Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

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Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value  
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

(3) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

For assets and liabilities required to be reported at fair value, GAAP provides a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 inputs are inputs, other than quoted market prices included within Level 1, that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. The Company does not have any recurring assets or liabilities measured at fair value that would be considered Level 3.

The Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value are as follows:

September 30, 2024

December 31, 2023

 

Quoted prices

Significant

Quoted prices

Significant

 

in active

other

in active

other

 

markets for

observable

markets for

observable

 

identical assets

inputs

identical assets

inputs

 

Description

Total

(Level 1)

(Level 2)

Total

(Level 1)

(Level 2)

 

amounts in millions

 

Cash equivalents

$

121

121

78

78

Exchangeable senior debentures

$

1,876

1,876

1,255

1,255

The Company’s exchangeable senior debentures are debt instruments with quoted market value prices that are not considered to be traded on “active markets”, as defined in GAAP, and are reported in the foregoing table as Level 2 fair value.

Other Financial Instruments

Other financial instruments not measured at fair value on a recurring basis include trade receivables, trade payables, accrued and other current liabilities, equity securities, current portion of debt (with the exception of the 1.25% Debentures prior to their redemption in the third quarter of 2023, and the 2.75% Debentures and the 1.75% Debentures prior to their redemption in the first quarter of 2023 (each as defined in note 6)) and long-term debt (with the exception of the 3.125% Debentures due 2053 and the 3.125% Debentures due 2054 (each as defined in note 6)). With the exception of long-term debt and preferred stock, the carrying amount approximates fair value due to the short maturity of these instruments as reported on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. The carrying value of the Margin Loan Facility, the Senior Credit Facility and

the Wells Fargo Note Payable (each as defined in note 6) all bear interest at a variable rate and therefore are also considered to approximate fair value.

Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Financial Instruments

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments are comprised of changes in the fair value of the following:

Three months ended

Nine months ended

 

September 30,

September 30,

 

2024

2023

2024

2023

 

amounts in millions

 

Exchangeable senior debentures (1)

$

(144)

(69)

(85)

(158)

Other

(12)

3

$

(144)

(81)

(85)

 

(155)

(1) The Company has elected to account for its exchangeable senior debentures using the fair value option. Changes in the fair value of the exchangeable senior debentures recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations are primarily due to market factors driven by changes in the fair value of the underlying shares into which the debt is exchangeable. The Company isolates the portion of the unrealized gain (loss) attributable to the change in the instrument specific credit risk and recognizes such amount in other comprehensive income. The change in the fair value of the exchangeable senior debentures attributable to changes in the instrument specific credit risk before tax was a gain of $38 million and a loss of $14 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, net of the recognition of previously unrecognized gains and losses, and gains of $23 million and $47 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, net of the recognition of previously unrecognized gains and losses. During the quarter ended September 30, 2024, the Company recognized $9 million of previously unrecognized gains related to the retirement of a portion of the 3.125% Debentures due 2053. The cumulative change was a gain of $79 million as of September 30, 2024, net of the recognition of previously unrecognized gains and losses.