UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

 

 

 

 

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

 

 

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

 

OR

 

 

For the transition period from              to             

 

Commission file number 001-12019

 

 

 

 

 

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 610-832-4000

 

Not Applicable

Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report.

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes      [X]     No    [  ]     

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).            Yes    [X]     No   [  ]     

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  [  ]    No  [X]

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

PART I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1.                        Financial Statements (Unaudited).

 

Quaker Chemical Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Quaker Chemical Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Dollars in thousands)

  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Quaker Chemical Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands, except par value and share amounts)

  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Quaker Chemical Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Note 1 – Condensed Financial Information

The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial reporting and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations.  Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.  In the opinion of management, the financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, except certain material adjustments, as discussed below) which are necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods.  The results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.  These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. 

During the first quarter of 2018, the Company adopted guidance regarding the accounting for and disclosure of net sales and revenue recognition.  The Company’s adoption, using the modified retrospective adoption approach, resulted in certain adjustments to its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017.  In addition, during the first quarter of 2018, the Company adopted an accounting standard update requiring that the statement of cash flows explain both the change in total cash and cash equivalents and also the amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents.  The guidance in this accounting standard update was required to be applied retrospectively which resulted in certain adjustments to the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2017.  See Note 3 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Venezuela’s economy has been considered hyper inflationary under U.S. GAAP since 2010, at which time the Company’s Venezuela equity affiliate, Kelko Quaker Chemical, S.A. (“Kelko Venezuela”), changed its functional currency from the bolivar fuerte (“BsF”) to the U.S. dollar.  Accordingly, all gains and losses resulting from the remeasurement of Kelko Venezuela’s monetary assets and liabilities to published exchange rates are required to be recorded directly to the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.  The current Venezuelan exchange rate system is a dual exchange rate system, which consists of a protected DIPRO exchange rate, with a rate fixed at 10 BsF per U.S. dollars and, also, a floating exchange rate known as the DICOM.  The Company does not believe it has access to the DIPRO and, therefore, believes the DICOM to be the exchange rate system available to Kelko Venezuela.  Due to ongoing economic and political instability in Venezuela, the DICOM BsF per U.S. dollar exchange rate significantly declined during the three months ended March 31, 2018, and the Company recorded a currency conversion charge of $0.2 million to remeasure its equity investment in Kelko Venezuela to the current DICOM BsF per U.S. dollar exchange rate.  There were no similar charges recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2017.   As of March 31, 2018, the Company’s equity investment in Kelko Venezuela was less than $0.1 million, valued at the current DICOM exchange rate of approximately 50,000 BsF per U.S. dollar.

 

Note 2 – Houghton Combination

On April 4, 2017, Quaker entered into a share purchase agreement with Gulf Houghton Lubricants, Ltd. to purchase the entire issued and outstanding share capital of Houghton International, Inc. (“Houghton”) (herein referred to as “the Combination”).  The shares will be bought for aggregate purchase consideration consisting of: (i) $172.5 million in cash; (ii) a number of shares of common stock, $1.00 par value per share, of the Company comprising 24.5% of the common stock outstanding upon the closing of the Combination; and (iii) the Company’s assumption of Houghton’s net indebtedness as of the closing of the Combination, which was approximately $690 million at signing.  At closing, the total aggregate purchase consideration is dependent on the Company’s stock price and the level of Houghton’s indebtedness.

The Company secured $1.15 billion in commitments from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank to fund the Combination and to provide additional liquidity, and has since replaced these commitments with a syndicated bank agreement (“the New Credit Facility”) with a group of lenders for $1.15 billion.  The New Credit Facility is contingent upon and will not be effective until the closing of the Combination.  During April 2018, the Company extended the bank commitment for the New Credit Facility through August 4, 2018.  In connection with this extension, the Company adjusted slightly the currency mix of the term loan component of the New Credit Facility.  As adjusted, the New Credit Facility is now comprised of a $400.0 million multicurrency revolver, a $600.0 million USD term loan and a $150.0 million EUR equivalent term loan, each with a five-year term from the date the New Credit Facility becomes effective.  The maximum amount available under the New Credit Facility can be increased by $200.0 million at the Company’s option if the lenders agree and the Company satisfies certain conditions.  Borrowings under the New Credit Facility will bear interest at a base rate or LIBOR rate plus a margin.  The Company currently estimates the annual floating rate cost will be in the 3.50% to 3.75% range based on current market interest rates.  The New Credit Facility will be subject to certain financial and other covenants, including covenants that the Company’s consolidated net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio cannot initially exceed 4.25 to 1 and the Company’s consolidated adjusted EBITDA to interest expense ratio cannot be less than 3.0 to 1.  Both the USD and EUR equivalent term loans will have quarterly principal amortization during their respective five-year terms, with 5% amortization of

the principal balance due in years 1 and 2, 7.5% in year 3, and 10% in years 4 and 5, with the remaining principal amounts due at maturity.   Until closing, the Company will incur certain interest costs paid to maintain the bank commitment (“ticking fees”), which began to accrue on September 29, 2017 and bear an interest rate of 0.30% per annum.

In addition, the issuance of the Company’s shares at closing of the Combination was subject to approval by Quaker’s shareholders under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange.  This approval was received at a meeting of the Company’s shareholders during the third quarter of 2017.  Also, the Combination is subject to regulatory approval in the United States, Europe, China and Australia.  The Company received regulatory approval from China and Australia in 2017.  Depending on the timing of the remaining regulatory approvals and other customary terms and conditions set forth in the share purchase agreement, the Company currently estimates closing of the Combination will occur over the next few months.

The Company incurred costs of $6.1 million and $9.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, for certain legal, environmental, financial, and other advisory and consultant costs related to due diligence, regulatory and shareholder approvals, integration planning associated with the Combination and ticking fees.  As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had current liabilities related to the Combination of $7.6 million and $5.5 million, respectively, primarily recorded within other current liabilities on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.   

Note 3 – Recently Issued Accounting Standards

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standard update in February 2018 that allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and should be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is recognized.  Early adoption is permitted.  The Company has not early adopted the guidance and is currently evaluating its implementation.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in January 2017 to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist companies with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses.  The amendments in this accounting standard update provide a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early adoption was permitted in limited circumstances, and the amendments in this accounting standard update should be applied prospectively, with no disclosures required at transition.  The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of 2018, as required, with no impact to its financial statements.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in November 2016 requiring that the statement of cash flows explain both the change in the total cash and cash equivalents, and, also, the amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents.  This will require amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and ending amounts shown on the statement of cash flows.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early adoption was permitted and the guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method to each period presented when adopted.  The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of 2018, as required.  Adoption of the guidance did not have an impact on the Company’s earnings or balance sheet but did result in changes to certain disclosures within the statement of cash flows, including cash flows from investing activities and total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.  See Note 12 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in October 2016 to improve the accounting for the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory.  The provisions in this update will allow an entity to recognize current and deferred income taxes of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs rather than when the asset has been sold to an outside party.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early adoption was permitted and the guidance requires application on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption.  The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of 2018, as required, with no impact to its financial statements.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in August 2016 to standardize how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows.  Specific transactions covered by the accounting standard update include debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate and bank owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investments and beneficial interest in securitization transactions.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early adoption was permitted, provided that all of the amendments are adopted in the same period.  The guidance requires application using

a retrospective transition method.  The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of 2018, as required, with no impact to its financial statements.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in February 2016 regarding the accounting and disclosure for leases.  Specifically, the update will require entities that lease assets to recognize the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases on the balance sheet, in most instances.  The guidance within this accounting standard update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and should be applied on a modified retrospective basis for the reporting periods presented.  Early adoption is permitted, but the Company has not early adopted.  As of March 31, 2018, the Company has begun its impact assessment and implementation planning, including taking an inventory of its outstanding leases globally, establishing a cross functional project team and evaluating software solutions that could potentially assist in facilitating the end-to-end leasing process, including adoption of this lease accounting guidance.  While the Company’s evaluation of this guidance is in the early stages, the Company anticipates adoption of this guidance to have an impact on its balance sheet as it expects the majority of its operating leases will be recorded on its balance sheet by establishing right of use assets and associated lease liabilities.

The FASB issued an accounting standard update in May 2014 regarding the accounting for and disclosure of revenue recognition.  Specifically, the update outlined a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, which will be common to both U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards.  The guidance was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and allowed for full retrospective adoption of prior period data or a modified retrospective adoption.  Early adoption was not permitted.  In August 2015, the FASB issued an accounting standard update to delay the effective date of the new revenue standard by one year, or, in other words, to be effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Entities were permitted to adopt the new revenue standard early but not before the original effective date.  During 2016 and 2017, the FASB issued a series of accounting standard updates to clarify and expand on the implementation guidance, including principal versus agent considerations, identification of performance obligations, licensing, other technical corrections and adding certain practical expedients.  The amendments in these 2016 and 2017 updates did not change the core principles of the guidance previously issued in May 2014.

As part of the Company’s impact assessment for the implementation of the new revenue recognition guidance, the Company reviewed its historical accounting policies and practices to identify potential differences with the requirements of the new revenue recognition standard, as it related to the Company’s contracts and sales arrangements.  In addition, the impact assessment and work performed included global and cross functional interviews and questionnaires, sales agreement and other sales document reviews, as well as technical considerations for the Company’s future transactional accounting, financial reporting and disclosure requirements.  The Company has also begun a preliminary assessment of how the new revenue recognition guidance may impact Houghton, as it pertains to the pending Combination.

The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of 2018, as required, electing to use a modified retrospective adoption approach applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018.  Comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods.  In addition, the Company elected to apply certain of the permitted practical expedients within the revenue recognition guidance and make certain accounting policy elections including those related to significant financing components, sales taxes and shipping and handling activities.  Adoption of the revenue recognition guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s reported earnings or cash flows, however, adoption did increase the amount and level of disclosures concerning the Company’s net sales and did result in one adjustment to the Company’s balance sheet.  As a result of the Company’s impact assessment and adoption using the modified retrospective adoption approach the Company recorded an adjustment to its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017 to adjust the Company’s estimate of variable consideration relating to customers’ expected rights to return product.  This adjustment resulted in an increase to other current liabilities of $1.0 million, an increase to non-current deferred tax assets of $0.2 million and a decrease to retained earnings of $0.8 million.  There were no other impacts recorded as a result of adopting the revenue recognition guidance.  The impact of adoption of the new revenue recognition guidance was immaterial for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the Company expects the impact to be immaterial on an ongoing basis.  See Note 4 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Note 4 – Net Sales and Revenue Recognition

Business Description

The Company develops, produces, and markets a broad range of formulated chemical specialty products and offers chemical management services (“CMS”) for various heavy industrial and manufacturing applications in a global portfolio throughout its four regions: North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), Asia/Pacific and South America.  The major product lines in the Company’s global portfolio include: (i) rolling lubricants (used by manufacturers of steel in the hot and cold rolling of steel and by manufacturers of aluminum in the hot rolling of aluminum); (ii) machining and grinding compounds (used by metalworking customers in cutting, shaping, and grinding metal parts which require special treatment to enable them to tolerate the manufacturing process,

achieve closer tolerance, and improve tool life); (iii) corrosion preventives (used by steel and metalworking customers to protect metal during manufacture, storage, and shipment); (iv) hydraulic fluids (used by steel, metalworking, and other customers to operate hydraulic equipment); (v) specialty greases (used in automotive and aerospace production processes and applications, the manufacturing of steel, and various other applications); and (vi) metal finishing compounds (used to prepare metal surfaces for special treatments such as galvanizing and tin plating and to prepare metal for further processing).

A substantial portion of the Company’s sales worldwide are made directly through its own employees and its CMS programs, with the balance being handled through distributors and agents.  The Company’s employees visit the plants of customers regularly, work on site, and, through training and experience, identify production needs which can be resolved or alleviated either by adapting the Company’s existing products or by applying new formulations developed in its laboratories.  The chemical specialty industry comprises many companies of similar size as well as companies larger and smaller than Quaker.  The offerings of many of the Company’s competitors differ from those of Quaker; some offer a broad portfolio of fluids, including general lubricants, while others have a more specialized product range.  All competitors provide different levels of technical services to individual customers. Competition in the industry is based primarily on the ability to provide products that meet the needs of the customer, render technical services and laboratory assistance to the customer and, to a lesser extent, on price.

As part of the Company’s CMS, certain third-party product sales to customers are managed by the Company.  Where the Company acts as a principal, revenues are recognized on a gross reporting basis at the selling price negotiated with its customers.  Where the Company acts as an agent, revenue is recognized on a net reporting basis at the amount of the administrative fee earned by the Company for ordering the goods.  In determining whether the Company is acting as a principal or an agent in each arrangement, the Company considers whether it is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good, has inventory risk before the specified good has been transferred to the customer and has discretion in establishing the prices for the specified goods.  Third-party products transferred under arrangements resulting in net reporting totaled $11.6 million and $10.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

A significant portion of the Company’s revenues are realized from the sale of process fluids and services to manufacturers of steel, automobiles, aircraft, appliances, and durable goods, and, therefore, the Company is subject to the same business cycles as those experienced by these manufacturers and their customers.  The Company’s financial performance is generally correlated to the volume of global production within the industries it serves, rather than discretely related to financial performance of such industries. Furthermore, steel customers typically have limited manufacturing locations compared to metalworking customers and generally use higher volumes of products at a single location.  As previously disclosed in its Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, during 2017 the Company’s five largest customers (each composed of multiple subsidiaries or divisions with semiautonomous purchasing authority) accounted for approximately 18% of consolidated net sales, with its largest customer accounting for approximately 8% of consolidated net sales.

Revenue Recognition Model

The Company applies the FASB’s guidance on revenue recognition, which requires the Company to recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for goods or services transferred to its customers.  To do this, the Company applies the five-step model in the FASB’s guidance, which requires the Company to: (i) identify the contract with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

The Company identifies a contract with a customer when a sales agreement indicates approval and commitment of the parties; identifies the rights of the parties; identifies the payment terms; has commercial substance; and it is probable that the Company will collect the consideration to which it will be entitled in exchange for the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer.  In most instances, the Company’s contract with a customer is the customer’s purchase order.  For certain customers, the Company may also enter into a sales agreement which outlines a framework of terms and conditions which apply to all future and subsequent purchase orders for that customer.  In these situations, the Company’s contract with the customer is both the sales agreement as well as the specific customer purchase order.  Because the Company’s contract with a customer is typically for a single transaction or customer purchase order, the duration of the contract is almost always one year or less.  As a result, the Company has elected to apply certain practical expedients and omit certain disclosures of remaining performance obligations for contracts which have an initial term of one year or less as permitted by the FASB.

The Company identifies a performance obligation in a contract for each promised good or service that is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract and for which the customer can benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer.  The Company determines the transaction price as the amount of consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for fulfilling the performance obligations, including the effects of any variable

consideration, significant financing elements, amounts payable to the customer or noncash consideration.  For any contracts that have more than one performance obligation, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation in an amount that depicts the amount of consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for satisfying each performance obligation.

In accordance with the last step of the FASB’s guidance, the Company recognizes revenue when, or as, it satisfies the performance obligation in a contract by transferring control of a promised good or service to the customer.  The Company recognizes revenue over time whenever the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Company’s performance; the Company’s performance creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced; or the Company’s performance does not create an asset with an alternative use to the entity, and the entity has an enforceable right to payment, including a profit margin, for performance completed to date.  For performance obligations not satisfied over time, the Company determines the point in time at which a customer obtains control of a promised asset and the Company satisfies a performance obligation by considering when the Company has a present right to payment for the asset; the customer has legal title to the asset; the Company has transferred physical possession of the asset; the customer has the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the asset; or the customer has accepted the asset.

The Company typically satisfies its performance obligations and recognizes revenue at a point in time for product sales, generally when products are shipped or delivered to the customer, depending on the terms underlying each arrangement.  In circumstances where the Company’s products are on consignment, revenue is generally recognized upon usage or consumption by the customer.  For any CMS or other services provided by the Company to the customer, the Company typically satisfies its performance obligations and recognizes revenue over time, as the promised services are performed.  The Company uses input methods to recognize revenue over time related to these services, including labor costs and time incurred.  The Company believes that these input methods represent the most indicative measure of the CMS or other service work performed by the Company during a given period of time.

Other Considerations

The Company does not have standard payment terms for all customers globally, however the Company’s general payment terms require customers to pay for products or services provided after the performance obligation is satisfied.  The Company does not have significant financing arrangements with its customers.  The Company does not have significant amounts of variable consideration in its contracts with customers and where applicable, the Company’s estimates of variable consideration are not constrained.  The Company records certain third-party license fees in other income (expense), net, in its Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income, which generally include sales-based royalties in exchange for the license of intellectual property.  These license fees are recognized in accordance with their agreed-upon terms and when performance obligations are satisfied, which is generally when the third party has a subsequent sale.

Practical Expedients and Accounting Policy Elections

The Company has made certain accounting policy elections and elected to use certain practical expedients as permitted by the FASB in applying the guidance on revenue recognition.  It is the Company’s policy to not adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component as the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company transfers a promised good or service to the customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less.  In addition, it is the Company’s policy to expense costs to obtain a contract as incurred when the expected period of benefit, and therefore the amortization period, is one year or less.  It is also the Company’s accounting policy to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and collected by the entity from a customer, including sales, use, value added, excise and various other taxes.  Lastly, the Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities that occur after the customer has obtained control of a good as a fulfilment cost rather than an additional promised service.

Contract Assets and Liabilities

The Company recognizes a contract asset or receivable on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet when the Company performs a service or transfers a good in advance of receiving consideration.  A receivable is the Company’s right to consideration that is unconditional and only the passage of time is required before payment of that consideration is due.  A contract asset is the Company’s right to consideration in exchange for goods or services that the Company has transferred to a customer.  The Company had no contract assets recorded on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017.

A contract liability is recognized when the Company receives consideration, or if it has the unconditional right to receive consideration, in advance of performance.  A contract liability is the Company’s obligation to transfer goods or services to a customer for which the Company has received consideration, or a specified amount of consideration is due, from the customer.  The Company’s contract liabilities primarily represent deferred revenue recorded for customer payments received by the Company prior to the

Company satisfying the associated performance obligation.  Deferred revenues are presented within other current liabilities in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The Company had approximately $1.3 million and $1.5 million of deferred revenue as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.  During the three months ended March 31, 2018 the Company satisfied the associated performance obligations and recognized revenue of $1.5 million related to advance customer payments previously received.

Disaggregated Revenue

The Company sells its various industrial process fluids, its chemical specialties and its technical expertise as a global product portfolio. The Company generally manages and evaluates its performance by geography first, and then by customer industry, rather than by individual product lines. The Company has provided annual net sales information for its product lines greater than 10% in its previously filed Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and those annual percentages are generally consistent with the current quarter’s net sales by product line.  Also, net sales of each of the Company’s major product lines are generally spread throughout all four of the Company’s regions, and in most cases, approximately proportionate to the level of total sales in each region.  The following disaggregates the Company’s net sales by region, customer industry, and timing of revenue recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2018:

Note 5 – Business Segments

The Company’s reportable operating segments are organized by geography as follows: (i) North America, (ii) EMEA, (iii) Asia/Pacific and (iv) South America.  Operating earnings, excluding indirect operating expenses, for the Company’s reportable operating segments is comprised of revenues less cost of goods sold (“COGS”) and selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) directly related to the respective region’s product sales.  The indirect operating expenses consist of SG&A not directly attributable to the product sales of each respective reportable operating segment.  Other items not specifically identified with the Company’s reportable operating segments include interest expense, interest income, license fees from non-consolidated affiliates, amortization expense and other income (expense), net.

The following table presents information about the performance of the Company’s reportable operating segments for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

Inter-segment revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were $3.1 million and $2.1 million for North America, $5.6 million and $4.8 million for EMEA, $0.4 million and $0.1 million for Asia/Pacific and $0 and less than $0.1 million for South America, respectively.  However, all inter-segment transactions have been eliminated from each reportable operating segment’s net sales and earnings for all periods presented above.

Note 6 – Restructuring and Related Activities

As previously disclosed in its Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, in the fourth quarter of 2015 Quaker’s management approved a global restructuring plan (the “2015 Program”) to reduce its operating costs.  The 2015 Program included provisions for the reduction of total headcount of approximately 65 employees globally.  The Company completed all of the remaining initiatives under the 2015 Program during the first half of 2017 and does not expect to incur further restructuring charges under this program.

Restructuring activity recognized by reportable operating segment in connection with the 2015 Program during the three months ended March 31, 2017 is as follows:

There were no accrued restructuring liabilities as of December 31, 2017 and no associated cash payments or other restructuring activity recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Note 7 – Share-Based Compensation

The Company recognized the following share-based compensation expense in SG&A in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

During the first quarter of 2018, the Company granted stock options under its long-term incentive plan (“LTIP”) that are subject only to time vesting over a three-year period.  For the purposes of determining the fair value of stock option awards, the Company used the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the assumptions set forth in the table below:

The fair value of these stocks options is amortized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.  As of March 31, 2018, unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options granted was $2.1 million, to be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of 2.3 years.

During the first quarter of 2018, the Company granted 12,807 nonvested restricted shares and 1,480 nonvested restricted stock units under its LTIP that are generally subject only to time vesting, generally over a three-year period.  The fair value of these awards is based on the trading price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.  The Company adjusts the grant date fair value of these awards for expected forfeitures based on historical experience.  As of March 31, 2018, unrecognized compensation expense related to the nonvested shares was $3.2 million, to be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of 2.2 years, and unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested restricted stock units was $0.3 million, to be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of 2.4 years.

Note 8 – Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits

The components of net periodic benefit cost for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 are as follows:

Employer Contributions

The Company previously disclosed in its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, that it expected to make minimum cash contributions of $9.9 million to its pension plans and $0.4 million to its other postretirement benefit plans in 2018.  As of March 31, 2018, $3.9 million and $0.1 million of contributions have been made to the Company’s pension plans and its postretirement benefit plans, respectively.

Note 9 – Other Expense, Net

The components of other expense, net for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 are as follows:

Note 10 – Income Taxes and Uncertain Income Tax Positions

The Company’s effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was 29.8% compared to 50.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2017.  The Company’s elevated effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2017 was primarily due to certain non-deductible costs related to the pending Houghton Combination.  The Company’s effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2018 also included the impact of certain non-deductible combination-related expenses, but to a lesser extent.  In addition, the Company’s effective tax for the three months ended March 31, 2018 benefited from the decrease in the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35% in the prior year to 21% in the current quarter as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“U.S. Tax Reform”), partially offset by a negative impact from changes in uncertain tax positions quarter-over-quarter.

As previously disclosed in its Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as U.S. Tax Reform on December 22, 2017.  U.S. Tax Reform includes multiple changes to the U.S. tax code with varying effects on the Company’s results for the three months ended March 31, 2018.  The SEC staff issued guidance on accounting for the tax effects of U.S. Tax Reform and provided a one-year measurement period for companies to complete the accounting.  Companies are required to reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of U.S. Tax Reform for which the accounting is complete.  To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of U.S. Tax Reform are incomplete but the company is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in its financial statements.  The Company has made reasonable interpretations and assumptions with regard to various uncertainties and ambiguities in the application of certain provisions of U.S. Tax Reform.  It is possible that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could issue subsequent guidance or take positions on audit that differ from the Company’s interpretations and assumptions.  The Company currently believes subsequent guidance issued or interpretations made by the IRS will not be materially different from the Company’s application of the provisions of U.S. Tax Reform.  The Company is continuing to evaluate all of the provisions of U.S. Tax Reform and expects to finalize its assessment during the one-year measurement period provided for by the SEC to complete the accounting for U.S. Tax Reform.  During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company has not made any significant changes to its initial assessments made during the fourth quarter of 2017. 

As of March 31, 2018, the Company’s cumulative liability for gross unrecognized tax benefits was $7.8 million.  As of December 31, 2017, the Company’s cumulative liability for gross unrecognized tax benefits was $6.8 million.

The Company continues to recognize interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions as a component of taxes on income before equity in net income of associated companies in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.  The Company recognized an expense of $0.1 million for interest and an expense of $0.1 million for penalties in its Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and recognized a credit of $0.2 million for interest and an expense of less than $0.1 million for penalties in its Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017.  As of March 31, 2018, the Company had accrued $0.7 million for cumulative interest and $1.2 million for cumulative penalties in its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, compared to $0.6 million for cumulative interest and $1.0 million for cumulative penalties accrued at December 31, 2017.

During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized a decrease of less than $0.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively, in its cumulative liability for gross unrecognized tax benefits due to the expiration of the applicable statutes of limitations for certain tax years.

The Company estimates that during the year ending December 31, 2018 it will reduce its cumulative liability for gross unrecognized tax benefits by approximately $1.0 to $1.1 million due to the expiration of the statute of limitations with regard to certain tax positions.  This estimated reduction in the cumulative liability for unrecognized tax benefits does not consider any increase in liability for unrecognized tax benefits with regard to existing tax positions or any increase in cumulative liability for unrecognized tax benefits with regard to new tax positions for the year ending December 31, 2018.

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to U.S. Federal income tax, as well as the income tax of various state and foreign tax jurisdictions. Tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions include Brazil from 2000, Italy from 2007, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom from 2012, Spain, China and Mexico from 2013, India from its fiscal year beginning April 1, 2013 and ending March 31, 2014, the United States from 2014, and various domestic state tax jurisdictions from 2008. 

As previously reported, the Italian tax authorities have assessed additional tax due from the Company’s subsidiary, Quaker Italia S.r.l., relating to the tax years 2007 through 2013.  The Company has filed for competent authority relief from these assessments under the Mutual Agreement Procedures of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development for all years except 2007.  As of March 31, 2018, the Company believes it has adequate reserves, where merited, for uncertain tax positions with respect to these and all other audits.

Note 11 – Earnings Per Share

The following table summarizes earnings per share calculations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:

Certain stock options and restricted stock units are not included in the diluted earnings per share calculation since the effect would have been anti-dilutive.  The calculated amount of anti-dilutive shares not included were 2,862 and 3,507 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Note 12 – Restricted Cash

The Company has restricted cash recorded in other assets related to proceeds from an inactive subsidiary of the Company which previously executed separate settlement and release agreements with two of its insurance carriers for $35.0 million.  The proceeds of both settlements are restricted and can only be used to pay claims and costs of defense associated with the subsidiary’s asbestos litigation.  Due to the restricted nature of the proceeds, a corresponding deferred credit was established in other non-current liabilities for an equal and offsetting amount, and will remain until the restrictions lapse or the funds are exhausted via payments of claims and costs of defense.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as of March 31, 2018 and 2017 and December 31, 2017 and 2016:

Note 13 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The Company completes its annual impairment test during the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if triggering events indicate a possible impairment in one or more of its reporting units.  The Company continually evaluates financial performance, economic conditions and other relevant developments in assessing if an interim period impairment test for one or more of its reporting units is necessary.  The Company has recorded no impairment charges in its past.

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows:

Gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization for definite-lived intangible assets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were as follows:

The Company recorded $1.9 million and $1.8 million of amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.  Estimated annual aggregate amortization expense for the current year and subsequent five years is as follows:

The Company has two indefinite-lived intangible assets totaling $1.1 million for trademarks as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.