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INVESTMENT IN UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]  
INVESTMENT IN UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES INVESTMENT IN UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES
On December 31, 2020, pursuant to the terms of the Contribution and Unit Purchase Agreement between the Company and AFC, the Company acquired a 50% equity interest in the Bonnie Plants business of planting, growing, developing, manufacturing, distributing, marketing, and selling live plants, plant food, fertilizer and potting soil through a newly formed joint venture with AFC (“Bonnie Plants, LLC”) in exchange for cash payments of $102.3, as well as non-cash investing activities that included forgiveness of the Company’s outstanding loan receivable with AFC and surrender of the Company’s options to increase its economic interest in the Bonnie Plants business. The Company’s loan receivable with AFC, which was previously recognized in the “Other assets” line in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, had a carrying value of $66.4 on December 31, 2020 and the Company recognized a gain of $12.5 during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 to write-up the value of the loan to its closing date fair value of $78.9 in the “Other non-operating income, net” line in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company’s options to increase its economic interest in the Bonnie Plants business were previously recognized in the “Other assets” line in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and had an estimated fair value of $23.3 on December 31, 2020. The Company’s interest in Bonnie Plants, LLC had an initial fair value of $202.9 and is recorded in the “Investment in unconsolidated affiliates” line in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The estimated fair value of the loan receivable with AFC was determined using an income-based approach, which includes market participant expectations of cash flows over the remaining useful life discounted to present value using an appropriate discount rate. The fair value estimate utilized significant unobservable inputs and thus represents a Level 3 nonrecurring fair value measurement.
The Company’s interest is accounted for using the equity method of accounting, with the Company’s proportionate share of Bonnie Plants, LLC earnings subsequent to December 31, 2020 reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. During fiscal 2021, the Company recorded equity in income of unconsolidated affiliates of $14.4 associated with Bonnie Plants, LLC. The Company also received a distribution of $12.0 from Bonnie Plants, LLC during fiscal 2021, which was classified as an operating activity in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
On March 19, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement under which it sold, to TruGreen Companies L.L.C., a subsidiary of TruGreen Holdings, all of its approximately 30% equity interest in Outdoor Home Services Holdings LLC, a lawn services joint venture between the Company and TruGreen Holding Corporation (the “TruGreen Joint Venture”). In connection with this transaction, the Company received cash proceeds of $234.2 related to the sale of its equity interest in the TruGreen Joint Venture and $18.4 related to the payoff of second lien term loan financing by the TruGreen Joint Venture. During fiscal 2019, the Company also received a distribution from the TruGreen Joint Venture intended to cover certain required tax payments of $3.5, which was classified as an investing activity in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. During fiscal 2019, the Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $259.8 related to this sale in the “Other non-operating income, net” line in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company made cash tax payments of $99.5 during fiscal 2019 as a result of the sale of the Company’s equity interest.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, the Company made a $29.4 investment in an unconsolidated subsidiary whose products support the professional U.S. industrial, turf and ornamental market (the “IT&O Joint Venture”). On April 1, 2019, the Company sold all of its noncontrolling equity interest in the IT&O Joint Venture for cash proceeds of $36.6. During fiscal
2019, the Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $2.9 related to this sale in the “Other non-operating income, net” line in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. During fiscal 2019, the Company received a distribution of net earnings from the IT&O Joint Venture of $4.9, which was classified as an operating activity in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.