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Summary of significant accounting policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Summary of significant accounting policies |
Summary of significant accounting policies | Note 1 – Summary of significant accounting policies: Nature of our business. Valhi, Inc. (NYSE: VHI) is primarily a holding company. We operate through our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, including NL Industries, Inc., Kronos Worldwide, Inc., CompX International Inc., Tremont LLC, Basic Management, Inc. (BMI) and The LandWell Company (LandWell). Kronos (NYSE: KRO), NL (NYSE: NL) and CompX (NYSE American: CIX) each file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Organization. We are majority owned by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Contran Corporation (Contran), which owns approximately 91% of our outstanding common stock at December 31, 2023. A majority of Contran’s outstanding voting stock is held directly by Lisa K. Simmons, Thomas C. Connelly (the husband of Ms. Simmons’ late sister), and various family trusts established for the benefit of Ms. Simmons, Mr. Connelly and their children and for which Ms. Simmons or Mr. Connelly, as applicable, serve as trustee (collectively, the “Other Trusts”). With respect to the Other Trusts for which Mr. Connelly serves as trustee, he is required to vote the shares of Contran voting stock held in such trusts in the same manner as Ms. Simmons. Such voting rights of Ms. Simmons last through April 22, 2030 and are personal to Ms. Simmons. The remainder of Contran’s outstanding voting stock is held by another trust (the “Family Trust”), which was established for the benefit of Ms. Simmons and her late sister and their children and for which a third-party financial institution serves as trustee. Consequently, at December 31, 2023, Ms. Simmons and the Family Trust may be deemed to control Contran and us. Unless otherwise indicated, references in this report to “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Valhi, Inc. and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole. Management’s estimates. The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at each balance sheet date and the reported amounts of our revenues and expenses during each reporting period. Actual results may differ significantly from previously-estimated amounts under different assumptions or conditions. Principles of consolidation. Our Consolidated Financial Statements include the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of Valhi and our majority-owned and wholly-owned subsidiaries. We eliminate all material intercompany accounts and balances. Changes in ownership are accounted for as equity transactions with no gain or loss recognized on the transaction unless there is a change in control. Foreign currency translation. The financial statements of our foreign subsidiaries are translated to U.S. dollars. The functional currency of our foreign subsidiaries is generally the local currency of the country. Accordingly, we translate the assets and liabilities at year-end exchange rates, while we translate their revenues and expenses at average exchange rates prevailing during the year. We accumulate the resulting translation adjustments in stockholders’ equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of related deferred income taxes and noncontrolling interest. We recognize currency transaction gains and losses in income. Derivatives and hedging activities. We recognize derivatives as either assets or liabilities measured at fair value. We recognize the effect of changes in the fair value of derivatives either in net income or other comprehensive income (loss), depending on the intended use of the derivative. Cash and cash equivalents. We classify bank time deposits and highly-liquid investments, including government and commercial notes and bills, with original maturities of three months or less as cash equivalents. Restricted cash and cash equivalents. We classify cash and cash equivalents that have been segregated or are otherwise limited in use as restricted. Such restrictions principally include amounts pledged as collateral with respect to performance obligations or letters of credit required by regulatory agencies for various environmental remediation sites, cash held in escrow under various hold-back agreements with third-party homebuilders associated with our Real Estate Management and Development Segment and cash pledged under debt agreement covenants or legal settlements. To the extent the restricted amount relates to a recognized liability, we classify the restricted amount as current or noncurrent according to the corresponding liability. To the extent the restricted amount does not relate to a recognized liability, we classify restricted cash as a current asset. Restricted cash and cash equivalents classified as a current asset are presented separately on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and restricted cash and cash equivalents classified as a noncurrent asset are presented as a component of other assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, as disclosed in Note 7. Marketable securities and securities transactions. We carry marketable debt and equity securities at fair value. Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value and (with certain exceptions) this framework is generally applied to all financial statement items required to be measured at fair value. The standard requires fair value measurements to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
| ● | Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;
| ● | Level 2 – Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the assets or liability; and
| ● | Level 3 – Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.
We classify all of our marketable securities as available-for-sale. Any unrealized gains or losses on our marketable equity securities are recognized in other income, net on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. We accumulate unrealized gains and losses on marketable debt securities as part of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of related deferred income taxes. See Notes 6, 11 and 13. We base realized gains and losses upon the specific identification of the securities sold. Accounts receivable. We provide an allowance for doubtful accounts for known and estimated potential losses arising from our sales to customers based on a periodic review of these accounts. Inventories and cost of sales. We state inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. We generally base inventory costs for all inventory categories on average cost that approximates the first-in, first-out method. Inventories include the costs for raw materials, the cost to manufacture the raw materials into finished goods and overhead. Depending on the inventory’s stage of completion, our manufacturing costs can include the costs of packing and finishing, utilities, maintenance, depreciation, shipping and handling, and salaries and benefits associated with our manufacturing process. We allocate fixed manufacturing overhead costs based on normal production capacity. Unallocated overhead costs resulting from periods with abnormally low production levels are charged to expense as incurred. As inventory is sold to third parties, we recognize the cost of sales in the same period the sale occurs. We periodically review our inventory for estimated obsolescence or instances when inventory is no longer marketable for its intended use, and we record any write-down equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and its estimated net realizable value based on assumptions about alternative uses, market conditions and other factors. Land held for development. Land held for development relates to BMI and LandWell. The primary asset of LandWell is certain real property in Henderson, Nevada some of which we are developing for residential lots in a master planned community. Land held for development was recorded at the estimated acquisition date fair value based on a value per developable acre at the time of purchase. Development costs, including infrastructure improvements, real estate taxes, capitalized interest and other costs, some of which may be allocated, are capitalized during the period incurred. We allocate costs to each parcel sold on a pro-rata basis associated with the relevant development activity, and the land basis of parcels expected to be sold within one year are presented in prepaid expenses and other on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. As land parcels are sold, costs of land sales, including land and development costs, are allocated based on specific identification, relative sales value, square footage or a combination of these methods. All sales and marketing activities and general overhead are charged to selling, general and administrative expense as incurred. Investment in TiO2 manufacturing joint venture. We account for our investment in a 50%-owned manufacturing joint venture by the equity method. Distributions received from such investee are classified for statement of cash flow purposes using the “nature of distribution” approach under ASC Topic 230. See Note 7. Leases. We enter into various arrangements (or leases) that convey the rights to use and control identified underlying assets for a period of time in exchange for consideration. We lease various manufacturing facilities, land and equipment. From time to time, we may also enter into an arrangement in which the right to use and control an identified underlying asset is embedded in another type of contract. We determine if an arrangement is a lease (including leases embedded in another type of contract) at inception. All of our leases are classified as operating leases. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, current operating lease liabilities and noncurrent operating lease liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Notes 7 and 10. As permitted by ASC Topic 842, Leases, we elected the practical expedients related to nonlease components (in which nonlease components associated with a lease and paid by us to the lessor, such as property taxes, insurance and maintenance, are treated as a lease component and considered part of minimum lease rental payments), and short-term leases (in which leases with an original maturity of 12 months or less are excluded from the recognition requirements of ASC 842). Right-of-use assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. The right-of-use operating lease assets and liabilities are recognized based on the estimated present value of lease payments over the lease term as of the respective lease commencement dates. We use an estimated incremental borrowing rate to determine the present value of lease payments (unless we can determine the rate implicit in the lease, which is generally not the case). Our incremental borrowing rate for each of our leases is derived from available information, including our current debt and credit facilities and U.S. and European yield curves as well as publicly available data for instruments with similar characteristics, adjusted for factors such as collateralization and term. Our leases generally do not include termination or purchase options. Certain of our leases include an option to renew the lease after expiration of the initial lease term, but we have not included such renewal periods in our lease term because it is not reasonably certain that we would exercise the renewal option. Our leases generally have fixed lease payments, with no contingent or incentive payments. Certain of our leases include variable lease payments that depend on a specified index or rate. Our lease agreements do not contain any residual value guarantees. Goodwill and other intangible assets; amortization expense. Goodwill represents the excess of cost over fair value of individual net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is not subject to periodic amortization. We amortize other intangible assets by the straight-line method over their estimated lives and state them net of accumulated amortization. We evaluate goodwill for impairment, annually or when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. We evaluate other intangible assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. See Note 8. Property and equipment; depreciation expense. We state property and equipment at acquisition cost, including capitalized interest on borrowings during the actual construction period of major capital projects. In 2021, 2022 and 2023 we capitalized $1.4 million, $1.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively, of interest costs. We compute depreciation of property and equipment for financial reporting purposes (including mining equipment) principally by the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: ​
​ | ​ | ​
Asset |  | Useful lives
Buildings and improvements |  | 10 to 40 years
Machinery and equipment |  | 3 to 20 years
Mine development costs |  | Units-of-production
​ We use accelerated depreciation methods for income tax purposes, as permitted. Upon the sale or retirement of an asset, we remove the related cost and accumulated depreciation from the accounts and recognize any gain or loss in income currently. We expense expenditures for maintenance, repairs and minor renewals as incurred that do not improve or extend the life of the assets, including planned major maintenance. We have a governmental concession with an unlimited term to operate our ilmenite mine in Norway. Mining properties consist of buildings and equipment used in our Norwegian ilmenite mining operations. While we own the land and ilmenite reserves associated with the mining operations, such land and reserves were acquired for nominal value and we have no material asset recognized for the land and reserves related to our mining operations. We perform impairment tests when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. We consider all relevant factors. We perform the impairment test by comparing the estimated future undiscounted cash flows (exclusive of interest expense) associated with the asset or asset group to the asset’s net carrying value to determine if a write-down to fair value is required. During the fourth quarter of 2023, our Chemicals Segment recorded a fixed asset impairment of $3.8 million related to the write-off of certain costs resulting from a capital project termination. Excluding this project, we did not evaluate any long-lived assets for impairment during 2023 because no such impairment indicators were present. During the preparation of our second quarter 2023 interim financial statements, we identified a prior period misclassification related to the presentation of the gross value of the classes of property and equipment and accumulated depreciation and amortization. This misclassification had no impact to net property and equipment; however, total gross property and equipment increased $19.1 million (a decrease of $5.3 million and $45.8 million in land and equipment, respectively, and an increase of $5.1 million and $65.1 million in buildings and mining properties, respectively), and accumulated depreciation and amortization increased by the same amount. Property and equipment presented on the December 31, 2022 Consolidated Balance Sheet has been revised to reflect these changes. We have evaluated the misclassifications and determined the related changes are not material to any previously issued annual or interim financial statements. Long-term debt. We state long-term debt net of any unamortized original issue premium, discount or deferred financing costs (other than deferred financing costs associated with revolving credit facilities, which are recognized as an asset). We classify amortization of deferred financing costs and any premium or discount associated with the issuance of indebtedness as interest expense, and compute amortization by either the interest method or the straight-line method over the term of the applicable issue. See Note 9. Employee benefit plans. Accounting and funding policies for our defined benefit pension and defined contribution retirement plans are described in Note 11. We also provide certain postretirement benefits other than pensions (OPEB), consisting of health care and life insurance benefits, to certain U.S. and Canadian retired employees, which are not material. See Note 10. Income taxes. We and our qualifying subsidiaries are members of Contran’s consolidated U.S. federal income tax group (the “Contran Tax Group”). We and certain of our qualifying subsidiaries also file consolidated income tax returns with Contran in various U.S. state jurisdictions. As a member of the Contran Tax Group, we are jointly and severally liable for the federal income tax liability of Contran and the other companies included in the Contran Tax Group for all periods in which we are included in the Contran Tax Group. See Note 17. As a member of the Contran Tax Group, we are a party to a tax sharing agreement which provides that we compute our tax provision for U.S. income taxes on a separate-company basis using the tax elections made by Contran. Pursuant to the tax sharing agreement, we make payments to or receive payments from Contran in amounts we would have paid to or received from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or the applicable state tax authority had we not been a member of the Contran Tax Group. We made cash payments for income taxes to Contran of $25.5 million in 2021, $17.5 million in 2022 and $14.2 million in 2023. We recognize deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the income tax and financial reporting carrying amounts of assets and liabilities, including investments in our subsidiaries and affiliates who are not members of the Contran Tax Group and undistributed earnings of our Chemicals Segment’s non-U.S. subsidiaries which are not deemed to be permanently reinvested. At December 31, 2023, we continue to assert indefinite reinvestment as it relates to our outside basis difference attributable to our Chemicals Segment’s investments in non-U.S. subsidiaries, other than post-1986 undistributed earnings of our Chemicals Segment’s European subsidiaries and all undistributed earnings of our Chemicals Segment’s Canadian subsidiary, which are not subject to permanent reinvestment plans. It is not practical for us to determine the amount of the unrecognized deferred income tax liability related to our investments in our Chemicals Segment’s non-U.S. subsidiaries which are permanently reinvested due to the complexities associated with our organizational structure, changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017 Tax Act) and the U.S. taxation of such investments in the states in which we operate. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities for each tax-paying jurisdiction in which we operate are netted and presented as either a noncurrent deferred income tax asset or liability, as applicable. We periodically evaluate our deferred tax assets in the various taxing jurisdictions in which we operate and adjust any related valuation allowance based on the estimate of the amount of such deferred tax assets that we believe does not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition criteria. The U.S. Federal tax code imposes a tax on global intangible low-tax income (GILTI). We record GILTI tax as a current period expense when incurred under the period cost method. While our future global operations depend on a number of different factors, we do expect to have future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI. We account for the tax effects of a change in tax law as a component of the income tax provision related to continuing operations in the period of enactment, including the tax effects of any deferred income taxes originally established through a financial statement component other than continuing operations (i.e. other comprehensive income). Changes in applicable income tax rates over time as a result of changes in tax law, or times in which a deferred income tax asset valuation allowance is initially recognized in one year and subsequently reversed in a later year, can give rise to “stranded” tax effects in accumulated other comprehensive income in which the net accumulated income tax (benefit) remaining in accumulated other comprehensive income does not correspond to the then-applicable income tax rate applied to the pre-tax amount which resides in accumulated other comprehensive income. As permitted by GAAP, our accounting policy is to remove any such stranded tax effect remaining in accumulated other comprehensive income, by recognizing an offset to our provision for income taxes related to continuing operations, only at the time when there is no remaining pre-tax amount in accumulated other comprehensive income. For accumulated other comprehensive income related to currency translation, this would occur only upon the sale or complete liquidation of one of our Chemicals Segment’s non-U.S. subsidiaries. For defined pension benefit plans and OPEB plans, this would occur whenever one of our subsidiaries which previously sponsored a defined benefit pension or OPEB plan had terminated such a plan and had no future obligation or plan asset associated with such a plan. We record a reserve for uncertain tax positions where we believe it is more-likely-than-not our position will not prevail with the applicable tax authorities. The amount of the benefit associated with our uncertain tax positions that we recognize is limited to the largest amount for which we believe the likelihood of realization is greater than 50%. We accrue penalties and interest on the difference between tax positions taken on our tax returns and the amount of benefit recognized for financial reporting purposes. We classify our reserves for uncertain tax positions in a separate current or noncurrent liability, depending on the nature of the tax position. See Note 14. Environmental remediation and related costs. We record liabilities related to environmental remediation and related costs when estimated future expenditures are probable and reasonably estimable. We adjust these accruals as further information becomes available to us or as circumstances change. We generally do not discount estimated future expenditures to their present value due to the uncertainty of the timing of the ultimate payout. We recognize any recoveries of remediation costs from other parties when we deem their receipt to be probable. We expense any environmental remediation related legal costs as incurred. At December 31, 2022 and 2023 we had not recognized any material receivables for recoveries. See Note 18. Revenue recognition. Chemicals and Component Products Segments – Our sales involve single performance obligations to ship our products pursuant to customer purchase orders. In some cases, the purchase order is supported by an underlying master sales agreement, but our purchase order acceptance generally evidences the contract with our customer by specifying the key terms of product and quantity ordered, price and delivery and payment terms. In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we record revenue when we satisfy our performance obligations to our customers by transferring control of our products to them, which generally occurs at point of shipment or upon delivery. Such transfer of control is also evidenced by transfer of legal title and other risks and rewards of ownership (giving the customer the ability to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all of the benefits of, the product), and our customers becoming obligated to pay us and it is probable we will receive payment. In certain arrangements we provide shipping and handling activities after the transfer of control to our customer (e.g. when control transfers prior to delivery). In such arrangements shipping and handling are considered fulfillment activities, and accordingly, such costs are accrued when the related revenue is recognized. Revenue is recorded in an amount that reflects the net consideration we expect to receive in exchange for our products. Prices for our products are based on terms specified in published list prices and purchase orders, which generally do not include financing components, noncash consideration or consideration paid to our customers. As our standard payment terms are less than one year, we have elected the practical expedient under ASC 606 and we have not assessed whether a contract has a significant financing component. We state sales net of price, early payment and distributor discounts as well as volume rebates (collectively, variable consideration). Variable consideration, to the extent present, is recognized as the amount to which we are most-likely to be entitled, using all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available to us, and only to the extent that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue recognized is not probable of occurring in a future period. Differences, if any, between estimates of the amount of variable consideration to which we will be entitled and the actual amount of such variable consideration have not been material in the past. We occasionally receive partial or full consideration from our customers prior to the completion of our performance obligation (shipment of product). We record estimated deferred revenue on the amount to which we are most-likely to be entitled and deferred revenue is recognized into revenue as our performance obligation has been satisfied. Deferred revenue has not been material in the past. We report any tax assessed by a governmental authority that we collect from our customers that is both imposed on and concurrent with our revenue-producing activities (such as sales, use, value added and excise taxes) on a net basis (meaning we do not recognize these taxes either in our revenues or in our costs and expenses). Frequently, we receive orders for products to be delivered over dates that may extend across reporting periods. We invoice for each delivery upon shipment and recognize revenue for each distinct shipment when all sales recognition criteria for that shipment have been satisfied. As scheduled delivery dates for these orders are within a one year period, under the optional exemption provided by ASC 606, we do not disclose sales allocated to future shipments of partially completed contracts. Real Estate Management and Development Segment – Prior to the bankruptcy filing and deconsolidation on September 10, 2022 of Basic Water Company (BWC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMI, revenues from our Real Estate Management and Development Segment involved delivery of water to the City of Henderson and various other users through a water distribution system owned and operated by BWC. Prior to the sale of Basic Power Company (BPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMI, on December 1, 2023 the revenues also included providing certain utility services to an industrial park located in Henderson, Nevada. See Notes 2 and 3. These sales involved single performance obligations, and we recorded revenue when we satisfied our performance obligations to our customers generally after the service was performed and our customers became obligated to pay us and it was probable we would receive payment. Revenue was recorded in an amount that reflected the net consideration we expected to receive in exchange for our services. Prices for our products were based on contracted rates and did not include financing components, noncash consideration or consideration paid to our customers. As our standard payment terms were less than one year, we elected the practical expedient under ASC 606 and we did not assess whether a contract had a significant financing component. Our revenues also are related to efforts to develop certain real estate in Henderson, Nevada, including approximately 2,100 acres zoned for residential/planned community purposes. Contracts for land sales are negotiated on an individual basis, involve single performance obligations, and generally require us to complete property development and improvements after title passes to the buyer and we have received all or a substantial portion of the selling price. We recognize land sales revenue associated with the residential/planned community over time using cost-based input methods. Land sales associated with the residential/planned community have variable consideration components which are based on a percentage of the builder’s ultimate selling price of a residential housing unit to their customer (ranging from 2.5% to 3.5% of such sales price). The amount we recognize when a parcel is sold to a home builder is the amount to which we are most-likely to be entitled, using all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available to us, and only to the extent that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue recognized is not probable of occurring in a future period. By recognizing revenue over time using cost-based input methods, revenues (including variable consideration) and profits are recognized in the same proportion of our progress towards completion of our contractual obligations, with our progress measured by costs incurred as a percentage of total costs estimated to be incurred relative to the parcels sold. Estimates of total costs expected to be incurred require significant management judgment, and the amount of revenue and profits that have been recognized to date are subject to revisions throughout the development period. The impact on the amount of revenue recognized resulting from any future change in the estimate of total costs estimated to be incurred would be accounted for prospectively in accordance with GAAP. We record estimated deferred revenue on the amount to which we are most-likely to be entitled and deferred revenue is recognized into revenue as the housing units are sold. Selling, general and administrative expenses; shipping and handling costs; advertising costs; research and development costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses include costs related to marketing, sales, distribution, shipping and handling, research and development, legal, environmental remediation and administrative functions such as accounting, treasury and finance, and include costs for salaries and benefits not associated with our manufacturing process, travel and entertainment, promotional materials and professional fees. Shipping and handling costs of our Chemicals Segment were approximately $132 million in 2021, $122 million in 2022 and $101 million in 2023. Shipping and handling costs of our Component Products Segment are not material. We expense advertising and research and development costs as incurred. Advertising costs were approximately $1 million in 2021 and $2 million in each of 2022 and 2023. Research and development costs were approximately $17 million in 2021, $16 million in 2022 and $18 million in 2023.

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