NOTE 9 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company addresses certain financial exposures
through a controlled program of risk management that
includes the use of derivative financial instruments. The
Company primarily enters into foreign currency forward
exchange contracts and foreign currency options to
reduce the effects of fluctuating foreign currency
exchange rates. The Company, if necessary, enters into
interest rate derivatives to manage the effects of interest
rate movements on the Company's aggregate liability
portfolio. The Company categorizes these instruments as
entered into for purposes other than trading.
All derivatives are recognized at their fair value and are
included in prepaid expenses and other current assets or
other accrued liabilities in the accompanying balance
sheets. The associated gains and losses on these derivatives
are recorded in cost of goods sold and selling, general
and administrative expenses in the accompanying
statements of earnings. On the date the derivative
contract is entered into, the Company designates the
derivative as (i) a hedge of the fair value of a recognized
asset or liability or of an unrecognized firm commitment
("fair-value" hedge), (ii) a hedge of a forecasted transaction
or of the variability of cash flows to be received or
paid related to a recognized asset or liability ("cash-flow"
hedge), (iii) a foreign-currency fair-value or cash-flow
hedge ("foreign-currency" hedge), (iv) a hedge of a net
investment in a foreign operation, or (v) other. Changes in
the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective as (and
that is designated and qualifies as) a fair-value hedge,
along with the loss or gain on the hedged asset or liability
that is attributable to the hedged risk (including losses or
gains on firm commitments), are recorded in current-period
earnings. Changes in the fair value of a derivative
that is highly effective as (and that is designated and
qualifies as) a cash-flow hedge are recorded in other comprehensive
income, until earnings are affected by the variability
of cash flows (e.g., when periodic settlements on a
variable-rate asset or liability are recorded in earnings).
Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are highly
effective as (and that are designated and qualify as)
foreign-currency hedges are recorded in either current-period
earnings or other comprehensive income, depending
on whether the hedge transaction is a fair-value hedge
(e.g., a hedge of a firm commitment that is to be settled in
a foreign currency) or a cash-flow hedge (e.g., a foreigncurrency-
denominated forecasted transaction). If,
however, a derivative is used as a hedge of a net investment
in a foreign operation, its changes in fair value, to
the extent effective as a hedge, are recorded in accumulated
other comprehensive income within equity. Furthermore,
changes in the fair value of other derivative
instruments are reported in current-period earnings.
For each derivative contract entered into where the
Company looks to obtain special hedge accounting treatment,
the Company formally documents all relationships
between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well
as its risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking
the hedge transaction, the nature of the risk being
hedged, how the hedging instruments' effectiveness in
offsetting the hedged risk will be assessed prospectively
and retrospectively, and a description of the method of
measuring ineffectiveness. This process includes linking all
derivatives that are designated as fair-value, cash-flow, or
foreign-currency hedges to specific assets and liabilities
on the balance sheet or to specific firm commitments or
forecasted transactions. The Company also formally
assesses, both at the hedge's inception and on an ongoing
basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging
transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes
in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. If it is
determined that a derivative is not highly effective, or that
it has ceased to be a highly effective hedge, the Company
will be required to discontinue hedge accounting with
respect to that derivative prospectively.
Foreign Exchange Risk Management
The Company enters into forward exchange contracts to
hedge anticipated transactions, as well as receivables and
payables denominated in foreign currencies, for periods
consistent with the Company's identified exposures. The
purpose of the hedging activities is to minimize the effect
of foreign exchange rate movements on costs and on the
cash flows that the Company receives from foreign subsidiaries.
Almost all foreign currency contracts are denominated
in currencies of major industrial countries and are
with large financial institutions rated as strong investment
grade by a major rating agency. The Company also enters
into foreign currency options to hedge anticipated transactions
where there is a high probability that anticipated
exposures will materialize. The forward exchange contracts
and foreign currency options entered into to hedge
anticipated transactions have been designated as cash-flow hedges. Hedge effectiveness of forward exchange
contracts is based on a hypothetical derivative methodology
and excludes the portion of fair value attributable to
the spot-forward difference which is recorded in current-period
earnings. Hedge effectiveness of foreign currency
option contracts is based on a dollar offset methodology.
The ineffective portion of both forward exchange and
foreign currency option contracts is recorded in current-period
earnings. For hedge contracts that are no longer
deemed highly effective, hedge accounting is discontinued
and gains and losses accumulated in other comprehensive
income are reclassified to earnings when the
underlying forecasted transaction occurs. If it is probable
that the forecasted transaction will no longer occur, then
any gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive
income are reclassified to current-period earnings. As of
June 30, 2007, these cash-flow hedges were highly effective,
in all material respects.
As a matter of policy, the Company only enters into
contracts with counterparties that have at least an "A" (or
equivalent) credit rating. The counterparties to these contracts
are major financial institutions. The Company does
not have significant exposure to any one counterparty.
Exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by
any of the counterparties is limited to only the recognized,
but not realized, gains attributable to the contracts. Management
believes risk of loss under these hedging contracts
is remote and in any event would not be material to
the Company's consolidated financial results. The
contracts have varying maturities through the end of
June 2008. Costs associated with entering into such
contracts have not been material to the Company's
consolidated financial results. The Company does not
utilize derivative financial instruments for trading or
speculative purposes.
At June 30, 2007, the Company had foreign currency
contracts in the form of forward exchange contracts in the
amount of $862.0 million. The foreign currencies included
in forward exchange contracts (notional value stated
in U.S. dollars) are principally the British pound
($148.1 million), Canadian dollar ($140.3 million), Euro
($124.1 million), Swiss franc ($113.1 million), Australian
dollar ($79.3 million), Japanese yen ($42.6 million) and
South Korean won ($33.6 million). As of June 30, 2007, all
of the Company's previously outstanding option contracts
have matured.
At June 30, 2006, the Company had foreign currency
contracts in the form of forward exchange contracts and
option contracts in the amount of $782.6 million
and $130.2 million, respectively. The foreign currencies
included in forward exchange contracts (notional value
stated in U.S. dollars) are principally the Euro ($238.5
million), Swiss franc ($98.5 million), British pound
($92.4 million), Canadian dollar ($71.7 million), Japanese
yen ($50.6 million), Australian dollar ($50.5 million) and
South Korean won ($33.1 million). The foreign currencies
included in the option contracts (notional value stated in
U.S. dollars) are principally the Japanese yen ($32.0
million), Euro ($27.7 million), Canadian dollar ($22.8
million), Swiss franc ($14.8 million) and South Korean won
($13.4 million).
Interest Rate Risk Management
The Company enters into interest rate derivative contracts
to manage the exposure to fluctuations of interest rates
on its funded and unfunded indebtedness for periods consistent
with the identified exposures. All interest rate derivative
contracts are with large financial institutions rated as
strong investment grade by a major rating agency.
In April 2007, the Company entered into interest rate
swap agreements with a notional amount totaling $250.0
million to effectively convert the fixed rate interest on its
2017 Senior Notes to variable interest rates based on sixmonth
LIBOR. The interest rate swaps were designated as
fair-value hedges. As of June 30, 2007, these fair-value
hedges were highly effective in all material respects.
In April 2007, the Company terminated an interest-rate
swap agreement with a notional amount of $250.0 million
to effectively convert fixed rate interest on its 2012 Senior
Notes to variable interest rates based on six-month LIBOR.
This instrument was classified as a liability and had a termination
fair value of $11.1 million at cash settlement,
which included $0.9 million of accrued interest payable to
the counterparty. Hedge accounting treatment was discontinued
prospectively and the offsetting adjustment to
the carrying amount of the related debt will be amortized
to interest expense over the remaining life of the debt.
Information regarding the Company's interest rate swap agreements is presented in the following table:
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for
which it is practicable to estimate that value:
Cash and cash equivalents:
The carrying amount approximates fair value, primarily because of the short maturity of cash equivalent instruments.
Short-term and long-term debt:
The fair value of the Company's debt was estimated based on the current rates offered to the Company for debt with the
same remaining maturities. To a lesser extent, debt also includes capital lease obligations for which the carrying amount
approximates the fair value.
Foreign exchange and interest rate contracts:
The fair value of forwards, swaps and options is the estimated amount the Company would receive or pay to terminate
the agreements.
The estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments are as follows:
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