Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

5. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company accounts for certain financial assets at fair value, defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. A three-level hierarchy is used to show the extent and level of judgment used to estimate fair value measurements.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis included the following as of December 31, 2020 (in thousands):


	Using
	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)			Total Fair Value as of December 31, 2020
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	69,493	$	—	$	—		$	69,493
U.S. Treasury Obligations		19,998		—		—			19,998
Short-term investments:
U.S. Treasury Obligations		50,166		—		—			50,166
Long-term investments:
Failed Auction Security		—		—		2,517			2,517
Liabilities:
Contingent consideration obligations		—		—		(227	)		(227	)

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis included the following as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):


	Using
	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)			Total Fair Value as of December 31, 2019
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	9,630	$	—	$	—		$	9,630
Long-term investments:
Failed Auction Security		—		—		2,510			2,510
Liabilities:
Contingent consideration obligations		—		—		(451	)		(451	)

As of December 31, 2020, there was insufficient observable auction rate security market information available to determine the fair value of the Failed Auction Security using Level 1 or Level 2 inputs. As such, the Company’s investment in the Failed Auction Security was deemed to require valuation using Level 3 inputs. Management, after consulting with advisors, valued the Failed Auction Security using analyses and pricing models similar to those used by market participants (i.e., buyers, sellers, and the broker-dealers responsible for execution of the Dutch auction pricing mechanism by which each issue’s interest rate was set). Management utilized a probability weighted discounted cash flow (“DCF”) model to determine the estimated fair value of this security as of December 31, 2020. The major assumptions used in preparing the DCF model included: estimates for the amount and timing of future interest and principal payments based on default probability assumptions used to measure the credit loss of 1.0%; the rate of return required by investors to own this type of security in the current environment, which we estimate to be 5.0% above the risk free rate of return; and

an estimated time frame of

three

five years

for successful auctions for this type of security to occur. In making these assumptions, management considered relevant factors including: the formula applicable to each security defining the interest rate paid to investors in the event of a failed auction (the “Penalty Rate”); forward projections of the interest rate benchmarks specified in such formulas; the likely timing of principal repayments; the probability of full repayment considering the guarantees by the U.S. Department of Education of the underlying student loans, guarantees by other third parties, and additional credit enhancements provided through other means; and publicly available pricing data for recently issued student loan asset-backed securities not subject to auctions. In developing its estimate of the rate of return required by investors to own these securities, management compared the Penalty Rate of the Failed Auction Security with yields of actively traded long-term bonds with similar characteristics and, reflecting the limited liquidity for auction rate securities and the discounts to par value seen in recent tender offers by issuers and arm’s length market transactions between informed buyers and sellers, estimated the implied yield (i.e., the discount to par value) necessary to complete a sale of the Failed Auction Security. Management has calculated an increase or decrease in the liquidity risk premium of

5.0

% referenced above of

1.0

% (i.e., 100 basis points) as used in the model, would decrease or increase, respectively, the fair value of the Failed Auction Security by approximately $

100,000

The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the Company’s Failed Auction Security are the cumulative probability of earning the maximum rate until maturity, the cumulative probability of principal return prior to maturity, the cumulative probability of default, the liquidity risk premium, and the recovery rate in default. Significant increases (decreases) in any of those inputs in isolation would result in changes in fair value measurement. Significant increases (decreases) in the cumulative probability of earning the maximum rate until maturity, the cumulative probability of principal return prior to maturity, and the recovery rate in default would result in a higher (lower) fair value measurement, while increases (decreases) in the

cumulative probability of default and the liquidity risk premium would result in a (lower) higher fair value measurement.

Generally, the interrelationships are such that a change in the assumption used for the cumulative probability of principal return prior to maturity is accompanied by a directionally similar change in the assumption used for the cumulative probability of earning the maximum rate until maturity and a directionally opposite change in the assumptions used for the cumulative probability of default and the liquidity risk premium. The recovery rate in default is somewhat independent and based upon the securities’ specific underlying assets and published recovery rate indices.

Quantitative information about Level 3 fair value measurements as of December 31, 2020 are as follows (dollars in thousands):


	Fair Value		Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input	Weighted Average
Failed Auction Security	$	2,517	Discounted cash flow	Cumulative probability of earning the maximum rate until maturity		0.14	%
				Cumulative probability of principal return prior to maturity		93.62	%
				Cumulative probability of default		6.23	%
				Liquidity risk premium		5.00	%
				Recovery rate in default		40.00	%

The change in the estimated fair value calculated for the investment valued on a recurring basis utilizing Level 3 inputs (i.e., the Failed Auction Security) for the year ended December 31, 2020 was as follows (in thousands):


Balance at the beginning of the period	$	2,510
Credit gain on available-for-sale security included in Other income (expense), net		4
Gain included in Other comprehensive income		3

Balance at the end of the period	$	2,517

The Company has classified its contingent consideration obligations as Level 3 because the fair value for this liability was determined using unobservable inputs. The liability is based on estimated sales of legacy products over the period of royalty payments at the royalty rate (see Note 9), discounted using the Company’s estimated cost of capital.

The change in the estimated fair value calculated for the liabilities valued on a recurring basis utilizing Level 3 inputs (i.e., the Contingent consideration obligations) for the year ended December 31, 2020 was as follows (in thousands):


Balance at the beginning of the period	$	451
Payments		(224	)

Balance at the end of the period	$	227

There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy during the year ended December 31, 2020.

- 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.

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