XML 33 R10.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.0.1
Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation:
Compass Minerals International, Inc. (“CMI”), through its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), is a leading producer of essential minerals focused on safely delivering where and when it matters to help solve nature’s challenges for customers and communities. The Company’s salt products help keep roadways safe during winter weather and are used in numerous other consumer, industrial and agricultural applications. Its plant nutrition business is the leading producer of sulfate of potash (“SOP”), which is used in the production of specialty fertilizers for high-value crops and turf. The Company’s principal products are salt, consisting of sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, and SOP. The Company’s production sites are located in the United States (“U.S.”), Canada and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). The Company also provides records management services to businesses located in the U.K. Except where otherwise noted, references to North America include only the continental U.S. and Canada, and references to the U.K. include only England, Scotland and Wales. References to “Compass Minerals,” “our,” “us” and “we” refer to CMI and its consolidated subsidiaries.
 
CMI is a holding company with no significant operations other than those of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CMI and its wholly-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company uses the equity method of accounting for equity securities when it has significant influence or when it has more than a minor ownership interest or more than minor influence over an investee’s operations but does not have a controlling financial interest. Initial investments are recorded at cost (including certain transaction costs) and are adjusted by the Company’s share of the investees’ undistributed earnings and losses. Any difference in the Company’s cost in comparison to its underlying interest in the net assets of equity method companies that is allocated to intangible assets is amortized over the estimated useful lives of the related intangible assets.

The Company’s investment in Fortress North America, LLC (“Fortress”) is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. On November 2, 2021, the Company announced a $45 million equity investment in Fortress, building upon a previous $5 million investment as part of the Company’s strategy to strengthen and grow its essential minerals business. Fortress is a development stage company that intends to achieve commercialization of its magnesium chloride-based fire-retardant products to help combat wildfires. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had invested $32 million in Fortress in exchange for an ownership interest of approximately 37%. In January 2022, the Company invested the remaining $18 million of its total $50 million investment bringing its ownership interest in Fortress to approximately 45%. Under the equity method of accounting, the Company reflects its proportionate share of the income or loss of Fortress, net of tax, in its results each period on a one quarter reporting lag. For the quarter ended December 31, 2021 and the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, the Company recorded immaterial losses as its share of Fortress’ net losses for each period presented.

The carrying value of the Company’s equity investment in Fortress is in excess of its share of Fortress’s net book value by approximately $30 million as of December 31, 2021. The Company’s initial estimates indicate this primarily represents incremental value attributable to intangible assets and goodwill that has not been recognized in the financial statements of Fortress. The Company has the right to purchase units from other Fortress unit holders, subject to certain conditions. Additionally, the Company has the right of first refusal to purchase all or any portion of any available Fortress units, subject to certain conditions.

The balance of the Company’s net investment in Fortress of $31.4 million and $3.9 million is recorded in equity method investments in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2021, respectively. The Company also has other immaterial equity investments of $2.0 million and $1.9 million as of December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2021, respectively.

During 2021, the Company transitioned to a September 30 fiscal year end. The nine-month period from January 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021, served as a transition period, and the Company filed one-time, nine-month transitional financial statements for the transition period in a Transition Report on Form 10-KT filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 30, 2021. Prior to the transition period, the Company’s fiscal year was the calendar year ending on December 31. The Company’s fiscal year 2022 (or “fiscal 2022”) commenced on October 1, 2021 and ends on September 30, 2022.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete
consolidated financial statements. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of the Company for the transition period ended September 30, 2021, as filed with the SEC in its Transition Report on Form 10-KT on November 30, 2021. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation, have been included.
 
The Company experiences a substantial amount of seasonality in its sales, including its deicing salt product sales. As a result, Salt segment sales and operating income are generally higher in the first and second fiscal quarters (ending December 31 and March 31) and lower during the third and fourth fiscal quarters (ending June 30 and September 30) of each year. In particular, sales of highway and consumer deicing salt and magnesium chloride products vary based on the severity of the winter conditions in areas where the products are used. Following industry practice in North America and the U.K., the Company seeks to stockpile sufficient quantities of deicing salt throughout the first, third and fourth fiscal quarters (ending December 31, June 30 and September 30) to meet the estimated requirements for the winter season. Production of deicing salt can also vary based on the severity or mildness of the preceding winter season. Due to the seasonal nature of the deicing product lines, operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year. The Company’s plant nutrition business is also seasonal. As a result, the Company and its customers generally build inventories during the plant nutrition business’ low demand periods of the year (which are typically winter and summer, but can vary due to weather and other factors) to ensure timely product availability during the peak sales seasons (which are typically spring and autumn, but can also vary due to weather and other factors).

Significant Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are detailed in “Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” within Part II, Item 8 of its Transition Report on Form 10-KT for the transition period ended September 30, 2021. The Company reports its financial results from discontinued operations and continuing operations separately to recognize the financial impact of disposal transactions apart from ongoing operations. Discontinued operations reporting occurs when a component or a group of components of an entity has been disposed or classified as held for sale and represents a strategic shift that has a major effect on the entity’s operations and financial results. In the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the cash flows from discontinued operations are not separately classified. Unless otherwise indicated, amounts provided in these Notes pertain to continuing operations. See Note 2 for information on discontinued operations and Note 10 for information on the Company’s reportable segments.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has evaluated all of the recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other standards-setting bodies through the filing date of these unaudited consolidated financial statements and does not believe the future adoption of any such pronouncements will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Strategic Evaluation and Plan to Sell Businesses
During fiscal 2020, the Company initiated an evaluation of the strategic fit of certain of the Company’s businesses. On February 16, 2021, the Company announced its plan to restructure its former Plant Nutrition South America segment to enable targeted and separate sales processes for each portion of the former segment, including its chemicals and specialty plant nutrition businesses, along with the Company’s equity method investment in Fermavi Eletroquímica Ltda. (“Fermavi”). Concurrently, to optimize its asset base in North America, the Company evaluated the strategic fit of its North America micronutrient product business. On March 16, 2021, the Board of     Directors of the Company approved a plan to sell the Company’s South America chemicals and specialty plant nutrition businesses, investment in Fermavi and North America micronutrient product business (collectively, the “Specialty Businesses”) with the goal of reducing the Company’s leverage and enabling increased focus on optimizing the Company’s core businesses. Prior to March 31, 2021, the South America chemicals and specialty plant nutrition businesses and investment in Fermavi were reported as the Company’s Plant Nutrition South America segment. Prior to March 31, 2021, the North America micronutrient product business was included with the Company’s Plant Nutrition North America segment, which has been renamed the Plant Nutrition segment as of March 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has two reportable segments, Salt and Plant Nutrition, as discussed further in Note 10.

The Company concluded that the Specialty Businesses met the criteria for classification as held for sale upon receiving approval from its Board of Directors to sell the Specialty Businesses in the quarter ended March 31, 2021. In addition, the Company believes there is a single disposal plan representing a strategic shift that will have a material effect on its operations and financial results. Consequently, the Specialty Businesses qualify for presentation as assets and liabilities held for sale and
discontinued operations in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, current and noncurrent assets and liabilities of the Specialty Businesses are presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as assets and liabilities held for sale for both periods presented and their results of operations are presented as discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for each period presented. Interest expense attributed to discontinued operations represents interest expense for loans in Brazil by the Company’s South America chemicals and specialty plant nutrition businesses, which were fully repaid from proceeds received from the Company’s sale of its South America specialty plant nutrition businesses.

As described further in Note 2, on May 4, 2021, July 1, 2021 and August 20, 2021, the Company completed the sales of a component of its North America micronutrient business, its South America specialty plant nutrition business and its investment in Fermavi, respectively. In the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Company abandoned the remaining inventory of its North America micronutrient product business and has reclassified its remaining product lines as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The Company continues to actively pursue the sale of the South America chemicals business and believes the sale is probable to occur within the next twelve months.
Unless otherwise indicated, amounts provided in these Notes pertain to continuing operations.