8. DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Company is exposed to certain risks arising from both its business operations and economic conditions. The Company principally manages its exposures to a wide variety of business and operational risks through management of its core business activities. The Company manages economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk primarily by managing the amount, sources and duration of its debt funding and the use of derivative financial instruments. Specifically, the Company enters into derivative financial instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the receipt or payment of future known and uncertain cash amounts, the value of which are determined by interest rates. The Company’s derivative financial instruments are used to manage differences in the amount, timing and duration of the Company’s known or expected cash receipts and its known or expected cash payments principally related to the Company’s investments and borrowings.

The Company’s objectives in using interest rate derivatives are to add stability to interest expense and to manage its exposure to interest rate movements. To accomplish this objective, the Company primarily uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges involve the receipt of variable amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount. During October 2013, the Company entered into two identical interest rate swaps with a combined notional of $25,000 that amortized quarterly to a notional of $6,673 at the September 2018 maturity. Neither of these interest rate swaps is currently active as the Company terminated one interest rate swap during October 2016 as part of its debt refinancing, and the second matured September 2018. In February 2017, the Company entered into three interest rate swaps with a combined notional of $40,000 that mature in February 2022.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges is recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. During 2018 and 2017, such derivatives were used to hedge the variable cash flows associated with existing variable-rate debt. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivatives is recognized directly in earnings. There was no hedge ineffectiveness recorded in the Company’s earnings during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

The Company estimates that an additional $222 will be reclassified as a decrease to interest expense over the next twelve months. Additionally, the Company does not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes and currently does not have any derivatives that are not designated as hedges.

The table below presents the fair value of the Company’s derivative financial instruments as well as their classification on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2018, and 2017 (in thousands):


		Asset Derivatives					Liability Derivatives
		Fair value as of:					Fair value as of:
Derivatives designated as	Balance Sheet	December 31,				Balance Sheet	December 31,
hedging instruments	Location	2018		2017		Location	2018		2017
Interest rate products	Other long-term assets	$	566	$	196	Other long-term liabilities	$	—	$	—

The tables below presents the effect of cash flow hedge accounting on other comprehensive income (loss) (OCI) for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):


Location of (gain) loss reclassified
from accumulated OCI into	Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated OCI into income
income	Year ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Interest expense	$	(6)	$	313	$	108

The tables below presents the effect of the Company’s derivative financial instruments on the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):


		Total amounts of income and expense line items presented
		that reflect the effects of cash flow hedges recorded
Derivatives designated as		Year ended December 31,
hedging instruments	Balance Sheet Location	2018		2017		2017
Interest rate products	Other long-term assets	$	2,701	$	2,474	$	6,449

The tables below present a gross presentation, the effects of offsetting, and a net presentation of the Company’s derivatives as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. The net amounts of derivative assets or liabilities can be reconciled to the tabular disclosure of fair value. The tabular disclosure of fair value provides the location that derivative assets and liabilities are presented on the consolidated balance sheets (in thousands).

Gross amounts

Net amounts of assets

Gross amounts not offset in the consolidated

As of

Gross amounts

offset in the

presented in the

balance sheets

December 31,

of recognized

consolidated

consolidated balance

Financial

Cash collateral

2018

assets

balance sheets

sheets

instruments

received

Net amount

Derivatives

566

—

566

—

566

Gross amounts

Net amounts of assets

Gross amounts not offset in the consolidated

As of

Gross amounts

offset in the

presented in the

balance sheets

December 31,

of recognized

consolidated

consolidated balance

Financial

Cash collateral

2017

assets

balance sheets

sheets

instruments

received

Net amount

Derivatives

196

—

196

—

196

The Company has agreements with each of its derivative counterparties that contain a provision where if the Company either defaults or is capable of being declared in default on any of its indebtedness, then the Company could also be declared in default on its derivative obligations.

Amount of gain (loss) recognized in OCI

Derivatives in cash flow hedging

on derivate

relationships

Year ended December 31,

Interest rate products