Fair Value Measurements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows:



	As of March 31, 2018
(in thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Money market investments ⁽¹⁾	$	—	$	111,752	$	—	$	111,752
Marketable equity securities ⁽²⁾	471,703		—		—		471,703
Other current investments ⁽³⁾	12,715		7,031		—		19,746
Interest rate swap ⁽⁴⁾	—		11		—		11
Total Financial Assets	$	484,418	$	118,794	$	—	$	603,212
Liabilities
Deferred compensation plan liabilities ⁽⁵⁾	$	—	$	36,373	$	—	$	36,373
Mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest ⁽⁷⁾	—		—		10,331		10,331
Total Financial Liabilities	$	—	$	36,373	$	10,331	$	46,704



	As of December 31, 2017
(in thousands)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Money market investments ⁽¹⁾	$	—	$	217,628	$	—	$	217,628
Marketable equity securities ⁽²⁾	536,315		—		—		536,315
Other current investments ⁽³⁾	9,831		11,007		—		20,838
Total Financial Assets	$	546,146	$	228,635	$	—	$	774,781
Liabilities
Deferred compensation plan liabilities ⁽⁵⁾	$	—	$	43,414	$	—	$	43,414
Interest rate swap ⁽⁶⁾	—		244		—		244
Mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest ⁽⁷⁾	—		—		10,331		10,331
Total Financial Liabilities	$	—	$	43,658	$	10,331	$	53,989

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(1)	The Company’s money market investments are included in Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash and the value considers the liquidity of the counterparty.


(2)	The Company’s investments in marketable equity securities are held in common shares of U.S. corporations that are actively traded on U.S. stock exchanges. Price quotes for these shares are readily available. Investments in marketable securities were classified as available-for-sale in 2017 prior to the adoption of the new accounting guidance (see Note 1).


(3)	Includes U.S. Government Securities, corporate bonds, mutual funds and time deposits. These investments are valued using a market approach based on the quoted market prices of the security or inputs that include quoted market prices for similar instruments and are classified as either Level 1 or Level 2 in the valuation hierarchy.


(4)	Included in Deferred Charges and Other Assets. The Company utilized a market approach model using the notional amount of the interest rate swap multiplied by the observable inputs of time to maturity and market interest rates.

(5)

Includes Graham Holdings Company’s Deferred Compensation Plan and supplemental savings plan benefits under the Graham Holdings Company’s Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, which are included in accrued compensation and related benefits. These plans measure the market value of a participant’s balance in a notional investment account that is comprised primarily of mutual funds, which are based on observable market prices. However, since the deferred compensation obligations are not exchanged in an active market, they are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on deferred compensation are included in operating income.


(6)	Included in Other Liabilities. The Company utilized a market approach model using the notional amount of the interest rate swap multiplied by the observable inputs of time to maturity and market interest rates.


(7)	The fair value of the mandatorily redeemable noncontrolling interest is based on an EBITDA multiple, adjusted for working capital and other items, which approximates fair value.

- 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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