Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (“Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings” or the “Company”) has prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, including its accounts and the accounts of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q. The December 31, 2017, condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Form 10-K/A, for the year ended December 31, 2017. Certain reclassifications have been made to financial information for the prior year to conform to the current year’s presentation (see "Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements" below and Note 13).

The Company believes the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring accruals, necessary for a fair statement of its financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. In addition, the operating results for interim periods may not be indicative of the results of operations for a full year.

The Company’s operations are organized into two segments:

Aerospace and Defense — includes the operations of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc. (“Aerojet Rocketdyne”), a leading technology-based designer, developer and manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems for the United States (“U.S.”) government, including the Department of Defense (“DoD”), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”), and major aerospace and defense prime contractors.

Real Estate — includes the activities of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Easton Development Company, LLC (“Easton”) related to the re-zoning, entitlement, sale, and leasing of the Company’s excess real estate assets. The Company is currently in the process of seeking zoning changes and other governmental approvals on its excess real estate assets to optimize their value.

A detailed description of the Company’s significant accounting policies can be found in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Form 10-K/A, for the year ended December 31, 2017.

AR1 Research and Development

AR1 Research and Development

Company-sponsored research and development ("R&D") expenses (reported as a component of cost of sales) are generally reimbursed via allocation of such expenses among all contracts and programs in progress under U.S. government contractual arrangements. The Company's newest large liquid booster engine development project, the AR1, accounted for $62.8 million of such reimbursable costs from its inception through March 31, 2018. In February 2016, pursuant to an Other Transaction Agreement, the U.S. Air Force selected Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance ("ULA") to share in a public-private partnership to develop jointly the AR1 engine. The total agreement is valued at $804.0 million with the U.S. Air Force investing two-thirds of the funding required to complete development of the AR1 engine by 2019. The work is expected to be completed no later than December 31, 2019, and is being conducted in four phases, with each being an option to progress the project at pre-defined decision points. Through March 31, 2018, the U.S. Air Force has authorized the first two phases of the program and has obligated $269.5 million with Aerojet Rocketdyne and ULA contributing $134.8 million, including ULA's $3.6 million in "in-kind" R&D expenses. The total potential investment by Aerojet Rocketdyne and its partners, if all options are exercised, is $268.0 million. The U.S. Air Force contributions are recognized proportionately as an offset to R&D expenses. In the event the Company records a receivable for a milestone prior to expending the prospective proportional share to be contributed by the Company, the amount is recorded as an accrued liability until earned. The AR1 inception to date, beginning in 2015, project costs at March 31, 2018, were as follows (in millions):

AR1 R&D costs incurred	$	266.4
Less amounts funded by the U.S. Air Force	(161.9		)
Less amounts funded by ULA	(9.6		)
AR1 R&D costs net of reimbursements	$	94.9

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) amended the existing accounting guidance related to stock compensation. The amendment requires all income tax effects of awards to be recognized in the income statement when awards vest and allows a choice to account for forfeitures on an estimated or actual basis. There is also a requirement to present excess income tax benefits as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows. Effective January 1, 2017, the Company adopted the amendment requiring recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement prospectively. In addition, the Company elected to change its accounting policy to account for forfeitures when they occur for consistency with the U.S. government recovery accounting practices on a modified retrospective basis. The Company also elected to adopt the amendment related to the presentation of excess tax benefits within operating activities on the statement of cash flows, retrospectively.

In January 2017, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance related to goodwill impairment. The update eliminates "Step 2" which involves determining the implied fair value of goodwill and comparing it to the carrying amount of goodwill to measure the goodwill impairment loss, if any. The quantitative assessment "Step 1" will be used to determine both the existence and amount of goodwill impairment. The standard should be applied on a prospective basis and is effective for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance in conjunction with its annual impairment test on October 1, 2017. The adoption did not have an impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance related to classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The standard provides guidance for eight targeted changes with respect to how cash receipts and cash payments are classified in the statement of cash flows, with the objective of reducing diversity in practice. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance on December 31, 2017. The adoption did not have an impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In November 2016, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance for the presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance requires that the statement of cash flows explain the difference during the period in total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. Also, when cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash are presented on more than one line item within the statement of financial position, a reconciliation of those line items to the total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash presented on the statement of cash flows must be disclosed. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance on December 31, 2017. The adoption did not have an impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

On December 22, 2017, Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118") was issued to address the application of U.S. GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Act"). In accordance with SAB 118, the Company recorded $64.6 million of deferred tax expense in connection with the remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities in the three months ended December 31, 2017. As of March 31, 2018, and consistent with the disclosure in the Company’s 2017 Form 10-K, as amended by Form 10-K/A, Note 1, Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements, the accounting for the Tax Act is incomplete. The Company was able to reasonably estimate certain effects, and consequently recorded provisional adjustments associated with the impact on deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities resulting from the reduction of the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate at December 31, 2017. The Company has made no changes to these items during the three months ended March 31, 2018, and continues to evaluate the impacts of the Tax Act, including ongoing guidance and accounting interpretation.

In May 2014, the FASB amended the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. The amendments are based on the principle that revenue should be recognized to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method, with the cumulative effect recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2018. All applicable amounts and disclosures for the three months ended March 31, 2018, reflect the impact of adoption. As the Company elected to use the modified retrospective method, prior periods presented have not been restated to reflect the impact of adoption unless otherwise noted (see Notes 3 and 13).

In March 2017, the FASB amended the existing accounting guidance relating to the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost ( the “NPPC”) in the income statement.  The amended guidance requires the service cost component to be presented in the same line item or items as other compensation arising from the services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period, and other components of the NPPC to be presented in the statement of operations separately from service cost components and outside a subtotal of income from operations. If a separate line item or items are used to present the other components of the NPPC, that line item or items must be appropriately described.  If a separate line item or items are not used, the line item or items used in the statement of operations to present the other components of NPPC must be disclosed. The Company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2018. The adoption resulted in an increase in operating income of $18.3 million for three months ended March 31, 2017, and a corresponding increase in total non-operating expense, net for the period. The adoption did not impact segment performance, net income, or cash flows.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with the exception of short-term leases. For lessees, leases will continue to be classified as either operating or finance leases in the income statement. Lessor accounting is similar to the current model but updated to align with certain changes to the lessee model. Lessors will continue to classify leases as operating, direct financing or sales-type leases. The effective date of the new standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition method and requires application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this new accounting guidance on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance that permits the reclassification of the income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on items within accumulated other comprehensive loss to accumulated deficit. The guidance refers to these amounts as "stranded tax effects." The amended guidance also requires certain new disclosures. The new guidance is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this new accounting guidance on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

In the Company’s Aerospace and Defense segment, the majority of the Company’s revenue is earned from long-term contracts to design, develop, and manufacture aerospace and defense products, and provide related services, for the Company’s customers including the U.S. government, major aerospace and defense prime contractors, and a portion of the commercial sector. Each customer contract defines the Company’s distinct performance obligations and the associated transaction price for each obligation. A contract may contain a single or multiple performance obligations. In certain circumstances, multiple contracts with a customer are required to be combined in determining the distinct performance obligations. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the contracted transaction price to each performance obligation based upon the relative standalone selling price, which represents the price the Company would sell the promised good or service separately to the customer. The Company determines the standalone selling price based upon the facts and circumstances of each obligated good or service. The majority of the Company’s contracts have no observable standalone selling price since the associated products and service are customized to customer specifications. As such, the standalone selling price generally reflects the Company’s forecast of the total cost to satisfy the performance obligation plus an appropriate profit margin.

Contract modifications are routine in the performance of the Company's long-term contracts. Contracts are often modified to account for changes in contract specifications or requirements. In most instances, contract modifications are for goods or services that are not distinct, and, therefore, are accounted for as part of the existing contract.

The Company recognizes revenue as each performance obligation is satisfied. The majority of the Company’s aerospace and defense performance obligations are satisfied over time either as the service is provided, or as control transfers to the customer. Transfer of control is evidenced by the Company’s contractual right to payment for work performed to date plus a reasonable profit on highly customized products. The Company measures progress on substantially all its performance obligations using the cost-to-cost method which the Company believes best depicts the transfer of control of goods and services to the customer. Under the cost-to-cost method, the Company records revenues based upon costs incurred to date relative to the total estimated cost at completion. Contract costs include labor, material, overhead, and general and administrative expenses, as appropriate.  

Recognition of revenue and profit on long-term contracts requires the use of assumptions and estimates related to the total contract value, the total cost at completion, and the measurement of progress towards completion for each performance obligation. Due to the nature of the programs, developing the estimated total contract value and total cost at completion for each performance obligation requires the use of significant judgment.

The contract value of long-term contracts may include variable consideration, such as incentives, awards, or penalties. The value of variable consideration is generally determined by contracted performance metrics, which may include targets for cost, performance, quality, and schedule. The Company includes variable consideration in the transaction price for the respective performance obligation at either estimated value, or most likely amount to be earned, based upon the Company’s assessment of expected performance. The Company records these amounts only to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved.

The Company evaluates the contract value and cost estimates for performance obligations at least quarterly and more frequently when circumstances significantly change. Factors considered in estimating the work to be completed include, but are not limited to: labor productivity, the nature and technical complexity of the work to be performed, availability and cost volatility of materials, subcontractor and vendor performance, warranty costs, volume assumptions, anticipated labor agreements, inflationary trends, schedule and performance delays, availability of funding from the customer, and the recoverability of costs incurred outside the original contract included in any estimates to complete. When the Company’s estimate of total costs to be incurred to satisfy a performance obligation exceeds the expected revenue, the Company recognizes the loss immediately. When the Company determines that a change in estimates has an impact on the associated profit of a performance obligation, the Company records the cumulative positive or negative adjustment to the statement of operations.

In the Company’s Aerospace and Defense segment, the timing of revenue recognition, customer invoicing, and collections produces accounts receivable, contract assets, and contract liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company invoices in accordance with contract payment terms either based upon a recurring contract payment schedule, or as contract milestones are achieved. Customer invoices, net of reserves, represent an unconditional right of consideration. When revenue is recognized in advance of customer invoicing a contract asset is recorded. Conversely, when customers are invoiced in advance of revenue recognition, a contract liability is recorded. Unpaid customer invoices are reflected as accounts receivable.

Production contracts provide for the production and delivery of mature products for operational use. The Company's contracts are largely categorized as either “fixed-price” (largely used by the U.S. government for production-type contracts) or “cost-reimbursable” (largely used by the U.S. government for development-type contracts). Fixed-price contracts present the risk of unreimbursed cost overruns, potentially resulting in lower than expected contract profits and margins. This risk is generally lower for cost-reimbursable contracts which, as a result, generally have a lower margin.