Financial Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Financial Instruments

13. Financial Instruments

Derivatives

The Company is exposed to market risk for changes in foreign currency exchange rates due to the global nature of its operations and certain commodity risks. In order to manage these risks, the Company has hedged portions of its forecasted sales and purchases, which occur within the next twelve months that are denominated in non-functional currencies, with currency forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had contracts with total notional amounts of $171,425 and $184,565, respectively, to exchange currencies, principally euro, pound sterling, Swedish krona, Canadian dollar, Chinese yuan, and Swiss franc. The Company believes it is probable that all forecasted cash flow transactions will occur.

In addition, the Company had outstanding contracts with a total notional amount of $84,867 and $102,509 as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, that are not designated as hedging instruments. These instruments are used to reduce the Company's exposure for operating receivables and payables that are denominated in non-functional currencies. Gains and losses on these contracts are recorded in other income, net in the consolidated statements of earnings.

The following table sets forth the fair values of derivative instruments held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the balance sheet lines in which they are recorded:

	Fair Value Asset (Liability)
	December 31, 2023		December 31, 2022		Balance Sheet Caption
Foreign currency forward	$	1,675	$	944	Prepaid and other current assets
Foreign currency forward	(874)		(2,760)		Other accrued expenses

For a cash flow hedge, the change in estimated fair value of a hedging instrument is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss), net of tax as a separate component of the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity and is reclassified into revenues or cost of goods and services in the consolidated statements of earnings during the period in which the hedged transaction is settled. The amount of gains or losses from hedging activity recorded in earnings is not significant and the amount of unrealized gains and losses from cash flow hedges that are expected to be reclassified to earnings in the next twelve months, is not significant; therefore, additional tabular disclosures are not presented. There are no amounts excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness, and the Company's derivative instruments that are subject to credit risk contingent features were not significant.

The Company is exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to the financial instrument contracts held by the Company; however, nonperformance by these counterparties is considered unlikely as the Company's policy is to contract with highly-rated, diversified counterparties.

The Company has designated the €600,000 and €500,000 of euro-denominated notes issued November 9, 2016 and November 4, 2019, respectively, as hedges of a portion of its net investment in euro-denominated operations. Changes in the value of the euro-denominated debt are recognized in foreign currency translation adjustments within other comprehensive earnings (loss) of the consolidated statements of comprehensive earnings to offset changes in the value of the net investment in euro-denominated operations. Changes in the value of the euro-denominated debt resulting from exchange rate differences are offset by changes in the net investment due to the high degree of effectiveness between the hedging instruments and the exposure being hedged.

Amounts recognized in other comprehensive earnings for the gains (losses) on net investment hedges were as follows:

	2023		2022		2021
(Loss) gain on euro-denominated debt	$	(45,805)	$	80,301	$	94,003
Tax benefit (expense)	10,438		(17,824)		(20,976)
Net (loss) gain on net investment hedges, net of tax	$	(35,367)	$	62,477	$	73,027

Fair Value Measurements

ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires the Company to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument's categorization within the hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. ASC 820 establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value as follows:

Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 inputs include inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of assets or liabilities.

Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

	December 31, 2023		December 31, 2022
	Level 2		Level 2
Assets:
Foreign currency cash flow hedges	$	1,675	$	944
Liabilities:
Foreign currency cash flow hedges	874		2,760

The derivative contracts are measured at fair value using models based on observable market inputs such as foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates; therefore, they are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

In addition to fair value disclosure requirements related to financial instruments carried at fair value, accounting standards require disclosures regarding the fair value of all of the Company's financial instruments.

The estimated fair value of long-term debt at December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $2,950,401 and $2,786,862, respectively. The estimated fair value of long-term debt is based on quoted market prices for similar instruments and is, therefore, classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy.

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, accounts payable and short-term borrowings approximate their fair values as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 due to the short-term nature of these instruments.