FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS [Abstract]

3. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability (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. The FASB established a three-level hierarchy for disclosure based on the extent and level of judgment used to estimate fair value. Level 1 inputs consist of valuations based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs consist of valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an inactive market, or other observable inputs. Level 3 inputs consist of valuations based on unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity.

The following table presents financial instruments, other than long-term debt, that we measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2016 and September 30, 2016. See Note 8 for a detailed discussion of our long-term debt. We have classified the following assets and liabilities in accordance with the fair value hierarchy set forth in the applicable standards. In instances where the inputs used to measure the fair value of an asset fall into more than one level of the hierarchy, we have classified them based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the determination of the fair value.

December 31, 2016	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Fair Value
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	305,714	$	-	$	-	$	305,714
Other long-term investments		1,064		-		-		1,064
Derivative financial instruments		-		370		-		370
Total assets	$	306,778	$	370	$	-	$	307,148

Liabilities:
Derivative financial instruments		-		837		-		837
Total liabilities	$	-	$	837	$	-	$	837

September 30, 2016	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total Fair Value
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	287,479	$	-	$	-	$	287,479
Other long-term investments		1,028		-		-		1,028
Derivative financial instruments		-		28		-		28
Total assets	$	288,507	$	28	$	-	$	288,535

Liabilities:
Derivative financial instruments		-		1,469		-		1,469
Total liabilities	$	-	$	1,469	$	-	$	1,469

Our cash and cash equivalents consist of various bank accounts used to support our operations and investments in institutional money-market funds which are traded in active markets. We invest exclusivley in AAA- rated, prime institutional money makret funds, comprised of high quality, short-term fixed income securities. Our other long-term investments represent the fair value of investments under the Cabot Microelectronics Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan (SERP), which is a nonqualified supplemental savings plan. The fair value of the investments is determined through quoted market prices within actively traded markets. Although the investments are allocated to individual participants and investment decisions are made solely by those participants, the SERP is a nonqualified plan. Consequently, the Company owns the assets and the related offsetting liability for disbursement until such time a participant makes a qualifying withdrawal. The long-term asset was adjusted to $1,064 in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 to reflect its fair value as of December 31, 2016.

Our derivative financial instruments include forward foreign exchange contracts and interest rate swaps. In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we entered into floating-to-fixed interest rate swap agreements to hedge the variability in LIBOR-based interest payments on a portion of our outstanding variable rate debt. These interest rate swaps represent our primary use of derivative financial instruments. The fair value of our derivative instruments is estimated using standard valuation models using market-based observable inputs over the contractual term, including one-month LIBOR-based yield curves, among others. We consider the risk of nonperformance, including counterparty credit risk, in the calculation of the fair value of derivative financial instruments. See Note 9 of this Form 10-Q for more information on our use of derivative financial instruments.

- 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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