FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

6 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2017

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company's assets and liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis are set forth by level within the fair value hierarchy in the following tables (in thousands):



	As of April 30, 2017
	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
Assets:
Deferred compensation plans:
Corporate-owned life insurance		$—		$106,337		$—		$106,337
Money market funds	559		—		—		559
Equity securities	2,286		—		—		2,286
Mutual funds	1,925		—		—		1,925
Other	1,228		50		—		1,278
Total assets		$5,998		$106,387		$—		$112,385

Liabilities:
Contingent consideration		$—		$—		$19,671		$19,671



	As of October 31, 2016
	Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		Total
Assets:
Deferred compensation plans:
Corporate-owned life insurance		$—		$86,004		$—		$86,004
Money market funds	2,515		—		—		2,515
Equity securities	1,832		—		—		1,832
Mutual funds	1,758		—		—		1,758
Other	1,043		50		—		1,093
Total assets		$7,148		$86,054		$—		$93,202

Liabilities:
Contingent consideration		$—		$—		$18,881		$18,881

The Company maintains two non-qualified deferred compensation plans. The assets of the LCP principally represent cash surrender values of life insurance policies, which derive their fair values from investments in mutual funds that are managed by an insurance company and are classified within Level 2 and valued using a market approach. Certain other assets of the LCP represent investments in money market funds that are classified within Level 1. The assets of the Company’s other deferred compensation plan are principally invested in equity securities and mutual funds that are classified within Level 1. The assets of both plans are held within irrevocable trusts and classified within other assets in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and have an aggregate value of $112.4 million as of April 30, 2017 and $93.2 million as of October 31, 2016, of which the LCP related assets were $106.9 million and $88.5 million as of April 30, 2017 and October 31, 2016, respectively. The related liabilities of the two deferred compensation plans are included within other long-term liabilities in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and have an aggregate value of $111.2 million as of April 30, 2017 and $92.6 million as of October 31, 2016, of which the LCP related liability was $105.7 million and $87.9 million as of April 30, 2017 and October 31, 2016, respectively.

As part of the agreement to acquire certain assets of a company by the ETG in fiscal 2016, the Company may be obligated to pay contingent consideration of up to $2.0 million in aggregate during the five year period following the acquisition. During the second quarter of fiscal 2017, the Company paid $.3 million of contingent consideration based on the actual financial performance of the acquired entity during the first year following the acquisition. As of April 30, 2017, the estimated fair value of the remaining contingent consideration was $1.3 million.

As part of the agreement to acquire a subsidiary by the FSG in fiscal 2015, the Company may be obligated to pay contingent consideration of up to €6.1 million per year, or €18.3 million in aggregate, should the acquired entity meet certain earnings objectives during each of the first three years following the first anniversary of the acquisition. As of April 30, 2017, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration was €16.9 million, or $18.4 million, of which €6.1 million, or $6.7 million, represents the portion paid in May 2017 based on the actual earnings of the acquired entity during the second year following the acquisition.

The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration arrangements described above are classified within Level 3 and were determined using a probability-based scenario analysis approach. Under this method, a set of discrete potential future subsidiary earnings was determined using internal estimates based on various revenue growth rate assumptions for each scenario. A probability of likelihood was assigned to each discrete potential future earnings estimate and the resultant contingent consideration was calculated. The resulting probability-weighted contingent consideration amounts were discounted using a weighted average discount rate reflecting the credit risk of a market participant. Changes in either the revenue growth rates, related earnings or the discount rate could result in a material change to the amount of contingent consideration accrued and such changes will be recorded in the Company's condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The Level 3 inputs used to derive the estimated fair value of the Company's contingent consideration liability as of April 30, 2017 were as follows:



	Fiscal 2016 Acquisition				Fiscal 2015 Acquisition
Compound annual revenue growth rate range	0	%	-	12%	4	%	-	20%
Weighted average discount rate	4.7%				1.7%

Changes in the Company’s contingent consideration liability measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the six months ended April 30, 2017 are as follows (in thousands):




Balance as of October 31, 2016		$18,881
Increase in accrued contingent consideration	1,148
Payment of contingent consideration	(250		)
Foreign currency transaction adjustments	(108		)
Balance as of April 30, 2017		$19,671

Included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet under the following captions:
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		$6,944
Other long-term liabilities	12,727
		$19,671

The Company recorded the increase in accrued contingent consideration and foreign currency transaction adjustments set forth in the table above within selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

The Company did not have any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements during the six months ended April 30, 2017.

The carrying amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, trade accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate fair value as of April 30, 2017 due to the relatively short maturity of the respective instruments. The carrying amount of long-term debt approximates fair value due to its variable interest rates.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details