Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 2021
Service cost $ — $ — $ 1 $ 1 $ — $ — $ 2 $ 2
Interest cost 7 5 3 1 13 10 5 3
Expected return on plan assets ( 12 ) ( 13 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 24 ) ( 25 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 )
Amortization 4 6 — 1 8 11 1 2
Total (income) expense $ ( 1 ) $ ( 2 ) $ 3 $ 2 $ ( 3 ) $ ( 4 ) $ 5 $ 5
Postretirement Benefits
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Amortization $ ( 1 ) $ ( 1 ) $ ( 2 ) $ ( 2 )
Total income $ ( 1 ) $ ( 1 ) $ ( 2 ) $ ( 2 )
U.K. Defined Benefit Plan
In February 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with an insurance company for a bulk annuity purchase or “buy-in” for one of its U.K. defined benefit pension plans, resulting in an exchange of plan assets for an annuity that matches the plan’s future projected benefit obligations to covered participants. The Company anticipates the “buy-out” for the plan to be completed by the end of 2022 or early 2023. The non-cash settlement charge associated with the transaction is expected to be approximately £ 50 million to £ 70 million.
Footnote 12 — Income Taxes
The Company’s effective income tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 were 19.7 % and 18.9 %, respectively and 18.3 % and 22.5 % for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 respectively, reflecting a low effective income tax rate associated with the sale of the CH&S business.
The differences between the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21.0 % and the Company’s effective income tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 were impacted by a variety of factors, primarily resulting from the geographic mix of where the income was earned as well as certain taxable income inclusion items in the U.S. based on foreign earnings.
The three and six months ended June 30, 2022 were also impacted by certain discrete items. Income tax expense for the three months ended June 30, 2022 included a discrete benefit of $ 11 million associated with the reduction in valuation allowance related to the integration of certain Brazilian operations . The six months ended June 30, 2022 also included a discrete benefit of $ 4 million associated with the approval of certain state tax credits, offset by $ 15 million of income tax expense related to the divestiture of the CH&S business unit .
15
Table of Contents
The three and six months ended June 30, 2021 were also impacted by certain discrete items. Income tax expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 included a discrete benefit of $ 13 million associated with a reduction in valuation allowance related to the integration of certain U.K. operations and $ 9 million related to a statute of limitation expiration in France.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company amended its 2017 U.S. federal income tax return to carryback foreign tax credits generated in 2018 and capital losses generated in 2018 and 2020. This resulted in an increase in noncurrent income taxes receivable of approximately $ 261 million, a decrease in income taxes payable of approximately $ 95 million, and an increase in deferred tax liabilities of approximately $ 356 million.
The Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for 2011 to 2015 and 2017 to 2019, as well as certain state and non-U.S. income tax returns for various years, are under examination.
On June 18, 2019, the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released temporary regulations under IRC Section 245A (“Section 245A”) as enacted by the 2017 U.S. Tax Reform Legislation (“2017 Tax Reform”) and IRC Section 954(c)(6) (the “Temporary Regulations”) to apply retroactively to the date the 2017 Tax Reform was enacted. On August 21, 2020, the U.S. Treasury and IRS released finalized versions of the Temporary Regulations (collectively with the Temporary Regulations, the “Regulations”). The Regulations seek to limit the 100% dividends received deduction permitted by Section 245A for certain dividends received from controlled foreign corporations and to limit the applicability of the look-through exception to foreign personal holding company income for certain dividends received from controlled foreign corporations. Before the retroactive application of the Regulations, the Company benefited in 2018 from both the 100% dividends received deduction and the look-through exception to foreign personal holding company income. The Company analyzed the Regulations and concluded the relevant Regulations were not validly issued. Therefore, the Company has not accounted for the effects of the Regulations in its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the period ending June 30, 2022. The Company believes it has strong arguments in favor of its position and believes it has met the more likely than not recognition threshold that its position will be sustained. However, due to the inherent uncertainty involved in challenging the validity of regulations, as well as a potential litigation process, there can be no assurances that the relevant Regulations will be invalidated or that a court of law will rule in favor of the Company. If the Company’s position on the Regulations is not sustained, the Company would be required to recognize an income tax expense of approximately $ 180 million to $ 220 million related to an income tax benefit from fiscal year 2018 that was recorded based on regulations in existence at the time. In addition, the Company may be required to pay any applicable interest and penalties. On April 4, 2022, in a case not involving the Company, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado granted the taxpayer's motion for summary judgment that the Temporary Regulations were not validly issued on the basis of improper promulgation. The Company is monitoring the impact of this decision and intends to continue to vigorously defend its position.
Footnote 13 — Earnings Per Share
The computations of the weighted average shares outstanding for the periods indicated are as follows (in millions):
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Basic weighted average shares outstanding 413.8 425.4 417.9 425.1
Dilutive securities 1.9 2.4 2.3 2.6
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 415.7 427.8 420.2 427.7
Footnote 14 — Stockholders' Equity and Share-Based Compensation
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company granted 1.1 million performance-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”), which had an aggregate grant date fair value of $ 29 million and entitle the recipients to shares of the Company’s common stock primarily at the end of a three-year vesting period. The actual number of shares that will ultimately vest is dependent on the level of achievement of the specified performance conditions.
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company also granted 0.8 million time-based RSUs with an aggregate grant date fair value of $ 20 million. These time-based RSUs entitle recipients to shares of the Company’s common stock and primarily vest either at the end of a three-year period or in equal installments over a three-year period.
16
Table of Contents
During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company also granted 2.2 million time-based stock options with an aggregate grant date fair value of $ 14 million. These stock options entitle recipients to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying shares as of the grant date and vest in equal installments over a three-year period.
The weighted average assumptions used to determine the fair value of stock options granted for the six months ended June 30, 2022, is as follows:
Risk-free interest rates 1.9 %
Expected volatility 42.0 %
Expected dividend yield 5.1 %
Expected life (in years) 6
Exercise price $ 25.66
Share Repurchase Program
On February 6, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a $ 375 million Share Repurchase Program (“SRP”), effective immediately through the end of 2022. Under the SRP, the Company may purchase its common shares in the open market, in negotiated transactions or in other manners, as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements. On February 25, 2022, the Company repurchased $ 275 million of its shares of common stock beneficially owned by Carl C. Icahn and certain of his affiliates (collectively, “Icahn Enterprises”), at a purchase price of $ 25.86 per share, the closing price of the Company's common shares on February 18, 2022. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company repurchased approximately $ 50 million of its shares of common stock at an average purchase price of $ 22.01 per share. At June 30, 2022, the Company has remaining authority to repurchase approximately $ 50 million of its shares of common stock under the SRP.
Footnote 15 — Fair Value Disclosures
Recurring Fair Value Measurement s
The following table presents the Company’s non-pension financial assets and liabilities, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in millions):
June 30, 2022 December 31, 2021
Fair value Asset (Liability) Fair value Asset (Liability)
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Derivatives:
Assets $ — $ 94 $ — $ 94 $ — $ 40 $ — $ 40
Liabilities — ( 30 ) — ( 30 ) — ( 57 ) — ( 57 )
Investment securities, including mutual funds
14 — — 14 13 — — 13
For publicly traded investment securities, including mutual funds, fair value is determined on the basis of quoted market prices and, accordingly, such investments are classified as Level 1. The Company determines the fair value of its derivative instruments using standard pricing models and market-based assumptions for all significant inputs, such as yield curves and quoted spot and forward exchange rates. Accordingly, the Company’s derivative instruments are classified as Level 2.
Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, derivative instruments, notes payable and short and long-term debt. The carrying values for current financial assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and short-term debt approximate fair value due to the short maturity of such instruments. The fair values of the Company’s debt and derivative instruments are disclosed in Footnote 9 and Footnote 10 , respectively.
17
Table of Contents
Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements
The Company’s nonfinancial assets, which are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, include property, plant and equipment, goodwill, intangible assets and certain other assets.
In connection with the Company's annual impairment testing at December 1, 2021, a tradename within the Learning and Development segment was fair valued at $ 47 million on a non-recurring basis.
Footnote 16 — Segment Information
On March 31, 2022, the Company sold its CH&S business unit to Resideo Technologies, Inc. The results of operations for CH&S continued to be reported in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations as part of the Commercial Solutions segment through March 31, 2022.
The Company's five primary reportable segments are:
Segment Key Brands Description of Primary Products
Commercial Solutions Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products and Spontex Commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization; hygiene systems and material handling solutions
Home Appliances Calphalon, Crockpot, Mr. Coffee, Oster and Sunbeam Household products, including kitchen appliances
Home
Solutions Ball (1) , Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick and Yankee Candle
Food and home storage products; fresh preserving products; vacuum sealing products; gourmet cookware, bakeware and cutlery and home fragrance products
Learning and
Development Aprica, Baby Jogger, Dymo, Elmer’s, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Tigex, Waterman and X-Acto Baby gear and infant care products; writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products and labeling solutions
Outdoor and Recreation Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio and Marmot Products for outdoor and outdoor-related activities
(1) and Ball® TM of Ball Corporation, used under license.
This structure reflects the manner in which the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly assesses information for decision-making purposes, including the allocation of resources. The Company also provides general corporate services to its segments which is reported as a non-operating segment, Corporate.
18
Table of Contents
Selected information by segment is presented in the following tables (in millions):
Three Months Ended
June 30, Six Months Ended
June 30,
2022 2021 2022 2021
Net sales (1)
Commercial Solutions (3)
$ 429 $ 493 $ 939 $ 964
Home Appliances 346 394 686 754
Home Solutions 467 525 967 1,029
Learning and Development 865 844 1,515 1,461
Outdoor and Recreation 427 453 815 789
$ 2,534 $ 2,709 $ 4,922 $ 4,997
Operating income (loss) (2)
Commercial Solutions (3)
$ 43 $ 43 $ 98 $ 93
Home Appliances 15 13 ( 3 ) 16
Home Solutions 5 53 66 114
Learning and Development 247 217 377 327
Outdoor and Recreation 46 48 91 63
Corporate ( 39 ) ( 69 ) ( 95 ) ( 116 )
$ 317 $ 305 $ 534 $ 497
June 30,
2022 December 31, 2021
Segment assets
Commercial Solutions (3)
$ 1,961 $ 2,522
Home Appliances 1,085 1,055
Home Solutions 3,140 3,109
Learning and Development 4,608 4,401
Outdoor and Recreation 1,079 907
Corporate 2,575 2,185
$ 14,448 $ 14,179
(1) All intercompany transactions have been eliminated.
(2) Operating income (loss) by segment is net sales less cost of products sold, SG&A, restructuring and impairment of goodwill, intangibles and other assets. Certain Corporate expenses of an operational nature are allocated to business segments primarily on a net sales basis. Corporate depreciation and amortization is allocated to the segments on a percentage of net sales basis and included in segment operating income.
(3) The change in the Commercial Solutions net sales, operating income and segment assets is primarily due to the sale of the CH&S business at the end of the first quarter of 2022.
19
Table of Contents
The following tables disaggregate revenue by major product grouping source and geography for the periods indicated (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022
Commercial Solutions Home
Appliances Home
Solutions Learning and Development Outdoor and Recreation Total
Commercial $ 429 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 429
Home Appliances — 346 — — — 346
Food — — 304 — — 304
Home Fragrance — — 163 — — 163
Baby — — — 313 — 313
Writing — — — 552 — 552
Outdoor and Recreation — — — — 427 427
Total $ 429 $ 346 $ 467 $ 865 $ 427 $ 2,534
North America $ 314 $ 156 $ 393 $ 656 $ 237 $ 1,756
International 115 190 74 209 190 778
Total $ 429 $ 346 $ 467 $ 865 $ 427 $ 2,534
Three Months Ended June 30, 2021
Commercial Solutions Home
Appliances Home
Solutions Learning and Development Outdoor and Recreation Total
Commercial $ 401 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 401
Connected Home Security 92 — — — — 92
Home Appliances — 394 — — — 394
Food — — 323 — — 323
Home Fragrance — — 202 — — 202
Baby — — — 319 — 319
Writing — — — 525 — 525
Outdoor and Recreation — — — — 453 453
Total $ 493 $ 394 $ 525 $ 844 $ 453 $ 2,709
North America $ 364 $ 206 $ 425 $ 626 $ 256 $ 1,877
International 129 188 100 218 197 832
Total $ 493 $ 394 $ 525 $ 844 $ 453 $ 2,709
20
Table of Contents
Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
Commercial Solutions Home
Appliances Home
Solutions Learning and Development Outdoor and Recreation Total
Commercial $ 830 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 830
Connected Home Security 109 — — — — 109
Home Appliances — 686 — — — 686
Food — — 606 — — 606
Home Fragrance — — 361 — — 361
Baby — — — 604 — 604
Writing — — — 911 — 911
Outdoor and Recreation — — — — 815 815
Total $ 939 $ 686 $ 967 $ 1,515 $ 815 $ 4,922
North America $ 710 $ 334 $ 794 $ 1,124 $ 447 $ 3,409
International 229 352 173 391 368 1,513
Total $ 939 $ 686 $ 967 $ 1,515 $ 815 $ 4,922
Six Months Ended June 30, 2021
Commercial Solutions Home
Appliances Home
Solutions Learning and Development Outdoor and Recreation Total
Commercial $ 781 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 781
Connected Home Security 183 — — — — 183
Home Appliances — 754 — — — 754
Food — — 597 — — 597
Home Fragrance — — 432 — — 432
Baby — — — 600 — 600
Writing — — — 861 — 861
Outdoor and Recreation — — — — 789 789
Total $ 964 $ 754 $ 1,029 $ 1,461 $ 789 $ 4,997
North America $ 708 $ 401 $ 826 $ 1,052 $ 433 $ 3,420
International 256 353 203 409 356 1,577
Total $ 964 $ 754 $ 1,029 $ 1,461 $ 789 $ 4,997
Footnote 17 — Litigation and Contingencies
The Company is subject to various claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of business, including from time to time, contractual disputes, employment and environmental matters, product and general liability claims, claims that the Company has infringed on the intellectual property rights of others, and consumer and employment class actions. Some of the legal proceedings include claims for punitive as well as compensatory damages. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is also subject to legislative requests, regulatory and governmental examinations, information requests and subpoenas, inquiries, investigations, and threatened legal actions and proceedings. In connection with such formal and informal inquiries, the Company receives numerous requests, subpoenas, and orders for documents, testimony and information in connection with various aspects of its activities. The Company previously disclosed that it had received a subpoena and related informal document requests from the SEC primarily relating to its sales practices and certain accounting matters for the time period beginning from January 1, 2016. The Company has cooperated with the SEC in connection with its investigation and ongoing requests for documents, testimony and information and intends to continue to do so. The Company cannot predict the timing or outcome of this investigation. Further, on June 30,
21
Table of Contents
2021, the Company received a subpoena from the SEC requesting the production of documents related to its disclosure of the potential impact of the U.S. Treasury regulations described in Footnote 12 - Income Taxes .
Securities Litigation
Certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors have been named in shareholder derivative lawsuits. On October 29, 2018, a shareholder filed a putative derivative complaint, Streicher v. Polk, et al ., in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “Streicher Derivative Action”), purportedly on behalf of the Company against certain of the Company's current and former officers and directors. On October 30, 2018, another shareholder filed a putative derivative complaint, Martindale v. Polk, et al. , in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “Martindale Derivative Action”), asserting substantially similar claims purportedly on behalf of the Company against the same defendants. The complaints allege, among other things, violations of the federal securities laws, breaches of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, and waste of corporate assets. The factual allegations underlying these claims are similar to the factual allegations made in the In re Newell Brands, Inc. Securities Litigation that was previously pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. That matter was dismissed by the District Court on January 10, 2020, and the dismissal was affirmed by the United States District Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on December 1, 2020. The complaints seek damages and restitution for the Company from the individual defendants, the payment of costs and attorneys’ fees, and that the Company be directed to reform certain governance and internal procedures. The Streicher Derivative Action and the Martindale Derivative Action have been consolidated and the case is now known as In re Newell Brands Inc. Derivative Litigation (the “Newell Brands Derivative Action”), which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. On March 22, 2021, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware stayed the Newell Brands Derivative Action pending the resolution of any motions for summary judgment filed in Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Newell Brands Inc., et al. (described below). On December 30, 2020, two shareholders filed a putative derivative complaint, Weber, et al. v. Polk, et al. , in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “Weber Derivative Action”), purportedly on behalf of the Company against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors. The complaint in the Weber Derivative Action alleges, among other things, breaches of fiduciary duty and waste of corporate assets. The factual allegations underlying these claims are similar to the factual allegations made in the Newell Brands Derivative Action. On March 19, 2021, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware stayed the Weber Derivative Action pending final disposition of Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Newell Brands Inc., et al. (described below).
The Company and certain of its current and former officers and directors have been named as defendants in a putative securities class action lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County, on behalf of all persons who acquired Company common stock pursuant or traceable to the S-4 registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the April 2016 acquisition of Jarden Corporation (the “Registration Statement”). The action was filed on September 6, 2018 and is captioned Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Newell Brands Inc., et al., Civil Action No. HUD-L-003492-18. The operative complaint alleges certain violations of the securities laws, including, among other things, that the defendants made certain materially false and misleading statements and omissions in the Registration Statement regarding the Company’s financial results, trends, and metrics. The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees and costs, among other relief. The Company is currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of this litigation or reasonably estimate the range of possible losses. The Company maintains insurance intended to cover losses arising out of this litigation up to specified limits (subject to deductibles, coverage limits and other terms and conditions), but any losses may exceed our current coverage levels, which could have an adverse impact on our financial results.
Environmental Matters
The Company is involved in various matters concerning federal and state environmental laws and regulations, including matters in which the Company has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”) and certain state environmental agencies as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) at contaminated sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and equivalent state laws. In assessing its environmental response costs, the Company has considered several factors, including the extent of the Company’s volumetric contribution at each site relative to that of other PRPs; the kind of waste; the terms of existing cost sharing and other applicable agreements; the financial ability of other PRPs to share in the payment of requisite costs; the Company’s prior experience with similar sites; environmental studies and cost estimates available to the Company; the effects of inflation on cost estimates; and the extent to which the Company’s, and other parties’, status as PRPs is disputed.
The Company’s estimate of environmental remediation costs associated with these matters at June 30, 2022 was $ 36 million which is included in other accrued liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. No insurance recovery was taken into account in determining the Company’s cost estimates or reserves, nor do the Company’s cost
22
Table of Contents
estimates or reserves reflect any discounting for present value purposes, except with respect to certain long-term operations and maintenance CERCLA matters. Because of the uncertainties associated with environmental investigations and response activities, the possibility that the Company could be identified as a PRP at sites identified in the future that require the incurrence of environmental response costs and the possibility that sites acquired in business combinations may require environmental response costs, actual costs to be incurred by the Company may vary from the Company’s estimates.
Lower Passaic River Matter
Background
The U.S. EPA has issued General Notice Letters to over 100 entities, including the Company and its subsidiary, Berol Corporation (together, the “Company Parties”), alleging that they are PRPs at the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site (the “Site”) pursuant to CERCLA. The Site is the subject of investigation and remedial activities (the “CERCLA Administrative Actions”) and related settlement negotiations with the U.S. EPA. In addition, the Company Parties are defendants in related litigation, and the Site is also subject to a Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
CERCLA Administrative Actions
The Site is divided into four “operable units,” and the Company Parties have received General Notice Letters in connection with operable unit 2, which comprises the lower 8.3 miles of the Lower Passaic River and its tributaries (“Unit 2”), and operable Unit 4, which comprises a 17 -mile stretch of the Lower Passaic River and its tributaries (“Unit 4”). Unit 2 is geographically subsumed within Unit 4.
Unit 4 Investigation
The Company received its first general notice letter pertaining to Unit 4 in 2003. Beginning in 2004, the Company Parties, together with numerous other PRPs, entered into several administrative agreements with the U.S. EPA to fund and perform various investigation and clean-up activities in Unit 4. Pursuant to a 2007 Administrative Order on Consent, over 70 PRPs, including the Company Parties, have been performing or funding the remedial investigation and feasibility study for Unit 4. The parties performing the remedial investigation and feasibility study submitted the results of their remedial investigation to the U.S. EPA in July 2019. They also submitted an interim remedy feasibility study focused on the upper 9 miles of Unit 4 in September 2021. Activity under the remedial investigation and feasibility study for Unit 4 is not yet complete and remains underway.
In October 2021, the U.S. EPA issued a Record of Decision for an interim remedy for the upper 9 miles of Unit 4, selecting a combination of dredging and capping as the remedial alternative, which the U.S. EPA estimates will cost $ 441 million in the aggregate.
Unit 2 Investigation
Concurrent with activities under the remedial investigation and feasibility study for Unit 4, the U.S. EPA performed a Source Control Early Action Focused Feasibility Study for Unit 2, which culminated in a Record of Decision in 2016. The U.S. EPA estimates that the selected remedy for Unit 2 set forth in its Record of Decision will cost $ 1.4 billion in the aggregate. The U.S. EPA then issued a General Notice Letter for Unit 2 to the Company Parties and over 100 other entities, including those that received a General Notice Letter in connection with Unit 4. The Unit 2 General Notice Letter requested that Occidental Chemical Corporation (“OCC”) perform the remedial design for Unit 2, which OCC subsequently agreed to perform. The General Notice Letter indicated that, following execution of a remedial design consent decree, the U.S. EPA would begin negotiating a remedial action consent decree for Unit 2 with OCC and other major PRPs.
2016 Record of Decision and 2021 Record of Decision Remedy Performance
In March 2022, U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Potential Liability and Notice of Consent Decree Negotiations to OCC and several other entities, excluding the Company Parties, encouraging those parties to finance and perform the remedies selected in the 2016 and 2021 Records of Decision. The U.S. EPA specifically identified OCC and four other companies as “work parties” in connection with Units 2 and 4. The Company Parties were not recipients of this notice and were not identified as work parties.
23
Table of Contents
The U.S. EPA Settlement
In September 2017, the U.S. EPA announced an allocation process involving roughly 80 Unit 2 General Notice Letter recipients, with the intent of offering cash-out settlements to a number of parties (the “U.S. EPA Settlement”). The PRPs responsible for release of dioxin, furans, and/or polychlorinated biphenyls would be expected to perform the remedial action for Unit 2 and would be excluded from the U.S. EPA Settlement. The allocation process has concluded. In February 2022, the U.S. EPA and certain parties to the allocation, including the Company Parties, reached an agreement in principle concerning a cash-out settlement for both Unit 2 and Unit 4. The agreement in principle remains subject to the negotiation and court entry of a consent decree finalizing the U.S. EPA Settlement.
The OCC Litigation
In June 2018, OCC sued over 100 parties, including the Company Parties, in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey pursuant to CERCLA, requesting cost recovery, contribution, and a declaratory judgement. The defendants, in turn, filed claims against 42 third-party defendants, and filed counterclaims against OCC (collectively, the “OCC Litigation”). The primary focus of the OCC Litigation has been certain past and future costs for investigation, design and remediation of Units 2 and 4. However, OCC has stated that it anticipates asserting claims against defendants regarding Newark Bay, which is also part of the Site, after the U.S. EPA has selected the Newark Bay remedy. OCC has also stated that it may broaden its claims in the future after completion of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment described below.
In a Motion for Stay of Proceedings filed in January 2022, certain defendants and all third-party defendants in the OCC Litigation moved to stay the case for a six-month period to allow the final stage of the parallel allocation proceedings and resulting settlement negotiations in the U.S. EPA Settlement to conclude. The U.S. District Court denied the motion in March 2022.
The Company Parties continue to vigorously defend the OCC Litigation. At this time, the Company cannot predict the eventual outcome.
The Natural Resource Damage Assessment
In 2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), acting as the lead administrative trustee on behalf of itself and the U.S. Department of the Interior, issued a Notice of Intent to Perform a Natural Resource Damage Assessment to the Company Parties, along with numerous other entities, identifying the recipients as PRPs. The federal trustees (who now include the United States Department of Commerce, represented by NOAA, and the Department of the Interior, represented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service) are presently undertaking the Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
As of the date of filing of this Quarterly Report, based on the agreement in principle noted above, the Company does not expect that its allocation in the U.S. EPA Settlement relating to Unit 2 and Unit 4, if the settlement is finalized, will be material to the Company. With respect to the OCC Litigation and Natural Resource Damage Assessment, the Company is currently unable to reasonably estimate the range of possible losses.
Based on currently known facts and circumstances, the Company does not believe that the Lower Passaic River matter is reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations. However, in the event of one or more adverse determinations related to this matter, it is possible that the ultimate liability resulting from this matter and the impact on the Company’s results of operations could be material.
Because of the uncertainties associated with environmental investigations and response activities, the possibility that the Company could be identified as a PRP at sites identified in the future that require the incurrence of environmental response costs and the possibility that sites acquired in business combinations may require environmental response costs, actual costs to be incurred by the Company may vary from the Company’s estimates.
Other Matters
In the normal course of business and as part of its acquisition and divestiture strategy, the Company may provide certain representations and indemnifications related to legal, environmental, product liability, tax or other types of issues. Based on the nature of these representations and indemnifications, it is not possible to predict the maximum potential payments under all of these agreements due to the conditional nature of the Company’s obligations and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement. Historically, payments made by the Company under these agreements did not have a material effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations. In connection with the 2018 sale of The Waddington Group,
24
Table of Contents
Novolex Holdings, Inc. (the “Buyer”) filed suit against the Company in October 2019 in the Superior Court of Delaware. The Buyer generally alleged that the Company fraudulently breached certain representations in the Equity Purchase Agreement between the Company and Buyer, dated May 2, 2018, resulting in an inflated purchase price for The Waddington Group. In the year ended December 31, 2021 the Company recorded an immaterial reserve to continuing operations in its Consolidated Financial Statements based on its best estimate of probable loss associated with this matter. Further, in connection with the Company’s sale of The United States Playing Card Company (“USPC”), Cartamundi, Inc. and Cartamundi España, S.L., (the “Buyers”) have notified the Company of their contention that certain representations and warranties in the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated June 4, 2019, were inaccurate and/or breached, and have sought indemnification to the extent that the Buyers are required to pay related damages arising out of a third party lawsuit that was recently filed against USPC.
Although management of the Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of other proceedings with certainty, it believes that the ultimate resolution of the Company’s proceedings, including any amounts it may be required to pay in excess of amounts reserved, will not have a material effect on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, except as otherwise described in this Footnote 17 .
At June 30, 2022, the Company had approximately $ 45 million in standby letters of credit primarily related to the Company’s self-insurance programs, including workers’ compensation, product liability and medical expenses.
25
Table of Contents
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.